history
Literal Nazis and the Retro-transing of History
Researching Marienbad and the Savoy led me to Erika Mann and all the gossip, scandal, politics, and drama of her…
Ronald Blythe, Akenfield, and The Age of Illusion
I follow the art historian Richard Morris on Twitter and his tweets are a daily delight - each one providing…
Fizz and Filth – Kate Atkinson and Babylon London 1926
A novel by Kate Atkinson is always something to look forward to and I've just finished reading her latest -…
Put Out More Flags
My heart sinks down when I behold A rainbow in the street. With the end of June, in sight, I’m…
Four Little Girls
Carole Robertson (14), Carol Denise McNair (11), Addie Mae Collins (14), and Cynthia Wesley (14) died on September 15, 1963,…
The Thinking
This post is in answer to the question "Operation Pied Piper: What were they thinking?" At least in terms of…
Out of the London Mud Come the London Cabbages
A friend is reading Steven Johnson's The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science,…
From Minty to Moses – the Extraordinary Fierce and Fearless Harriet Tubman
In September we heard Ta-Nehisi Coates in conversation with Oprah Winfrey at the Apollo in NYC. The topic was his…
Much Ado About Deception and Delusion: Kate Atkinson’s Transcription and London 1940
The sandwich was no comfort, it was a pale limp thing a long way from the déjeuner sur l'herbe of her…
The Art of Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am
Two Sundays, two documentaries and two very satisfactory movie experiences. The first was Maiden at The Moviehouse in Millerton, NY.…
The Pentrich Martyrs and Peterloo
I was intrigued when I discovered that I am distantly related to the last person beheaded in England. The year…
David Lammy and the Fraud that is Brexit
David Lammy is the Labour MP for Tottenham. He made the speech and took the stand that many of us…
Back to the Future in Search of Doris Bass
I'm early but the staffroom is already blue with smoke and full of strangers who know each other. A row…
The Golf Links
The Manumit School was an experimental Christian socialist boarding school in Pawling, NY. and later Bristol, Pennsylvania. Manumit means freedom and…
Ballad of the Three Spectres
In Ivor Gurney's nightmarish vision, the dead among the living bear dire warnings and mockery. Ballad of the Three Spectres…