Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. And in many ways it is a perfect symbol of our national character. The stories that we feed ourselves, tales of grateful Pilgrims, peaceful Indians, and bountiful tables of turkey and pumpkin pie are completely false. Just as false as the story that hard work, faith, and education will […]
Thanksgiving Day Gratitude: An American Tradition Read More »
In May I poke eleven pie pumpkin seeds into dirt. I bless them into a star shape in that limed bed, another year. I wonder if I’ll be here at harvest. I haul myself up, grab onto a rusted scaffold for the vines to climb, drape into the summer winds, mingle with wrens. Glad to
The Seeds of Thanksgiving Read More »
I probably should have worked on pulling myself together before I rounded the corner and collided with a paper goods display, arranged in the shape of a giant turkey. There really was no turning back. In the wake of the damage, I call out a harried string of, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” as I push
A Very Brady Thanksgiving Read More »
It’s the last Thursday of November, and I’ve signed up for Thanksgiving lunch at Maokong, the major tea-producing area of Taipei located in the rugged foothills southeast of the city. I stuff the direction sheet into my shoulder bag and start the ten-minute jaunt from the Taipei Royalty apartment building at 9:30 to the Liuzhangli
Thanksgiving at Maokong Read More »
People opposed to crass commercialism always complain about the combined Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas triumvirate of holidays that end every year. “Can’t we at least dig all the candy corn out of our teeth before the Butterball turkeys appear in the supermarket freezer section?” they ask. Or they say, “Can’t we at least finish all the Thanksgiving leftovers
The Ghosts of Thanksgivings Past Read More »
When a writer begins spending time with other writers, he learns that there’s a long and intimidating list of writing rules in need of memorization. It goes something like this: Don’t use adverbs, do avoid clichés, don’t switch points of view mid-scene, do only use “said” as a dialogue tag, and—most of all, folks—show, don’t
So You Want to Join a Writing Group Part III: Beware of Hobbyhorses Read More »