Tag Archives: politics

For This Voter With A Disability, The Choice Is Clear

I will not snap a selfie with my ballot on Nov. 8. I voted two weeks ago. I’ve paid close attention to this election all year. Uncharacteristically, I have avoided speaking about it in public. Then I read this stark challenge in a Washington Post editorial: “When the republic was in danger, where did you stand? History will ask that question.” I doubt my words will change anyone’s vote now, but for the sake of history, I need to explain my decision. Continue reading






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Bonne fête Papa: A Flaneur’s Gallery

Paul Cézanne. The Artist’s Father, Reading “L’Événement”. 1866. Oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. When I stood before this painting last month at the NGA, it happened to be the day that would have been my father’s … Continue reading






Posted in Bob Willis, Flaneur's Gallery, politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Flaneur’s Gallery: Parson Weems’ Fable

Grant Wood. Parson Weems’ Fable. 1939. Amon Carter Museum, Forth Worth. When I was five years old, before I learned to read, I laid claim to a book in the family library called Pictorial History of American Presidents. It covered … Continue reading






Posted in #inaug09, 1930s, Art, Flaneur's Gallery, memoir, politics, surrealism | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Mahalia’s Gift: “Go Tell It On the Mountain”

Mahalia Jackson soars in a performance photograpghed by Lee Friedlander. [Source: NPR] Once upon a time, I ran as fast as I could to get away from Holiday Muzak at the shopping mall. One of my earliest newspaper columns railed … Continue reading






Posted in Art, Bob Willis, Café Mouffe, fashionista, Flaneur's Gallery, memoir, Playing by Ear, poetry, politics | Tagged , | 1 Comment

“America is the place where all things are possible”

msnbc.com video: ‘Change has come to America’ This email from Barack arrived just about the time that he took the stage in Grant Park. Nice touch, and one more example of the volunteer engagement cultivated by the Obama campaign’s extraordinary … Continue reading






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