further reading

the archivist January 1, 2026

Polyarchive’s Most Visited Pages of 2025 Introduction to Collected Poems (1938), E.E. Cummings The Poems of Our Climate | Wallace Stevens After a While | Veronica A. Shoffstall (NOT Jorge Luis Borges) Flannery O’Connor: “Where you come from is gone” Book Review: Love Unknown: The Life and Worlds of Elizabeth Bishop by Thomas Travisano The […]

the archivist March 7, 2025

Excerpt from Red Fortress: History and Illusion in the Kremlin by Catherine Merridale “[The area of modern-day Russia and Ukraine] seemed to be a dangerous, exotic place, where fortunes waited for adventurers. Human slaves were one source of profit, for while Muslims and Christians were forbidden to enslave each other, the pagan Slavs were fair […]

the archivist November 2, 2024

The Hilarious World of Depression John Moe St. Martin’s Press Description One of Today’s Ten Best Inspirational Books, 2020 By the creator and host of the acclaimed mental health podcast Depresh Mode with John Moe “[A] path to deeper understanding and openness, by way of laughter in the dark” ―The New York Times Book Review […]

the archivist May 25, 2020

Review: Chasing the Bright Side by Jess Ekstrom This book covers a lot of the same ground that many positive-thinking self-help books do, but the author has some interesting stories to share. In particular, the relative she called “Uncle Bernie” became infamous when he stole away the wealth of many high-profile victims as well as […]

the archivist May 23, 2020

Review: Elgin Park: Visual Memories Of Midcentury America at 1/24th Scale This book reflects an interesting and unique project by artist Michael Paul Smith: he has created a fictional mid-century town. Using historically accurate car models (from the Franklin Mint and other sources), his own model buildings and roads, and his outdoor surroundings, he stages […]

the archivist May 22, 2020

Review: All Blood Runs Red by Tom Clavin, Phil Keith I had never even heard of Eugene Bullard before I read this book. His bravery and determination is truly inspiring, especially in the face of the many hardships he faced. It’s amazing to consider that one person’s life could take so many drastic turns, from […]

the archivist July 9, 2012

Italo Calvino’s Definition: What Makes a Book a “Classic”? The classics are the books of which we usually hear people say, “I am rereading…” and never “I am reading…” We use the words “classics” for books that are treasured by those who have read and loved them; but they are treasured no less by those […]