April 2026

Hello Friends. Happy April. I hope the tax fairy was good to you this year and left you a present under your pillow and not a bill. It is always good to get good news. So I will send you all happy thoughts. 

While I’m on the subject of good news, I was just asked to teach a graduate class this summer called Writing and Rhetoric of Nonfiction. I am pretty excited about that because, as you may have noticed, my newsletters have evolved into little works of literary analysis. I love that kind of thing. My students will be locked in a virtual room with me for 8 weeks as we dig into all kinds of ways to approach the rhetoric of nonfiction. Sure, for a lot of people, when they hear “nonfiction,” they think “textbooks,” and “boring,” and “that five hundredth book in a row my grandpa read about WWII.” Sure, all of those things could be used to describe nonfiction, but there is so much more out there to explore, and that is why the class isn’t just called “report reading” but Writing and Rhetoric of Nonfiction

Think about it, most things we read, including this newsletter, are nonfiction. When you open the paper, be it virtual or the dead-tree version, you are reading nonfiction. Of course, depending on your “news source,” it might be more fiction than fact, but in general, nonfiction is the way we interact with the world. Even your social media feeds are technically nonfiction. Sure, sure, no one’s baby is always smiling, and no one’s dog is perfect and never sheds, or barks, or chews on a shoe, and no one only has a series of perfect days, and no one lives where every single meal looks like it was made by a Michelin Star Chef. Yet, technically, all of this is nonfiction.

Paul Simon sang, “I can gather all the news I need on the weather report” on Simon and Garfunkel's “The Only Living Boy in New York.” There is a lot to unpack there. Is Simon making a claim that the only news that one can believe is the weather report because the rest of the news is biased? OR, is he saying that while we can’t control the weather, the only thing we can really prepare for is the weather, and the rest of the events of the world are out of our hands? OR, is he saying go outside and enjoy nature? 

The answer is…Yes. The beauty of rhetoric in general, and literary analysis in particular, is that if one applies a sound argument and backs that up with valid reasons, facts, and data, then one’s argument is right. I know it seems crazy to say this in our polarized world where everyone seems to be screaming at each other, but what we need is some good, old-fashioned debates to help us connect. It starts small. With an essay, or a song, or a book. I think it means this. You think it means that. We both say why we think the things we think AND, here’s the kicker, we listen to what the other person says. 

Imagine that. Imagine not just waiting for a person to be done talking so you can talk, but actually hearing the person out and then responding to what they say instead of getting ready to jump in with a zinger that the other person won’t hear because that person is waiting to zing. I know these essays inside my newsletter are pretty one-sided. I make some grand proclamations and send them out into the universe. I appreciate those of you who write me back to agree, or even better yet, disagree with my musings. I love to just engage in the conversation. 

So…What do you think Paul Simon meant when he wrote those words? When was the last time you had a rhetorical argument that didn’t end in tears or swearing, but with a better sense of understanding for the other person?  I would love to hear all about it.

PS

There are plenty of people who think that Paul Simon wrote that song while Art was shooting Catch-22 in Mexico. That makes sense. They called themselves Tom and Jerry when they first started, and “Tom” is off to Mexico while the singer is alone in New York. Seems like a pretty reasonable argument to me. 

Notes from my headphones

One of my favorite bands, They Might Be Giants, released an album called

on the 14th of April. It is their 24th studio album. They have released several live records and even a few compilations and greatest hits over the years, so they have even more than that. They’ve been around a long, long time. Depending on how old you are, you likely know them as the guys who sing the Malcolm in the Middle theme song, OR The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song, OR the guys who do The Daily Show theme song, OR the guys who did those Tiny Tunes videos. They are so fun and clever, but other than those theme songs, they haven’t really ever broken into the mainstream like I think they should. They must think that too because there is a song on the new album called “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” about getting a hit record. Lots to unpack there, too. 

In non-music recommendations for your ear holes, if my above essay inspired you to be open to debate, then you should listen to/watch the show Open to Debate. Their mission is to “...strengthen our democracy through real debate—replacing polarization with dialogue, outrage with curiosity, and noise with reason.” I always learn something when I listen.

You can also hear me, Tony Holt Jr., and Spider-Dan talk about Spider-Man's Clone Saga here if you are interested. It is a good time. 

Notes from my bookshelf

Bob Crawford, who is the bassist from the Avett Brothers (not one of the Avetts but still in the band), wrote one of the most surprising books I’ve read in a while. It isn’t about music, as you might expect, but instead it is about John Quincy Adams, called America’s Founding Son. You might know him as played by Sir Anthony Hopkins in Amistad, or you might know him as John Adams’ son, the 6th President of the United States. What you likely didn’t know is that after he was out of office, he was elected to serve in the House of Representatives, where he was instrumental in abolition. JQA contained multitudes for sure, and this book does too. 

At the other end of the spectrum lives a work of utopian speculative fiction written in 1666 (that is not a typo) by Margaret Cavendish called The Blazing World. It is a seminal work of science fiction. It is a short book, but heavy with ideas, and clearly inspirational. We would not have Mary Shelley or Jules Verne, or J.R.R. Tolkien, or pretty much any modern work of science fiction or fantasy without this book and this woman’s genius. 

Notes from my keyboard

I finished my first draft of Haunting Northanger, book five of The Austen Chronicles, last week. It clocked in at 384 pages and just south of 130,000 words. I’m in the process of revision now with the goal of having it to the publisher by early May. It was such a labor of love. I can’t wait for you all to meet Cat. She is special. I have the final book in the series set up and ready to go. In fact, I had to write a few things down already because Walt is ready to tell his story. 

I was recently asked to be a guest on my local NPR station. The show is called Three Song Stories. I am recording in May, and the show should come out later this summer. It airs at 10 AM on Saturdays and Sundays, and then comes out as a podcast the next week. I am really excited to talk about how music informs my writing and my life. I will be sure to share a link when the podcast version comes out. 

Thank you again for being a subscriber.