Camping Tips for Readers
Here are some great hacks from the reading world for all of you intrepid campers!
Two Poems about Books by Rita Dove
How does reading two poems appearing side by side in a collection show us different ideas? What does Rita Dove want us to understand about reading by putting these poems in a collection about “Freedom”?
Yellow Wife, A Novel by Sadeqa Johnson
What would it be like if the man who owned you, married you, and then forced you to help him sell others? It really happened in the U.S., and Sadeqa Johnson dared to wonder how it felt in “Yellow Wife”.
Two Poems about Childhood from Poet Rita Dove
Nightwatch. The Son. (Aggressively adult, they keep their lives, to which I am a witness. At the other end I orbit, pinpricked light. I watch. I float and grieve.) Singsong When I was young, the moon spoke in riddles and the stars rhymed. I was a new toy waiting for my owner to pick me …
August Spotlight on Poet Rita Dove
Poet Rita Dove was born in Akron, Ohio 28 August 1952 About Rita Dove I was interested in reading poetry by Rita Dove because she has been a professor at The University of Virginia, where I got my graduate degrees, for many years. She has also been a Virginia Poet Laureate. I’ve always thought she …
The Queens of Animation by Nathalia Holt
If You Like Your Disney Princesses, You’ll Love the WOMEN Who Created Them (and much more) Like so many other fields that we’re finding out about these days, there were a lot of women working in Disney animation whose significant contributions have gone mostly uncredited until now. That’s the story of The Queens of Animation. …
Poet Langston Hughes’ Novel “Not Without Laughter”
The Novel You Need to Read You probably know of Langston Hughes’ poetry, but did you know that he also wrote prose? It isn’t nearly as well known as his poetry, but as I recently discovered, Langston Hughes’ novels and stories are definitely worth a read. The way I found this book proves the importance …
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The Song of Despair, a poem by Pablo Neruda
Today we have our last poem from our July spotlight poet, Pablo Neruda. I couldn’t leave you without the “Song of Despair” that comes after the 20 love poems. Don’t forget to check The Lois Level for our other entries! As always, my response is below, but read the poem and formulate your own response …
“Americanon”: How to Understand Americans Through Books
Americanon is not the best book I’ve ever read…and “books about books” are a favorite of mine…but the premise is interesting. If you are an American, you might laugh in surprise or recognition as you find out “why we are the way we are.” If you aren’t American, well, ok, you’re still probably going to …
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A Few of the Girls, short stories by Maeve Binchy
Maeve Binchy’s stories make me feel cool, because that’s the Irish climate, and cozy, because of all of the family and friends. Try them yourself.
