A peace of eagles

Some decades ago the American poet and producer James Lipton revived interest in an old word tradition—giving fanciful names to groups of animals. An Exaltation of Larks explored how English hunters and word lovers in the fifteenth century pursued with … Read More…

Beside the White River

I caught my first-ever glimpse of Arkansas this week—a quick trip to attend a wedding in Calico Rock, in the Arkansas Ozarks at the far north of the state. Beautiful country! We stayed in a cabin peeking between trees, perched … Read More…

Reciprocity

I’ve been thinking about reciprocity lately—how it holds relationships together. How partnerships end if one or the other takes more than gives. How wars start over lack of reciprocity—disrespect, seizing land, taking resources. How contracts aren’t successful and trades don’t … Read More…

Granite Dells

One of the last things I did before leaving Prescott, Arizona, was climb over rocks in Granite Dells near sunset. … Read More…

Snow in Prescott

I’m in Prescott, Arizona, making my quarterly pilgrimage to teach in the graduate programs of Prescott College. This weekend we’ve had more precipitation than I’ve ever seen here in eight years of visits. It started with snow on Thursday morning—wet … Read More…