Laotzi on the Art of Travel – Ch. 26, Tao te Ching

The heavy is the root of the light.The still is the master of unrest. Therefore the sage, traveling all day,Does not lose sight of his baggage.Though there are beautiful things to be seen,He remains unattached and calm. Why should the lord of ten thousand chariots act lightly in public?To be light is to lose one’s

The Oh-So-Poetic Roshambeaux of Rome in the Thunder Dome: A Rise to a Fall.

The story of Rome is one of civilizations greatest epics. One of humanity’s greatest successes. And perhaps even greater failures. And thus, all at once perhaps its most tragic. In just over 500-centuries what began as a humble village, just a salty sea breeze away from the Mediterranean, calcified into a peal, a nucleus upon

The Better Cheddar: Ode to Kansas City

Oh, the Better Cheddar, Where would I be without you? Words fail me: “world’s best collection of cheeses, chocolates, charcuterie, and condiments” or “a true American gem, ode to the celebration of good food, good times, good company.”

The Curry of Life

Ingredients for the Curry of Life 2 tbsp cooking oil  1/2 lb of beef stew meat Salt 1 yellow onion, sliced  2 tsp cayenne pepper  8 oz Crushed tomatoes 2 Carrots, peeled and chopped 1 Russet potato, peeled and cubed  2 1/4 cups beef stock  Hot Curry Roux, 1 pack of S&B Curry  Hot sauce

Join Me and the Boy that Lived: Daniel Radcliffe Reads Harry Potter

That’s right. If you haven’t heard, Pottermore will host a reading of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in it’s entirely, chapter by chapter. This delightfully soaring cast includes non-other than Daniel Radcliffe, along with a myriad cast of others you know and love (Stephen Fry, etc.) Follow the link below to check it out,

Sunday Morning – A Poem

Sunday Morning BY WALLACE STEVENS      I Complacencies of the peignoir, and lateCoffee and oranges in a sunny chair,And the green freedom of a cockatooUpon a rug mingle to dissipateThe holy hush of ancient sacrifice.She dreams a little, and she feels the darkEncroachment of that old catastrophe,As a calm darkens among water-lights.The pungent oranges and

Bathing With Amy Lowell (1874-1925): A Poem to Feed Your Week

Little spots of sunshine lie on the surface of the water and dance, dance, and their reflections wobble deliciously over the ceiling; a stir of my finger sets them whirring, reeling

From Ulysses to Knausgaard: Time to Read That 500+ Page Novel/Series

It’s an investment for sure. But one of the greatest you’ll ever make. From a year-long commitment to Knausgaard’s monumental sextet “My Struggle” to the 2013 saga Americanah by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 20 Knock-Your-Socks-Off Novels Over 500 Pages From the brilliance that is the New York Public Library: The Unconsoled by Kazuo IshiguroA

3 Unique Research Methods for Identifying Small Publishers – by Rosalie Morales Kearns…

on Jane Friedman site: Back when I was seeking a publisher for my novel, finding small presses was a haphazard process. I would compile lists from … 3 Unique Research Methods for Identifying Small Publishers – by Rosalie Morales Kearns…

What the Hell is Water? David Foster Wallace and the Need to Believe

“Because here’s something else that’s weird but true: in the day-to day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or

And now, a heart-to-heart from Ulysses (Joyce)

Writing Through a Pandemic: Writer’s Edit is Hiring Freelancers

If you’re among the writers of the world I’m sure you’re familiar with the monolithic resource that is the Writer’s Edit. If not (…who are you?), well they’re a one-stop shop for writers of all flavors, compiling advice and classes to nurture the seasoned novelist and the budding author alike with a global reach coming

The Grandeur of Ordinary Life: James Joyce on Literature About You, Me, And Everyone In Between

What. A. Quote! Now, here we have the a monolith in name, diction, style, form, class, you name it who’s greatest achievement is rekindling the fire of what makes a novel a novel, or bending, no, rewriting the rules of literature and yet despite all that here he is claiming that all he’s written is

On Arabic Sweets and the Middle East: Kunafa – NICHOLAS ANDRIANI

All of these things are true… I had been in Jordan for several weeks and my love affair with Arabian sweets had reached a lofty peak. In fact, I would begin and end each day with a platter of pastries, smothered in honeys and syrups that would flood through heaps of pistachios on my plate. Then it happened… I…

Love in the Time of COVID-19

What. A. Time. It. Is. As we continue to wrap our heads around our first officiated pandemic, not that we aren’t the victims of other, more abstract pandemics such as racism, colonialism, and free-market capitalism, but hey, morality/philosophy will have to take a backburner today. No, today we’re dealing with a vicious strain of flu

Do You Shampoo? Curry? You Can Thank Sake Dean Mahomed – On Influential Muslims

I’m endlessly fascinated by the storied history and culture of food. If you think about it food, with all those various customs, colloquial nuances, simple and complex, erotic and understated, is truly our greatest and most intimate experience with the world around us.

Go Folk Yourself: A Semester Abroad, Japanese, Folklore, & the Glorious Spirit Realm – Call to Arms!

Call to Arms: I am a full-time student and researcher with a passion for the cultures and people that diversify and energize our world. I believe that literature and the stories we tell the world contain a multitude of interpretations and gemstones waiting to be mined.  I’m launching this campaign to raise funds for a

Buddhism = Monism, Dualism, or…? feat. Alex Zendo, Buddhist Teacher

Monism is the view that attributes oneness or singleness (Greek:μόνος) to a concept (e.g., existence). Buddhism is beyond monism, dualism, pluralism etc. Those -istic teachings are like photos. Monism says that there is the best perspective (camera angle) to make a good photo of that particular thing. For example, a person should be photographed from the

On the Road Less Traveled : A Personal Essay on the Path of Most Resistance and the Adventure That is Life.

Don’t be victimized by the culture of fear. Our planet is waiting to be explored, to reveal it’s secrets to you, to me, to any who dare ask, it will expose you to the raw truths of life. To the quarks of distant cultures and alien tongues. To disgusting foods and delicious cuisines, to dangerous and countless blessings.

Interview with Maria Rochelle

Get to know Nicholas over this discussion on travel, literature, writing, life, love and losing oneself in the beautiful madness of modern life.