1:12 Literary editor Matthew Schmitz recounts his day in a Manhattan jury pool. He failed to be selected for the jury, but he made many colorful friends. Now he argues, in the spirit of Tocqueville, for fewer plea bargains, more jury trials, and the death penalty.
11:43 Matthew talks to associate editor Julia Yost about his Back Page column in the November issue. He argues, in the spirit of Confucius, against the utilitarian ethos that prevails at elite universities. What would the Master say about Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy?
The episode is embedded below. For your long-term convenience, follow us on SoundCloud or subscribe via iTunes or Google Play.
Lift My Chin, Lord
Lift my chin, Lord,Say to me,“You are not whoYou feared to be,Not Hecate, quite,With howling sound,Torch held…
Letters
Two delightful essays in the March issue, by Nikolas Prassas (“Large Language Poetry,” March 2025) and Gary…
Spring Twilight After Penance
Let’s say you’ve just comeFrom confession. Late sunPours through the budding treesThat mark the brown creek washing Itself…