The Water Dipper

Originalism, Local Fiction, and the March for Life

“Remembering Fr. Richard John Neuhaus.” Ten years after Neuhaus’s death, Wilfred McClay reconsiders his life and work. This is a rich, thoughtful profile that...

Free Markets, Transhumanism, and Populism

"On the Experience of Entering a Bookstore in Your Forties (vs. Your Twenties).” Steve Edwards explores the ecology of reading, pondering the way that books,...

Dairy Farming, Monks, and Kirk

“For Love of Place: Reflections of an Agrarian Sage.” Allen White interviews Wendell Berry: “I don’t know how to bring about a major transformation...

Craft, Rural America, and Beauty

The Porch will likely be quiet this coming week as we celebrate the Christmas season. Enjoy these next few days on a real porch...

Amish, the Farm Bill, and Universities

“Conscience and Resistance.” Earlier this year, Scott Russell Sanders described the profound effect that Thomas Merton had on his life: “Beginning with ‘Rain and...

Port William, Front Porches, and Mobility

“A Clearing.” The Hudson Review published a new short story by Wendell Berry, narrated by Andy Catlett. “On the Front Porch, Black Life in Full...

Sabbath, Membership, and Monopolies

“A Grave Climate Warning, Buried on Black Friday.” In the “news that isn’t news” category, Robinson Meyer summarizes the National Climate Assessment. It’s not...

René Girard, DNA Testing, and Turkeys

"The Evolution of René Girard.” In this excerpt from her new intellectual biography of Girard, Cynthia L. Haven synthesizes the key aspects of his...

Amazon, Cities, and Farming Colleges

“Inhuman Communication: Søren Kierkegaard Versus the Internet.” Patrick Stokes draws on the Danish philosopher to gain insight into our digital media ecosystem: “According to...

Wildness, Attention, and Making Something

“Wild and Domestic.” Wendell Berry writes in Orion Magazine about this odd binary: "With only a little self-knowledge and a little sitting still and...