On Poetry, Spring, and Transition
Poetry for emergencies. Friends are leaving, selling their houses and moving away. Mary Oliver on things and Lau Tzu on excess .
Jul 03, 2024•6 min
TreeHouseLetter
Rise above the tedium and join me in the TreeHouse. Sharing the best ideas and writing, MyLinh Shattan has a particular fondness for words, music, and the power of story. “I adore your podcasts; each and every one is a little gem. You never say three words when two will do. Everything you do shows unusual respect and appreciation for your listeners’ time and intelligence.” Buzz, former Managing Editor for News and Public Affairs Programming at WHRB-FM/Harvard Radio Broadcasting
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Episodes
Small Delight: The Unexpected and the Good
I suppose it is the unexpected and the good which sustain us. Learn about a discovery in a second-hand book by Penelope Fitzgerald. In the process meet characters and listen to a cheeky retort from the protagonist.
Jul 03, 2024•5 min
Dirtman and Dillard on Signs of the Apocalypse
Earthquake and eclipse may signify the end of times. For both to occur in a week, after a deluge of rain and flooding, it is easy to lose your moorings. Geography Instructor on the quake and Annie Dillard on the eclipse.
Apr 11, 2024•10 min
Deez Nutz*
Nuts and nonsense. On Mixed Nuts, contronyms, and a classic film.
Mar 27, 2024•9 min
Who Does Not Prefer Civility to Barbarism?*
I love reading about the type of characters and situations I have encountered in my own life. What is less than pleasant is the recognition of less than admirable qualities that bear similarities to my own. George Washington's Rules and C.S. Lewis's Four Loves provide insight on civility and barbarism in an age when their relevance is more important than ever.
Mar 19, 2024•9 min
How to Improve Your Writing - Part 2: from Confucius to Lincoln
The importance of the English textbook and lessons on writing style. Part 2 of 5 with a book rec, a style guide, and passages from four writers: Confucius, C. Keegan, D. Grohl, and Lincoln.
Mar 13, 2024•13 min
What Men Live By*
Leo Tolstoy's classic story, C.S. Lewis and "The Four Loves", and a surprising message on the day of a military funeral.
Mar 05, 2024•12 min
How to Improve Your Writing - Part 1
The importance of the English textbook and lessons on writing style. Part 1 of 5 with a book rec, a style guide, and passages from four writers: Tolstoy to Grohl (of Nirvana and Foo Fighters).
Feb 27, 2024•13 min
Superior to the Saint, the Scientist, the Philosopher, and the Poet?
Who is superior to the saint, the scientist, the philosopher, and the poet ? Learn why reading novels--serious novels worthy of re-reading--enriches your life. Why the novel is in decline, what makes a novel great, where to start, and the 3 novels that damaged the prestige of Communism. The Novel, Who Needs It? by Joseph Epstein
Feb 14, 2024•10 min
An Alabama Road
Music and songwriting -- how writing for the senses breathes life into words. A live clip of five-part harmony and a look at the verses that make this song a classic.
Feb 05, 2024•7 min
Town Mouse and Country Mouse
"The town mouse and the country mouse. Distress and agitation of the town mouse." Aurelius. True story about coffee with the "town mouse" and Willa Cather on town versus country. 3 book recs, 1 film rec, The Music in Prose of O Pioneers! and wordnerd special.
Jan 22, 2024•13 min
Living Outside the Page
Pickleball. And, passages from 3 short books by prize-winning authors, Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These (2021) and Willa Cather's My Mortal Enemy (1926) and Annie Ernaux's The Young Man (2022). Ernaux opens this book with "If I don’t write things down, they haven’t been carried through to completion, they have only been lived."
Jan 08, 2024•9 min
Books for the Casual and Serious Reader
If you're looking for gifts or books to read over the winter break , I pulled these titles from the TreeHouse shelves and give you my short takes on 15 books from recent reading: contemporary fiction, nonfiction, books about writing, and for-the-serious/for-the-seeker.
Dec 20, 2023•10 min
Involved and Implicated: Narcissism and Poetry
If you're like me, you can use a bit of poetry. Tony Hoagland's poems make me re-think, calibrate to a new heading. Can you stand still and hear the worst of yourself from others? Disappointment. Patience. The song lyrics that "evolve" over the years: the words are the same but the message changes as you change.
Dec 11, 2023•10 min
Giving Thanks for a Man I Never Met
What I learned about love this Thanksgiving. Three rules for life.
Nov 21, 2023•7 min
On Flesh-Eating Beetles and the Sins of the Mother
When working on an aspect of my writing, I pay attention for it in my reading. Improve your writing by tapping into the 7 senses--the 5 sense organs and 2 more. Examples in recent works: Horse by Geraldine Brooks and Zero-Sum Stories by Joyce Carol Oates. Writing exercise from the song-writing guide by Pat Pattison, music professor at Berklee.
Nov 15, 2023•11 min
In the Company of Heroes
Veterans Day, Operation Gothic Serpent, and the 160th SOAR. Elite aviators and family remember the Battle of Mogadishu, 30 years ago. Lessons learned, what the media missed, and the effect on the military family.
Nov 08, 2023•7 min
Spooky Hour with Spirits of the Dead
A text that gets me off my arse, a visit to the cemetery, and word work on three holidays: Hallowe'en, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day.
Nov 01, 2023•8 min
What's in your trunk?
Take all the stuff of your life. Put what you think will sell in a 20 feet by 20 feet space. What's in your space? Learn about New England's largest flea market and a classic sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley on the folly of fame, legacy, and empire. Visit my site to get a book rec on song writing and link to an exercise to write through the prism of 7, yes 7, senses.
Oct 23, 2023•9 min
Why Do I Run?
I'm not sure I like running, even when I was fit and fast. Running at mid-life: there's the pain of it, in the chest, in the knees. This letter explores the reasons I run and what I learn running a race the 7th time. And training with a focus on form and cadence, with an eye to effortless, injury-free running. Plus, four books on running and on living; visit the site for more info on books. Notes on gear.
Oct 12, 2023•10 min
Fall is Like a Country Music Song
On music and memory, on Norman Blake and Colter Wall. What do we learn from the Fall, from the songs of our lives?
Oct 02, 2023•6 min
Trailway to Heaven
Fall is my favorite season and I suppose it has something to do with the trees. A new poetry collection and farewell to a friend. Passage from Sidney Lanier and The Marshes of Glynn.
Sep 25, 2023•5 min
Through the Keyhole
A keyhole view of a week with the Literate Laundress. On laundry and language.
Sep 20, 2023•7 min
The Ever Restless Soul
This is for my friend K--- and M--- and for you, but I suppose it's for myself. Learn about my daughter's letter and the song she shared with insight into music and the restless soul. Billie Marten's song and Rick Rubin's book on Creativity.
Sep 10, 2023•8 min
Confusables, Contronyms, and Jane's Potato Salad
Learn about a real world example of a confusable. Discover a type of word with two opposite meanings. Word Nerd special. A reference and an essay recommendation. Bryan Garner and David Foster Wallace.
Sep 05, 2023•6 min
The Music in Stories: Pavan on Borges
Literature informs and inspires us, says Argentine guitarist and composer Carlos Pavan. This letter considers his suite of songs inspired by Jorge Luis Borges, how the songs reflect the stories: El Sur, El Fin, Funes el Memorioso. Melody, myth, perfect memory. Learn why song IS story and discover the Music in Prose of the literary legend.
Sep 01, 2023•11 min
Beyond Grade-School Sentences: Adding Depth and Texture to Writing
The four basic sentence constructions are simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.* Like the 8-pack of crayons, this is the first order of business, tools we learn and use as children. Let’s face it: many never learn more than these. Add to your toolbox and improve writing immediately. Learn about loose (cumulative) and periodic (suspensive) sentences with inspiration from Vivian Gornick, Ernest Hemingway, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Aug 22, 2023•7 min
On Theft, Death, and the Moon
My friend was recently robbed. It made me sad and reminded me of a story about Ryokan . Learn about the Zen monk who lived on Mount Kugami, Rene Descartes Discourse Part II on Method and Part IV on God and the Human Soul. With a reflection on the death of a young soldier.
Aug 14, 2023•7 min
The Master Sentence and the Centenarian
A master sentence tends to be long though length is not its sole characteristic, nor is it a sign of a writer’s mastery. Like any art, the master sentence comes in infinite forms. Instead of trying to define what makes such a sentence, I share an example from the Book of Charlie, a memoir about a remarkable life. Understand the elements of artful sentence construction from a prominent writer.
Aug 06, 2023•10 min
Three Days in Sun Valley and the Best Writing Teacher
What I learned in Sun Valley about living and writing and friends. Impromptu visit of Hemingway haunts, who lived and died there. A hike into the clouds, a French hound dog, and a foodie's paradise.
Jul 29, 2023•7 min
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