Author Archives: JMN

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About JMN

I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.

1987: Andrew

Posted on October 17, 2018 by JMN

[Dear Mother,] E*** was with Andrew at Albertson’s the other day and told me that every time they announced some instore special over the intercom Andrew would holler, “OK!” She looked at him and said, “They’re not talking to you, … Continue reading →

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1987: High-Tech Verse and Allergies

Posted on October 17, 2018 by JMN

[Dear Mother,] Charles B*** asked me to co-edit an anthology of high-tech verse which he has been commissioned to do by his publisher…. I’ve thought fairly seriously about it, but am thinking of passing it up in favor of things … Continue reading →

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Hilma af Klint (1862-1944)

Posted on October 17, 2018 by JMN

The idea that a woman got there first, and with such style, is beyond thrilling. Yes, I know art is not a competition; every artist’s “there” is a different place. Abstraction is a pre-existing condition, found in all cultures. But … Continue reading →

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“Whereabouts”

Posted on October 17, 2018 by JMN

Quite a few readers wrote to us last week to take issue with this sentence at the end of a briefing: “His whereabouts is unknown.” Surely, they wrote, it should be “whereabouts are.” Well, yes and no. Times editors consult … Continue reading →

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1987: Coping with Technicalese

Posted on October 14, 2018 by JMN

[Dear Mother,] I’ve spent the afternoon coping with IBM technicalese in the form of new product announcements… Here’s the block of turgid prose for your enjoyment: Highlights Allows IBM Personal System/2, attached to a Local Area Network to communicate with … Continue reading →

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1987: “A Fable”

Posted on October 14, 2018 by JMN

For C*** and H*** Bamboo blinds gentle the noonday, coastal sun. A Gulf breeze licks the south-east corner of Casa Ramico’s. I take my usual table, nodding at the busboys who greet me deferentially. Eulalia brings me water and a … Continue reading →

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1987: Twain: Tells a Lot

Posted on October 10, 2018 by JMN

[Dear Mother,] Another anecdote that tells a lot about the man is when he was allowed, with great reluctance on Clara’s part [one of Twain’s daughters], to attend a recital that she did manage to give. He was placed on … Continue reading →

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Barbara Kingsolver

Posted on October 10, 2018 by JMN

“I’m in a really unusual position,” she says, “because I work as a literary writer. I work at the level of the sentence, at the level of the image, the metaphor, the theme, but I also have this commitment to … Continue reading →

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Julia Dixit

Posted on October 10, 2018 by JMN

Our project must be serious. This is not for fluffies! — Julia Child (Dorie Greenspan, “A Cake Fit for Julia Child,” NYTimes, 10-10-18) (c) 2018 JMN.

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“A Weaver Who Changed Art”

Posted on October 10, 2018 by JMN

“[Anni Albers] could’ve done painting later on, but she immersed herself in thread: Anni was a great person for working with limitations,” [Nicholas Fox] Weber said. “She used thread to make abstract art. Her best wall hangings from the Bauhaus … Continue reading →

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