Hugo Schwyzer

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Playlists, Venn Diagrams, and Memory
April was my first girlfriend, and my first real love. “April” is a pseudonym, and I have written about her many times before. We’ve kept in touch on…
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Hugo Schwyzer
Despite our Best Efforts, the Horses are Frightened
Fall Semester, 1983. Carmel High School. With some annoyance, Mr. Lyon waved the previous year’s edition of El Padre, our school yearbook, over his…
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Hugo Schwyzer
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How We Fight
Some thoughts on yesterday’s events… I wrote last year about the implosion of the Titan submersible, and the online battles between those who made jokes…
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Hugo Schwyzer
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Voices Carry and I Really Wish They Wouldn't
My kids send their friends funny TikTok videos. When I was a teen, we gathered at each other’s houses to watch an hour or two of music videos. Nearly 40…
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Hugo Schwyzer
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More than Anything, We Don't Want to be Pathetic: a Note on Various Retirements
The past fortnight’s intense focus on President Biden’s age can – and probably should – prompt reflections on our own confrontations with time. Friends…
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Hugo Schwyzer
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Ave Maria at the Baptist Wedding, Taylor Swift at the Child's Birthday Party: A Note on Words and Meaning
July 1994. Vicksburg, Mississippi. My California family has come to the Deep South for a wedding. One of our number has fallen in love with a comely…
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Hugo Schwyzer
Bring out the Bunting!
Ours is not a particularly patriotic clan.
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Hugo Schwyzer
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In Defense of Fireworks
For my people, Independence Day is not a minor holiday. It is one of the four Grand Occasions, joining Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving as a proud…
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Hugo Schwyzer
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June 2024

The Duties of the Prodigal
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, a younger brother wastes his inheritance with wild and self-destructive living. When he comes home at last…
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Hugo Schwyzer
Happy Initiations: Taking my Son to See Noah Kahan
Ours is a family that gives tickets as birthday gifts. My son generally chooses sporting events; my daughter, pop concerts. Sometimes these things…
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Hugo Schwyzer
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On Being Unforgiven
Do you think Uncle Charlie will have forgiven you by the time I get married?
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Hugo Schwyzer
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Our Kind of People do Not Pass Away
Mama and I are watching the news.
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Hugo Schwyzer
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© 2024 Hugo Schwyzer
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