My Favorite Things I Posted in 2020*
*I’m cheating a bit and including some things from the end of 2019
- Arguing 101: How to Be Right
This wasn’t just fun to write but is also, I think, an actually useful reference. Unfortunately I never remember to use it. - Office Hours #1: Technically the Worst Paper I’ve Ever Written
This project was part what got me excited about making COEF, and I’m still pretty pleased with it. A friend in grad school actually used this for the undergrad class he was TAing, which is incredibly gratifying. I’m hoping to get back to this series in 2021—keep an eye out for papers on A Christmas Carol, 17th-century proto sci-fi (through the lense of J.R.R. Tolkien), Salman Rushdie’s Shame, and more. - Four Ways to Vanish an Elephant
This is by far my favorite short story I’ve ever written. While I wince at some of the more cliche and/or cloying moments there are other parts that I’m kind of astonished I wrote, and I think it holds up. Hat tip to Bonnie Jo Campbell’s “The Solutions to Brian’s Problem”. - I make friends easily
I had no idea where this poem was going when I started it, and I like that it’s just a little weird. - On the Face Of It: The Design of Money
This was just really fun to write. - Paraklausithyron
I have to include this if only because it is the most effort I have ever put into a pun. - The Golem of Prague, Oklahoma
I’ve been drawn to the Golem tale ever since I was a kid. I don’t remember how I stumbled upon the existence of Prague, OK, but after doing so I couldn’t not write a poem about it. - I Don’t Like Hemingway But He Did Write About Farts in a Poem So There’s That
In case you were wondering, the poem I mention Danez Smith possibly enjoying was the first draft of “Railway of the Dead, City of the Dying“, which I’d just written that day. - About the Obvious
I was interested in the idea of writing a poem that was specific to the moment and yet didn’t mention anything specific. Still pretty pleased with it, and it seemed to resonate with people. - 150 Ways to Play Solitaire
My little attempt to write a William Carlos Williams poem. - This Is (Probably) Why There Are so Many Songs About Rainbows and What’s on the Other Side
This started as a dumb joke I made at work, and I’m still surprised that I was able to make it into a cogent argument. - Abolish the Police: A Journey
Honestly, this didn’t turn out quite how I wanted it to, but I’m glad I at least tried, and hopefully it can be of use to someone. - Same Day, Different Day
I work 11-7 now instead of 6-2, so that’s something. It’s not better, but it’s something. - A Response to That Harper’s Letter
I’m still pretty proud of this one; I think I did a good job of connecting the (slightly petty) point-by-point counterfactuals (EDIT: oops, it turns out I have been using this word wrong and the word I wanted is “counterexample,” which is a good word that I shall be using from now on) to a larger idea (and the petty stuff was fun too). I’m glad I didn’t give up on it after someone beat me to my first take. - Some Thoughts on Art, Suffering, and “Magnolia”
It’s a bit messy, but I still think this is a good analysis. Also I just really like the song. - On Voting: A Repost, With Commentary
I’ve been struggling a lot lately with how to engage with the world honestly while not being self-destructively pessimistic, and this was a helpful way to balance that pessimism without discounting it. - Almost
I came up with the first line as just a pedantic observation and then my friend said he would use it in a poem if I didn’t beat him to it. That was three years ago but as far as I know I won.
Certain of Eventual Failure 