Henry Miller is one of the most important literary figures in American history, but most people don’t even know his name. His was a true underdog story: a creative and challenging author who influenced such literary and pop culture icons as Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer, Phillip Roth, Paul Theroux,...
It was reported here two years ago (4/30/2012) that Yertle the Turtle was banned as part of a political dispute in British Columbia. Well, the beloved works of Dr. Seuss are once again within the cross-hairs of censors in Canada- this time in Toronto, Ontario. Joining the list of...
Part of growing up in the 20th century was reading the adventures of Tarzan of the Apes, through a series of 24 books by Edgar Rice Burroughs; the novels are considered classic literature by adults, as well. Written between 1912 and 1965, Tarzan has been adapted numerous times for...
Published in 1952, East of Eden is often heralded as his most ambitious novel and was originally addressed to Steinbeck’s sons- 6 and 4 at the time- because he wanted to describe Salinas Valley in detail for them through the complex tale of two families. Steinbeck is the author...
Last night I watched Cloud Atlas for the first time. As with any great story, there were lines of dialog that stood out and resonated with me. I just wasn’t aware how prophetic one of those lines would be- which in hindsight is fitting when one considers the central...
When Clay Jensen- a quiet, shy high school student- returns home from school one day to find a package from an anonymous person sitting on his doorstep, he opens it to discover a cassette tape recorded by a girl at his high school who had committed suicide and learns...
I think it’s fairly clear by now that I have a low tolerance for poor grammar and spelling from those who should know better. I try not to make people feel dumb when I point out mistakes because I do not expect everyone to write a sonnet or masterpiece...
This is a fairly accurate assessment of our national consciousness and our culture’s attitude toward the events that occur beyond our own borders.
When in the blue hell am I EVER going to use “spargefaction” in a sentence? spargefaction Definitions from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License n. The act of sprinkling. from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English n. The act of sprinkling. from The Century Dictionary and...
Ah. An appropriate and cool word to describe the day’s festivities: commensality Definitions from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License n. The act of eating together. from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English n. Fellowship at table; the act or practice of eating at the same...