US Capitol

Remembering the Truth of January 6 Through Software, Storytelling, and Soup

January 7, 2026

When I taught middle and high school literature classes, one of the books I commonly taught was George Orwell’s Animal Farm. In a 1946 essay (“Why I Write”), Orwell explained “Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism.” This is the … More Remembering the Truth of January 6 Through Software, Storytelling, and Soup

July 23, 2022: It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

June 24, 2022

As I read the news this morning about yesterday’s events at the US Capitol, the literature teacher in me could not help but recall the famous opening passage to Charles Dicken’s classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of … More July 23, 2022: It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

Martin Luther King and January 6

January 18, 2021

On past Martin Luther King Days, my son and I have often participated in some kind of park clean-up service activity, either sponsored by the Town of Cary, my homeschool group, or my spiritual center. This is yet another tradition that has been upended by social distancing requirements imposed by the threat of COVID-19. So … More Martin Luther King and January 6

Inauguration Poetic Countdown: One Week

January 13, 2021

Well, I’m still processing all the events of January 6 and beyond. In the meantime, however, we have one final Inaugural Poem to enjoy before the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris next week. I actually had my high school students analyze this poem on January 5, the day before the madness struck. This … More Inauguration Poetic Countdown: One Week

The 12-ish Days of Christmas: Poetic Inauguration Countdown––Two Weeks

January 7, 2021

This was supposed to be the post for yesterday, which is the two week countdown to the inauguration of Joe Biden as President and Kamal Harris as Vice President. However, it did not seem appropriate as misguided Americans were assaulting the Capitol, which is pictured above as the traditional location for the Inauguration. Now that … More The 12-ish Days of Christmas: Poetic Inauguration Countdown––Two Weeks