Monthly Archives: August 2026

A Simple Tale of Soviet Armenia

Posted on August 23, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

I think this my favorite of my novels. It is not the most elaborate, that would go to “The Unraveling.” Nor is it the best researched, that would go to “Lords of Misrule.” But my novel about Armenia, called “An … Continue reading →

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Joel D. Hirst: Select Poems and Short Stories

Posted on August 21, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Back before the prose boom started, maybe with Dickens or Hugo, and which came of age perhaps during the Lost Generation, most famous writers were poets. Poe, Byron, Dickenson. Poetry is interesting. It can be grand, like Dante, in which … Continue reading →

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Don Quixote

Posted on August 19, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

In Yerevan, Armenia, in an antique shop full of musty tomes and dusty artifacts I found an old Soviet Don Quixote iron statuette. The Soviets loved Quixote. His fight against the oligarchs; his utopian sense of the possible; his tireless … Continue reading →

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“Adam and Eve” by the Afghanistan National Institute of Music

Posted on August 16, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Five years ago I was involved in a pretty crazy adventure, lending a hand to a diverse group of people which included Juilliard Music School, the Estonian Intelligence Minister, the Portuguese Defense Minister, the Qatari Royal Family, and Yo Yo … Continue reading →

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Mi Épica Sobre La Venezuela Chavista

Posted on August 11, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

La revolución socialista sudamericana más significativa de nuestros tiempos, es contada desde varios puntos de vista, con humor e intimismo. El peligro de la utopía, cuando se apodera de los corazones y las mentes, termina por incendiarlo todo. Sus personajes … Continue reading →

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Mi novela sobre Malí, Tombuctú y los tuaregs

Posted on August 10, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

El jihadismo en África Occidental no es nuevo. Es un fenómeno que viene en oleadas, cada siglo o dos, desde el siglo XIV o incluso antes. Lo que antes era una conquista, ahora es una mezcla tóxica de rabia y … Continue reading →

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Mountain Cabin

Posted on August 10, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

My wife prefers the beach. But for me the sand and the heat have always been a little bit of a nuisance. I’ve always preferred the quiet of a still mountain cabin. https://www.artpal.com/joeldhirst?i=319328-42

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The Unraveling — My Dystopian Novel

Posted on August 7, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Nobody really reads anymore, the statistics are pretty grim. Pew Research suggested last year 40% of Americans read no book at all, 27% read up to four books and 19% — what Pew called “Heavy Readers” (no irony alas) read … Continue reading →

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The Chaos and the Color

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

I went to New Orleans the other day. It was a goodbye of sorts, after a period of long work. I went with my wife, who had never been. I wanted to show her the city, the chaos and the … Continue reading →

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