One eerie thing I keep thinking about is all the hagiography that rushed out when folks thought Chomsky had died last year. His association with Epstein has been public since 2023. I think it’s a case of looking away…

Could be. I guess I’m asking because I’d like to see how some prominent leftists handle it.

I can certainly see that. I’ve just been really surprised by the silence (maybe people don’t know…)

Ah! thats awesome. Law and History do this at the institutional level as well. They invite a single speaker who comes and they spend 1-2 hours discussing, as a group, the speaker’s work.

That‘s cool. How do they make it work?

I write on Shelley but it has to be Austen who is a much better writer. Frankenstein is a magnificent, quickly-written novel, but Austen is a genius over and over.

I was in town less than 24 hours! I wish I had connected with you. I’m always sheepish about letting people know about my talks for fear of obligating them. I hope I come again!

Black tea, once the commodity that launched the American revolution and now a secret menu item the empire doesn’t want you to know about 🤪

Who is “they”?

nothing is too niche for me. If anything, I’m drawn to writing that can make me want to stay with an obscure (to me) topic.