Say Anything

If a young dog

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If a young dog strays up the aisle during church no one says anything, no one does anything, but, none the less, he soon becomes aware that something is wrong. Even so, as the distance between myself and the hearthrug diminished, did I become aware that something was very wrong indeed. Ethel Smyth

I was always embarresed

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I was always embarresed by the words ‘sacred,’ ‘glorious,’ and ‘sacrifice’ and the expression ‘in vain.’ We had heard them, sometimes standing in the rain almost out of earshot, so that only the shouted words came through, and had read them on proclamations that were slapped up by billposters over other proclamations, now for a … Read more

You can say anything

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You can say anything with a Post-It. I’m not entirely sure why that is. Maybe the friendliness of the squares makes it easier. A square is nicely compact and less intimidating than a full page. And they come in cheerful colors. Non-white paper is kind of inherently festive. Or maybe paper that sticks feels more … Read more

Throughout much of history,

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Throughout much of history, women writers have capitulated to male standards, and have paid too much heed to what Virginia Woolf calls the angel in the house. She is that little ghost who sits on one’s shoulder while one writes and whispers, Be nice, don’t say anything that will embarrass the family, don’t say anything … Read more

Lincoln has accepted America

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Lincoln has accepted America as a biracial society. He’s talking about giving at least some black men the right to vote. In the Emancipation Proclamation he advises some blacks to labor faithfully for reasonable wages, here in the United States. He doesn’t say anything about them leaving the country. He puts black men in the … Read more