Articles Archive

Hidden Springs, VA. Recently Ross Douthat commented on Rod Dreher’s new book in a column devoted to the rising incidence of suicide and the problem of loneliness. In a follow-up…

I spent the last eight months working on a dairy farm, and every morning after finishing milking and cleaning the stanchions, I would coil up the hoses in the corner…

Berwyn, PA.  I was a little surprised, not too long ago, to hear a student mention that The Great Gatsby was her favorite book.  "Because it is the only book you…

I am interviewed about the movie Copperhead by the excellent Gerald Russello in The University Bookman.  

The child’s language is melodious.  The words hide and protect themselves in the melody – the words that have come shyly out of the silence.  They almost disappear again in…

I belong to a guild. As such, I'm recognized by its practitioners as a peer, a fellow, even, like them, a master. By this I do not mean anything remotely…

Why is Louisville's unique Farm to Table program not being copied in other cities?  Here's a national story you can pass along to your mayor, about Louisville's matchmaker for food,…

The Academy of Philosophy and Letters will have its annual conference in Baltimore on June 7-9 on the theme "Cheerfulness Keeps Breaking In: Light in the Darkness." Sharp readers will…

Accusing President Obama of “caviling over chemical weapons in Syria,” The Economist insists that events in Syria are “exposing Mr Obama’s hubris,” his “overconfidence,” and revealing his foreign policy ineptitude.…

You can find a short interview about education and my new book at Coffee and Markets here.

A book I've co-edited with Michael Federici and Richard Gamble has just been published. It's titled The Culture of Immodesty in American Life and Politics: The Modest Republic. Here's the description…

Hidden Springs Lane. Americans have recently learned that certain groups seeking non-profit status were subjected to, ahem, "heightened scrutiny" by the IRS.  It seems that groups that used words like…

FPR's Third Annual Conference is shaping up to be a fantastic event. It will be held at Pomona College on September 20-21.  The conference will kick off on Friday evening,…

On a recent Monday morning, an officemate and I were discussing the current financial state—always a cheery subject on a Monday.  Mark, a financial planner, said that many believe we…

Find out why here (thanks John Fea).

John Milbank has written a remarkable critique of gay marriage that points to the ways it will ultimately and immeasurably strengthen the modern liberal State.  The theologian who launched "Radical…

The best thing to come out of Hollywood since....   well, maybe ever:  Ron Swanson's Man Rules. It's hard to pick a favorite, but #5 - "Grind it Out" - is…

I decided some time ago that I wish to eat as little as possible from the “industrial” food chain; that is to say, I wish to buy little food from…

I’ve not yet decided if I’ve succumbed to despair (a sin) or prudence, but I no longer participate in any of the forums at my campus about online education, MOOCs,…

When things go wrong we generally ask "What can we do to keep that from happening again"? It's a normal human reaction, but a prideful one. Those of us who…

In Dr. Mark Mitchell’s recent post on Front Porch Republic, “W[h]ither the Family Dinner?”, he asks the question, “Are family meals important?”  My short answer is: yes.  But why is it important?  In…

The following is an excerpt from from Gar Alperovitz's What Then Must We Do? (Chelsea Green, 2013) and is reprinted with permission of the publisher. Learn more about the book here.  By the way, and…

Here's a rather satisfying screed on the baleful effects of Twitter. A taste: If you haven’t gathered by now, I’m not a Twitter fan. In fact, I outright despise the…

Many FPR readers may be interested in attending the Abbeville Institute's Eleventh Annual Summer School: "Understanding the South and the Southern Tradition." It will be held at St. Christopher Conference Center, Seabrook…