NOTE: This post is to introduce you to the 47th episode of François Matarasso’s and my monthly podcast, “A Culture of Possibility.” It will be available starting 20 December 2024. You can find it and all episodes at Stitcher, iTunes, and wherever you get your podcasts, along with miaaw.net‘s other podcasts by Owen Kelly, Sophie …
Last week I completed a painting I’ve been working on for many weeks. Its name comes from the text written on its face: “Over every blade of grass an angel hovers, whispering, ‘Grow, grow.’” This isn’t even close to an exact translation of the Talmudic text from Bereshit Rabbah 10.6 on which it is based, …
You know which political insult I hate the most? It’s when people talk about “pearl-clutching.” This is a left phenomenon, usually arising relation to someone being shocked by something the speaker finds unshocking. (“Snowflake” has a similar connotation: too sensitive and delicate for the real world; a weakling.) The image it evokes is so strong …