Tag Archives: writing

Where Have All The Readers Gone?

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Joel D. Hirst

“Where have all the good writers gone?” It is a lament I have, often followed by “—and where are all the real journalists? Not professional ill-informed opinion holders but the great minds of old who still have that undying spark … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, philosophy, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Our Disappointing Online Agora

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Joel D. Hirst

I’ve given up on Facebook. And Twitter. I never LinkedIn – wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be linking to; nobody that I know has ever found anything worth finding by connecting with other ‘professionals’ desperately trolling social media … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

“One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” – A Book Review

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Joel D. Hirst

Have you ever pondered a crust of bread? Or stopped to consider the ‘thickness’ of a bowl of soup? Have you thought about food in terms of ounces? The exact number of pinches necessary to fill a hand rolled cigarette? … Continue reading →

Posted in Liberty, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

A Birdwatcher, A Writer – and “Seeing”

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Joel D. Hirst

I have a friend who is a committed birdwatcher. Everywhere he goes he takes the time to first prepare, leafing through birding books on the airplane while others are watching movies or reading candy fiction. “The reason I started birding,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

If You Don’t Read Books…

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Joel D. Hirst

Is the current bloodshed in Syria the final battle of the First World War; or the first battle of the Third? And related to that, why is the House of Saud the center of the Arab world, and not the … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, philosophy, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Rage Against the Dying

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Joel D. Hirst

I’ve always thought that the best writers were those with too much money, or none at all. Both conditions leave the aspiring novelists and poets with the audacity to not give a two-penny damn about what others are saying or … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

It’s Ink They Worry About

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Joel D. Hirst

I read a lot of Russian literature. Sharanksy, Solzhenitsyn. Dostoevsky. As I become involved with their work a relationship develops which is helped along by learning their stories. Reading their biographies – trying to understand what shaped their visions of … Continue reading →

Posted in International Affairs, Liberty, Literature, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Their Passing Will Not Be A Whisper

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Joel D. Hirst

After finishing his novel “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” I was reading up a little on D.H. Lawrence. An elementary school teacher, married, afflicted with tuberculosis at a relatively young age. He moved: England, US, Switzerland – he ended up in Italy. … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

Books Matter

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Joel D. Hirst

When I saw the picture of a newly elected President Obama reading Fareed Zacharia’s book “The Post-American World” I knew we were in for a bit of trouble. Not because of Fareed’s religion – as the argument went. But because … Continue reading →

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Will Our Passing be a Whisper?

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Joel D. Hirst

Our lives are like a pebble thrown into a placid pond – the ripples of which expand to reach even the distant ends of the waters, touching the lives of people great and small as they extend out. Some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Honor, Liberty, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments