Some people just don't "get" Thoreau

Roughly ten years ago, a well-educated journalist who is a staff writer for the New Yorker published a scathing hit job on Concord's favorite son, Henry Thoreau, a true American, and one of the most esteemed writers in the history of American letters. The piece was initially published with the crass moniker "Pond Scum," though I have to believe that a naturalist and a saunterer like Thoreau would have chuckled approvingly at being called such a name.

It's a bit of a mystery what prompted Kathryn Schulz -- who is by all accounts a talented, thoughtful writer -- to tee off on Thoreau, but she also appears to hate Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and so she may simply be acting out the frustration so many high school students feel when confronted with "classic literature" that doesn't connect with them. For, while the piece is quite clearly well written, it's presented with all the patience and pondering of a petulant child.

Many Thoreauvians, as well as the general population of well educated readers and, of course, English teachers, were able to quickly discount most of Schulz's complaints and criticisms while also acknowledging that Thoreau can be "a bit prickly" as an individual, as a writer, and as a thinker. We're all going to have issues with someone as prolific on all manner of living as Thoreau was -- a man who, in addition to his incredible output of published writing in a short forty-four year life, also composed a near daily journal of more than two million words. 

But most of us don't have such sneering contempt for such an iconic and significant writer, and that's mostly because we have put the time in to actually understanding the writing of the man. In other words, Kathryn Schulz simply doesn't get it, or him. And numerous accomplished writers responded in kind with responses, retorts, rebuttals, and corrections of the many myths about Thoreau and the simple ways he is misunderstood. Some of the best are Jedidiah Purdy's "In Defense of Thoreau" and Rebecca Solnit's "The Thoreau Problem." And perhaps the most astute piece about all the things that Schulz gets wrong is Donovan Hahn's "Everybody Hates Thoreau." 

And, as I've been doing my work on "The Punk on Walden Pond," I'd like to add some insight from the esteemed and beloved American writer, E.B. White, who was an ardent Thoreauvian.

“Many think [Walden] is a sermon … an attempt to rearrange society ... an exercise in nature loving … a rather intimidating collection of inspirational puffballs by an eccentric show-off. I think it is none of these … Even as it is, it will continue to annoy the literal mind and all those unable to stomach its caprices and imbibe its themes ... To reject the book because of the immaturity of the author and the bugs in the logic is to throw away a good bottle of wine because it contains bits of cork. … [Thoreau] is a better companion than most, and I would not swap him for a soberer or more reasonable friend, even if I could.”

You see, Ms. Schultz and all those of her ilk who have failed to get the point, not to mention the joke, “Walden is a work of art and philosophy which ponders and argues and wonders in deep thoughtful fascination with life, but it’s also satire and irony as he critiques his society and a new economy that leads people to 'live lives of quiet desperation.'"

New Colorado Punk for Record Store Day

Well, Black Friday has come and gone again, but that doesn't mean you can't still make some purchases because it is officially small business Saturday. And what better place to spend some holiday cash than your local indie record store to pick up some new vinyl. Listening to the Colorado Sound as I regularly do, I was reminded that these two shopping celebrations -- small business and records -- are the perfect opportunity to support the local economy. And in Colorado's smokin' hot indie music scene, there are three incredible punk bands with new music to check out.

I've written about all these bands at some point, but there is news about three of my local favorites:  Dead Pioneers, Cheap Perfume, and Elway.

First up is the notably named Elway, a veteran Colorado punk band that was once sued by the local football legend. It's been a bit since this classic punk group released new music, but we've waiting for a while now since I first wrote about the band last year when members were in town to record and decided to reunite for its only local show in 2024.

The new album, recorded at the Band Cave Studios in Park Hill is, Browne explains, “basically following up and questioning the nature of Best of All Possible Worlds.” With aggressively blunt new songs such as “Nobody’s Going to Heaven,” the music brings a reversal of the pondering philosophical fence-sitting between pessimism and optimism that characterized the last LP. The song, which Browne suggests might become the album title, “is a stream-of-consciousness wallowing about how demoralizing it is to sit and scroll on the phone watching unspeakable tragedies.”

“If this is where we are as a democratic society,” Browne continues with a sardonic chuckle, “maybe none of us deserve salvation.”

The long-awaited release is now out and available at your local vinyl shop. And the release of the first single is evidence that this LP was worth the wait. Denver Westword followed up with a piece on the new LP, and the band has released a single for "Living Epilogue":

At long last, after eighteen years, Elway put out a politically charged protest record.

But the latest from the Fort Collins-born indie-punk crew — Nobody’s Going To Heaven, released on October 10 via Chicago label Red Scare Industries — isn’t as obviously in-your-face as you’d assume from a genre known for telling Nazi punks to fuck off. It’s a more nuanced approach, with political undertones that highlight the chaos and carnage surrounding the Western world, while still offering an optimistic outlook overall.

Original vocalist-guitarist Tim Browne didn’t necessarily set out to make a record fueled by such fire and fury that went into Nobody’s Going To Heaven initially, and considers it “an indignant dispatch from within the walls of the crumbling empire.” It occurred naturally, he shares; he had no choice but to reflect on what he believes will ultimately lead to a “post-American world.”

“We’ve not really been historically a very political band,” Browne says. “There are some songs about politics, but generally, I’ve tried to avoid it just because I feel like it’s really easy to slide into tropes and platitudes. I’ve always been hesitant about writing about politics and tread lightly when I do.

Secondly, there is a Riot Grrrl Resurgence happening in indie music, and leading the way is an electrifying Colorado "fem-core" band called Cheap Perfume. This band, which is absolutely ferocious live in a small club, has been fiercely political since its inception, and it has never slowed since releasing the scorching single "It's Okay to Punch Nazis." Now the band is back with a new LP that confronts capitalist corruption and the authoritarian presidency and which Westword writes "Pummels Trump."

Punk music remains an important, historic form of protest, so it’s fitting that Denver femme punk outfit Cheap Perfume is set to drop a timely new album later this year.

The band has already released singles “Woke Mind Virus” and “Down to Riot” to tease the forthcoming album, Didn’t Ask. Don’t Care, which drops on October 3 via Snappy Little Numbers. Vocalist Stephanie Byrne, vocalist-guitarist Jane No, bassist Geoff Brent and drummer David Grimm have always worn their anti-capitalist, anti-fascist and pro-women political stances on their sleeves, following in the abrasive tradition of riot grrrl punk bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile.

No and Byrne describe the single “Woke Mind Virus” as emblematic of the album’s themes, with its jabs at capitalism, Elon Musk and right-wingers who attempt to “own the libs” with “anti-woke” agendas, which simply justify hate against the marginalized. They say the song also takes aim at ICE agents, health insurance CEOs and oligarchs who bow to these policies, questioning plainly in the bridge: What kind of person thinks it’s bad to be awake?

“This song, to me, is kind of like the manifesto for the album,” No says. “There have been a lot of radical changes in the world since our last release, so I thought it was important for us to come out with something bold.

“We wrote it in response to the inane ‘war on woke’ and people like Elon Musk demonizing empathy and saying that having compassion is weak,” she continues. “This song is a great gut check for the rest of the album… if you relate to what is being said here, I think you’re going to love the record. If it’s pissing you off? Don’t care, didn’t ask.”

And, finally, the powerful Indigenous punk rock outfit led by acclaimed Native visual artist Gregg Deal, Dead Pioneers, was recently back in the studio -- the iconic Blasting Room in Fort Collins -- to work on its third release for Hassle Records. But while we're waiting for that one, it's worth checking out Post-American, the second LP from the band that is as much a work of art and political manifesto as it is a blistering punk rock explosion which they performed in four shows opening for Pearl Jam last spring, followed by a European tour with Pennywise and Propaghandi.

The Writer who challenged the Tech Revolution

In some ways, it was a couple of undergrad computer geeks at the University of Illinois that started it all.

Interestingly, I happened to work in the UIUC Engineering computer labs from 1989-92 when Marc Andreesen and Eric Bina were there developing what would become the first successful web browser that kicked off the wild digital economy we've been living in for the past thirty years. 

I was thinking about that small but profoundly significant moment in American history yesterday when I read a feature in the New York Times titled The Writer Who Dared Criticize Silicon Valley by tech writer David Streitfeld. The story unpacks the history of writer and tech geek Paulina Borsook whose book Cyberselfish foresaw the the dark side of the Tech Boys who basically run the economy at this point.

Even Silicon Valley dislikes Silicon Valley. More than two-thirds of residents agreed in a 2024 poll that the tech companies have partially or completely misplaced their moral compass. And that was before so many in tech embraced the Trump administration.

Some of those who believe tech lost its way are finding explanations in a book published a quarter century ago. Paulina Borsook’s “Cyberselfish” saw the seeds of disaster in the late-1990s dot-com boom, which, she argued, transformed a community that was previously sober, civic-minded and egalitarian into something toxic.

Silicon Valley, Ms. Borsook wrote, hated governments, rules and regulations. It believed if you were rich, you were smart. It thought people could be, and indeed should be, programmed just like a computer. “Techno-libertarianism,” as she labeled it, had no time for the messy realities of being human.

It may seem a bit odd or contradictory to criticize the tech revolution on a digital blog, but the problems of our tech-dominated lives are all too real. From the deleterious impact cell phones are having on young people and the education system to the shocking embrace of sports betting in real time during games via digital apps, there is a certain reckoning to be had with the developments that came out of the computer labs in the middle of the Illinois prairie around 1990.

Grateful for a Good Life - Happy Thanksgiving

It's a quiet, calm, chilly Thanksgiving morning in Fort Collins, and I'm just home from a delightful trip to San Diego. It's a simple Thanksgiving this year, just the two of us at home with family spread across the country and the world. And, yet, all is well, and I am grateful for a good life.

I've been so blessed to live a fortunate and fulfilling life, and I am trying to live with more grace and compassion these days. Recently, I posted about keeping a gratitude journal in the days running up to the Thanksgiving holiday. And it's worth checking in with that idea once in a while. For many of us, our default setting is not one of compassion, grace, and empathy. It's one of judgment, criticism, and complaints. But each day offers a new chance to recalibrate.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

The Geography of Everything

As Eric Weiner knows all too well, time and place matter.

The talented author and public speaker spent many years on the road, chasing stories across the world as an NPR correspondent stationed in places like New Delhi, Jerusalem, and Tokyo. Having seen countless moments and incidents of struggle, conflict, and tragedy, Weiner channeled the opposite side of the human experience into his first book The Geography of Bliss, where he explored locations where the residents are known to be happier than the average person. It's not surprising that some of the most popular newspaper and magazine articles are on the subject of personal contentment, like the Danish concept of hygge, or the experience of cozy, comfy conviviality.

I first discovered Weiner's work with his third book The Geography of Genius, where he conducts "a search for the world's most creative places from Athens to Silicon Valley." Weiner asks the obvious question of why at certain times in certain places at certain moments in history there was an exponential growth of creativity and thinking. From the philosophers of ancient Greece to the coffeehouses of Vienna, genius builds upon itself and like-minded thinkers tend to gather and push each other to new intellectual heights.

Weiner's work is rich, engaging, and readable just like the numerous stories he told as a journalist bringing the world home.

Playing Like Jokic -- the new NBA

In soccer it was "Bend it like Beckam" -- in the NBA these days, it's Jam like Jokic.

Or pass like Jokic, board like Jokic, shoot like Jokic, pick and roll like Jokic.  The Serbian big man for the remodeled Denver Nuggets is the hottest thing in hardwood, and he is literally changing the game. And the Denver Post Nuggets Journal reports the smooth center has a growing legion of disciples in the league as, "the kids want to play like Jokic." That's the sign of greatness.

Nikola Jokic’s original disciple has outgrown the infant label.

Alperen Sengun is a fully formed All-Star by now, a synthesis of skill, strength and smarts at the center of the only NBA offense better than Denver’s.

“Baby Jokic” is his own person now, Actual Jokic declared this week.

“He’s talented. I think people are connecting (me) with him, but we are different types of player,” Jokic said. “He’s an amazing player. You can see some similarities, but I don’t want people to see him and tell me he’s something like me. I think that he’s a good enough player to have his own story.”

Sunday in San Diego

Having lived in Colorado for nearly a quarter-century, I have always heard that the Mile High City rivals San Diego for number of sunny days each year, nearly 300. That news always amazes non-Coloradans, and it's one of the Rocky Mountain State's best kept secrets -- you can golf in short sleeves in February in Denver if the sun is out and it's 50 degrees or better. 

That said, Sunny San Diego is no mere moniker, and having never visited the southwestern city, we decided to spend a few days exploring with little agenda. And that made for a quite enjoyable Sunday. Staying in the Gaslamp Quarter -- a lively area of bars, restaurants, shops, and galleries near Petco Park, home of the Padres -- we were reminded of Lo-Do in Denver, home of the Rockies. After coffee and a tasty breakfast at a bodega-style spot called Cloud 9 Deli, we spent the late morning and early afternoon exploring a wonderful attraction, Balboa Park. 

We took a trip around the world inside the park at the international cottages, learning about the cultures and enjoying some tasty treats by Italy, Denmark, Germany, and Israel. This mini-Epcot is a real treat, and I'd highly recommend it. The cottages are volunteer-run and only open from 12-4 on the weekends. We finished our evening off drinking and dining around Little Italy. Check out M Winehouse, a charming little bar in a small casual setting, and then grab some incredible slices at the Slice House by Tony Gemignani

The Cool Side of Math

This weekend the cool, competitive side of math was on display at the hallowed math grounds of Princeton University. I'm talking about PUMaC, the Princeton University Math Competition. For those readers who know this blog to be written by an English teacher, education analyst, culture writer and pop culture fan, it might be odd to find this post about competitive math. But I am also the father of a mathlete who is a Princeton alum who was on the New Jersey campus yesterday to help college kids geek out on competitive math.

That got the librarian in me thinking about books which have enabled me to connect with math and the wild word of competitive problem solving that has captivated my son for most of his life from the time he was a national competitor in MathCounts. 

One of the first books that helped me re-engage with the subject that wasn't my favorite in middle school when the worlds of numbers and letters first collided in this thing called algebra has the appealing title How Not to Be Wrong: the Power of Mathematical Thinking. It's a fascinating study of real world applications from writer Jordan Ellenberg. 

John Green -- a Man for Our Times

Who doesn't love the author John Green? And really, what's not to love. 

From an incredible string of YA books, that aren't really so YA that they aren't beloved as much or more by adults - especially English teachers -, to a fascinating online digital profile that began as a back-and-forth intellectual bantering called Vlog Brothers (or NerdFighters) with his equally cool brother and author Hank Green and their incredibly informative series Crash Course, to his fascinating narrative nonfiction that's been topping the best sellers lists with the column-esque The Anthropocene Reviewed and the new study and commentary Everything Is Tuberculosis, to his very public and frank discussions of his crushing battle with anxiety and depression, John Green is an individual who is in many ways all things to all people and a true gift to and reflection of the "interesting times" in which we are living.

He recently sat down with the New York Times to ... well to talk about how the world looks while being John Green.

In a time largely defined by social disconnection and hopelessness, John Green’s work, across multiple formats and platforms, has been a beacon of humane connection and hope. His beloved young-adult novels, including the mega-best-selling “The Fault in Our Stars,” have shown his gift for both capturing and speaking the emotional language of teenagers. On YouTube, Green and his younger brother and best friend, Hank, post earnest and charmingly wonky videos under the Vlogbrothers banner for a devoted audience of millions. They explore all sorts of weighty subjects: mental health, religion, the meaning of life, you name it. If it’s something that has kept you up at night, the Greens have probably talked about it. (They also have a podcast, “Dear Hank & John,” in which they do much the same thing.)

More recently, John Green turned his attention to global health, with this year’s nonfiction best seller “Everything Is Tuberculosis.” In addition to using TB as a prism through which to examine various forms of medically related injustice — such as the disproportionate toll the disease takes on poor countries — the book also makes an argument for the equality of all lives at a time when the Trump administration is enacting drastic cuts to global health initiatives.

Despite all his good work, Green himself has struggled over the years with feelings of alienation from, among other things, his fiction writing, his vast fan base and his sense of purpose. Those are battles that the 48-year-old knows are never fully won, but he’s keen to keep on fighting.

New Novel on the life of Henry David Thoreau

The reimagining of historical events and the lives of significant people in history is a time-honored tradition in contemporary literature. While narrative nonfiction can be quite engaging in the retelling of familiar stories, the historical fiction genre has produced some great entertainment across digital and print media. And the artistic license involved can be great fun.

Recent examples that have captured my interest include the AppleTV series Dickinson, the Hulu reimagining of the reign of Catherine the Great, the story of a bookstore's rise to prominence with the publication of one of literature's most significant works in The Paris Bookseller, and a fascinating parallel narrative about Shakespeare in Hamnet. And now we can add my favorite American punk rocker Henry Thoreau to the mix.

Longtime friend of the Thoreau Society and prolific writer Andrew Furman, a professor of literature at Florida Atlantic University, has just published a novel about Concord's most famous son who would go on to become one of America's most important writers and philosophers in his short forty-four-year life. Furman's novel The World That We Are imagines and retells the story of a special moment in Thoreau's life that came about when a young woman moved to town and captivated both Henry and his brother John, and he juxtaposes that story with a contemporary one about "David Hertzog, a Thoreau scholar in present-day Maine, [who] embarks on a reflective journey in the autumn of his life upon the unexpected return of his estranged daughter."

In 1837, a young Henry David Thoreau sets out to lead an extraordinary life in Concord, Massachusetts, combating formidable obstacles. He struggles to find work as a teacher, to discover his voice as a writer, and to realize true friendship and romantic love, battling all the while against the “family disease” that threatens his health. When a captivating young woman arrives in town, she ignites a tumultuous love triangle with Thoreau’s brother, forcing matters to a crisis. Meanwhile, David Hertzog, a Thoreau scholar in present-day Maine, embarks on a reflective journey in the autumn of his life upon the unexpected return of his estranged daughter. Her reappearance in town forces him to grapple with their painful shared history and seek a new path forward. Alternating between these two timelines, The World That We Are delves into enduring themes of love, family, the quest for meaningful work, and the search for a true home in the spinning cosmos.

Pop Culture is new(s) at WashPost

I've always been a pop culture geek. Any pop culture article is a must read, and I regularly check with sites like PopMatters, Paste, and the arts, culture, and entertainment pages for all the papers I read. Thus, it's not surprising that I've pursued work as a freelance music, arts, and culture writer. And, of course, it's not news to anyone that my regular blog posts and short form pieces often focus on popular culture.

So, as a regular reader and subscriber of the Washington Post, I am intrigued by the new offering of a pop culture newsletter. The new feature from Style reporter Shane O'Neil claims: Our new newsletter takes pop culture seriously - The Washington Post. While there are many culture writers I read regularly, I am not familiar with O'Neil's work, so I am interested to see what sort of angles and insights he offers on popular culture. In the launch piece, he writes:

I love telling people about the stories I’m writing: Gay guys marrying straight women, $230 socks for your iPhone, entire careers based on saying “6-7” into an iPhone camera.

And I love the response I get: “Seriously?”

It’s a fair question. These are not the heaviest stories we publish at The Washington Post. One might even say they’re not the most prestigious. I’m not holding my breath for the Pulitzer to add a “Best Labubu explainer” or “Snarkiest take on Kim Kardashian’s Margiela look” category any time soon.

But even the most frivolous stories reveal something about how we live today. They show us new models for how people love each other; how even the greatest minds of tech and design can miss the mark; how younger generations are asserting their independence from their parents by confusing them; why Grindr sponsored a fashion collection made entirely from the wool of gay sheep (forthcoming!).

Be Athenians, not Visigoths

"Man Cave" vs "the Study"

That's a meme I am quite fond of and struck by. And it's probably a testament to our times, not in a good way. It's no surprise that people, especially men, are reading less than they have in the past fifty years or so. Beyond that, people are mostly mired in a sea of superficial content which they are constantly scrolling through with the attention span of a gnat. 

And I don't mean to be snotty and pretentiously above all that. I am certainly guilty, too.

However, I was recently thinking about a line from David Foster Wallace's profoundly simple commencement speech, "This is Water." As DFW describes the mundane banality of adult life when we are wrapped up in the frustrating tedium of sitting in traffic on the way home from work, he opines that our ego leads us to dwell on the negative. While our natural default setting is to be annoyed at all the other people who are in our way, we do have a choice in how we think about any situation we are in. More importantly we have options in what we choose to think about.

And, that wonderful little epiphany -- easier to acknowledge than to practice -- got me thinking more deeply about how we choose to spend our time and what we choose to think about. It reminded me of another commencement speech, albeit one that was never actually given. It comes from a favorite writer and thinker of mine, Neil Postman. I've used this piece on occasion with my writing students, and it's a valuable piece of advice for how we choose to live. Basically, Postman tells the story of two notable groups of people in the history of western civilization, the Athenians and the Visigoths. And Postman's advice is to choose to be an Athenian, not a Visigoth. 

Athenians and Visigoths: Neil Postman’s Graduation Speech - First Things 

The first group lived about 2,500 years ago in the place which we now call Greece, in a city they called Athens. We do not know as much about their origins as we would like. But we do know a great deal about their accomplishments. They were, for example, the first people to develop a complete alphabet, and therefore they became the first truly literate population on earth. They invented the idea of political democracy, which they practiced with a vigor that puts us to shame. They invented what we call philosophy. And they also invented what we call logic and rhetoric. They came very close to inventing what we call science, and one of them—Democritus by name—conceived of the atomic theory of matter 2,300 years before it occurred to any modern scientist. They composed and sang epic poems of unsurpassed beauty and insight. And they wrote and performed plays that, almost three millennia later, still have the power to make audiences laugh and weep. They even invented what, today, we call the Olympics, and among their values none stood higher than that in all things one should strive for excellence. They believed in reason. They believed in beauty. They believed in moderation. And they invented the word and the idea which we know today as ecology.

I'd like to think I spend more time practicing the Athenian pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. And, granted, this is to acknowledge that ancient Athens wasn't some utopia of goodness, peace, and wisdom. But we like to live and think by dichotomies for a reason, and in a comparison of better and worse ways to live, the Athenian-Visigoth split is a pretty decent divergence of paths. 

I certainly hope I am choosing to be a better person most of the time. And, keeping in mind DFW's advice, I hope I can remember more often than not to choose an attitude of grace and compassion, of empathy and understanding, of caring and kindness, as opposed to living with judgment and suspicion and contempt. 

As Longfellow once wrote, "Act that each tomorrow finds us further than today." Here's to getting better, one choice at a time.