Dispatches and Marginalia from Michael DeVault
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The Jet Set

Or: How Little Mama Inspired Visions of a Glittering Future When I was about 12, my grandmother and I were sitting in the sunroom

Oct 23

A family illness

While I’m a fan of many sports, and my following of these sports is quite tidal, there are three bloodsports in my life that

Mar 3

Bailouts have Strings?! Nooooo!!!!

Four years ago, AIG begged for and received a $125 BILLION bailout from the citizens of the United States. They paid that money back–with

Jan 9

The Vegans and the Carnivore: a parable

(AUTHOR’S NOTE: This started out as a note to all my Christian friends. But the message is something bigger and I think it bears

Nov 15

Finding inspiration and will power

One of the most frequent questions writers are asked is about their “writing space,” that special place to which they retreat to spend hours

Jul 28

Villain, thou name is Grammar

I’m not a grammar Nazi. I don’t wander around with a copy of Strunk & White‘s Elements of Style in my satchel, waiting to pounce

Apr 23

Technology Retrograde

Or: Why we need frontiers to succeed as a species. One of my favorite television shows is AMC’s Mad Men. For the three people

Apr 5

A Dab of Luck?

(Or: How astrology seems to impact the pattern of literature) Let me begin with a disclaimer: I do not buy much into the belief

Mar 9

The joys of a french press

For years, I was one of those people who looked at the glass and steel lines of a French press sitting in the corner

Mar 7

The end of hatred on (our) airwaves?

(Or: Rush Limbaugh should just STFU.) I believe we are witnessing the death of hatred on the public’s airwaves. Let me start by saying

Mar 2