Category Archives: USA

The Not-Quite-Quiet Library

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

My family and friends who are on lockdown in New York City have noted just how preternaturally quiet it has been lately. Not day in the country quiet, but actual birds singing, wind in the trees, individual voices, and cars … Continue reading →

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but then you read

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

 

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The Last Word Spoken

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Testimony: 1968 Rita Dove Who comforts you now that the wheel has broken? No more princes for the poor. Loss whittling you thin. Grief is the constant now, hope the last word spoken.In a dance of two elegies, which circles … Continue reading →

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Harry Potter and The Handmaid’s Tale

Posted on May 3, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

The American Library Association recently released its annual list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books, included as part of its 2020 State of America’s Libraries report. This report offers an annual summary of library trends, statistics and issues affecting all … Continue reading →

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NYC: A Day in the Life

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

The cover of this week’s New Yorker magazine features a wonderful still life by cartoonist   Chris Ware. He drew several vignettes of New York City arranged in his now iconic grid to accompany this incredible piece about a single day … Continue reading →

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A Social Distance

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I found this simple film of everyday people from 30 countries most impacted by COVID-19 who filmed themselves in isolation to be surprisingly moving. This touching three-minute short was directed by Ivan Cash and Jacob Jonas, and it is accompanied … Continue reading →

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Philadelphia Story

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

This past week, Philadelphia has used a number of those plywood panels on boarded up businesses around the city to post messages of gratitude to Philly’s essential workers. The project is from the tourism folks at Visit Philly, who created … Continue reading →

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Perhaps the world ends here

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Perhaps the World Ends Here Joy Harjo The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live. The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, … Continue reading →

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Mostly Miscellaneous Monday

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been using this down time to plan some travels. One of the top destinations on my list for next spring is a return to Iceland. I’ve been many time over the years, but … Continue reading →

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Read Your Way Across The U.S.

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

According to Good Reads this map offers the most popular book in each U.S. state.

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