Books
The Reclaiming of a Great Tradition
Let me begin by sharing two observations, one made by me, the other by the poet Dana Gioia. The first is this. Some years ago, a young man wrote to me, stating that, after a […]
Poetry
The Dispatch
Dana Gioia’s Memento Mori
In beginning and ending in the underworld, Dana Gioia’s new book of poetry Meet Me At The Lighthouse gives his latest poems an arresting perspective from which he can essay subjects of profound import, including […]
Essay
Stay Awake: Death, Catholicism, and Yvor Winters
The great American poet and critic Yvor Winters (1900-1968) was sometimes mistaken for a Catholic, though he himself just barely owned to being a “theist,” and he deemed even that modest statement an “unfortunate” admission. […]
Books
Speak, Memory: A review of All That Will Be New: Poems
The poet, literary biographer, and Catholic spiritual writer, Paul Mariani published his last book of poems, Ordinary Time, in 2019. Much of it written in the aftermath of his recovery from a brain tumor, the […]
The Dispatch
Extra, extra! New and views for July 27, 2022
Church Teaching – On Dr. Larry Chapp Presents, Dr. Chapp Interviews Eduardo Echeverria On Vatican II. Dr. Eduardo Echeverria Discusses Vatican II and Pope Francis (Gaudium et Spes 22) Gender Pronouns – Los Angeles Unified […]
The Dispatch
Extra, extra! News and views for July 13, 2022
The New Authoritarians – What changed in March 2020? How have things played out? What are the causes? What can we expect, looking ahead? Evil In Our Time: Naomi Wolf on the Covid Response (Brownstone […]
Books
Lionel Johnson: The greatest English poet and critic you’ve never read
Robert Asch is co-founder, with Joseph Pearce, of the Saint Austin Review, a British-American magazine devoted to Catholic culture, and the editor of the Saint Austin Press. He edited, compiled, and wrote the notes for […]
Features
New MFA program aims for renewal of literary craft rooted in robust Catholic tradition and imagination
The University of St. Thomas in Houston, founded by the Basilian Fathers in 1947 and home to over 3,000 students, has established a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program that promises to be […]
Essay
Art vs. Deceit: On poets, copywriters, truth, and lies
Only a fool would fail to notice that the world has been turned upside down. Anything goes. Men can be women. Women can be men. A man who was a woman yesterday can become a […]
Books
New critical study and memoir shed light on Dana Gioia’s thought and work
Matthew Brennan begins his critical study of Dana Gioia’s work by quoting Robert McPhillips’s assertion that Gioia is “the leading poet-critic of his generation.” McPhillips is the author of The New Formalism and Gioia has […]