Back when editors used pencils, I often used the pilcrow symbol (¶)  to mark the place a new paragraph should begin. Recently, I discovered another name for the pilcrow: alinea, Latin for “off the line,” an expression that suggests independence and truth-telling, even when contrary to received wisdom. In the Middle Ages, scribes used the pilcrow to mark a “new train of thought” in an otherwise uniform work.

That is why Pilcrow was chosen as the name for this blog. Pilcrow is to be a place for writing that represents “a new train of thought” that is free to be “off the line.” It will be a forum for thoughtful and original articles and commentary.

It is important to me that what appears on this blog is well written and carefully edited.  As much as I sometimes enjoy the larger, free-wheeling world of writing and authorship that the Internet provides, it has also meant that poorly written and edited materials are commonplace. I also want this blog to provoke thought, so I invite your comments and insights. To ensure that the dialogue is honest but respectful of others’ points of view, I reserve the right to delete comments that are cruel, racist, sexist, or similarly unacceptable.

Welcome to Pilcrow.