Saturday Good Reads

 London Waking Up

We’re skewing back in a British direction this today. Above, you can see “London Waking Up,” via Londontopia. Having taken a few while early-morning walks there when we were on vacations, I can say it’s just like that (Hat top: my wife, Janet Young). At the bottom, you’ll find “London Going to Sleep,” and that’s my wife’s godson singing in Spitalfields Market in London.

In between, you’ll find a video tribute to the poet Seamus Heaney (who was Irish, not British). And a lot of other good stuff, too.

Faith

Faith in the Wibbly-Wobbly Universe of Doctor Who – Sarah Bessey at Christianity Today.

“How is Your Spiritual Life?” is the Wrong Question to Ask – Hugh Whelchel at Faith, Work & Economics.

Miracles in the Middle East: is there hope in the chaos? – David Rupert at Red-Letter Believers.

Preserving a nation’s integrity requires diligence – Dr. Melvin Banks at Urban Faith.

Good Ol’ Words: Glory – Winn Collier.

The Sympathy of the Puritans – Bria Sandford at Fare Forward.

Twelve Syrian Martyrs – Rod Dreher at American Conservative.

Life and Culture

Debunking the Myth of Generational Gaps – Daniel Weinzveg at Thin Difference.

Why ancient Rome matters to the modern world – Mary Beard at The Guardian.

Weird Lessons from Macbeth – Travis LaCouter at Evangel.

Human Fallibility a Historical Constant – Rod Dreher at American Conservative. And the essay by Tish Harrison Warren in Christianity Today that he cites.

Poetry

Octoberal – Brendan MacOdrum at Oran’s Well.

The Pearl Poet – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

Screen Time (A Found Poem) – Maureen Doallas at Writing Without Paper.

The End of Fifty Two - Steven Marty Grant at Urbanality.

For Seamus (Heaney) – Elaine McMillian Sheldon and Kerrin Sheldon for The New York Times:

Writing

How to Break Your Writer’s Block – Tania Runyan at How to Read a Poem.

Face your shame – Mick Silva.

The Writing Life Podcast: How to Find and Generate Energy – Ann Kroeker.

Photography and Art

Spring Rainforests – Randall David Tipton at Painter’s Process.

Beautiful Poison – Tim Good at Photography by Tiwago.

Planned Parenthood

The repeated, misleading claim that Planned Parenthood ‘provides’ mammograms – Michelle Ye Hee Lee at The Washington Post.

London Going to Sleep

American Andrew Duhon sings “Too Late” at The Spitalfields Market in London as vendors are closing up their booths for the day.

Saturday Good Reads: Andrew Duhon

It doesn’t seem that long ago when, while visiting my mother in New Orleans, we went to see some old friends, just about the oldest friends we know. She was a bridesmaid in our wedding; my wife was a bridesmaid in hers. They flew to Phoenix when our oldest son was married; we were in a folding chair in front of an old plantation home on the River Road south of Baton Rouge when their daughter was married.

And our youngest children are both named Andrew. My wife in their Andrew’s godmother.

Their Andrew is a singer and songwriter, performing in New Orleans (like the Jazz Festival), all across the South and even the U.K. and Europe. A few years back, he was performing at a folk festival in Memphis, and had his picture taken with two other singers performing at the festival – Chad & Jeremy, my wife’s all-time favorite performers.

His style is a combination of blues, jazz, soul, Randy Newman, a dash of Cajun – all coming together as something unique. Andrew has his own style, and you just have to listen to understand that. When we saw him perform at a club “back of the Quarter” (behind the French Quarter in New Orleans), I kept thinking that this was the rather shy little boy we watched play baseball one afternoon at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School.

Shy no more, but to talk with him and listen to his music is to experience a kind of grace. He just has that way about him.

He’s produced three albums: Songs I Wrote Before I Knew You, Dreaming When You Leave (with the Lonesome Crows), and The Moorings. And he blogs under his own name, where you can find his performance schedule.

And now, Andrew Duhon.