The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics by Mark Lilla Mark Lilla is a liberal. He is a humanities… Read more The Once and Future Liberal
Author: Rick
My life-long passion is in the arts: music, theater, visual arts, and literature. I graduated from Cal Arts in 1985 with a degree in music composition. After a career in Human Resources with the AIDS Project Los Angeles and as a parish minister for Unitarian Universalist churches in the Los Angeles area, I retired in 2025 and pursued my artistic work: drawing, painting, composing, and creative writing.
The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov In 1985, after I graduated from Cal Arts, I got a job working… Read more The Master and Margarita
Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Garcia Marquez wrote this novella in 1981. In 1982 he won… Read more Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Trust
Trust: America’s Best Chance by Pete Buttigieg I supported Pete Buttigieg in the Democratic nomination race. Jim and I were… Read more Trust
Wagnerism
Wagnersim: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music by Alex Ross If the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t struck this year,… Read more Wagnerism
Liberal Religion
Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion, not because of our progressive politics but because of our commitment to the ideals… Read more Liberal Religion
The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky You might notice the gap between the last book posted here and this one.… Read more The Brothers Karamazov
True Grit
True Grit by Charles Portis Somehow I missed this one. Actually, I’ll tell you exactly why I missed it. Charles… Read more True Grit
Cynical Theories
Cynical Theories by Helen Pluckrose & James Lindsay I took a break from reading fiction to pick up a thread… Read more Cynical Theories
The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller A song, sung by Patroclus, telling the story of his friend Achilles, the… Read more The Song of Achilles