Adrienne Rich on the importance of poetry | The Guardian

In our dark times we need poetry more than ever, argues Adrienne Rich.

"Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world."

CLICK HERE to view a Powerpoint slide-show entitled Stealing Fire.

This column by Sullivan County Historian John Conway appears in today's edition (July 25, 2008) of The Sullivan County Democrat. This is the second of a two-part series in Sullivan Retrospect on the subject, the first of which appeared last week. I e-mailed Mr. Conway after reading last week's column. He incorporated information that I sent him into his follow-up piece. Mr. Conway has written about this subject in the past, including at least two past Retrospect columns.

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THE HIDDEN WOMAN MYSTERY ENDURES

By John Conway

July 25, 2008 - It has often been said, and written on occasion in this column, that few stories in Sullivan County’s history are as fascinating as that of the hidden woman of Monticello. Perhaps no one has been as fascinated by the saga as Tom Rue.

Rue, who has for years accumulated historical tidbits on his website, including a tantalizing quiz about local history that is currently running, and who was recently appointed the official historian for the Sullivan Masonic District, is a dogged researcher who has managed to put together more information on Melvin H. Couch and Adelaide Branch-- the key characters in Monticello’s hidden woman saga-- than anyone ever has, and intends to eventually publish a booklet about the affair.

Rue’s extensive research has helped to clarify the role that best-selling author Upton Sinclair played in Miss Branch’s life following the death of Couch just before Christmas in 1913, when her fifteen year long affair with the former district attorney became public and changed her life forever.

Wikipedia defines misandry, similar to androphobia, as "the hatred of men, for being men."

Most Masonic groups admit only men. Historically, this practice dates back to the Middle Ages, probably related to the traditional roles that men and women played in ecclesiastical vocations, professional guilds, and society as a whole.