River Rocks #6: “The Marginalian" by Maria Popova, and “The Circle is Small" by Gordon Lightfoot
River Rocks #6
In our last episode - which, admittedly, was quite some time ago (May 2021 already?!) - I mentioned one of my favorite writers and internet presences, Maria Popova.
On a much more sophisticated and life-consuming level, Maria does a lot of work that's similar to the River Rocks pursuit: she overturns some long forgotten or perhaps otherwise neglected literary gems and brings them to the fore with incredible insight and depth/breadth of knowledge. She has written about both of my favorite authors (Vonnegut and LeGuin), written about other authors as well musicians and politicans and artists, quoted them all and applied, analyzed or appladued their thinking on a broad, very intellectual spectrum.
She does what I would like for River Rocks to do: she finds stuff worth sharing and makes people aware of it, points them in the right direction to find it and consume it. I am envious of her mad dedication to her craft.
I don't know about you, but I am amazed at how much media there is available to consume these days. I have subscriptions to YouTube TV, Paramount+, Disney+, Peacock, Netflix, and probably others I don't even know about. I need one of those apps that can tell me how much and to whom I am paying my hard-earned money!And for those reasons, this edition's media pick is The Marginalian by Maria Popova. Visit the front page of her work at https://www.themarginalian.org/ and sign up for one or both of her weekly e-mails. Be prepared to be informed, awed and inspired. If you don't enjoy the myriad rabbit holes she will lead you down, you can always unsubscribe, though I doubt sincerely you will. I myself have been a subscriber for several years now, and I am amazed at how long in a single sitting I can follow the links in her works and continue to be amazed, enthralled and educated.
Enjoy!
Every month, I spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars keeping The Marginalian going. For nearly two decades, it has remained free and ad-free and alive thanks to patronage from readers. I have no staff, no interns, not even an assistant — a thoroughly one-woman labor of love that is also my life and my livelihood. If this labor makes your own life more livable in any way, please consider aiding its sustenance with a one-time or loyal donation. Your support makes all the difference.
— Maria Popova, "The Marginalian""The Circle is Small," by Gordon Lightfoot
Somewhere about halfway between here and the last time I published River Rocks, Gordon Lightfoot passed away, leaving behind a rich and unique musical legacy. He died on 1 May 2023 and I began my River Rocks hiatus a couple years before that (about the same time I acquired my first bass and became consumed with my music).
I was going to make this edition's musical recommendation a song by Gordon Lightfoot called, " Early Morning Rain." I suspect many, many more of you who've heard of Gordon Lightfoot are more familiar with that song, maybe familiar too with the version of it done by Peter, Paul and Mary many years ago; more familiar perhaps than with the song I am actually featuring: "The Circle is Small."
This song is easily my favorite of Gordon's many smash hits. Something about it just gets me in the chest, in the heart, in the soul. I listened to it as I was working on this edition of River Rocks and then I listened to it again. And again.
Hope you enjoy. Don't just listen to the words, either. Listen to the bass, listen to the emotion. Close your eyes and just let it all sink in.
I can see it in your eyes and feel it in the way you kiss my lips
I can hear it in your voice whenever we are talking like this
I can see the way you look when his name is mentioned and I die
I can watch the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you close your eyes
It's alright for some, but not alright for me
Where the one that I'm lovin' can't be found
The city where we live might be quite large
But the circle is small
Why not tell us all, and then all of us will know
— "The Circle is Small," by Gordon Lightfoot"The Circle is Small," by Gordon Lightfoot
See You Next Time
Next time I put together a River Rocks edition, I'll have a great Hugh Grant movie to talk about, and a classic Van Morrison song. Meantime, be good and be well. And thanks for reading!
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2025 greg cain
