Posts by author
Sam Riley
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Once Banned, Now Loved
Eve’s Diary, Mark Twain’s retelling of Adam and Eve, is back on Charlton, MA library shelves after a 105-year absence. The book was banned due to seemingly explicit illustrations (though they “now seem quite chaste”). Its return is timely—this Saturday…
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Bush vs. Simpson and the American Family
If you’re publicly expressing resentment towards America’s most beloved (animated) family, you should expect a response. Letters of Note published Marge Simpson’s response to Barbara Bush’s declaration that the Simpson’s was “the dumbest thing” she’d ever seen. The subject of…
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Winning Women
The Daily Beast published an interactive infographic, mapping out where “women are winning.” “Winning” is measured along the lines of justice, health, education, economy and power. Iceland is apparently full of female champions.
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Rock-Poster Designer Wes Wilson, Interviewed
Wes Wilson was the rock-poster guru of the 60’s. His designs were used by the Beatles, the Doors and are so site-specifically San Francisco, from those art-filled days where you could rent a room for 30 bucks a month. He…
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Bookstores, Community, Shoppers and More Community
Here’s more fuel for the dialogue on brick and mortar bookstores and their integral role in creating and supporting the literary community. HTML Giant’s got a double dose of input on the subject—a video of Matthew Stadler delineating the difference…
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Book Deal for Anonymous
Anonymous, the hacker group for whom digital barriers are no obstacle, just landed a book deal. The book will reveal the inside scoop (tentatively titled Tales From Inside the Accidental Cyberwar) and will be coauthored by Gregg Housh and Barrett…
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Crosswords, Broken Down By a Professional
Will Shortz, the puzzle mastermind behind the NY Times Crossword Puzzle, is revealing his strategies to the Atlantic. He goes through the whole process—fishing the right crossword from the submission slush pile, and then the major clue editing and revising…
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A Dominatrix in the Country
When writer Melissa Febos’ book came out (which some of you got to hear her read at last month’s monthly Rumpus), she found a reason to shed the long sleeves and expose her tattoos to the college classes she taught.…
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Why We Love Jackie O
The tapes of Jackie O’s interview with Arthur Schlesinger, four months after her husband’s assassination were not supposed to be released until fifty years after her death. Her daughter Caroline Kennedy ended up releasing them early (the result of an…
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School Reform’s Shortcomings
Diane Ravitch walks us through the history of school issues and the failed reform policies in the American educational system. The black-white achievement gap, test scores that diverge along socioeconomic lines and the failures of the No Child Left Behind…
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No Moms in Prison in California
California state prisons are releasing their female inmates that are mothers so they can serve the rest of their sentencing under house arrest. This is bold change for incarceration in California and a result of the overcrowded prisons. Read more…