Intro
This is Time's Corner, a weekly newsletter by Christian Leithart. I’m co-founder of Little Word and editor of Good Work magazine. By day, I teach, and by night, I edit this newsletter.
Here at Time’s Corner, Thursdays are devoted to your replies. This Thursday Thread (TM) is, of course, a Friday thread, but let’s not dwell on that. On Monday, after musing about making New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of Advent, I asked:
If you were to make a New Year’s resolution this Advent, what would it be?
From You
Remy says:
My resolution is the same as it has been for many years: find a cheesemonger.
Have you ever considered, Remy, that you might be the cheesemonger you’ve been looking for?
Molly says:
My Advent resolution is pretty simple. In lieu of scrolling Instagram during my few moments of stillness that occur with three little people under the age of six depending on me all day (my great delight and joy, by the way) I want to read poetry. I chose poetry because it is something I can read beginning to end, well, most of the time, in one brief sitting. Then, maybe I return to that poem again later in the day and really ponder it.
I’m sure you already have some poems in mind, but if you don’t, Auden’s For the Time Being is perfect for Advent.
Dispatch from Broken Bow
It’s been cold in Birmingham. My phone tells me it feels like 14 degrees outside, but since a phone can’t feel temperature, I’m doubtful. Regardless, I’m delighted with the chilly weather. I sip these days like cool water.
Links
Matt Gemmell reflects on writing a story every week for 200 weeks
It’s easy to critique the modern education system, but Simon Sarris exposes yet another flaw: it’s a waste of opportunity. Students stay in school for so many years, he says, not because there’s so much to learn but because we need them to stay busy during the day.
Speaking of education, in a long, rambling essay for the Atlantic, David Brooks discusses how eliminating the American WASP hierarchy at top universities gave rise to the current obsession with standardized testing.
Up To
Reading: The Midnight Folk by John Masefield
Watching: Jacques Tati’s Playtime
Listening: Handel’s Messiah on repeat, as I always do at this time of year
About
I’m Christian Leithart, a writer and teacher living in Birmingham, Alabama. You can read my blog here. Use the button below to share this issue of Time’s Corner, if you so desire. Thanks much for reading.