Author Archives: Richard Jeffrey Newman

Why Am I a Poet?

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I’m reading two books right now, Roger Rosenblatt’s Kayak Morning and Venus Khoury-Ghata’s She Says (translated by Marilyn Hacker). The first is a meditation on grief; the second, a book of poems the first section of which, “Words,” is basically a mythologization … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | 1 Comment  

from “Ruminations/Reflections,” by Sonia Sanchez (1984)

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

The poet is a creator of social values. /// [P]oetry is a subconscious conversation, it is as much the work of those who understand it as those who make it. /// The power that the poet has to create, preserve, … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Leave a comment  

The Separation of Church and State in Early 19th Century England

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

When my brother-in-law died a couple of years ago, I inherited from him a pristine set of The World’s Orators, a multivolume collection of “the greatest orations of the world’s history,” edited by Guy Carleton Lee and published by G. … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Semitism | 43 Comments  

Because It Is the First Day of the Spring Semester…

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

…and I think this is a worthwhile message to send to all students.

Posted in Education | 15 Comments  

Fragments of Evolving Manhood: The “Cunt Poem” Challenge

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Trigger warning for a brief mention of sexual violence. I have not posted a Fragments of Evolving Manhood piece on a long while, mostly because my attention has been focused elsewhere, but I have been working these past couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in Gender and the Body, Men and masculinity, Rape, intimate violence, & related issues, Sex, Writing | 3 Comments  

A Pretty Good Working Definition of Religious Fundamentalism

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I found this in Barbara C. Sproul’s introduction to Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World. It has been a long time since I have thought of myself as a religious person or had much to do with people who … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion | 10 Comments  

The Joy of Books

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

This is a marvelous video, made at the Type bookstore in Toronto:

Posted in Whatever | Leave a comment  

Responding to RonF’s Question about Reading, Plus, Just for the Hell of It, a Reading List

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

RonF, in my recent post on reading, Because Reading is Fundamental, asked if I could give an example of the kind of reading I was talking about when I wrote but it has been years since I have been able … Continue reading →

Posted in literature | 3 Comments  

Because Reading is Fundamental

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I miss reading. I really do. In a big, big way. And it has, especially over the past couple of days, been making me very, very sad. It started after I read Joshua Bodwell’s article in the most recent issue … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, literature | 11 Comments  

From “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” by Joseph Campbell

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

So I have been reading The Hero with a Thousand Faces to prep for my myth and folklore class, and I really like this quote, not so much because I agree with everything it says or implies–that is something I would … Continue reading →

Posted in Whatever | 10 Comments