Amanda Shaw

The Institute for Marriage and Public Policy has just published a fascinating research brief, ” Newspaper Reactions to California Marriage Cases .” How have Americans responded to the May 15 gay-marriage ruling?, it asks, turning to the editorial pages of the twenty largest U.S. . . . . Continue Reading »

“A fairly large proportion of the distinguished novels of the last few decades have been written by Catholics and have even been describable as Catholic novels.” So began a New Yorker book review , penned by a prominent and decidedly non-Catholic author. Needless to say, you’ll have to dig . . . . Continue Reading »

Nine months ago, Russians celebrated Baby-Making Day . They didn’t call it that, exactly, but the propaganda was no less subtle: “Remember the mammoths?” said the speakers at a reproductive youth camp known as Nashi. “They became extinct because they didn’t have enough . . . . Continue Reading »

“A charming and chilling fable”: So says Fr. Richard John Neuhaus about Paul Lake’s new novel, Cry Wolf , released this weekend. You might know Paul’s name from the First Things’ poetry section , of which he is the editor and occasional contributor. Here, however, he . . . . Continue Reading »

“What about the higher law, the law of love ?” So pleads the lesbian presidential speechwriter in David Mamet’s latest Broadway comedy, November . The waddling, squawking, lame-duck president is at his wits end. Clarice won’t give him the speech transcript that offers him a . . . . Continue Reading »

Fr. George Rutler is quite emphatic about it: We are not basking in the afterglow of the papal visit, we are basking in the pre -glow of it’s far-reaching impact. Benedict’s central message, that Christ is indeed our Hope, is just beginning to kindle in our Church and society. The flood . . . . Continue Reading »

Just down the road from the lively Piazza Barberini is a Capuchin church, Santa Maria della Concezione. Practically every Roman street corner boasts some little church, supported—or sometimes squashed—between the hotels and high-rises that have sprouted up over the centuries. And, more . . . . Continue Reading »

“Quem queris? Whom do you seek?” No words pierce more deeply than those of Christ, spoken personally and uniquely to each soul, but in our noisy streets and noisy minds, it’s easy not to hear or notice. It is not as though Christ climbs a stage amid flag-waving fanfare, picks up a . . . . Continue Reading »

The fire dances with hypnotic frenzy, shedding blaze and shadow across the room. Fevered palms fumble, shoulders tremble, and hearts heave. “Do you truly love me?”¯“Trust me.” “But when will you come back?”¯“Soon, very soon.” It is a steamy scene, a . . . . Continue Reading »

I would say this is splendid, but that’s not allowed. First Things writer Dimitri Cavalli sends along this amusing and instructive catalogue of writing dos and don’ts, compiled in 1915 by The Kansas City Star and given to Ernest Hemingway during his stint as a police and emergency-room . . . . Continue Reading »