Category Archives: Writing

There’s a Bluebird in My Heart

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

If you follow TBTP, you may be somewhat weary of the frequent Bukowski posts and stories. Well too bad because here’s another. Published in the 1992 anthology The Last Night of Earth Poems, Charles Bukowski‘s unusually tender poem “The Bluebird” … Continue reading →

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Buy Where You Shop

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Our friends at the amazing family-owned, indie Harvard Book Store located in the very heart of Cambridge, MA have produced this humorous, but guilt-inducing little video to urge book buyers to stop using indie bookstores as showrooms to browse for … Continue reading →

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Brando Blanked Kerouac

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

In 1957, Jack Kerouac wrote to Marlon Brando begging him to buy the film rights to his novel On the Road and to turn it into a movie. Kerouac pitched the idea that Brando could play Dean Moriarty and that … Continue reading →

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Pop-up Guide to the Galaxy

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

The fantastic series PBS Off Book has given us some truly wonderful and enlightening mini-documentary films on such varied and diverse topics as Steampunk, Product Design, Generative Art and Typography. Now, they have produced a terrific film on Book Art. … Continue reading →

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Nobel Jury Snubs JRR Tolkien

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Well, actually the Nobel jury snub happened fifty years ago,but the despicable story only just surfaced. The Swedish newspaper Sydsvenska Dagbladet recently disclosed the sordid details after snooping in the official Nobel archives in Stockholm. It seems that C.S. Lewis … Continue reading →

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New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

I never make New Year’s resolutions, but the late great Woody Gutherie did. Here’s the list that he wrote in 1942 at the age of 30. 1. Work more and better 2. Work by a schedule 3. Wash teeth if … Continue reading →

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New Year Benediction

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

A New Year’s benediction from the amazing Neil Gaiman: “May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to … Continue reading →

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Library In Winter

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

This endearing film by Sergey Stefanovich takes the viewer on a literary journey through novelist, travel writer and journalist Duncan Fallowell‘s enviable personal library. The author provides the narration for the video which traverses the marvelous library which has gradually … Continue reading →

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Join the World

Posted on December 26, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

The Pulitzer Prize winning author Anna Quindlen has been named  honorary national chairperson for World Book Night U.S., and the organization has named the 30 titles that will be given away on World Book Night, scheduled for April 23, 2012. The … Continue reading →

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Winter Dreams

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

F. Scott Fitzgerald died 71 years ago yesterday of a massive heartattack. He was just 44 years old. This brilliant documentary, F. Scott Fitzgerald: Winter Dreams, was produced for the PBS series American Masters. The inventive film has no traditional … Continue reading →

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