Mark Traphagen | July 31, 2011
I’m somewhat amused that on pp. 92-93 of Douglas Coupland’s novel The Gum Thief, Coupland has a character who is an extremely boring and self-absorbed novelist rattle off a recommended reading list that is really quite excellent. Just added all of the suggestions to my “to read” list on Goodreads. Here’s the passage, with links to [...]
Mark Traphagen | July 17, 2011
Ben turned around and offered me his fist. I punched it softly, even though I hated that greeting. “Q!” he shouted over the music. “How good does this feel?” And I knew exactly what Ben meant: he meant listening to the the Mountain Goats with your friends in a car that runs on a Wednesday [...]
Mark Traphagen | August 21, 2010
It’s been a while since I read a novel that truly fit the old cliche “page turner.” I can truly say, though, that I only ever put my copy of Gates of Fire down because of the necessities of life. It gripped me from page one and did not let go.
Gates of Fire is so much more than an attempt to recreate the legendary last stand of a handful of Spartan warriors against multitudes of Persian invaders, though it accomplishes that task beautifully. It also manages to serve as a philosophical treatise on courage, brotherhood, sacrifice, dedication, love, and a host of other themes without ever becoming pedantic or boring.
Mark Traphagen | August 16, 2010
We have a winner! Congratulations to Tom Lietaert, whose comment was randomly chosen (by numbering all comments [except my own] and using a random number generator). Tom has won the copy of The War of Art. I will be contacting him by email to arrange delivery. Thanks to all who participated! Recently I reviewed Steven [...]
Mark Traphagen | August 11, 2010
I am. You are, if you are human (and I very much assume you are!). This blog (originally titled Sacred Journey) has been The League of Inveterate Poets for over a year now. I thought it was about time to revisit the origin and meaning of that strange name. It comes from an essay by [...]
Mark Traphagen (aka Foolish Sage) is a lover of dark beers and darker music, of things that are but are not as they seem, of contexts taken out of context to become new contexts, of stories that point to a bigger Story. Mark lives in Durham, NC, with his wife and pet Macbook Pro. He has two married daughters and six grandchildren, and works by day for Virante, an Internet Marketing firm.Proudly Powered by WordPress | Theme by The Cloisters | Entries RSS Comments RSS
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