I was one of the writers asked by the Dallas Morning News to write a brief essay on The Future of Texas Literature. Below is my contribution.
The future of Texas literature is exciting and dangerous as chaotic times are. Exciting because there will be more Texas writers, books, publishers. Exciting because someone in Chillicothe can write a book that can be read by anyone who reads English anywhere in the world. Dangerous because electronic books make it possible for anyone who has computer skills, or the money to hire someone who does, can write and/or publish a book. Dangerous because in the plethora of books, some books may not find voice at the essential moment to salvage the writer’s dream or enlighten the body politic....
“A well-regulated militia, being necessary for a free state...” Why was a well-regulated militia necessary for a free state?
After the defeat of the British army in 1783, Congress disbanded the Continental Army for fear that a standing army in time of peace was “inconsistent with the principles of republican government, dangerous to the liberties of a free people, and generally converted into destructive engines for establishing despotism.”
Except for the coast, the borders were disputed. Spain did not recognize US sovereignty and had forts and missions to the south and west. The British remained in Canada, occupied forts in the disputed border, and British agents attempted to create trouble between the new nation and the original inhabitants. The country could not support a standing army,...
Tariq Ramadan, professore alla Facoltà di Teologia di Oxford, arriva negli Stati Uniti per la prima volta dopo la messa al bando nel 2004, durante l’amministrazione Bush.
PEN American Center (in collaborazione con l’American Civil...
