Jordan Ring is an adventurous writer, book publisher, and publicist who, with his wife, recently sold most of his possessions in the United States and moved to Lisbon, Portugal. The cultural experience proceeded famously until the coronavirus...

The president of the United States makes a brief statement about the pandemc.

John Wayne usually plays a rugged but righteous hero but in "The Searchers" his character is distinctly racist and homicidal. Director John Ford and Wayne were master moviemakers but may have incited a few more emotional concerns than they intended.

There are several paintings by Vincent van Gogh at the splendid Norton Simon Museum. Sometimes the characters in the paintings don't get along. Clark witnessed a rousing argument that he chronicles here.

It's 1885 and Vincent van Gogh, a young man who's only been painting a few years, resolves to test himself by painting a group portrait. He practices for months and works three weeks to complete "The Potato Eaters," a work that most viewers have for...

The brilliant but disturbed painter Vincent van Gogh continues to fascinate and delight art lovers around the world. In this podcast, the first of several about van Gogh, I read the very short story "She Lives With Vincent" from his collection "Paint...

Years ago I thought I had a good twenty-page short story named "Janet." Fifteen years later I thought I had carved the tale into 12 smooth pages that would be part of my collection "The Bold Investor." But I hadn't, and needed to keep rewriting and...

For many years Gary Christiansen taught Spanish and English as a Second Language and used those opportunities to learn to speak, read, and write Spanish like a native. He shares some of his insights and experiences.

Western Kentucky University has a tradition of basketball excellence that was enhanced by its progressive recruitment of black players in the segregated south of the 1960s. Few know as much about Hilltopper hoops as Charlie Halter, who years ago...

Veteran bookstore owner Mike Russo discusses trends in the book business and the challenges of selling enough books to offset increasing monthly expenses.