Plow, man

Duke Altum here... recently returned from my first "true" vacation in a long long time, which is why I haven't been posting lately. But I wanted to just throw up a brief word of thanks here to my partner in crime, Mr. Ploughman, for rising to the occasion and not only keeping the blog going, but providing some damned interesting material to read while I was gone. This of course is no surprise, to me or to anyone who might read this blog I imagine... Mutt's been populating this blog with interesting stuff ever since its inception. Nevertheless, I was glad to see him take the bull by the horns (or should I say the ox, keeping with the agricultural theme?) and post not one but two interesting articles on writers worth reading -- Haruki Murakami and Sinclair Lewis. I encourage you to check them out if you have not already done so. In particular, Mutt's insights on the work of the popular and critically lauded Japanese novelist were illuminating to me, as someone who has read and puzzled over some of his work as well...

Also, if you're not paying attention to the "novel in progress" he has going on this site, you may want to start... it's a fascinating and ambitious project, and I think it has a ton of potential. Plus, how often do you get to read a novel as it's being written, with a commentary track from the author running simultaneously in the background? I know it's been helpful for him to work through it in this way, but it also makes for good reading on the whole process of creative writing. Do check it out if you haven't.

One last word: I know I have been lax on my Poem of the Week feature, but it's been nothing more than life getting in the way. I do plan to continue the series since there are so many more rich and insightful poems to share. So be on the lookout for the next installment soon.

Thanks again to Mutt for continuing to "plow the fields" and produce rich fruit! Plow on, man... plow on...