Author Archives: Peter Selgin

“…the waters stained yellow by sunscreen and human flesh.” Who’d have guessed that such a line would ignite a debate? For more than half an hour we debated the merits and drawbacks of that one phrase, the eight students of … Continue reading →

Music—the literal music of singers and instruments—but also the music of words as conveyed through Joyce’s writing itself, plays a key role in his long story, “The Dead.” Music is referenced throughout the story, beginning in the first paragraph where … Continue reading →

Sometimes the lake is white, sometimes gray, sometimes blue. Sometimes it mixes those colors. Today the lake is blue-gray. I sit there now, on the dock, with my striped drawstring pants rolled and my feet in the water. (If I … Continue reading →

To love yourself it is not necessary to be tall, beautiful, buxom (or muscular), to have strong features or good hair. All of these things, however recommended, are not necessary. Although on the whole to love yourself it is better … Continue reading →