The Shapes of Stories

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

The always spot on cartoonist Grant Snider created this terrific graphic representation of Kurt Vonnegut’s timeless lecture on the shapes of stories.

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Bowie In Brooklyn

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Tomorrow the critically acclaimed traveling exhibition David Bowie is will open at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City. The retrospective on the late artist’s five-decade career began at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in August 2013 and has been touring ever since. This is the final stop on the tour and the last chance to see the show, which runs from March 2 to July 15, 2018.

The exhibition curators had unprecedented access to Bowie’s personal archives and collections. Items in the museum show include sixty custom-made performance costumes —including ones from Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane—set designs, personal photographs and videos, handwritten lyrics, Bowie’s musical instruments, album artwork, journals, music videos and performance films, and unreleased audio clips from his longtime producer and collaborator Tony Visconti.

Timed tickets are required for the show. For more information click here. It’s also a good opportunity to visit one of America’s great museums.

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Imagination Library

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

You probably know Dolly Parton as a country singer and actress, but you may not be aware that she is a philanthropist and huge supporter of childhood literacy programs. In 1995, she launched Imagination Library, a literacy program that mails free books to children from the time of their birth until they enter kindergarten. Parton was inspired by her own father’s illiteracy to create the program.

Today, Imagination Library will reach the extraordinary milestone of 100 million donated books. The event will be celebrated at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. with a ceremony and a reading by Parton. You can view a livestream on YouTube here.

 

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Are We There Yet ?

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

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of seeking or finding

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Talking about Walt Whitman this week with my friend L. sent we searching for a remembered short poem about the great man by another favorite writer Langston Hughes.

 

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We Miss Them So Much

Posted on February 24, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Earlier this month, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and National Portrait Gallery unveiled the official portraits of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. I wasn’t much impressed by the images of the paintings that I saw in the media, but they certainly made me nostalgic for the not so distant past when we had people in the White House to respect and admire. Since I was visiting Washington D.C. this week, I decided to stop in at the National Portrait Gallery to see the portraits for myself.

After up close viewing, I have to say that I have revised my opinion of Rehinde Wiley’s painting of President Obama. The adventurous departure from previous staid and conventional Presidential portraits really works. Wiley truly captured the spirit of a great man and leader. I also revised my position on Amy Sherald’s portrait of the First Lady. Although I still think that it fails to capture the presence and radiance of Michelle Obama, as a painting it’s both bold and imposing.

If you’re visiting Washington, it’s worth a visit to this often overlooked gem in the Smithsonian museum group. The collection is diverse and extremely well curated. Not to mention the venue, which is the grand 19th century former Patents Building in the heart of the city.

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The temple of knowledge

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

The Temple of Knowledge is a heartwarming video from the folks at StoryCorps that animates Ronald Clark’s memories of his father, who worked for the New York Public Library. Clark’s film tells the story of the time when library caretakers, along with their families, actually lived in apartments in library buildings in NYC.

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Where you can light up

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

One of the things that I enjoy most about this blog is the contact with readers and followers all over the world. I get lots of messages with travel questions, especially about visiting the United States. Lately, it seems that many folks who plan on visiting North America have concerns about the confusing cannabis laws around the country. Hopefully, the map below will clarify where things stand at the moment.

 

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How far is it ?

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

I’m a big fan of Helsinki-based geographer Topi Tjukanov’s always innovative presentations of data from new perspectives/ This clever graphic examines just how far you can drive in one hour from twenty different European capitals.

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So, you want to be a writer ?

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

The poet Charles Bukowski would seem to be the least likely person one would turn to for career advice, but this little piece is oddly moving.

don’t be like so many writers,
don’t be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don’t be dull and boring and
pretentious, don’t be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don’t add to that.
don’t do it.
unless it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don’t do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don’t do it.

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