Michael Judge
mjudgetfp.bsky.social
Michael Judge
@mjudgetfp.bsky.social
Journalist, poet, and publisher of The Person with Michael Judge https://michaeljudge.substack.com
A #poem in #autumn for my dear friend Laura Lichtenstein.
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/sundowning
Sundowning
A poem in autumn for Laura Lichtenstein
michaeljudge.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:37 PM
The Into Life Project is revolutionizing the way we think about drug #addiction, one powerful portrait at a time, and paving the way for a more compassionate and supportive community. Read about its amazing work below. 🙏
#substanceusedisorder #drugaddiction
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/the-into-l...
The Into Light Project
Changing the conversation about drug addiction—one portrait at a time.
michaeljudge.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:46 PM
My tribute to Denis Johnson—#writer, #teacher, and #friend—delivered at the Iowa premier of Train Dreams, the new #film based on his #novella.

michaeljudge.substack.com/p/rising-lik...

#denisjohnson #novelist #poet #playwright #shortstories
Rising Like the Drowned
A tribute to Denis Johnson—writer, teacher, and friend
michaeljudge.substack.com
October 17, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Don’t miss this TFP essay by philosopher and author Scott Samuelson. We need real help with the quandaries we have about helping others, he writes. Norman Maclean's timeless novella, “A River Runs Through It,” gives us a hand. #philosophy #essay #memoir
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/scott-samu...
Scott Samuelson: How Can I Help?
We need real help with the quandaries we have about helping others. Norman Maclean's timeless novella, A River Runs Through It, gives us a hand.
michaeljudge.substack.com
October 8, 2025 at 12:06 AM
#Artist and writer Red Danielson reflects on his creative journey while painting a portrait of legendary author Kurt Vonnegut.
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/red-daniel...
Red Danielson: Painting Kurt Vonnegut
I look into your shadows, Kurt. I am blessed by everything I see.
michaeljudge.substack.com
September 19, 2025 at 12:52 AM
TFP revisits a "Midwestern rite of summer," and the grace and determination of a 13-year-old Iowan, her pony, T.J., and quarter horse, Rosey.
#iowastatefair #iowa #FFA #4H
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/a-magical-...
A Magical Day at the Iowa State Fair
TFP revisits a "Midwestern rite of summer," and the grace and determination of a 13-year-old Iowan, her pony, T.J., and quarter horse, Rosey.
michaeljudge.substack.com
August 13, 2025 at 12:34 PM
The city of Kokura was the primary target for the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki 80 years ago on Aug. 9 at 11:02 a.m. Kokura was passed over that morning due to cloud cover and poor visibility.
#Nagasaki

michaeljudge.substack.com/p/kokura
Kokura
The city of Kokura was the primary target for the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki 80 years ago on Aug. 9 at 11:02 a.m. Kokura was passed over that morning due to cloud cover and poor visibility.
michaeljudge.substack.com
August 11, 2025 at 2:00 PM
My piece in The Japan Times today about my visit to #Hiroshima with my beautiful son, Max, and what he and a young Japanese middle-school student taught me about the power of compassion.
www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2...
Nuclear destruction through the eyes of a 10-year-old
Still, I wasn’t sure how Max would react to the enormity of the human suffering that took place in Hiroshima.
www.japantimes.co.jp
August 6, 2025 at 2:20 PM
TFP revisits a conversation with Mark Hetfield, president of the refugee agency HIAS, from the shocking first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
#refugees #ukraine #russia

michaeljudge.substack.com/p/weve-seen-...
‘We’ve seen this in Europe, just not in our lifetimes’
TFP revisits a conversation with Mark Hetfield, president of the refugee agency HIAS, from the shocking first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
michaeljudge.substack.com
August 3, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Long ago, writes Scott Samuelson, my first love, Pammy, entered into that room inside me that the music of Brian Wilson had opened.
#brianwilson #beachboys #essay
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/brian-wils...
Brian Wilson, Love, and My Need for Mercy
Long ago, my first love, Pammy, entered into that room inside me that the music of Brian Wilson had opened.
michaeljudge.substack.com
July 19, 2025 at 11:24 AM
The Drowned — a poem for America and a prayer for the victims of the Texas floods:
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/the-drowned
#poem #poetry #TexasFloods
The Drowned
A poem for America
michaeljudge.substack.com
July 8, 2025 at 1:25 PM
In a meeting my son calls "awesome," we talked about his "antiwar" films, the violence inherent in humanity, and why society is "at odds with itself.”
#movies #clinteastwood #interviews #Westerns
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/the-day-i-...
The Day I Met Clint Eastwood
In a meeting my son calls "awesome," we talked about his "antiwar" films, the violence inherent in humanity, and why society is "at odds with itself."
michaeljudge.substack.com
July 1, 2025 at 2:05 PM
On Orwell’s birthday, TFP revisits his 1946 #essay and its timeless truths.
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/excerpts-f...
Excerpts From George Orwell’s ‘Politics and the English Language’
On Orwell’s birthday, TFP revisits his 1946 essay and its timeless truths.
michaeljudge.substack.com
June 25, 2025 at 11:44 AM
My latest TFP piece addresses #Trump’s America viewed from afar, and the dismantling of Pax Americana. Read it here: michaeljudge.substack.com/p/america-is...
‘America is scary.’
I pray that’s a sentence my son never hears again.
michaeljudge.substack.com
June 18, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Dear Son
A poem for Father’s Day
michaeljudge.substack.com
June 13, 2025 at 10:18 PM
“Gunga galunga… gunga, gunga-galunga.”

— Carl Spackler,
from “Caddyshack”

michaeljudge.substack.com/p/taste-grie...
Taste Grief, Need Friends
Bad golf, good friends, and shared poetry
michaeljudge.substack.com
June 6, 2025 at 4:51 PM
This #MemorialDay weekend, I revisit the life and legacy of my friend Dr. Charles H. Read, a flight surgeon during World War II who went on to make invaluable medical contributions during peacetime. The world needs more men like Dr. Read. RIP, Baby Lion 🙏
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/he-saved-s...
He Saved Sailors’ Lives, Countless Others
This Memorial Day weekend, I revisit the life and legacy of my friend Dr. Charles H. Read, a flight surgeon during World War II who went on to make invaluable medical contributions during peacetime.
michaeljudge.substack.com
May 21, 2025 at 6:03 PM
My latest TFP piece: An award-winning documentary tells the magical story of Frank Brinton and the oldest operating cinema in the world. #film #journalism #documentary #cinema
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/the-birth-...
The Birth of Film in the Heart of Iowa
An award-winning documentary tells the magical story of Frank Brinton and the oldest operating cinema in the world.
michaeljudge.substack.com
May 16, 2025 at 11:28 PM
A #poem after Leonardo da Vinci's studies for Leda and the Swan. Read it here and much more at The First Person with Michael Judge.
michaeljudge.substack.com/p/like-ledas...
Like Leda's Hips
A poem after Leonardo da Vinci's studies for Leda and the Swan
michaeljudge.substack.com
May 13, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Happy Mother’s Day! Read this lovely TFP story by mom Molly Wesling. Then call your mom and tell her you love her!
#mothersday #poetry #essay #literature

michaeljudge.substack.com/p/molly-wesl...
Molly Wesling: Czesław Miłosz's Hundred Acre Wood
Upon the birth of her son, writes Molly Wesling, the great poet sent a gift: "The Complete Winnie-the-Pooh." The inscription read, "To Nicholas Wesling Gerber, that you may enjoy it as I did."
michaeljudge.substack.com
May 10, 2025 at 10:37 PM
This poem came from a dream my mother had many years ago. She was born in 1936 and when she was 8 her father was away at the war, in his case on the island of Okinawa. Her dream is the poem.
#poetry #poetrycommunity #poems #mothersday

michaeljudge.substack.com/p/away-at-th...
Away at the War
A poem for Mother’s Day
michaeljudge.substack.com
May 7, 2025 at 8:31 PM