Author: Tess Kovach

Tess Kovach lives in Hartford, Connecticut.
James Madison

A One Party Nation

The Democratic Party is collapsing, and has been collapsing for a decade. Having the Presidency just hid all the rot happening elsewhere. Now we face the prospect of one party rule in a way we have not seen before, led by a type of President we have not seen before.

In Defense of Poetry

Old poetry is laden with the baggage of centuries of hidden metaphor and archaic references. New poetry is prone to abstraction and whimsical laziness. But poetry deserves our consideration as an art form nonetheless. After all, all the music we love is poetry, and all the fun little things we can do with language are best done in poetic form.

In Search of Anthropocene Ethics

The world faces unprecedented ecological challenges, and humanity remains largely lethargic to respond. It’s time to adopt a new sense of ethics that acknowledge our collective effect on our pale blue dot, and which account for the quality of the land our progeny will inherit.

A Desperate Plea for a Renewal of Citizenship

Because of neglect of the role of the broader role of citizenship, Americans can blame themselves for the unenlightened bitterness and abject stagnation of politics. We can do better, but it will require a renewed interest in achieving common things instead of individual victories. It will require taking our job as participants in a democracy more seriously.