Herman Goodden

Herman Goodden is the author of 11 books. His newest collection, Speakable Acts, gathers together six professionally produced plays.

6 Posts

Memories of a Childhood Arcadia

For two four-year-old Ontario boys growing up in the 1950s, a backyard creek became the site of unforgettable adventures.

Herman Goodden

16 Aug 2023 · 7 min read

The Opposite of Junk

A dozen journals left to us by my wife’s Scottish grandmother were destined for the recycling bin—until we took a look at what was inside.

Herman Goodden

2 Jul 2022 · 11 min read

Reading James Joyce Amidst Winter Snow, ‘Where Dwell the Vast Hosts of the Dead’

Many people no doubt roll their eyes in scoffing dismissal when they hear the commonly expressed—and almost as commonly crooned—wish for a White Christmas. But there are sound spiritual reasons for longing to see one’s environs blanketed with snow. Silent in its approach and accumulation, snow can

Herman Goodden

14 Jan 2022 · 9 min read

Teaching Us How the World Wags On

Children get to know dogs in myriad ways that are not accessible to older people, who are rarely so willing to commune with their dog on more or less equal terms.

Herman Goodden

25 Sep 2021 · 7 min read

There's (a Lot) More to George Orwell than Nineteen Eighty-Four

Orwell represents one of those strange cases where a writer’s reputation predominantly rests, if not on his worst, then certainly his least typical book.

Herman Goodden

27 Aug 2021 · 9 min read

What Are Dads Good For?

The sadly deflating truth of the matter is that it can take a good few years before children begin to apprehend what fathers are good for.

Herman Goodden

18 Jun 2021 · 7 min read