Inspiration. Elusive stuff. Find it where you can—ideally, not from a bottle. Robert Eastwood found it Dante’s Purgatorio, and went so far as to use the Italian master’s three-line stanzas. Consider us impressed. Twice a Pushcart... Read More

Good poets seem to recognize that what makes them good is what annoys them most about themselves. Damn the constant chatter—enough already!—but yes, admittedly, there’s some workable stuff in there. A masterful sifter, Tony... Read More

The gods of poetry surely must experience severe bouts of eye-rolling boredom—a result of all too many weightless, inconsequential poems. But this anthology for young adults demonstrates poetry’s superpowers by offering more than... Read More

Stuart David’s character Peacock Johnson has already been through a bit, appearing in an earlier David novel and an actual Ian Rankin crime novel (it’s a long story). Now he’s back in Peacock’s Alibi, a fun caper highlighted by... Read More

In an ideal world, we would be no shorter or taller than we need to be, no thinner or heavier, smarter or dimmer. We would be what we needed to be. Similarly, writing need not be short or long to be what it needs to be. When the work is... Read More

The American Medical Association, American Cancer Society, and other powerful, reputable medical organizations routinely dismiss therapies that don’t meet their scientific standards. If a treatment doesn’t exhibit a “biologically... Read More

A glimpse of the latest class of America’s Cup sailboats skipping across waves at speeds up to fifty miles an hour offers a vivid reminder of how far sailboat technology has advanced since the square riggers of the Spanish Main. In... Read More

Genius is as genius does. With fortuitous circumstances, genius can do more. Take Leonardo: The illegitimate son of a notary in the 1450s, he was blessed with paper and ink for playthings, and it became the material he used to express... Read More