Digital Literature
2015-2022
CONVERSATIONS WITH DEMONS
NOTES OF A JOYFUL CYNIC
The secret in the hearts of patio people – those good people who might support social programs at the polls and voting booths but only support themselves in their daily lives – the secret in their hearts is this: Unsheltered people in their neighborhood are not their neighbors, no, never! what a blight…
But also: Should all the homeless people die quietly in the night, the streets suddenly free of panhandlers, dope addicts, the mentally ill, and every other manner of down-and-out human beings who do not fit the mode of model society in the morning, these good and beautiful people would not only refrain from asking where their unsheltered neighbors had gone, they would breathe a deep sigh of relief, secretly grateful that they will never again have to see those people with their shopping carts and their bottles and their tents; secretly grateful that they will never again have to pat their pockets and shrug guiltily when they are asked for a dollar, change, or something to get a bite to eat…
RECENT ARTICLES
Duality: On Conscience and Guilt
The morning. Baby and I arrive in Berlin just after eight. It’s raining. A cold mist cleaves the streets. We left early and our eyes …
The Persistent Appeal of Fascism
If we aren’t careful, true Fascism will grow and take hold in this country – not Nazi thugs on the streets in their brown shirts …
Now India (7 Minutes to Sunrise)
The first sounds of the morning are of tuk-tuk and taxi engines as they come to life, their honking horns alongside the footsteps of the …
A Festering Past
Germany has addressed its past in ways most countries, especially the United States, have not: A sort of national psychoanalysis to keep something like the …
The Future of Love
It will only be a matter of time before the accessibility and readily-available nature of A.I. partners will supersede the time and effort it takes …
An Unfinished Look at Desire
We all know the things we want. We lust, we hide, we lie, we cheat, we need. We desire. It's inherently, truthfully, human.
Pics or It Didn’t Happen: Our Obsession with Permanence
Take a picture: Something memorable, kinda cool, or not really that interesting at all.
For the Record, Antifa =/= Nazis
Antifa has become a much-maligned group as of late, especially after recent clashes with white supremacists, Nazis, and Confederate sympathizers.
Is The Person Who Makes You Miserable Happier Than You Are?
There are plenty of antidotes to keep you from being miserable, until we discover the answers lie inward, not outward.
The Beautiful People
Humanity's greatest achievement is community: the ability to come together with people from all walks of life for the betterment of our species.
Trolling is Too Mainstream
Everybody knows what trolling is. The mainstream media can't stop talking about it. But it's no fun when everybody does it, so what will the …
Minnesota vs. Donald Trump: Our Shaky Relationship with POTUS
Things got off to a shaky start between MN and POTUS. And as our largest cities continue to defy Trump's orders, it's clear that isn't …
On The Train: From Past to Present to Future
The role of the train in human history is one of past, present, and future. Rail travel is improving around the world. Why is the …
Technocracy Will Not Save America
Voter turnout is low. A growing number of people feel that the current form of American democracy is failing. So, what about technocracy?
Don’t kill Hitler: How the Past Becomes the Present Becomes the Future
Few people would disagree that the world is a better place without Hitler in it. Now people compare Hitler to Donald Trump. But is it …
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
Real Websites, Fake News:
The Rise of Digital Misinformation
RECENT FICTION
A Thousand Happy Lives
Youth. His father lived a thousand lives before he died at the age of 53. He worked as a security guard for Gem Lake Casino …
The Depths of Finer Things
The first time I died, Ima tells me, the sun flared its great, fiery disc and swallowed the whole world in a moment. And everything …
Bury Me in St. Paul
It is a warm and humid night in summer. The sound of dogs barking on the street. The sound of crickets from the brush and …
Not For Sale
Gogo was raised by her uncle, whose name was George Sale, after her mother died and her father left for Africa. Her father never returned …
The Definition of Hope
The day breaks sweaty like the last. Like every day in summer. And especially so in the city where there are no trees to provide …
The Seasons
My memories are made of brick and cement and glass. My dreams are bathed in the waning sunlight of an autumn day. Long shadows creep …
To Be So In Love
A woman said that love is freedom. That love is falling and flying and falling and catching and getting back up together. That love is …
When the World Becomes Water
Water is not something you can hold onto. It's not something you can grasp, or something you can build a house on. But you can …
It Would Be Safest if You Ran
There is a focus on borders and walls in these current times, and consequently, a rise in scared xenophobia. Or is it the other way …
Lazy Days, Falling Asleep, Stuck in School, Dreaming
It's something that makes too much sense. Like watching a car crash/auto accident and subsequent fistfight on an LA highway, or M&Ms after getting high …
The Cruelty of Children
There are those who say that cruelty is learned, and not inherent – the result of trauma and abuse. Freud's view was that it occurs …
Why I Like the Rain
Sometimes grandma just sits at the edge of the window sill. Rocking back and forth. Like she would in her rocking chair wen she was …
The Unchanging Nature of People
We stand in front of long white walls: No pictures, or wallpaper, or paintings, or even scuff marks to show that we used to live …
An Exploration of the Night and Safe Spaces
They kicked the family out of the apartment upstairs and I saw them with their things on the side of the street. Everybody is looking …
Everything So Beautiful and Dirty and Absurd
All the kids have dirty noses they wipe on their sleeves. There is a lot of truth to be found on the sleeves of children …
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RECENT FOOD WRITING
A Restaurant from the Perspective of a Dishwasher
It is nearly Christmas. The year is drawing to a close and I realize I will again be late on rent at the start of …
Searching for Something New to Taste
Going out to a restaurant is not only about the food: It's a unique culinary experience.
Things Eaten and Enjoyed
Good food is meant to be eaten and enjoyed. We cook and we go out for dinner, eating everything and anything that fills us with …
’86’ All Clothes: Food and Physicality
When tension that could be cut with a knife was used to make noodles instead. When we still wore clothes.
Apple sweet, coffee dark & bitter
We all need to eat. Food will always be an important part of our lives. We all have our own stories and memories; our own …
Thoughts on Cooking At Home
Cooking rice from a big bag of it in the corner. Often potatoes, and canned black beans. Tomatoes if we were lucky, though they never …
Restaurant Light for Food, Fantastic and Categorical Phantasm
The smells and tastes of food root deep into the memories we'll hold onto when we're old.
Food, Sex, & Everything in Between
It's been said that food is better than sex. It's not better than sex, but the sensations, the appetites, the hunger do come pretty close.
When I Think of Food
I think about the plate, empty, washed by someone with wrinkled fingers forever reeking of sweat and astringent of cleaning chemicals, to be full again.
After We Eat
The meal, consisting of something from the garden, something from Lake Superior, and something that Ralf across the table killed with his hands, is over.
A Taste of the Good Life
Life is the smell of black coffee and orange juice in the morning. Fresh pastries, cheese and cured meat, glasses of red wine through long, …
Is Twin Cities Dining Still Exciting?
Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: Maybe not as exciting as we'd like to think. With everything that's still missing, has TC dining gone stale?
Is Chipotle’s E. coli Scare Over?
Chipotle was responsible for dozens of outbreaks reported across the country, including 64 cases of Salmonella here in Minnesota. Is it a thing of the …
Behind the Line: Amy Buckmeier and Natalie Allesee
The ladies behind the line at Heartland Restaurant share a few thoughts about the chef life.
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