Escape Into Life

Via Basel: A Cog in a Machine

basela — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 14:28:27 +0000

I am a cog in a machine within a system operated by a distant entity—a system with layers of hierarchy, both human and automated, whose motivations, values, and interests are largely at odds with my own.

This description may remind …

The Goodness of Bookgroups

Seana — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 19:33:12 +0000

Child of My Heart

by Alice McDermott

FSG 2002, Picador, 2023

reviewed by Seana Graham

“Thank goodness for book groups!” is the line Alice McDermott’s interview at BookPage ends with, and I’ll second that. Without …

A River Runs Through It

Seana — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 05:04:02 +0000

Sidle Creek

by Jolene McIlwain

Melville House, 2023

reviewed by Seana Graham

A beautiful collection of stories set in the hill country of western Pennsylvania. Most of the stories at least allude to Sidle Creek, a fictional river that …

Via Basel: Can I Live with Myself Today?

basela — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:21:06 +0000

Art by Nigel Cox

Can I Live with Myself Today?
Or: Reflections on Connection and Avoidance

“Inner Peace” is written on a magnetic sticker I put on my refrigerator in January as “My 2026 Word of Intention”—a tall order for …

Jumping From Cloud to Cloud

Seana — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 05:00:35 +0000

The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing the Lyric Essay: Insights and Prompts from Contemporary Writers and Teachers

edited by Heidi Czerwiec and Lee Horikoshi Roripaugh

Rose Metal Press, 2026

reviewed by Seana Graham

Although I have read …