“You busy yourself with the latest 10,000 word article in the New York Review of Books. But if that review of A Cultural History of Hair in the Middle Ages barely wets your intellectual whistle, have I got a podcast for you.”

Materialists, Alfred Brendel, In Our Time, The MSO does opera, Gatsby at 100.

“Allen Ginsberg, after reading William Blake poems accompanying himself on a harmonium, led a packed auditorium in meditation, urging members of the crowd to let thoughts float away into the clouds if they intruded on their calm mindfulness. After a few silent minutes, a shout from the balcony pierced the silence: “I can’t believe you’re getting paid for this!” Without missing a beat, Ginsberg said, “Just let that thought float off into the clouds.”

Poetry from My Past, Miłosz on Hopper, The Same River Twice, Two Trees, Happy Birthday Duke.

“Footloose in the fiction aisle, you peruse and ponder, resolving to find a new author rather than continue your descent down the New York Times “Best Novels of the past 200 years” list.”

Blurbs, Martha Graham Dance Company, Orbital, Buster Keaton, Roberta Flack.

“These days, the book you want is just a few keystrokes away. But what about the book you didn’t know you wanted? Here, search engine efficiency gives way to fruitful meandering through old and new, current and long out of print.”

Winter shoreline, Downtown Books, Saturday Night, Fallen Leaves, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

“I was in the midst of a wooded path at dusk, moving through space, the guitar clear and chime-y in my ears. No musicians or boxy speakers in front of me. It was as if the music was beamed directly into my brain—blood-borne and mystical.”

Remembering the Walkman, Spotify’s Quest, 32 Sounds, The Work of Art, W.S. Merwin.