Of Note: May 3, 2026
A weekly roundup of articles about what’s going on in the world that you might not otherwise be reading.
Poet • Essayist • Educator • Consultant
Take refuge on this path
the page gives you to roam.
Hunker down against
the shadow cast by prayer
and build yourself a line
that won’t efface itself.
Language is not wine.
You cannot pour it freely.
Featured Posts
On The Trail of a Tale - Part Four: How I Came to Play a Very Small Role in Saadi’s Travels Through the World
What persuaded me to accept ISIC’s commission, however, was thinking about the generations of Iranian Americans, like my son, who did not read Persian. They deserved, I thought, access to a version of that heritage that would “sing” in their dominant tongue the way the original “sang” in Persian.
From Saadi’s Bustan: The Emperor of Rum Enjoined to Endure His Burdens
A Weekly Poem from 13th Century Iran
Of Note: April 26, 2026
A weekly roundup of articles about what's going on in the world that you might not otherwise be reading.
Four by Four #54
Four Things To Read, Four Things To See, Four Things To Listen To, and Four Things About Me
From Saadi’s Bustan: Takla Is Deterred From Abdication
A Weekly Poem from 13th Century Iran
It All Connects
Of Note: May 3, 2026
A weekly roundup of articles about what’s going on in the world that you might not otherwise be reading.
On The Trail of a Tale - Part Four: How I Came to Play a Very Small Role in Saadi’s Travels Through the World
What persuaded me to accept ISIC’s commission, however, was thinking about the generations of Iranian Americans, like my son, who did not read Persian. They deserved, I thought, access to a version of that heritage that would “sing” in their dominant tongue the way the original “sang” in Persian.
From Saadi’s Bustan: The Emperor of Rum Enjoined to Endure His Burdens
A Weekly Poem from 13th Century Iran
Of Note: April 26, 2026
A weekly roundup of articles about what's going on in the world that you might not otherwise be reading.
Four by Four #54
Four Things To Read, Four Things To See, Four Things To Listen To, and Four Things About Me
From Saadi’s Bustan: Takla Is Deterred From Abdication
A Weekly Poem from 13th Century Iran
On My Desk Now: Junot Díaz and the Double Bind of Male Survivorship
I had hoped in writing my essay to be able to note this complexity and then set it aside, not because I think it’s not important, but because it seemed to me [that it] silenced Díaz as a survivor, short-circuiting the larger discussion about male survivors that his essay might have started.
From Saadi’s Bustan: Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz Sacrifices A Jewel To Help the Starving
A Weekly Poem from 13th Century Iran
Of Note: April 12, 2026
Dear Friends,
Here is the latest round of links to pieces dealing with the US-Israel war against Iran and related
The Power We Pretend Not To See - 5
It’s ironic, then, that the metaphor [Attar] constructed for bewilderment is itself “bewildered” in that it simultaneously reveals and denies both the sexual vulnerability of the male body and the trauma that is inherent in how the princess sexually coerces the slave.
From Saadi’s Bustan: Darius and His Herdsman
A Weekly Poem from 13th Century Iran
Four By Four Quarterly Roundup: January-March 2026
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