Author Archives: Greg Swann

Standing with my nose pointed west, waiting for the world to come to me.

Desdemona the Scrivener. As is obvious, she would prefer not to.I live on a five-hundred-year time line. I pay attention to day-to-day stuff, but I recognize how repetitive human issues are. I tend not to lend much thought to anything … Continue reading

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Why I read Ibsen.

It is common to play Hedda as a neurotic, but I think a more correct reading is that she is a troll, a sprite, a spark of hell’s fire seeking ready tinder on the Earth.I grew up in a grimy … Continue reading

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Redemption is egoism in action: My eBook “Janio at a Point” is yours free for the downloading.

Download a free eBook about the redemption of the ego – about Splendor.In February of 1988, I wrote a short book called Janio at a Point. It was written to be the epilogue of a much larger book, a 600-page … Continue reading

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Reflections of the irresistible by way of one drop in an ocean of love.

That’s my best-beloved, Cathleen Collins. She thinks I’m about to tease her. She’s right.I’ve been thinking lately about the idea of irresistibility — this, plausibly, because I get hot for all absolute states — when I blessed my argument with … Continue reading

Posted in Love and marriage, Splendor! | 2 Comments

The song of the self.

You can choose the light or the darkness, or you can run from one to the other, wasting your life in a lather of dithering. But you cannot be alive as a human being and yet, somehow, choose not to … Continue reading

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Love and loyalty: Why I want for my dog to die in Sun City.

The sun-dappled dogs of Duffeeland…A Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Willie story “Your dog’s dying.” What do you say to that? When you have a wound that won’t heal, there is nothing quite like having someone tear it wide open — expecting you to … Continue reading

Posted in Poetry and fiction, The Naso Diaries, Willie stories | 2 Comments

Tease your lover by text — and drive the Feds crazy doing it.

“EF or FF?” Putting hot-sauce on hamburger, making an adventure of the mundane.Last week Uncle Willie wrote about the kinds of playful games loving married couples can carry out over years or decades. This I totally get. I am always … Continue reading

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Making men out of boys by breaking all the rules.

Boys will be boys, but sooner or later they come to be men. Being serious about being serious is a very good sign in that transition.M.Angel Herrero / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA A Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Willie story “Dog’s not supposed … Continue reading

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Why would anyone get married? To live the highest expressions of Splendor in the fully-human life.

To be together is an accident of location. To be committed to each other and to the things you make together is a marriage.Jeff Belmonte / Foter.com / CC BY Dr. Helen asked something like this at the start of … Continue reading

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When the New Left becomes the Old Reich, it’s time to get a gun.

When the free press is outlawed — it’s time to get a gun.The Feds banned the plans for the 3D printed gun yesterday. This is an obvious violation of the First Amendment, and it will be shot down by the … Continue reading

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Going Galt with style: By choosing so admirably, Richard Nikoley sets a good example for us all.

My friend, Richard Nikoley, showing you what a Randian hero looks like in real life: I listened to the state collector’s heartfelt, condescending admonishments, including how much he’d so have preferred to work it out, had I just called him … Continue reading

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The perfect life and beautiful death of a gangly little mermaid.

The little mermaid lives her life her way, regardless of how you or I might fail to live up to ours.A Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Willie story She was the little mermaid, in our world but never of it. Never in all … Continue reading

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Celebrating the first year of Man Alive!: There is more to come…

Happy Birthday, Man Alive!bernat… / Birthday Photos / CC BY-NC-ND At Easter, I traded email with my father about the poetry of song-writing. I write about that stuff, of course — less than I might, but publicly. I write everything … Continue reading

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Nudity is a dumb argument, but at least the Femen babes get naked for justice – and they have waists!

No masters, no slaves.A compelling argument memorably made.Oh, you know you’ll look: Femen Stages a ‘Topless Jihad’ from The Atlantic: Earlier today, members of Ukrainian feminist group Femen staged protests across Europe as they called for a “topless jihad.” The … Continue reading

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The irony of debating marriage at the Supreme Court? The family is broken – and thugs in robes won’t fix it.

Do not be deceived. Apparently, homosexuals are the only Americans left who want to get married.Makena G / Love Photos / CC BY-NC-ND It’s funny, in a way, that we are wasting so much psychic energy debating gay marriage. For … Continue reading

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