Category Archives: Writing

Resist Much, Obey Little

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

In recognition of Banned Books Week, here are some quotes from surprising literary works that have been banned or censored over the years.

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Words Have Power

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Libraries, booksellers, publishers, schools, writers’ groups, and other organizations in North America are gearing up to mark Banned Books Week 2017, which runs from September 24 to the 30th. Many bookshops and libraries have gotten a jump on the upcoming … Continue reading →

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Go Ask Alice

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll with illustrations by A.H. Watson, Collins 1939.

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Bench Press

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Poland’s Zaczytani Foundation recently completed the installation of a series of benches modeled on open books. The colorful seating, which can be found in the center of Warsaw, Gdansk, Kracow, Poznan, and Wroclaw, references works by famous Polish writers, such … Continue reading →

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J.R.R. reads The Hobbit

Posted on September 10, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

In 1952, J.R.R. Tolkien stopped by to visit a friend and to pick-up a manuscript. While he was there, the friend persuaded the author to record a bit of his novel The Hobbit. The 30-minute recording session wasn’t filmed, but … Continue reading →

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New York Loses Its Voice

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

The Village Voice, New York City’s iconic alternative weekly newspaper, has announced the end of its print publication. Co-founded by writer Norman Mailer in 1955, the Pulitzer Prize winning free paper is shifting to a completely digital platform. The paper has … Continue reading →

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How Meta

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I ran across the gif above on a book blog and was skeptical when it was described as a clip of Humphrey Bogart on the set of Howard Hawks’ 1946 film noir classic The Big Sleep. With just a little sleuthing, I … Continue reading →

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Sharing is caring

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

When I was scrambling to learn a little Russian last year prior to a trip, I naively thought that shared letters between the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets would somehow make the task a little easier. Of course that proved to … Continue reading →

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It was a dark and stormy night

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Each year, the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest receives hundreds of entrants all competing to craft the worst opening sentence for an imaginary novel. The annual event celebrates English author and politician Edward Bulwer-Lytton, who once penned the infamous line “It was … Continue reading →

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Listen to the dark voices

Posted on August 4, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Karel Capek  

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