Dr Essai

Dr Essai

Essayist, photographer, walker, ciotóg.
Apr
19
Onward to the Path of Totality, followed by a moonshadow

Onward to the Path of Totality, followed by a moonshadow

Letter No. 79: Includes much casual use of the word “saros,” some old astronomy, and not much ineffable. A saros
8 min read
Apr
10
Time for gratitude

Time for gratitude

Letter No. 78: Includes nothing but thanks. Dr Essai is just back from a journey to the Path of Totality—
1 min read
Apr
06
Book report for March 2024

Book report for March 2024

Letter No. 77: Includes smutty essayism and many colors. Dr Essai, with an eye on the beginning of American baseball
2 min read
Mar
29
Imagining the sullen cave girl who became the world’s first artist

Imagining the sullen cave girl who became the world’s first artist

Letter No. 76: Includes someone eating an oyster, disaffected cave youth, and cogitation about color. The oldest known painters exhibited
6 min read
Mar
21
Things I’m certain about, though I could be wrong, volume one

Things I’m certain about, though I could be wrong, volume one

Letter No. 75: Includes an awful lot of cocksure opinions, with no fallback plan. * There is no idea so good
2 min read
Mar
11
Book report for February 2024

Book report for February 2024

Nothing remarkable about this past month’s reading, save for Rachel Kadish’s The Weight of Ink, a novel that I heartily recommend. What are you reading, Jogglers?
2 min read
Mar
06
Iron gall ink and the sister Shakespeare never had

Iron gall ink and the sister Shakespeare never had

Because when I gaze through a scrim of vanished text in my own mind, I am all but helpless, I have to write something, and I’m happy to do so. From ink has come my life. I’ve added my few bits to the lattice of stories. And that feels like a fine life. That feels sufficient.
8 min read
Feb
26
The reading public reading in public, vol. 3

The reading public reading in public, vol. 3

Letter No. 72: Includes evidence of time spent in coffeeshops and on city streets stalking readers of print. Dr Essai
2 min read
Feb
15
Going to the ice lands

Going to the ice lands

Letter No. 71: You may need a parka. I no longer recall when we reached the decision. We probably just
6 min read
Feb
12
Book report for January 2024

Book report for January 2024

Letter No. 70: Includes heavy presence of Hemingway, accessing wolf brains, and too many bland essays. All right then, 2024
2 min read