A Polish author explores how during Ukraine’s crisis, Benjamin Franklin’s practical wisdom offers an antidote to romantic Polish national tendencies By Romuald Roman It’s easy to write about yourself, but if you stray too far from familiar vicissitudes of your own life, then recreating a realistic human character is more difficult to achieve. In my […]
The Birch Tree’s Lesson: A Polish Tale of Homeless Heroes, Animal Rescue, and Life’s Simple Truths An elderly Polish woman befriends a homeless bottle collector, revealing how kindness, survival, and authenticity thrive in life’s unexpected corners. A Short Story by Romuald Roman I sit and look at the garden and think to myself that someone […]
A boy’s perception of his bedridden father is manipulated by a grandmother’s vicious stories, revealing complex family dynamics. By Romuald Roman [From Zakopane Mon Amour, a Memoir coming in 2026] Grandma Rita tells me about my father: I never called my father “dad,” not even in my thoughts. He was always “father” to me. A […]
Parallel insights between Spinoza and Buddhism reveals shared understanding of reality, selfhood, and liberation despite vastly different cultural origins James Whipple Miller Baruch Spinoza, the 17th-century Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish heritage, and Buddhism, an ancient Eastern philosophical tradition founded by Siddhartha Gautama, are from vastly different historical and cultural contexts. Yet, despite separation by centuries […]
An introduction to China’s epic novel Three Kingdoms, exploring its historical context, major themes, and lasting influence on Asian civilization. By James Whipple Miller All under heaven under its sway, A world long divided must unite; Long united, it must divide. 話說天下大勢, 分久必合， 合久必分 So begins Romance of the Three Kingdoms, China’s greatest novel. This […]
Polish philosopher Dobrowolski writes groundbreaking philosophy and literature, challenging cultural norms through his alter ego Maks Wolski’s acclaimed novel Nicuś. By Paweł Ciach Note: Jacek Dobrowolski, a Warsaw philosopher, is author of the treatise “Is the will free?” As a fiction writer, underthe pseudonym “Max Wolski”, he is also author of an excellent novel with […]
I frequent exhibitions and art galleries. Whenever I discover a work I like and hear the inspiration or story behind it, I have an “aha!” moment. I am awed. At times I feel frustrated. There is so much to tell and to share. Every work of art expresses deep experience. Putting a painting on a […]
An art teacher discovers Andover Academy’s revolutionary Visual Language curriculum, shifting art education from creative expression to the systematic study of composition, color theory, and visual literacy. From Life and Art, by Alden Mellor Heck The second year of upper school art was trial by fire. Big budget, lots of space, big mess. I was […]
An Iranian writer reveals how state censorship threatened his creativity and forced him into exile, before finding hope in collective resistance. Moeen Farrokhi I have never told this story in its entirety to anyone—: not to my therapist, not to my closest friends, and not even to my family. I’ve divulged bits and pieces of […]
A monk practices “Unlimited Action” in life and art, challenging traditional moral restrictions with compassionate intent By James Whipple Miller His monastery, hidden down a back alley on a hillside, was far from the neon of downtown Seoul. Not a true monastery, really, more an ordinary house where the monk Jung-kwang and a few acolytes […]
