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8 ways to find common ground

Gridlock plagues Washington. Polarizing soundbytes get constant play in the 24/7 news cycle. The culture wars rage on. But these Monitor op-ed writers suggest there’s more common ground than meets the eye. Here are eight powerful perspectives on the possibilities for meeting in the middle.

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Tax day: How to remind Americans that paying taxes is a conservative value

To help create a political climate in which Americans can talk sensibly about taxes, let's start with kids: It’s time to make The Tax Talk with our kids just as much a part of our culture as The Sex Talk or The Drugs Talk.
Wendell Berry: New Collected Poems

"New Collected Poems" allows the playful, musical side of Wendell Berry's being to shine through.
Advice for Congress this first day of spring: To improve leadership, go outside

Thoreau’s suggestion that Congress might be improved by a greater awareness of the natural world was a serious one. Being outdoors this first day of spring should remind leaders and voters of a calendar beyond the election cycle – and a web of connections that transcends party.
Chapter & Verse
Henry David Thoreau as global-warming researcher?

Comparing the dates Thoreau recorded of flowers in bloom with those today shows powerful evidence that global warming is taking place, say researchers.
Chapter & Verse
Oscars: A cartoon about the wonders of reading takes the prize

'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,' a 14-minute cartoon about the joy of books, took the Best Animated Short Film Oscar.
When E.B. White is also Grandpa

E.B. White granddaughter Martha keeps loving watch over a unique literary legacy.
Chapter & Verse
Presidents Day: our best presidents are as close as the nearest biography

With biographies like Carl Sandburg's 'Lincoln,' Americans can learn about past presidents on any day of the year.
8 ways to find common ground

Gridlock plagues Washington. Polarizing soundbytes get constant play in the 24/7 news cycle. The culture wars rage on. But these Monitor op-ed writers suggest there’s more common ground than meets the eye. Here are eight powerful perspectives on the possibilities for meeting in the middle.
Chapter & Verse
Eudora Welty: the garden at the heart of her creativity

Eudora Welty's love for flowers is explored in a new book. 
After Black Friday, Cyber Monday – the best holiday deals? Clean out your closet.

Consumer spending can drive economic recovery, but a recession created by a culture of excess can't be healed by more excess. As my kids learned by cleaning up their rooms, sustained economic health comes from knowing what we really need and what we can do without.
Listening to the other voice in the Jackie Kennedy interviews

The voice of Jackie Kennedy's interviewer belongs to the late historian and former JFK aide Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., whose writings are again timely in this tea-party era. He noted that the Founding Fathers embraced government as a vital help, not an obstacle, to progress.
Chapter & Verse
Calvin Trillin remembers 9/11 differently from the rest of us

Calvin Trillin's beloved wife Alice died on Sept. 11, 2001 – in a strange but unrelated parallel to the terrorist attacks on the city that both the Trillins loved.
Chapter & Verse
5 good reasons to embrace the fall reading season

Are you a reader? Don't be afraid to say goodbye to summer. Good things are in store!
Chapter & Verse
The great summer escape – is it still possible?

In 1953 Americans still knew how to vacation. But for us today it may be harder.
After Borders closes: still room for both e-books and the paper kind

As an occasional book reviewer, even before the Borders liquidation announcement, I’ve thought a lot about the future of books. The ideal book is more than a lump of text, whether you are talking e-books or the paper kind.
How summer reading flipped me from my hammock and changed my life

I'll read this summer for moments of revelation. The summer before college, I confirmed my major by reading Russell Baker's "Growing up." Later, Eudora Welty's "One Writer's Beginnings," told me that a wise life could be made beyond the Washington Beltway.
Chapter & Verse
Fourth of July: an excellent day to stay home

On July 4, 1845, Henry David Thoreau took the first "staycation" – and authors have been debating its merits ever since.
Chapter & Verse
David McCullough talks about "The Greater Journey" and some of his own favorite books

One of the ways that biographer David McCullough learns about his subjects is to raid their libraries.
After Mississippi floods and Joplin tornado, some hard-hitting geography lessons

Amid a spate of natural disasters, the latest crisis on the Mississippi has reminded Americans that the river is not merely a Twain-era historical footnote, but a vital instrument of modern commerce and a powerful force in draining, nourishing – and sometimes flooding – a large swath of the US.
What There Is to Say We Have Said: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and William Maxwell

Two great writers share thoughts on their books, their gardens, their dreams, and their deep caring for one another.
The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood

How humans handle information has been a theme – and a concern – throughout the ages.
Chapter & Verse
National Poetry Month: How and why I celebrate

Based on my own experience, I still think of television as an especially powerful tool in raising poetry’s profile.
When I Am Playing With My Cat, How Do I Know She Is Not Playing With Me?

Author Saul Frampton tells the story of how history, culture, and the personal genius of Montaigne conspired to create a new literary genre: the essay.
How can Obama save our economy and our democracy? Humanities education

President Obama called the push to revamp our math and science education this generation's 'Sputnik moment.' But how many Americans even know what Sputnik is? Studies show US students don't know their own history. That's what the president should really be concerned about.
Chapter & Verse
Elizabeth Bishop centennial

To celebrate the centennial of the birth of Elizabeth Bishop, some of her previously unpublished writing is being released.