The symbolism is too on-the-nose to be good fiction: America in the time of COVID-19 is observing Lent whether we want to or not. We are anchorites (if we’re being responsible, that is), sequestered for contemplation and mourning. This can be especially hard because we don’t have a cultural template for nonresistance. Everything is supposed
Not Business as Usual: Our Forced Lent in a Non-Liturgical World Read More »
Greetings from week one of the pandemic. As I’m a self-employed introvert, the cancellation of everything has only slightly intensified my normal sessile lifestyle, but (like everyone else) I’m too stressed to concentrate on writing my novel. Wish me luck at homeschooling the Young Master. The next month will be crucial in slowing the spread
Stay Home, Read Things Read More »
Uptown rat…You know I can’t afford to buy her trash… The quintessential New Yorker, the subway rat, turns out to have distinctive neighborhood populations just like the Big Apple’s human residents. According to The Atlantic, “New York City Has Genetically Distinct ‘Uptown’ and ‘Downtown’ Rats”. In 2017, a genetics grad student at Fordham sequenced the
March Links Roundup: Uptown Rat Read More »