“A border always conveys meaning.”
byBorders mark the contours of nations, states, even cities, defining them by separating them from all others. A border can be natural—an ocean, a…
Etcetera
Politics and the lies we tell about grief
byWhen we do not take grief seriously—our own and another’s—but merely cover its wounds with a garish fairy tale of winking soldiers cheering from…
Reverend Doctor Garbage Man
byAs a garbage man, I probably know more about the people on my route than their pastor does. John Marboe This delightful StoryCorps piece…
Within the household of nature
bySustainable? For who? For me, for you, for us, for everybody? No, I’m fucking not living sustainably. My welfare is dependent on the third…
Re-imagining rural politics
byTo establish rural strongholds, progressives must stop stereotyping rural, working-class people as White, reactionary hillbillies who automatically swing Right. History reveals a much more complex truth….
Resolutions
byThis is the year, I told my friends at brunch on New Years Day, that I will manage my time better. And then, I…
A ship runs on goodwill: dispatch from Elisabeth
byWe had hoped we might hear from our Topology poetry editor Elisabeth somehow on her cross-Atlantic sailing journey, despite the necessary limitations of communications,…
Do not be afraid?
byOn November 9, the morning after the recent U.S. presidential election, my husband Rob posted a comment on his Facebook page out of the…
Paris re-told
byWhen you travel, how do you best get to know a city? How do you get at its heart, unearthing the stories laying dormant…
Place-ful poetry
byI recently started getting the daily poem from Poets.org, and it’s been delightful. Some of them have hit me right where I am in…