5 Reasons Horror in Children’s Literature Is a Good Thing
Source: Barnes & Noble
How young is too young for a horror story? A parent and book reviewer shares his thoughts.
Arts & Entertainment
Louisa May Alcott: Abolitionist, Suffragette, and Mercenary
Source: Tavistock Books
Although she is best known for writing the childhood classic Little Women, Louisa May Alcott was far more interested in advocating for freedom for all. Learn more about this multifaceted American author.
Can a Video Game Capture the Magic of Walden?
Source: Smithsonian
Can a video game inspired by Walden inspire you to “live deliberately”? Read the article and watch the game trailer here to make your own judgement.
Last Men of the Revolution
Source: Archiving Early America
During the Civil War, when photography was a new medium, a minister and amateur historian raced to capture images of the last surviving veterans of the American Revolution.
Journey to “The Crucible”
Source: The New York Times
In this essay, Arthur Miller describes how he prepared to write his famous play by immersing himself in the world of the Salem witch trials.
How Alaska Natives created an Xbox game to preserve, spread their culture
Source: Al Jazeera America
A local council of Alaska Native groups took a story passed down by generations of the Inupiaq tribe and turned it into a video game. The game has already won several awards and has introduced the culture to a wider audience.
Pop Culture’s Undying Edgar Allan Poe Obsession
Source: The Atlantic
There’s no question that Edgar Allan Poe has made a lasting impression on American popular culture. This article uses the release of a movie about a dangerous obsession with Poe to take a look back at the author’s pop culture legacy.
Emily Dickinson’s mystifying in-sight
Source: Hektoen International: A Journal of Medical Humanities
Imagery of vision and eyes permeates Emily Dickinson’s poetry. In this article, humanities professor and physician Larry Zaroff (with Tony Chan) provides a medical rationale for one of Dickinson’s most powerful metaphors.
About the Brothers Grimm and Fairytales
Source: The Kennedy Center
Once upon a time, fairy tales weren’t for children. They weren’t even written down. Read this history to learn how much fairy tales—even the ones with which we’re most familiar—have changed over time. Be sure to follow the links to older versions of the tales, and find out for yourself!
The “Lottery” Letters
Source: The New Yorker
The 1948 publication of Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” in The New Yorker magazine inspired subscribers to send a record number of letters, nearly all of them negative. Why all the fuss? Book critic and author Ruth Franklin considers these responses and Jackson’s own reaction to them.