Category Archives: USA

Parking the Book Bus

Posted on November 15, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Back in 2019 I shared a heartwarming story about Ohio teacher Melanie Moore’s Book Bus mobile children’s book store that raised funds for literacy projects. On November 12th, a ribbon-cutting and grand opening celebration took place for the Book Bus … Continue reading →

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Vonnegut Centennial

Posted on November 13, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

This week marked the 100th anniversary of Kurt Vonnegut’s birth. To celebrate the occasion graphic designer Alicia Raitt has re-imagined 14 of Vonnegut’s book covers. Inspired by 1960s bookcover design, Raitt utilizes the Marber grid, leaving the illustrations to set … Continue reading →

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Reading Evangelists

Posted on November 12, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Retired Montana schoolteacher Rita has been spreading her love of reading across the U.S. for the last eight years by traveling coast-to-coast in her van-turned-mobile bookstore! Rita shares what inspired her to make a mobile bookstore, and explains how she … Continue reading →

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When the knock comes, it will be long ago.

Posted on November 8, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

THE FALL OF VARIA D. Nurkse The tanks from the Past rolled in this morning. Our neighbors crowded the curbs to cheer though only yesterday, they were snitching: A has prior tendencies, B has backward dreams… Already the old flag … Continue reading →

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when the light finally came

Posted on November 6, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Ada Limón’s poem “We Are Surprised”— Now, we take the moon into the middle of our brains so we look like roadside stray cats with bright flashlight-white eyes in our faces, but no real ideas of when or where to … Continue reading →

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National Parks

Posted on November 5, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I am a huge fan of national parks. In my travels I have been fortunate to visit quite a few. While some of my favorites are here in North America, I have spent time in some spectacular parks as far … Continue reading →

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Taking Flight

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

One of the immense pleasures that the city of Philadelphia offers is its myriad of murals. Along with a prolific cadre of street artists, Philly is also home to the amazing Philadelphia Mural Arts Program which sponsors fantastic paintings all … Continue reading →

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Sandwich of Horror

Posted on October 31, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

NB: If the H.P. Lovecraft video fails to launch please click here .  

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It’s Decorative Gourd Season

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Here in North America folks tend to go a bit overboard with seasonal decorations. An important mainstay is the carved pumpkin. In the video below, professional pumpkin carver, James Hall, runs through 13 different levels of pumpkin carving, from the … Continue reading →

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It’s Edgar Allan Poe Season

Posted on October 28, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

There are many excellent illustrated volumes of Edgar Allan Poe stories, but this  1944 edition with illustrations by German-American artist Fritz Eichenberg is special. Eichenberg was a German artist who emigrated to America in the 1930s; his speciality was wood … Continue reading →

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