The Clerk Manifesto

P. G. Wodehouse is funny. But I don't laugh all the time reading his books. In fact I can easily go a novel and a half with ol'...

It is said that to succeed in the arts one should strive to be oneself. That may be good advice for people with classical talents, pe...

I come today to report on books. No, these are not recommendations, but merely three random encounters I had while shelving in our non...

Dear William Shawn or whoever The New Yorker editor is these days: Please publish one or two of my enclosed essays. No, seriously,...

I killed a rabbit. I was driving home in my murdermobile when I came onto Highway 280. Note that it was a highway. I was travel...

Over the last couple years here at my library we have unceremoniously hosted a biannual art show for the local school district. They...

We have a large, popular meeting room downstairs at my library. It's a spacious room with many possible permutations of chairs an...

In my endless pursuit of understanding I have come to see how it might be hard, in some ways, to be my work manager. I just must seem...

One of the most oddly visceral ways I face a new presidency while working at a library is when a new president is sanctified in the...

Lately we have been discussing the many questions I receive about my blog. As you know I race to anticipate all your questions and a...

People who follow this blog often have questions about it, but they don't like to ask them because the answers can get quite le...

Writing a wildly popular blog such as this one I am frequently fielding questions about it. Just last July a onetime blog reader of ...

My trip to the dentist was a success. The hygienist scraped and made conversation and poked around and prodded and said, well, t...

If you could be any animal what would it be? I used to get that question, like, all the time. When I was nine. And though it makes ...

Dear Google: As you know I've been writing a blog on your platform for a few years now. The blog is called clerkmanifesto. Yo...

I saw a bird along the Mississippi River today. I did not think it was a bird. I thought it was a clump of leaves, torn from a tre...

Dear Monday Morning Co-workers: I'm sorry I was late again this Monday morning. I was almost on time. I would have been o...

This morning, while driving to work at my library, I was behind a man driving a nondescript car that, though serviceable, had seen...

Dear Rolling Stone Publisher, Mr. Wenner: First of all let me say that I am a great admirer of your magazine, so much so that ...

Dear Publisher: I know that everyday that you receive a manuscript query from an unknown author is an adventure of discover...