The acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert, whose reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times influenced generations of moviegoers, once described his appreciation for movies in this way: We are all born with a certain package. We are who we are. Where we were born, who we were born as, how we were raised. We are kind ofContinue reading “Deconstructing Cinema: The Top 10 Movies for People Leaving Religion”
Category Archives: Favorites List
Beautiful Words: My Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2024
One morning, at an old social work job of mine, I chatted with my friend and coworker, Will, about our mutual love of Bruce Springsteen’s music. Will told me that “Thunder Road” is the best song ever written, and I excitedly agreed with him: “It’s so good!” When Will mentioned that the song contained someContinue reading “Beautiful Words: My Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2024”
Love and Time: My Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2024
Okay, so here’s the deal. Every year for the past five or six years, I’ve compiled a list of the ten best films I saw in that year. Usually, when people make similar lists, they focus on movies that were released in a given year. However, since I’m too poor to attend the cinema regularlyContinue reading “Love and Time: My Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2024”
Choosing Hope: My Top 10 Favorite Books of 2024
In September of 2018, singer-songwriter Nick Cave began a project called The Red Hand Files, in which he invited fans to write to him. “You can ask me anything,” Cave told them. “There will be no moderator.” A flood of letters ensued, and Cave has now published more than three hundred of them on hisContinue reading “Choosing Hope: My Top 10 Favorite Books of 2024”
Ten Songs That Made Me
What makes a perfect song? In February of 2024, Rolling Stone published their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. Sitting atop that list were stone-cold classics such as Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows,” Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.”Continue reading “Ten Songs That Made Me”
Here Be Dragons: My Favorite Stories and Songs of 2023
Well, it’s that time of year again! Everywhere you turn, art nerds are shouting their lists of favorite books, music, and movies discovered in 2023 from the proverbial rooftops. Why, you may ask, would we bother doing this? I can’t speak for every list-maker out there, but I’ve got two motives. First, the act ofContinue reading “Here Be Dragons: My Favorite Stories and Songs of 2023”
Ten Books that Changed My Life
Recently, my wife and I sat at our kitchen table, trying to recall the books which had most influenced us. The exercise was a tricky one. We weren’t listing our favorite books; we were trying to identify books which had altered our thinking, shaped our ambitions, and redirected the course of our lives. We hadContinue reading “Ten Books that Changed My Life”
Jesse’s Favorites of 2020
Hello there! Well, it’s time for my favorite year-end activity: the annual favorites list! In many ways, 2020 was an incredibly tough year for art and artists. On the other hand, I found that quarantine provided lots of downtime to make art, explore new art, and catch up on great art that I’d missed inContinue reading “Jesse’s Favorites of 2020”
Jesse’s Favorites of 2019
As the new year begins, one of my favorite things to do is look back on the books, movies, and music that were most impactful and thought-provoking for me throughout the past year. I love year-end favorites lists because they encourage thoughtful reflection on art and gratitude for the stories that shape us. In lightContinue reading “Jesse’s Favorites of 2019”
Stories to Share in the Autumn
Happy First Day of Autumn! Fall brings lots of wonderful stuff with it: leaves changing colors, thunderstorms, Halloween and Thanksgiving, ghost stories, pumpkins and cider and harvest. As a new season begins, here are a few great stories to hunker down with and share with others! Books:Peace like a River by Leif Enger – After committingContinue reading “Stories to Share in the Autumn”
Words for Wayfarers 