Something Old, Something New
Notes from the Musings archive
As a approach my 50th Poetic Musings here at Substack, it seems a good time to take a look back at a handful of prior Musings, where I can update you on new material out there in both the online world and the real world for you to enjoy:
#33: The Great Gatsby at 100 - I first called your attention to Newtonville Books’ High Tea Book Club a few months back when Newton author Jonathan Wilson led us in a discussion of The Great Gatsby. Since then, the club has grown, with our last meeting, on Percival Everett’s James, proving particularly popular. The High Tea Book club is back on May 1st, and once again I expect decent attendance as we discuss two works by Claire Keegan, her debut short story collection Antarctica, and her Oprah Book Club favorite Small Things Like These. If you’re in the neighborhood, especially if you’ve read either book, why not stop by? If you’re not, I recommend you spend an hour or two (it’s short) with Small Things Like These. The movie version, with Cillian Murphy, is now available on Hulu or for rent on other platforms and is also well worth your time.
#29 - Two Art “Deep Dives” for the Intrepid - Last year I read Adam Moss’s The Work of Art and was so taken with its exploration of 43 artists ranging from novelists, to filmmakers, to singers, to sculptors, to crossword puzzle editors, to, well, just about anything you can imagine, that I started building a YouTube playlist with one video per artist which focused on the artwork under consideration in Moss’s book. That playlist is complete! Click here for all 43 videos. You will encounter old favorites I daresay, plus meet a variety of artists new to you. Dabble in the playlist for awhile and I’m guessing you’ll seek out the book.
#30 Ode To the and #42 Whether Novice or Devotee - Musing #30 was my attempt in prose to replicate a technique poet Robert Pinsky often utilizes. He’ll begin developing a story or idea in a poem, jump seemingly at random to another, and then still another. He’ll then circle back and move each story or idea forward, not necessarily in the order of their original presentation. Musing #43 introduced my readers to poet Lloyd Schwartz’s series “Let’s Talk About a Poem,” available on YouTube and ongoing under the auspices of the Malden Public Library. The latest session featured Pinsky’s recent poem “Branca,” a meditation on the Brooklyn Dodger pitcher who delivered the pitch to Giant Bobby Thomson that cost the Dodgers the 1951 National League Playoffs. Pinsky appears with Schwartz, and among so much else worth listening to, shares the reason why his poems often take the meandering course they do.
#38 - Quite a Way to Spend a Day: Musing #38 featured a handful of artworks that you need to devote many hours to in order to experience them fully. A favorite I discussed there is Christian Marclay’s The Clock, which clocks in at a mere 24 hours. If you’re not familiar with the film, check the link which kicks off this paragraph. As for the update, Marclay has finished a new video along a similar track. Doors is an assemblage of clips from movies of characters passing through doors. Marclay’s goal is for viewers to get lost (and perhaps found again) in the midst of a labyrinthine journey. The video has its US premiere at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art now through September 1, 2025. Here’s a YouTube link which discusses its London premiere:
#39 An Event to Remember - I mused recently on an event I subsequently attended, the Boston Public Library’s 100-Year Book Debate for 2025, where three panelists presented the case for The Great Gatsby, The Trial, and Mrs. Dalloway, followed by an audience vote to crown a favorite. Here’s the video of the debate, where I find most fascinating how much everyone takes for granted that Gatsby is a sure winner:
#1 Ballad of Reading Goal - Finally, I revisit my first post ever, where I puzzle over whether it’s best in a year to read 100+ books (quantity!) vs. half that amount (quality!). As it played out, I read 112 books in 2024. My guess is that this number will be even higher in 2025. Why? One nagging concern for me as a reader has been that as I get going on a book or two at the same time, I already have my sights set on what I’ll read next, and thus become impatient with my current reading. To try to rectify this, when I come upon a book I want to read, I won’t wait any more to finish my books in progress. After all, as a schoolkid in the 1960’s I was able to balance six academic subjects, 15-20 TV shows, and plenty of books, all at the same time, without getting lost. If you’ve managed to read this far, I’d love it if you clicked the comment button and talked about your reading habits. How many books do you read each year? Do you wish it was more? Do you read only one book at a time or balance two or more? Do you keep a list, perhaps online where others can see it? Do you have a biggest frustration when it comes to reading?