{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1","title":"Micro.blog - Scott Walters","home_page_url":"https://micro.blog","feed_url":"https://micro.blog/posts/drwalt","_microblog":{"about":"https://micro.blog/about/api","id":"1685068","username":"drwalt","bio":"I'm a Drama professor happily retired to Massachusetts. I write about theater occasionally, but mostly about whatever happens to cross my mind. I read a great deal. ","pronouns":"he/him","is_following":false,"is_you":false,"following_count":52,"discover_count":0},"author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://avatars.micro.blog/avatars/2024/47/1685068.jpg"},"items":[{"id":"88862953","content_html":"

More Sustainable: Home Improvements So Far: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"A description of the home improvements we’ve made so far to make our house more sustainable. Also a list of three things I want to start researching.","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/23/more-sustainable-home-improvements-so.html","date_published":"2026-04-23T16:03:57+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"16:03","date_timestamp":1776960237,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88851332","content_html":"

For @amerpie@social.lol

\n

dansinker.com/posts/202…

\n","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/23/090646.html","date_published":"2026-04-23T13:06:46+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"13:06","date_timestamp":1776949606,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88848649","content_html":"

@apoorplayer yay!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/88848649","date_published":"2026-04-23T12:20:40+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"12:20","date_timestamp":1776946840,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88775252","content_html":"

@apoorplayer There’s a first time for everything

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/88775252","date_published":"2026-04-22T12:35:48+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-22 12:35","date_timestamp":1776861348,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88744600","content_html":"

@writingslowly I wouldn’t go so far as to say making art is “morally indefensible,” but what I would say is that, if you use the word “responsibility” in a conversation with artists, most will say that their only responsibility is to their vision, and that they have no responsibility for the effects that their art has on those who consume it. This is the same argument made by the owners of social media companies.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/88744600","date_published":"2026-04-22T00:09:36+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-22 00:09","date_timestamp":1776816576,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88743435","content_html":"

More Sustainable: Constraints, Assets, Restraints, and Goals: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"The guidelines and goal posts for my More Sustainable project.","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/21/more-sustainable-constraints-assets-restraints.html","date_published":"2026-04-21T23:43:46+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-21 23:43","date_timestamp":1776815026,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88716345","content_html":"

@writingslowly I think Yorke is right about the power of story, and unfortunately artists are not taught the basic Spiderman lesson that “with great power comes great responsibility.” The idea that artists have a responsibility larger than their own career success has been virtually ignored within the profession and the training programs that feeds it. I think a bit more Spidey energy would be welcome.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/88716345","date_published":"2026-04-21T16:22:03+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-21 16:22","date_timestamp":1776788523,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88715761","content_html":"

Blast from the Past: Follow-Up to \"Want and Need\" (April 21, 2008): scottwalters.blog

","summary":"The centralization of TV shows (and most art) in a few urban areas works against our ability to understand the lives of millions of our fellow citizens, not to mention the lives of people across the world.","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/21/blast-from-the-past-followup.html","date_published":"2026-04-21T16:13:46+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-21 16:13","date_timestamp":1776788026,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88662189","content_html":"

Blast: Want and Need: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"In 2008, I wondered whether NYC really needed 400 theaters Off-Off-Broadway. I still wonder.","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/20/blast-want-and-need.html","date_published":"2026-04-20T20:58:42+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-20 20:58","date_timestamp":1776718722,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88660944","content_html":"

Tolkien: The world is indeed full of peril\": scottwalters.blog

","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/20/the-world-is-indeed-full.html","date_published":"2026-04-20T20:30:18+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-20 20:30","date_timestamp":1776717018,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88642163","content_html":"

Digital Garden Problem: Sharing Links to Specific Items: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/20/digital-garden-problem-sharing-links.html","date_published":"2026-04-20T15:43:31+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-20 15:43","date_timestamp":1776699811,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88577629","content_html":"

@JohnBrady I spent my career in a small, public liberal arts university for undergraduates. Over the course of my career, I became disappointed in the gradual erosion of a real vision, both in my department and in the university as a whole. I wish that I had looked around at these sort of institutions, many of which would have just been getting started when I was finishing my doctorate. Thank you for sharing – very inspiring.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/88577629","date_published":"2026-04-19T15:17:28+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-19 15:17","date_timestamp":1776611848,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88531951","content_html":"

@apoorplayer So many retorts, so little time…

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/88531951","date_published":"2026-04-18T18:46:59+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-18 18:46","date_timestamp":1776538019,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88525064","content_html":"

@jabel I agree. Plus, we could choose to read that almost 3/4 of Americans DON’T see him as religious, which is cause for celebration.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/88525064","date_published":"2026-04-18T16:44:27+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-18 16:44","date_timestamp":1776530667,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88334093","content_html":"

@apoorplayer Phew! I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/88334093","date_published":"2026-04-15T21:40:04+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-15 21:40","date_timestamp":1776289204,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88334044","content_html":"

@apoorplayer I think that would be the public explanation…

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/88334044","date_published":"2026-04-15T21:39:24+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-15 21:39","date_timestamp":1776289164,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88299185","content_html":"

@numericcitizen how about iPhone FU?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/88299185","date_published":"2026-04-15T12:39:42+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-15 12:39","date_timestamp":1776256782,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"88168326","content_html":"

Update on Digital Garden Project: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"Things are starting to come into focus for the digital garden structure and platform.","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/13/update-on-digital-garden-project.html","date_published":"2026-04-13T15:18:22+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-13 15:18","date_timestamp":1776093502,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88131182","content_html":"

I was surprised at how much the implosion of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami brought back emotions from 9/11 that I didn’t even know I had.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/12/i-was-surprised-at-how.html","date_published":"2026-04-12T23:56:22+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-12 23:56","date_timestamp":1776038182,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88114482","content_html":"

Defeatist.

\n\"\"\n","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/12/defeatist.html","date_published":"2026-04-12T18:31:22+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-12 18:31","date_timestamp":1776018682,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"88055209","content_html":"

@apoorplayer Welcome back! A perfect way to celebrate.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/88055209","date_published":"2026-04-11T16:21:56+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-11 16:21","date_timestamp":1775924516,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87878329","content_html":"

This is getting really annoying. The level of corruption is disgusting .

\n

apnews.com/article/p…

\n","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/08/this-is-getting-really-annoying.html","date_published":"2026-04-09T01:06:46+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-09 01:06","date_timestamp":1775696806,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87874337","content_html":"

@apoorplayer But do they bow to you?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87874337","date_published":"2026-04-08T23:37:52+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-08 23:37","date_timestamp":1775691472,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87836796","content_html":"

A message for fans of John Couger Mellencamp: you can stop holding on to 16. He meant 60. Hold on to 60 as long as you can.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/08/a-message-for-fans-of.html","date_published":"2026-04-08T13:14:29+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-08 13:14","date_timestamp":1775654069,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87836303","content_html":"

@ablerism Ah! I’m out in the Berkshires!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87836303","date_published":"2026-04-08T13:04:35+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-08 13:04","date_timestamp":1775653475,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87809302","content_html":"

The stock market’s reaction to Trump’s insanity is simultaneously predictable and ridiculous. Our entire culture has been marinated in crass stupidity. I can’t believe I have to live through this nonsense at my age.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/07/the-stock-markets-reaction-to.html","date_published":"2026-04-08T01:25:06+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-08 01:25","date_timestamp":1775611506,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87807494","content_html":"

@ablerism It was all melted by lunch, and in a few days it will be in the upper 60s, but still…

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87807494","date_published":"2026-04-08T00:44:13+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-08 00:44","date_timestamp":1775609053,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87807430","content_html":"

@writingslowly I can only speak from my own experience and taste. My dissertation was about theater critic Robert Brustein and his teacher, literary critic Lionel Trilling. I am a big fan of the critics of the 1930s to the 1960s, when intellectuals wrote for an educated readership, and did so in a polished, erudite prose that had snap, sizzle, and complexity. I still gravitate toward contemporary writers like Rebecca Solnit, James Wood, and Sadie Smith. As much as I want to like, say, Corey Doctorow, his writing feels a bit over-Zettelkastened and lacking in synthesis. Maybe at my age, I don’t feel like watching the sausage get made, I just want the nicely-cooked breakfast.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87807430","date_published":"2026-04-08T00:41:46+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-08 00:41","date_timestamp":1775608906,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87763359","content_html":"

WTF, Massachusetts!

\n\"\"\n","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/07/wtf-massachusetts.html","date_published":"2026-04-07T13:07:47+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-07 13:07","date_timestamp":1775567267,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87718295","content_html":"

@writingslowly Nice. So let me ask this: is blogging what we do now, but we used to do the same thing in coffee shops and cafes prior to the 21st century? When Sartre and the gang hung out talking talking talking, we’re they trying out early versions of their ideas on their friends and acquaintances, which they’d then polish and focus and edit later in their books?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87718295","date_published":"2026-04-06T19:33:29+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-06 19:33","date_timestamp":1775504009,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87660000","content_html":"

@ayjay Wise advice. I totally agree. I was considering reading Richard Hughes Gibson’s “The Way of Dante” along with your biography of Sayers as a prelude to tackling “The Divine Comedy.” Does that make sense?

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87660000","date_published":"2026-04-05T20:18:24+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-05 20:18","date_timestamp":1775420304,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87607560","content_html":"

“We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.” – Toni Morrison, Nobel Acceptance Speech

\n","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/04/we-die-that-may-be.html","date_published":"2026-04-04T19:51:56+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-04 19:51","date_timestamp":1775332316,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87592894","content_html":"

@MitchWagner Important, if true.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87592894","date_published":"2026-04-04T14:42:26+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-04 14:42","date_timestamp":1775313746,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87591739","content_html":"

@writingslowly Seth Godin has been doing this for decades. Sometimes, the books hold together, sometimes they feel like what they are. This is true of Doctorow as well. What I am starting to miss, however, in this world of first thoughts, are truly thoughtful, polished essays that make a clear, complex, and thoughtful argument. I sometimes find I am weary of being used as a guinea pig.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87591739","date_published":"2026-04-04T14:12:02+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-04 14:12","date_timestamp":1775311922,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87591320","content_html":"

@davoh I retired from the University of North Carolina Asheville, the state’s designated public liberal arts university, five years ago. Since then, my department (Drama and Dance) has been shuttered, as has the Philosophy Dept, the Classics Dept, the Religious Studies Dept. All because of numbers of majors – as you note, a metric that fails to measure each department’s true impact. Every one of those departments contributed mightily to the general education program, my department provided opportunities for non-majors to participate in theater, and so forth. I predict that these universities will soon recognize a shift back toward the humanities, especially in the face of the changes to the job market wrought by AI, and they will be forced to rebuild programs from scratch. The provost kept declaring, proudly, that he was a “numbers guy.” Price of everything, value of nothing.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87591320","date_published":"2026-04-04T14:05:05+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-04 14:05","date_timestamp":1775311505,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87556605","content_html":"

Where Should I Put My Digital Garden Project: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"Before I can start writing my new digital garden retirement project, I need to decide where it will live: Micro.blog? Obsidian? Roam? Notion? Scalar? MediaWiki? IMoodle? debate the pros and cons, and invite any help you have to offer.","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/03/where-should-i-put-my.html","date_published":"2026-04-03T21:45:01+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-03 21:45","date_timestamp":1775252701,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87550505","content_html":"

Playing Without a Scoreboard: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"For the past fifty years, I’ve been obsessed with theater, but five years into retirement, I find I have little left to say about that. So what’s a retired academic to do? A recent podcast may have helped me figure that out, and led me to the gate of my own digital garden.","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/04/03/playing-without-a-scoreboard.html","date_published":"2026-04-03T20:02:35+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-03 20:02","date_timestamp":1775246555,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"87534984","content_html":"

@drwalt Obviously, I’m talking about the American Film Institute Conservatory, and the amazing group of filmmakers who were in the first class stand as evidence of the value of the “chaotic” educational structure described.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87534984","date_published":"2026-04-03T15:07:12+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-03 15:07","date_timestamp":1775228832,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87528894","content_html":"

@ayjay Excellent! As a retired drama professor, I never understood the idea of having mainstage shows chosen and directed and often designed by faculty. I argued that we’d do better to rent students a storefront with some basic equipment and let them program a season, while teaching them theater history focused on creative leaders in and out of the theater. This, of course, went over like a lead balloon. “You don’t just give kids the keys to the car!”

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87528894","date_published":"2026-04-03T13:29:29+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-03 13:29","date_timestamp":1775222969,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87476551","content_html":"

@ayjay Interesting. I find myself thinking about when I was teaching in the prison system, and my students (and the rest of the population) received tablets. Of course, they had no connection to the internet, only material downloaded to the machine. I could see such tablets being used as a substitute for (text)books as a cost-saving approach. Anyway, I remain skeptical about the anti-screen movement.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87476551","date_published":"2026-04-02T16:39:31+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-02 16:39","date_timestamp":1775147971,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87475988","content_html":"

@mwerickson I think that’s a good way of describing his writing. If you like to underline or highlight powerful quotations, you can easily end up with entire pages highlighted one sentence at a time!

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87475988","date_published":"2026-04-02T16:31:46+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-02 16:31","date_timestamp":1775147506,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87466088","content_html":"

@JohnBrady I find him a tough, but worthwhile, read. In some ways, he reminds me of Emerson, made more complex thanks to the abstractions of German language, in that his essays are a series of declarative sentences without much context and few concrete examples. I almost have to stop after each paragraph to just…chew.

\n","url":"https://micro.blog/drwalt/87466088","date_published":"2026-04-02T13:54:29+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-04-02 13:54","date_timestamp":1775138069,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":true,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":true}},{"id":"87214087","content_html":"

No More Fire: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"The temptation to fight fire with fire is counter-productive. We need cool, clear, calm water to counter the fire that Trump continues to stoke.","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/03/29/no-more-fire.html","date_published":"2026-03-29T20:41:28+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-29 20:41","date_timestamp":1774816888,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"86749064","content_html":"

Filtering Out Conjecture: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/03/22/filtering-out-conjecture.html","date_published":"2026-03-22T22:33:39+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-22 22:33","date_timestamp":1774218819,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"86744798","content_html":"

Bigger is Not Always Better: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/03/22/i-propose-a-change-in.html","date_published":"2026-03-22T21:18:54+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-22 21:18","date_timestamp":1774214334,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"86600063","content_html":"

Trump might want to remember how Pearl Harbor turned out for Japan.

\n","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/03/20/trump-might-want-to-remember.html","date_published":"2026-03-20T12:11:35+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-20 12:11","date_timestamp":1774008695,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"86216998","content_html":"

Me and Ozempic: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/03/14/me-and-ozempic.html","date_published":"2026-03-14T21:56:35+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-14 21:56","date_timestamp":1773525395,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"85787951","content_html":"

“For the intellectual an exilic displacement means being liberated from the usual career, in which ‘doing well’ and following in time-honored footsteps are the main milestones. Exile means that you are always going to be marginal, and that what you do as an intellectual has to be made up because you cannot...

scottwalters.blog","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/03/08/for-the-intellectual-an-exilic.html","date_published":"2026-03-08T21:26:58+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-08 21:26","date_timestamp":1773005218,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"85779512","content_html":"

Finished Reading: \"Dark Renaissance\" by Stephen Greenblatt: scottwalters.blog

","summary":"Stephen Greenblatt’s recent book about the tempestuous life of playwright Christopher Marlowe, author of Doctor Faustus, is as close to a page-turner as you’re likely to find in a book of non-fiction history.","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/03/08/finished-reading-dark-renaissance-by.html","date_published":"2026-03-08T18:54:12+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-08 18:54","date_timestamp":1772996052,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"85508835","content_html":"
\n

“A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness”

\n
\n

–Albert Einstein

\n","summary":"","url":"https://scottwalters.blog/2026/03/04/a-calm-and-modest-life.html","date_published":"2026-03-04T19:39:40+00:00","author":{"name":"Scott Walters","url":"https://scottwalters.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2024%2F47%2F1685068.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"drwalt"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-03-04 19:39","date_timestamp":1772653180,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}}]}