by Kelly Keene Crunch. Whisp. Flutter. They are fairies at my feet. A gentle breeze shakes them to dance. A powerful gust makes them fly. Rainbows of yellow, orange, and gold frost the sidewalks in a confectioner's sugar display. They move the jogger to patter in shorter, quicker steps. Munch. Crunch. Scrunch. They compel small … Continue reading The Leaves
Author: Kelly Keene
Clarity
by Kelly Keene The particles muddy life's waters. Clouds congest blue open skies. We misunderstand advice from our fathers. Generational wisdom dies. We mumble and post nonsense online. We saturate networks with content. The next generation, the next great idea, bends us- no spine. Time, energy, attention- all spent. The path from A to B … Continue reading Clarity
“I Who Have Never Known Men” by Jacqueline Harpman Book Review
By Kelly Keene Originally published in 1995, I Who Have Never Known Men is a uniquely dystopian novel that has been republished recently in response to a growing interest in dystopian literature. Harpman, a Belgian author whose work was originally published in French, wrote many novels, but this was the first translated into English. The … Continue reading “I Who Have Never Known Men” by Jacqueline Harpman Book Review
“This Time Tomorrow” by Emma Straub Book review
By Kelly Keene I didn't know anything about this book before I picked it up. I think somebody had given it to me as a gift, so I chose it to read simply because it found its way onto my shelf. This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub was also sitting on my desk once when … Continue reading “This Time Tomorrow” by Emma Straub Book review
Erasure
By Kelly Keene We are confident, so sure of our time, the period. Like a hubristic Grecian who never imagined their marble statue cracking off at the most vulnerable bits- In this certainty we etch and sketch dripping ink into the thirsty pages of permanence and hoping the feathers of ourselves will last. But they … Continue reading Erasure
Book Review of “Yellowface” by R. F. Kuang
Reviewer: Kelly Keene Synopsis: Kuang's Yellowface is a narrative that uses the unreliable narrator to jump into the logic of someone who might appropriate another author's work. June Hayward watches as her "friend" (although object of obsession, or envy might be more appropriate) dies from eating too many pancakes while intoxicated. Athena Lui is a … Continue reading Book Review of “Yellowface” by R. F. Kuang
Don’t Stop for Death; An Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop For Death”
by Kelly Keene The one certainty we know in life is that at some point, it ends. This is a scary thought for many. Even billionaires, with all the wealth and power they possess, cannot thwart death itself. Emily Dickinson, in her poem Because I Could Not Stop For Death paints an image of Death … Continue reading Don’t Stop for Death; An Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop For Death”
Mask Up!; An Analysis of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask”
Written by Kelly Keene Public scorn and ridicule can be brutal. Subtle microaggressions might also feel like daggers if you don’t fit in, or are a part of a marginalized group. When we marginalize people, sometimes they adapt by pretending to fit in. Sometimes, that is easier than standing up to the violence of prejudice. … Continue reading Mask Up!; An Analysis of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask”
Light’s Dance at Dawn; An Analysis of Alvin Feinman’s Poem “November Sunday Morning”
by Kelly Keene I stayed late at work last week, and it felt like such a grind. Especially now, that the days get darker sooner. My reward was the magnificent November sunset. I got to witness its fiery oranges and pinks it all the way home. Light takes on a life of its own this … Continue reading Light’s Dance at Dawn; An Analysis of Alvin Feinman’s Poem “November Sunday Morning”
A Reckoning of Memory; An Analysis of Indran Amirthanayagam’s “The City, with Elephants”
by Kelly Keene Elephants have incredible memories. They form tight-knit communities, and are even known to mourn their dead, and remember them seasons after they’ve passed. In Indran Amirthanayagam’s poem The City, with Elephants, he uses the image of “the elephants of reckoning” to describe a city with a disconnect between its working and privileged … Continue reading A Reckoning of Memory; An Analysis of Indran Amirthanayagam’s “The City, with Elephants”
Kelly Keene 