19 May (1970): Anne Sexton to Philip Legler
I zapped into your life and I’m so glad I did. I’ll never really zap out. Put me there, friend, friend, forever…
Life Sentences: The ABCs of “I Can’t Even”
In a world more and more filled with breaking stories, shocking video, and viral outrage, it is becoming necessary to can’t even. In this way “I can’t even” is a philosophical expression: the economy of attention, emotion, and time has overloaded, and I assert my right to can’t.
The Banality of Evil: Rosemary’s Baby, the Miniseries
Now, our devils eat beating hearts, and our love interests have well-defined cheekbones.
16 May (1911): D.H. Lawrence to Louie Burrows
The idea is, my dear, just mad enough to send me dotty…
15 May (1945): James Agee to Father Flye
One can do nothing in the long run to force or persuade a Jew-hater to like Jews or to cease generalizing (which is more to the point); but I feel no more like defending him through the law than I do like making laws to protect those who like to seduce little girls with candybars.
14 May (1952): Raymond Chandler to Bernice Baumgarten
But alas, one grows up, one becomes complicated and unsure, one becomes interested in moral dilemmas, rather than who smacked who on the head. And at that point perhaps one should retire and leave the field to younger and more simple men…
13 May (1937): J.R.R. Tolkien to C.A. Furth
I am divided between knowledge of my own inability and fear of what American artists (doubtless of admirable skill) might produce…
12 May (1925): Zora Neale Hurston to Annie Nathan Meyer
All of the Editors of Verse Magazine are panting to know who the author of this masterpiece is—but you are my friend and must not expose me. Editors are violent men…
9 May (1963): Amiri Baraka to Edward Dorn
Otherwise, of course, my family is humming & confused. & the kids, now suddenly ain’t got no old man! What kind of dumb shit is this now. I’m really a stupid shithead. This is one of the dumbest things I think I’ve ever done.
8 May (1929): Thomas Wolfe to Mabel Wolfe Wheaton
But wait until the poor people have to endure an empty belly and you’ll see a change. I think if I had any politics I’d be a socialist — it’s the only sensible thing to be (if you’re not a capitalist, and I’m not). But you think that’s “wild talk,” don’t you?