My March Into Hell During March 2025

I've spent the first half of March 2025, more or less, at the side of Virgil and Dante, beginning with the read of a fascinating autobiography by America's former poet laureate -- who translated "The Inferno" three decades ago. I admire Robert Pinsky greatly, and I was pleased to learn that my local library's book club planned to read a modern novel loosely based on Dante's descent into Hell.

The novel disappointed me. I had read such wonderful reviews of the author. So I went back to listen the original "Inferno," which I first read in college. And then I found I had descended even further.

Hopefully, I will emerge this week to see starry skies again, with Venus in both the morning and evening skies.

Jersey Breaks: Becoming an American Poet by Robert Pinsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A friend recommended this book. It didn't disappoint! I listened to the Audible version so I could hear the poet read it, but then I bought a hard copy so I could go back and reflect on my favorite passages in a more tangible way. Oh, and it inspired me to watch Season 13, Episode 20 of "The Simpsons," which is also wonderful. Thank you, friend.

 

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I felt stuck in the mud trying to get through this book. Thin, hard-to-follow plot, with words that seem to scream, "Admire the writing here!" I appreciated the references to "The Inferno," so this has at least inspired me to reread the original work by, as the author puts it, "the Italian." Also, it was helpful to discover something about myself: not a fan of "magical realism."


The Inferno of Dante by Dante Alighieri
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Having read and enjoyed Pinsky's "Jersey Breaks" and being a lifelong fan of John Cleese, what could go wrong with this audiobook version?

Well, three things: 1. the production is a bit muddy, especially in the first hour or so... it's as if Cleese is reading with marbles in his mouth.

2. It's an abridged version of "The Inferno," and that isn't entirely made clear up-front.

3. Some of the translation seems... weird... like encountering "incontinence" as a reason for winding up in Hell (yes, I know, there's another, far less recognizable meaning of the word, but). And, here, for example, when we're suddenly (due to abridgment) on the verge of the 9th Circle, and we encounter a spirit with a wound "split from his mouth to his farting place" and who speaks with a comical Scottish accent. In fact, Cleese's voicings are problematic throughout. I kept thinking, "There's a penguin on the telly!" whenever he'd voice a spirit in a familiar Monty Python affectation.

Oh, well, if you really want a harrowing version of Hell these days, check out the new Netflix series "Adolescence." It's much more nuanced and arresting than this translated classic.

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Tomorrow Is Yesterday

Like Charlie Brown running toward a kickoff with Lucy spotting the football, I submit poems every year for the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards sponsored by The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College.

Every year, I never hear anything back. Undaunted, I asked my wife to choose what I should submit this past January. These were new poems I wrote following weekly prompts by New Jersey poet Dimitri Reyes.

She picked out several, but not one of my favorites, "Tomorrow Is Yesterday," referencing a "Star Trek" episode that aired in 1967.

I took another look at it after attending a Tuesday "Poetry Circle" at The Sanctuary in Butler. The evening's prompt was "brave new worlds." I immediately thought of "strange new worlds" and revised my poem a bit (no piece of writing is ever "finished" in my world).

Then I read it this past Thursday at Boonton Coffee's monthly open mic. That's me in the photo, taken by the talented poet Renee. Thank you, Renee, and thank you, NJ Poetry Circle.

Tomorrow Is Yesterday

 

It’s a Thursday night in January 2025,

And I have conjured my father in this poem.

 

Dad is 58 years younger,

And we are in the same living room in New Jersey.

 

He has boldly returned from the dead, 

And we are watching “Star Trek” together.

 

Suddenly, on the liquid dilithium crystal TV display,

Multicolored lights begin to flash. Sirens sound.

 

Dad holds tight to the arms of his chair,

Rocking side to side in an exaggerated motion.

 

We are aboard the Starship Enterprise,

Slingshotting around the sun fast enough to reverse time.

 

Arriving on a Thursday night in January 1967,

The day 2 feet of snow fell in Chicago.

 

My father sits in his easy chair, 58 years ago,

775 miles away from the storm.

 

He is a metaphorical thousand miles away from me

In the same room where I am a frightened boy,

 

Nestled on a worn orange Danish modern couch,

Who now clearly foresees his father’s death.

 

I join my former self there,

Wrapping my small body with a protective arm.

 

I whisper in my ear:

“It’s OK, it’s OK, it’s OK.”

 

Then a tractor beam envelops me and my past.

Its light absorbs us.

 

My grasp on myself dissolves.

Credits begin to roll, and I am transported

 

By the otherworldly vessel of this poem,

Back to my living room in January 2025...

 

Where it’s snowing in New Jersey.

An implanted image has wormed into my brain.

 

I see Dad, seemingly asleep, in a ghostly chair.

He has become Captain Kirk at the conn.

 

In this strange new world,

He still changes my future forever.

In Praise of Book Clubs (and 'The Marriage Portrait')

This is, ostensibly, a review of "The Marriage Portrait" by Maggie O'Farrell. So let's start with that.

This is a wonderful book... a great read. It's full of detail, and it's a harrowing character study of an early 16th-century duke in Italy and his remarkable young bride.

Well, it's mostly about the bride. I just thought the psychopathic husband was chillingly written. My only reservation about this book is how it jumbles timelines back and forth. I would have enjoyed it more as a ticking timebomb of a narrative rather than a series of scenes that ping-pong in time.

But here's the real reason I'm writing this. This book is something I would never have considered reading on my own were it not for my local library's book club. I've written before about how joining a book club at work exposed me to great books that I never would have considered reading.

That work book club disbanded, so my local library came to the rescue. I also recently joined a club that is taking its time reading two book/chapters of Emily Wilson's translation of "The Iliad" every month.

How could "The Iliad" possibly relate to my current life? I thought that at first. Then I read the detailed description of each army battalion poised for battle, including the captain's name and hometown. That very weekend, I attended a Notre Dame vs. Navy football game, where, with much ceremony before the battle began, each Navy squadron in attendance marched onto the field to be introduced by their leader's name and hometown.

The next month, I marveled at how adroitly "Homer" handled the initial description of Helen -- whose beauty should be indescribable, considering its impact. He merely relates the reaction of the elders of Troy, gathered like crickets along the walls of the city as she passes by. One chirps to another, "I understand now why men are fighting this war."

Then, further on, these images: Hector's son playing with the plumage of the hero's battle helmet... and the Trojan fires, like so many stars along a nighttime shoreline, as they camped overnight in front of the Greek ships. I'm looking forward to more great scenes to come, and I recommend listening to this epic because it's narrated by Audra McDonald.

Meanwhile, the New Milford NJ Library book group will next be reading "Let Us Descend" by Jesmyn Ward, and I hear that the nearby Teaneck NJ Library is hosting Erik Larson in person later this month to discuss his latest, "Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania." In addition, a good friend recently recommended "Jersey Breaks," which I am also listening to, so I can hear the book in the voice of poet Robert Pinsky.

So much great stuff to read and see and hear. So little time! It reminds me of how fast life passed for the young dutchess Lucrezia de' Medici in the early 16th century. I recommend that you read about her life. There's a wonderful book about that, by Maggie O'Farrell.

A Baker's Dozen of Haikus

Back in November, I decided to pair an original image with a caption in haiku, and post these on social media every Monday morning. So far, that gives me 13 image/haikus, which you can view on Instagram by searching on the hashtag "#mondaymorninghaiku📝" -- OR...

Just look below 🙂 (and follow me at @bvarphotos... I'll follow you back there).

Wizards are sleeping
Emerald City at dawn
There’s no place like home

Eleven roses.
Incomplete, without meaning. 
One rose, just now. Home.

I drink beer alone.
I only drink wine with you.
I like wine better.

This haiku, for you.
A memory at Christmas.
Music in the air.

You attract full moons
My center of gravity
You cause the sunrise

Fifth Avenue lights
A cathedral in shadows
Invisible prayers

Another year gone
But I offer hope: this poem
Creates a new world

Animal robots
picturesque and colorful,
their zoo in shadows

Crossing Abbey Road,
making all my nowhere plans.
Worlds at my command.

Bottle an angel. 
Drink it dry. Savor its taste.
Hang it from a star.

The reflecting pool
Holds a penny for his thoughts,
A dollar for hers.

Boardwalk ghosts possess
the Jersey Shore in winter,
chill the ocean air.

Falls starting to freeze,
Waters churning underneath.
Me, from a distance.

Adventures in TikTok (My Top 2024 Posts)

Notre Dame Chorale (see the YouTube link at the bottom of this post)

Here are three short videos I posted on TikTok in 2024 that received the most views, along with a recent favorite.

Posting here for posterity because who knows what will happen to the platform in 2025 🙂

1. Navy Midshipmen break formation to get to their seats before the start of the Notre Dame football game at the Meadowlands in October.

2. One of our void cats staring at ceiling lights imitating stars.

3. From back in January 2024, after the opening of the walkway extension along the East River.

PS... From just a few weeks ago, before the Notre Dame bowl game victories, when ND Chorus alumni from around New Jersey brought the band back together to sing the opening prayer (the Angelus in Latin) at a Communion breakfast on the St. Elizabeth University campus in Morristown.

Last but not least (related to the photo at the top of this page), here's the Notre Dame Chorale on a visit to the abbey at Delbarton in Morristown, singing both the alma mater and fight song -- a concert cut short so everyone could head off to watch the Orange Bowl this year: Posted on my YouTube channel so you can view the entire 2-minute performance.

My Year in Books (2024)

It seems I only read 11 books in 2024, while a friend wrote and recently published his first.

I should be ashamed of myself, but at least I have my former colleagues at the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to thank for most of this year's meager accomplishment. I'm so thankful to Ana Almanzar for establishing a book club there, and thankful to Clare Meehan for taking it over from Ana after she was named a New York City deputy mayor.

I am currently reading -- re-reading (after nearly five decades) -- a 12th book, Emily Wilson's translation of "The Iliad" for another book club. But this club is only tackling two book/chapters per month, so it will take a year to finish. 

Of note, Clare highly recommends "The Frozen River," which will be my first of at least 20 books I resolve to read in 2025.

So here's my review of 2024 books, in reverse chronological order: some solid recommendations, and one warning: please God, save yourself, do not read "Day of the Oprichnik."

The Salzburg Executioner by L.A. Fatzinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full disclosure: I know the author. Fuller disclosure: I'm proud to know the author after reading this book. Leigh is a former tech company executive, and he poses important questions about the impact of technology and social media. These are familiar questions, but this book poses them in a unique way. This is a thought-provoking story, told with pacing and detail. It's a modern novel about lessons of history applied to the future.


It's Not About You: A Brief Guide to a Meaningful Life by Tom Rath
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a quick read (and currently free on Kindle Unlimited/Amazon Prime), but I did not find it particularly ground-breaking. Not that that's bad. It's all earnest, good advice, which you can glean from the title. Perhaps I was hoping for magical insight... but that's just me. And it's not about me.


Burn Book: A Tech Love Story by Kara Swisher
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I enjoyed listening to it, at the start, for the most part, until I tired of the author telling me how smart, perceptive and brave she is, was, and always has been. I have no doubt she is, was, and always has been the smartest person in the room, but this is not a "love story" so much as it is an "I told you so" story. The author is truly insightful, yet I would have enjoyed this book more if it had shown more empathy for all the lesser mortals in her colorful life. Still, this is a worthy effort -- and maybe I'm more than a little jealous of the author's career. Consider this at least 3.5 stars.


James by Percival Everett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was, alas, the last book read by the ill-fated Mother Cabrini Health Foundation book club. We never met to discuss this, so I never got the chance to tell my former co-workers how much I've valued discovering writers like Percival Everett, all because of them. "Wait, you mean 'American Fiction' is based on a book?!?" Broadening my horizons, seeing things from a different point of view, feeling empathy for people who aren't just like me... these are things great literature promises but rarely delivers. This book turns Mark Twain inside out. Yes, THAT Mark Twain... the writer whose story Ernest Hemingway once claimed was the source of all modern American literature. Ha.


The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this right after I read Viola Davis' "Finding Me," which I absolutely loved. So this was bound to suffer by comparison. Still, I liked reading about a life so different from my own. So different. Radically different. Sometimes unbelievably so. So... 4 stars... through no fault of RuPaul's storytelling skills, just a bit of a lack of my ability to suspend disbelief.


Finding Me by Viola Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a terrific book. I was surprised. It was required reading by my book club. By the time I finished it, I was awe-struck. You should, like me, pick up this book with no preconceived notions about the actress, her life, or her ability to tell a story. It's nice to be delightfully surprised as a grown up. Just wow. 

Writers & Lovers by Lily King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this as part of a book club early this year... and, writing this review in December, I had utterly no recollection of reading this book. Hence the 3 stars. Once I looked it up, I realized I may have blocked it from memory, having been triggered by reading about all the behind-the-scenes drama of a harried waitstaff in a busy restaurant. I'm a very nervous diner. (The main character works as a waitress). I also remember feeling the story's resolution was too tidy, like a Hallmark drama. Which I also find triggering.


The Hero of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My wife -- a journalist -- really liked this book. It is a very journalistic read. Heartfelt, sincere, and earnest. Just like my wife. And it takes place (so to speak) in what I've come to discover is a favorite city: London. So I can't possibly give this less than 4 stars. Besides, it's a vivid account of a well-loved life. 

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was charmed by this novella. I enjoyed (and very much appreciated) the imaginative storytelling. I am, sadly, not the target audience for this book. As an older man fading into invisibility, the books it's presumed I will enjoy tend to be long, world-weary, and realistic. This book is sweet, sparsely frightening, and absurdly poetic. Which is more like real life, after all. (PS - Read before the allegations surfaced against the author.)

Extremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoë Schiffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this as soon as it came out, and it did not disappoint. This is a very detailed, and chilling, account of the rise and fall of Twitter, which at one time was my favorite social media platform. I ultimately liked this better than Kara Swisher's account, published later in the year, because there was more meat here. 

Day of the Oprichnik: A Novel by Vladimir Sorokin
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Well, I finally read a book I disliked more than "Pride and Prejudice." 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I actually read this book in 2023 but am posting this review now because that is how willful my life has become. I gave this 4 stars immediately after reading, so I surely enjoyed the insight into a writer's life. I remember, though, being less enthused about all the behind-the-scenes of the real? satirical? obsolete? world of book publishing. 

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My 2024 Year in Review (According to LinkedIn)

Above is my "2024 LinkedIn Rewind," and following is the accompanying text written/produced by Coauthor (a new AI tool... although, honestly, I'm pretty sure I posted there more than 20 times 🙂):

In 2024, I discovered that storytelling happens in many languages - through corporate communications, community service, poetry, and increasingly, through the lens of my camera.

This year brought opportunities to share stories across different mediums. My church photography series found a home at the Middletown Arts Center, while my written work appeared in the New Jersey Bards Poetry Review. Behind the lens at the Al Smith Dinner, I witnessed how photography can capture moments of community service that words alone cannot express.

Three posts that captured this journey of integrated storytelling:

"Four of my NJ church photos are on display this month at Middletown Arts Center"
On how visual storytelling through community spaces creates lasting connections
https://lnkd.in/etidDGwr

"Three highlights from a memorable March..."
Where corporate expertise and creative expression meet to serve communities
https://lnkd.in/eDC7Z3GC

"Our announcement today about the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation's support"
How institutional support transforms communities across New York State
https://lnkd.in/e3KVRyCT

Looking ahead to 2025: I'm focused on deepening the connection between professional communications and creative storytelling, particularly through visual media and community narratives. Because sometimes the most powerful stories are told without words.

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Get your own 2024 "LinkedIn Rewind" by going to coauthor.studio in your browser... and, PS, the "Jim" referenced in the graphic is the one-and-only Jim Gerace (who always encouraged me to explore new tech).