Ashok Karra

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.

education

Remarks for Sigma Kappa Delta, Psi Alpha Chapter's Mid-Year Pinning Ceremony

Whatever you do, how do you make sure it is a blessing to others and yourself?

james baldwin

On James Baldwin's Letter to Angela Davis

When it comes to moral truth, the fundamental question is whether one has the perspective to understand what is said.

education

Remarks for OC Oraciones' 3rd Issue Launch Party

We are here to remind ourselves that nothing has to be the way it is.

american politics

The Spirit of "We the People"

In this age of unchecked hubris, "We the People" suffers not only from neglect but apostasy.

poetry

Matsuo Bashō, "A caterpillar / this deep in fall"

Our online presence destroyed "for sale: baby shoes, never worn" and William Carlos Williams' "This Is Just To Say."

poetry

Kobayashi Issa, "Yellow Autumn Moon"

The fullness of life stretches toward night.

american politics

On Ignorance

...I mean bullshit in the technical, Harry Frankfurt sense. It is not merely lies we can disprove. It aims to distract, to overwhelm, to delegitimize.

poetry

Paul Hoover, "To the Choirmaster"

What is the relation between belief and knowledge?

american politics

On Policing in America

The key statistic you need about cops is this: cops solve 2% of all major crimes.

poetry

Tomas Tranströmer, "Kyrie"

What is it like when everyone yearns for a taste of the miraculous, abandoning anyone not part of the throng?

blogging

Encouragement 2025 Year in Review

This was a long year. I had less than ideal health in January – I was briefly unable to swallow water – and I lost my father in early February.

poetry

Sappho, "And I said" (tr. Mary Barnard)

I imagine Sappho's sacrifice of a goat messy in more than one way, as she wants a god to cure her inner turmoil.

poetry

Sappho, "I asked myself" (tr. Mary Barnard)

Our age shuns unfocused activities: we tell 14 year olds they must promptly choose a career and stick to it.

poetry

Sappho, "Standing by my bed" (tr. Mary Barnard)

I am certain if Emily Dickinson were alive today, she would be an extremely horny Tumblr power user.