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Book Review//Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World by Irene Vallejo
Have you ever taken a walk with a small child? Maybe it was a walk with a particular destination but your child companion does not care how long it takes to get there and is utterly fascinated by every tiny thing along the way. The walk is long, detail-oriented, and utterly fascinating but not quite what you expected. That is how I felt reading Papyrus by Irene Vallejo. I went into it expecting to read about the actual making of books. Instead, I read a book that was part history, part memoir, and wholly about the love of books and reading. I started this book months ago when I was…
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A Poem for a Thursday #284
Rita Dove was born in Akron, Ohio in1952. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1987 and served as the United States Poet Laureate from 1993-1995. Dove has served on the board for several writer’s organizations, written a weekly column for The Washington Post, and been the poetry editor for The New York Times Magazine. Her work “cannot be confined to a specific era or school in contemporary literature; her wide-ranging topics and the precise poetic language with which she captures complex emotions defy easy categorization.” Snow would be the easy way way out—that softeningsky like a sigh of reliefat finally being allowedto yield. No dice.We stack twigs for burningin glistening…
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A Shameless Bit of Nepotism
My son has a YouTube channel. He has played around with it over the years but earlier this year he started taking it more seriously. He has been quite successful with it and has a growing audience. I am a loving mother and therefore I watch the vast majority of his videos. However, video games, Star Wars, and trading card games are not really my cup of tea. I’m sure that comes as a great surprise to you. Once in a while, Tristan makes a video that doesn’t fit into his usual array of subjects. It might not garner as many views as some of his more mainstream videos but…
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A Poem for a Thursday #283
Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885) was an American poet, novelist, and activist. Jackson was upset with the treatment of Native Americans by government agents and she publicized their mistreatment, wrote letters, raised money, and circulated petitions. Her novel, Ramona, addressed the mistreatment of Native Americans in Southern California. It was a huge commercial success though that was due more to the romantic story than to the political ideas behind it. I read Ramona when I was a kid and I remember loving it. I should reread it one of these days. I didn’t know Jackson was a poet as well. Here is another autumn poem for your enjoyment. Bending above the…
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A Poem for a Thursday #282
Rainer Maria Rilke was an Austrian novelist and poet. He lived from 1875-1926. His poetry is considered to be lyrically intense and to bridge the gap between the Romantic era and Modernism. Rilke “explored themes of love, loss, faith, and the nature of existence, often through the use of evocative language and symbolism.” Lord: it is time. The summer was immense.Lay your shadow on the sundialsand let loose the wind in the fields.Bid the last fruits to be full;give them another two more southerly days,press them to ripeness, and chasethe last sweetness into the heavy wine.Whoever has no house now will not build one anymore.Whoever is alone now will remain…
