At 81, Mary Oliver shares her spiritual journey in ‘Upstream: Selected Essays’
Source: The Washington Post
Read about the influences on the poet who wrote “The Journey” and her quest for a fuller understanding of what it means to be alive.
Arts & Entertainment
Philip Freneau
Source: Poetry Foundation
Philip Freneau is known as the poet of the American Revolution, having written poems and other works about that time in American history. Learn more about this prolific writer in this biography.
How the West Was Won . . . By Waitresses
Source: Smithsonian
In 1878, Fred Harvey began building restaurants along the Santa Fe railway. After a fight broke out among male staff, he fired them and hired young women to take their place. These waitress jobs were a small step toward women’s independence.
Devices That Know How We Really Feel
Source: The New York Times
Can you imagine a video game that can tell if you are happy or frustrated? Computers, smartphones, even cars may someday be able to identify our emotions and adjust accordingly.
Philippe Petit
Source: Biography
Meet Philippe Petit, a man who said, “To me, it’s so simple that life should be lived on the edge of life.” Read his biography to learn about the risks this man is renowned for taking.
Without Edgar Allan Poe, We Wouldn’t Have Sherlock Holmes
Source: Smithsonian
This article points out that Edgar Allan Poe should be credited with creating the character upon which Sherlock Holmes was based.
Best children’s books with wishes
Source: The Guardian
Some of the stories you loved best when you were younger probably concerned wishes. Why are wish tales so popular?
How improv comedy helped a teen with autism
Source: CBC/Radio-Canada
Teens on the autism spectrum may have trouble interacting with others. The challenge of performing improv comedy can help.
Wonder Woman and the Importance of the Female Hero Moment
Source: Wired
What makes a summer blockbuster movie something more than mere entertainment? Read one writer’s opinion.
Emily Dickinson’s Letters
Source: The Atlantic
Dickinson’s mentor Thomas Wentworth Higginson shares his impressions of her along with several of her letters to him.