Ashok Karra

emily dickinson

Emily Dickinson, "The earth has many keys" (1775)

Everything is melody. What isn't is the "unknown peninsula," not unlike Hamlet's "undiscovered country."

philosophy

Heidegger's "The Origin of the Work of Art" and the Question of Impersonal Great Art

"Great art" all too easily leads to phrases like "Western Civilization" and "the decline of the West" being used by Neo-Nazis.

american politics

FAQ: What should you know about the Supreme Court of the U.S.?

It is difficult to get people to focus on the illegitimacy of the Court.

poetry

Emily Dickinson, "It is an honorable Thought…" (946)

A poem which asks if you just want to lift your hat, overtaken with excitement, as you walk down the street.

poetry

Kay Ryan, "Venice"

I remember being a young, terrible tourist in Venice.

poetry

Emily Dickinson, "We outgrow love, like other things" (887)

Dickinson, in the little poem below, does not judge.

american politics

Unfortunately, we do need to know there was a UFC fight at the White House

Today I want to talk about something less high-minded.

american politics

The word "illegal" is out of control

Screaming "illegal" at people as an excuse to do untold horrors to them is a way of voiding lawfulness itself.

emily dickinson

Emily Dickinson, "We like a Hairbreadth 'scape"

How do we juggle love, our need to create, and our desire for attention?

poetry

Seamus Heaney, "Lightenings i"

Mysteries are all we have.

poetry

Rae Armantrout, "And"

Armantrout begins with a not-so-mundane point: Tense and tenuous / grow from the same root.

poetry

Alice S. Shapiro, "I"

I found myself wondering about the moments we believe build our identity.

poetry

Dana Gioia, "The Present" & Destry McKinney, "The Magic of Having a Glass Mirror in Prison"

You need to be able to see yourself.

poetry

Emily Dickinson, "I fear a Man of frugal Speech"

Instead of defending norms which protect people, we disguise our cowardice as principle.

education

Introducing OC Oraciones' 4th issue. The theme: Hope

While I would love to tell you that good writing and art stand on their own, little or no context required, that simply is not true.

kay ryan

Kay Ryan, "Album"

"Album" puts our old family photos next to death and life themselves.

poetry

Emily Dickinson, "Embarrassment of one another" (662)

This strange poem flirts briefly with the themes of classical political philosophy.

james baldwin

A Letter to James Baldwin about "The Creative Process"

...an artist "must actively cultivate... the state of being alone."

education

Remarks for a Sigma Kappa Delta End of Year Celebration

With deepest gratitude, welcome to Odessa College.

emily dickinson

Remarks for Sigma Kappa Delta's Tribute to Volunteers at the Local Hospital

...the courage to face death starts with the courage to face life.

education

Remarks for Sigma Kappa Delta, Psi Alpha Chapter's Poetry and Storytelling Night, Earth Day Edition

What does it mean to love something because you know it is good for the future as it is?

dungeons and dragons

If you're a 3rd level Bard playing Dungeons and Dragons 5e (2014), this is for you

For decades, I didn't know how to be useful in combat and was overwhelmed by all the options in the various rulebooks.

education

Ethan Hawke, "Give yourself permission to be creative"

I want to discuss themes of identity and creativity and how they relate to Texan pride.

poetry

Emily Dickinson, "I had a daily Bliss"

The big questions swirl around Dickinson's time, too, and are answered in bloodshed.

american politics

Highlighting the Voices of Texans in Texas Government Courses

...our notions of being Texan, the various ideas we have about who we are and what the state means, shape the politics of the state.