On Sunday, November 3, PBS turned forty-four years old. Wow. That's a lot of numbers. I'd have to count with this vintage piece from Sesame Street a bunch of times to count THAT high!
It's Halloween! In honor of the creepiest of holidays, why not contemplate your own mortality? GOOD TIMES! Here are ten well-written or interesting conceived final goodbyes from folks (or folks who knew them) who have shuffled off this mortal coil. 1. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) [Gravestone in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon] GOOD FREND FOR IESVS SAKE…
Here at eNotes, we would NEVER let Halloween pass without a few good scares from the masters of horror! Let's all take a break from the tedious terror of government shutdowns and 404 Errors of the new healthcare law and enjoy some scares that are a lot more fun. 1. “The shortest horror story: The…
Read More "Erudite Frights for All Hallow’s Night: Ten Spine-Tingling Lines from Literature"
A couple of years ago, I was going about my Sunday chores and listening to NPR's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. A writer of children's books myself and a lover of children's literature in general, my ears always perk up when Daniel Pinkwater comes on the show to discuss a new children's book. The one he selected…
Read More "“This Is Not My Hat” Wins the 2013 Caldecott Medal"
Poet Rowan Ricardo Phillips had an enviable problem recently. He won both the 2013 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry AND was also chosen as one of the winners of the Whiting Writers' Award. Ceremonies for both the awards were to take place on the same night. Decisions, decisions.... Using some powers not bestowed on…
Read More "Rowan Ricardo Phillips Wins the 2013 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry"
What were you doing at age 28? If you were author Eleanor Catton, you would be graciously accepting Britain's highest literary honor, the Man Booker Prize. Catton won the prestigious award for her second novel The Luminaries. In addition to making her the youngest recipient in the history of the prize, Catton's 832 page novel is also…
Read More "Man Booker Prize Awarded to Eleanor Catton for “The Luminaries”"
“Oh yes!...The sweet summons of God to man. That's when He calls you up to His arms. And it's the most beautiful thing, a rebirth, a new life. But, just the same I'm in no rush to find out.” ― Mr. Ives' Christmas by Oscar Hijuelos Oscar Hijuelos, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1990 for his novel…
Read More "Remembering Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Oscar Hijuelos, Dead at 62"
“A story is not like a road to follow…it's more like a house. You go inside and stay there for a while, wandering back and forth and settling where you like and discovering how the room and corridors relate to each other, how the world outside is altered by being viewed from these windows." Canadian…
Read More "Alice Munro Wins the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature"
