Brian Doyle

Brian Doyle, an essayist and novelist, died on May 27, 2017. To read Epiphanies, his longtime blog for the Scholar, please go here.

Joyas Voladoras

Revisiting an ode to the heart by one of our best-loved writers

by Brian Doyle | Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Well, Some of It Was True

The life and death of Joe Strummer of the Clash

by Brian Doyle | Monday, June 06, 2016

The Lightness of Errol Flynn

In praise of the irresistible swashbuckler

by Brian Doyle | Monday, December 05, 2016

A Most Interesting Young Man

Was that Bob Dylan my sister met on a weir above Woodstock?

by Brian Doyle | Sunday, June 01, 2008

His Subtle Speech

A gentle nudge at the fork of the road

by Brian Doyle | Wednesday, June 01, 2016

Boxing Out

A Note

by Brian Doyle | Wednesday, June 01, 2016

The Spitter

Spare the frogs but not the scorpions

by Brian Doyle | Wednesday, June 01, 2016

The Island

Where I’m from

by Brian Doyle | Wednesday, June 01, 2016

The Eloquent Silence of It

Sometimes you don’t need to fill the gaps

by Brian Doyle | Wednesday, June 01, 2016

His Listening

A celebration of a rare and extraordinary thing

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 27, 2016

The Bulletin Board of Your Head

Who has a ponytail at 70?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 20, 2016

Crush

The way she flowed into that bus

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 13, 2016

Cinnabar

In praise of the One O’Clock Fox

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 06, 2016

The Hills and Dales of Their Father

Remembrance of a Saturday morning

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 25, 2016

Conscious Fouls

A season-ending note on roundball

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 01, 2016

The Old Sneakers With Which We Mow the Lawn

A love song

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 08, 2016

The National Sport

A note on Aussie football with the season Down Under now underway

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 15, 2016

Friday Morning Pop Quiz

(There will be no extra credit)

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 29, 2016

Playing Ball in Brooklyn

Sweep before you leap

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 22, 2016

What Is Snow Like?

For starters, it’s cold

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 18, 2016

On Scouting

A note

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 04, 2016

In the Rain by the River

All that’s missing is an ark

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 11, 2016

The Guy Who Wore His Son Like a Scarf

What’s more important than a game?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 26, 2016

A Letter to the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh

(Who Just Issued a Fatwa Forbidding Chess in Saudi Arabia)

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 19, 2016

A Note on Shots

Will it go through a hoop? Then launch away …

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 12, 2016

Pregnancy

A Note

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 29, 2016

Why Do We Not Sing These Things as Miracles?

I say flip-flops, and you think …

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 05, 2016

How to Change a Diaper

What we talk about when we talk about love

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 22, 2016

The Gagger

No good deed …

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 15, 2016

A Boston Story

Good business for the neighborhood

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 08, 2016

The Long Winter

If you want a thaw, go west, young man

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 13, 2015

The Black Hole

Throw the ball in, and it’ll never come out

by Brian Doyle | Friday, December 18, 2015

Huddle

Hidden scars that should be revealed

by Brian Doyle | Friday, December 11, 2015

Death of a Velociraptor

by Brian Doyle | Friday, December 04, 2015

This Is Russia

Where the wine is sweet but the writers are wise

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 20, 2015

Getting Guys for a Game

Life’s too short not to play

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 27, 2015

The Holdup

Nothing to see here

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 20, 2015

The Praying Mantis Moment

You’ll never see this again

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 13, 2015

Prelude

The magical moments before the game

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 06, 2015

The Columnist

A note

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 30, 2015

The Inexhaustible Quarry of Memory

The things that make me laugh, still

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 23, 2015

Anniversary

Two lives, astounding and rich

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 16, 2015

A Note on Ironing Boards

They may be stashed away, but try going to Mass without one

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 09, 2015

The English Empire

A note

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 02, 2015

Thomas

A voice from the street

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 25, 2015

Backpacks

That time of year

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 18, 2015

The Eleventh

In memoriam

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 11, 2015

Angeline

Our language was banter

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 04, 2015

Barefooting

An ode for the end of a season

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 28, 2015

John Wayne

A Note

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 21, 2015

Masks

When you want to be what you’re not

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 14, 2015

A Mohawk in the House

Memories of a pretty good day

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 07, 2015

Cyrus

The most wondrous mule that ever was

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 22, 2013

Craft

It’s all in the hands

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 01, 2013

O Canada

A celebration of our cousins to the north

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 31, 2015

The Deceased

A final goodbye

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 29, 2013

The Town Behind the One You Can See

Where you live is not always what it seems

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 03, 2013

Cutter

Where you go when you want to get taller

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 17, 2013

Empire Builders

There were a few good men among them, weren’t there?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 31, 2013

Think Again, Again

In defense of the City of Roses

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 07, 2013

Moist All Over

Dreams of the high seas

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 14, 2013

A Good Priest

And the lessons learned by an accidental pitcher

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 21, 2013

Songs Without Words

The greatest hits of a life of music

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 28, 2013

Elevate the Reader

Lessons in the art of editing

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 12, 2013

Where the Blue Begins

The joy of falling into books

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 24, 2015

Ben

Mentors, part II

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 19, 2013

Pix

Conversations from the blacktop

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 26, 2013

Dad

Compassionate, understanding, and very very cool

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 02, 2013

Stevie

It’s the small but moving gestures we most remember

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 09, 2013

How Did You Become a Writer?

(Short answer: By writing)

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 23, 2013

Have Faith

A conversation in four quarters

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 30, 2013

The Barbershop

A fixture beneath the tracks

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 17, 2015

The Drive Through

The aftermath of a crash

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 06, 2013

A Possible Infinity of Novels

Life lessons of a newspaperman

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 10, 2015

Baptism

A Note

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 13, 2013

The Kindergarten Bus

It seems like just the other day …

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 27, 2013

Mick’s Wedding

The party went all night long

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 04, 2013

Storycatcher

A taste of things to come …

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 08, 2013

The Country of Who He Used to Be

In memory of school years—and a loved one—past

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 15, 2013

The House for Recovering Souls

What happens when you make the wrong decisions at the wrong times

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 15, 2013

The Younger Brother Measuring System

What to do with your sibling on a cold, snowy day

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 08, 2013

Draft Card

Remembering the call to fight

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 22, 2013

Things My Kids Have Said …

… That they do not know I know they said

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 05, 2013

His Wooden Leg

The man who was baseball

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 12, 2013

Over the Bar in the River

The final words of a dear, dear friend

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 19, 2013

To: The National Passport Processing Center, Philadelphia

Re: The photo in question

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 26, 2013

The Man Who Saw Too Much

Wise words to the young

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 10, 2013

Cool Beans

When life presents you a cursing surfer

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 24, 2013

One Million Ice-Cream Sticks

Getting creative at camp

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 05, 2013

My Salt-Water Farm

A boyhood dream of good soil and willing insects

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 16, 2013

A Day in the Country

Imagine the absurdity of Dad on a horse …

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 20, 2013

Donald

In remembrance

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 11, 2013

The Box Scores

Affectionate arithmetic

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 18, 2013

The Babe

What if sporting encounters really were life and death?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 25, 2013

My Brother Peter

A thing I have long wanted to say

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 01, 2013

The Five-Iron

Let us celebrate that most neglected club in the bag

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 08, 2013

Leaving Your Kid Brother at the Rest Stop

A Note

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 15, 2013

Sara

The richness of a dying woman’s love

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 22, 2013

Major Auden

The poet’s new clothes

by Brian Doyle | Friday, December 06, 2013

The Theater of Clothing

Lessons learned from the way we dress

by Brian Doyle | Friday, December 13, 2013

This Is the Best World Ever!

The elevating focus of prayer

by Brian Doyle | Friday, December 20, 2013

Headlights

The changing shape of comics

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 03, 2014

By the Light of the Silvery Moon …

So go the dung beetles

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 10, 2014

Rock and Roll

Nighttime negotiations

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 17, 2014

Dog Stories

Bark if you’ve heard this one before

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 24, 2014

Final Resting Place

Where the ashes should and shouldn’t go

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 31, 2014

Mr. Hillerman

An evening to remember

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 07, 2014

Boxes

A discussion about the future

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 14, 2014

Writing Oregon

My state’s literature, in all its brilliance and depth

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 21, 2014

Address Unknown

An open letter to my brother

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 28, 2014

Hoop

A hymn

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 07, 2014

A Note on Cricket

From a land down under

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 14, 2014

Józef Korzeniowski: A Note

Perhaps the greatest writer ever born in Ukraine …

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 21, 2014

Entrepreneurship

A war story

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 28, 2014

The Five-Kilometer Race

A note on the seething insanity of running

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 04, 2014

The Brilliance of Foolishness

Is laughter holy?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 11, 2014

Shoshana

The estimable Cynthia Ozick

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 18, 2014

Writing in Australian

Notes on some stunning Antipodean authors

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 25, 2014

Hoop, Part II

America’s game

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 02, 2014

My Boat

Or, the day I challenged the Coast Guard

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 09, 2014

The Royalty Check

It’s good to be the king—if only for a brief moment

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 16, 2014

On the Road Again

Travels with my daughter

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 23, 2014

Walking to School

A remembrance, as another academic year draws to a close

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 30, 2014

Somewhat Doorless

More than a missing hubcap

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 06, 2014

Full Moons

Adventures in bus driving

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 13, 2014

Aloft

And the lessons learned upon landing

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 20, 2014

Scout Camp

Theft and guilt: a summer story

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 27, 2014

Paper Route

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 11, 2014

Flip-floppery

Sounds make the season

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 18, 2014

Lanyards

How many things do you really need dangling from your neck?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 25, 2014

Urges

Sometimes you control them, sometimes you can’t

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 01, 2014

A Note on Camping

At play in the fields of the wasp

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 08, 2014

Surf City

The music of the waves

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 15, 2014

Your Favorite Season

A note

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 22, 2014

All Possible Pie

At the window of an automat, watching the world go by

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 05, 2014

The School Bus Schedule

The anxieties and joys of 8:51

by Brian Doyle | Friday, August 29, 2014

The Heft of the Horse

A not so tall tale

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 12, 2014

Late Summer Softball

Playing ball by the old landfill hill

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 19, 2014

The Compost Heap

One man’s trash is another man’s nightmare

by Brian Doyle | Friday, September 26, 2014

First Day

The solace of a ball and an empty court

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 03, 2014

The Mark and Measure of the Man

Remembering Uncle Elmer from Queens

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 10, 2014

Selling the House

But never forgetting the home

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 17, 2014

Otter Foolishness

But an odd and glorious sound

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 24, 2014

Excellent Sneakers

How to get the most out of a piece of cardboard

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 07, 2014

The Haunted Month

A Remembrance

by Brian Doyle | Friday, October 31, 2014

My Wedding Day

The priest’s last words to a nervous groom

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 14, 2014

Old Shirts

Here’s to a long and lasting relationship

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 21, 2014

The New Guy

Being utterly hapless and helpless on your first day on the job

by Brian Doyle | Friday, November 28, 2014

On the Interstate

The road trips of long ago

by Brian Doyle | Friday, December 05, 2014

The Springfield Greys

Evenings with dad

by Brian Doyle | Friday, December 12, 2014

Joe Strummer Day

Build a raging, leaping fire, okay?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, December 19, 2014

Twelve Hats

Each a remembrance of times past

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 02, 2015

Last Songs

The soundtrack of Thomas’s life

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 09, 2015

Eating the Avalanche

Notes on two insatiable appetites

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 16, 2015

The Game

Who needs hi-def TV when you can simply give in to your imagination?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 23, 2015

Bunt

The art of amazement

by Brian Doyle | Friday, January 30, 2015

Learning to Drive

Is that Gaelic I’m hearing?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 06, 2015

A Shaggy Dog Story

Calls of nature and the lewdness of squirrels

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 13, 2015

My Tax Questionnaire

Honesty always appreciated

by Brian Doyle | Friday, February 27, 2015

The Kid Brother

Consider yourself lucky if you have one

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 06, 2015

Milking a Cow

Claws and udders in action

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 20, 2015

Eínai Enas Fto̱chós Podosfairistí̱s

Keep the ball out of the net, and deck someone if you need to

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 27, 2015

The Sunday Afternoon Nap

A most pleasant subsidence

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 03, 2015

Chessay

Seeing into the soul in front of you

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 10, 2015

Parsing the Paper

Try divvying up a smartphone on Sunday morning

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 17, 2015

In Queens

Who needs a madeleine when you have cannelloni?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, April 24, 2015

Smallclothes

On the natural history of destruction

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 08, 2015

The Missing

Now you say it in the past tense

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 01, 2015

A Tinkering Kind of Guy

The absence of arrogance

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 15, 2015

A Note on Stationery

And suddenly the memories revealed themselves

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 22, 2015

Letters and Comments on My Writing

A selection

by Brian Doyle | Friday, May 29, 2015

Mongo

Why would you bait a guy who’d love to take out your teeth?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 05, 2015

Michael

Lessons learned in the schoolyard

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 26, 2015

Finches I Have Known

Notes from the life of a bird whisperer

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 19, 2015

Fourples and Fiples and Sixles

Diamond joy

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 12, 2015

Beer with Peter

In the spell of a great storyteller

by Brian Doyle | Friday, July 03, 2015

Crystal Blue Persuader

Tommy James of the Shondells goes on record

by Brian Doyle | Friday, March 01, 2013

Jazz and Bras

Add basketball and you have a few of my favorite American things

by Brian Doyle | Wednesday, December 10, 2014

The Ginger Boy

Minutes that changed the course of rock history

by Brian Doyle | Tuesday, March 11, 2014

A Sturdy Man

Notes on a human symphony

by Brian Doyle | Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Leap

by Brian Doyle | Wednesday, September 10, 2014

The Right Honourable Mr. Burke

Impassioned orator, eloquent statesman, esteemed writer—but who was Edmund Burke the man?

by Brian Doyle | Friday, June 01, 2012

Go-o-o-o, Lemmings!

Stomp those Stormy Petrels!

by Brian Doyle | Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Findings: A Bogey Tale

by Brian Doyle | Thursday, June 01, 2006

Meeting Marvin

by Brian Doyle | Saturday, March 01, 2008