I am writing this on New Year's Day. Inevitably, the mind turns towards resolutions. Read more. Run more. And, of course, write more. My mother was an enthusiastic resolution drafter. She would make a detailed list--walk one mile per day, read Bible ten…

At this time of year, reflection and resolution feel as essential as scarves and hats, as prevalent and popular. "Scarf, hat, reflection, in that order?" For the writer, reflection, resolution, and seasonal accessories are a staple of any month of the…

A recent Internet meme has Facebook users posting a list of books that they find personally influential. Here's my list: 1. The Berenstain Bears 2. Little Women 3. Leaves of Grass 4. What the Living Do 5. Brideshead Revisited 6. The Color Purple 7. Thomas…

Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" was published in full 170 years ago this last December 18th. I'd forgotten a few of the less familiar aspects of the work. For example, Scrooge's journey with the ghost of Christmas Present to a lighthouse and a ship…

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. That was the last resolution I made, two years ago, never to make a resolution again. I always set myself up for disappointment with grand ideas of “starting over” or “doing better.” In case you’re wondering, no, I…

I don't make New Year's resolutions. That was the last resolution I made, two years ago, never to make a resolution again. I always set myself up for disappointment with grand ideas of "starting over" or "doing better." In case you're wondering, no, I…

By now many people might have put down their champagne glasses after toasting to Alice Munro, celebrating her work and her legacy in the wake of her recent receipt of the Nobel Prize. But I’m still riding around on a little cloud of joy, revisiting her…

I am not a thoughtful or sentimental person, and it is no surprise to anyone. Are we friends? Yes? I have no idea when your birthday is. I won't remember, no matter how many times you tell me. It's not that I am willfully against displaying affection…

The complexity of hospitality is one of the concepts under investigation in the works currently on display in Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art at the University of Houston's Blaffer Art Museum (closing December 7th). The show, which was…

It's New Year's Eve, which means a few things: 1. Colorful hats, with the little elastics that itch and dig into your chin 2. Drinking a little too much André 3. Lamenting Ryan Seacrest's frosted hair instead of Dick Clark's swarthy, bygone do 4. Chanting…