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As ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ turns 100, its message continues to resonate
By: Elizabeth Blair | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — What does it mean to be Real? It’s a big question for a children’s book. The main character in The Velveteen Rabbit, first published in 1922, is a simple toy “stuffed with sawdust” and ears “lined with pink sateen.” He feels inadequate next to the fancier, mechanical toys who are “full… Read More
In the future of ‘Here Lies,’ the mourning can’t bury their dead
By: Kristen Martin | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — The Louisiana of Olivia Clare Friedman’s debut novel Here Lies feels familiar at first. Roadside stores in the fictional small town of St. Genevieve sell Pop-Tarts, Little Debbie snack cakes, Abita Purple Haze beer. Reruns of Matlock and Perry Mason air on daytime television. But the world of Here Lies is… Read More
Sherman Civil War Roundtable: “The Lincoln Funeral Train”
Retired railroader Jim Kehn will share the fascinating story about the train journey that brought Abraham Lincoln’s body back to Illinois. Plus we’ll have a big sale of used books about President Lincoln. Doors open at 6:30. $5 admission. Open to all.
‘Body Work’ argues for the power of personal narratives
By: Ilana Masad | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — “I do not think that the vocation of writer is superior to any other,” writes Melissa Febos in her newest essay collection, “but I do believe it is the most useful life for me, the one in which I can most be of service to this questionable project of human civilization.”… Read More
Trailblazing feminist author, critic and activist bell hooks has died at 69
By: Anastasia Tsioulcas I NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — The prolific and trailblazing author, poet, feminist, cultural critic and professor bell hooks died Wednesday at age 69. Her death was first announced by her niece, Ebony Motley, who said that she had died at home surrounded by family and friends. No cause of death was reported, but Berea College in… Read More