Email Author Alex Weir

2011 Stories by Alex Weir

• Watery Portraits

  published June 30, 2011

  The plein air style of painting derives from the French expression en plein air, meaning "in the open air." Artists have painted outdoors... More >>

• The Civil War by Boat

  published June 23, 2011

  Hey, heard the news? It's the sesquicentennial of the start of the Civil War, and that's a pretty big deal. Now, you can tour any number of... More >>

• Why They're Called "Sawbones"

  published June 23, 2011

  The Civil War's violence was catastrophic and sustained: more than a half million Confederate and Union soldiers killed during four long years of... More >>

• Roam, If You Want To

  published June 16, 2011

  It's often pointed out that we St. Louisans don't live in a walking city; for the most part that's true, if you're comparing us to far more... More >>

• A Horrible Job Done Well

  published June 9, 2011

  What really makes studies of war so compelling isn't the chaos of ideologies in violent conflict — it's the gut reality of human nature and... More >>

• Artchitecture

  published June 2, 2011

  St. Louis gets a lot of visitors. What’s striking is that so many of these people immediately single out our architecture for high praise.... More >>

• A Grand Eating

  published May 26, 2011

  How would you walk from, say, Vietnam to Lebanon by way of Thailand, with a stop for some Persian culture on the way -- all in the same evening?... More >>

• Frisco Express

  published May 19, 2011

  St. Louis has been home to some pretty great, much-missed concert venues — e.g., Kiel Opera House, Mississippi Nights, Graham Chapel (yup,... More >>

• Spare (for) the Rhinos

  published May 5, 2011

  Just thinking about all the endangered species of animals around the world can lead to the worst feeling of hopelessness. Where and how to even... More >>

• Thar He Goes

  published April 28, 2011

  Charles Nicklin is nicknamed "Flip." He's a good man, and he can dive a heck of a lot deeper than you and I ever could even if we took... More >>

• The Civil War by Boat

  published April 14, 2011

  Hey, heard the news? It's the sesquicentennial of the start of the Civil War, and that's a pretty big deal. Now, you can tour any number of... More >>

• What They Saw

  published April 14, 2011

  If you've spent more than five minutes in front of a TV anytime in the last 40-odd years, you've seen the unforgettable images of the Zapruder... More >>

• Forever Plaid

  published March 31, 2011

  Whether we arrived in America several generations or several days ago, all of us — with the exception of the Native American tribes —... More >>

• At Last, Playoff Hockey

  published March 17, 2011

  As of this writing, the St. Louis Blues have trudged another rough and rocky road of a season; their playoff chances are looking pretty remote... More >>

• The Long Walk

  published March 17, 2011

  It's difficult to look at the history of our country in the nineteenth century without an abiding sense of shame over what was done to the first... More >>

• Let's Twist Again, Vicariously

  published March 10, 2011

  Midwesterners (most of us anyway) tend to harbor a stubborn pride in our section of the country. We look on our homeplace as singularly beautiful,... More >>

• A Less Terrifying Wedding

  published March 10, 2011

  Marriage ceremonies honor and codify, in front of family and friends, the love two people feel for one another, and in that respect they're truly... More >>

• The Father of Invention

  published March 3, 2011

  There's something in the name "Elijah"; it has a foursquare, hickory-solid, indomitable ring to it. One thinks of Elijah Lovejoy, the Illinois... More >>

• After the Loving

  published February 24, 2011

  Consider the force of nature that is Joyce Carol Oates — but pull up a chair first. You'll need that item because even the most... More >>

• Dancing With Death

  published February 24, 2011

  Ann and Carl are siblings who embark on a tour of Europe together. Their objective isn't entirely focused on taking in beautiful architecture,... More >>

• From Poland, With Love

  published February 17, 2011

  Opole is hardly the most high-profile of Polish towns to most Europeans and Americans, but this medium-size city in the southwest part of the... More >>

• Another Chapter for the Book

  published February 17, 2011

  With the advent and rapid ascent of the e-book, those in the publishing and bookselling trades have found themselves in the thick of a sea change... More >>

• Wheeled Warrior

  published February 10, 2011

  You gotta love Ed Asner (if you don't, what's wrong with you? Get some help). Asner — born in Kansas City, Missouri — was already a... More >>

• Lift Our Voices

  published February 10, 2011

  As imperfect as our present is in terms of race relations, it feels a thousand times superior to just the very recent past. This writer remembers... More >>

• Where's the Mulberry Bush?

  published February 3, 2011

  How can you resist a play set in the deepest green of the English countryside? With characters named Reg, Norman and Annie? We can't. The play in... More >>