A new U.S. poet laureate, Joy Harjo
June 19, 2019
Joy Harjo will become the 23rd poet laureate of the United States, making her the first Native American to hold the position. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation. In her own words—
“It’s such an honoring for Native people in this country, when we’ve been so disappeared and disregarded,” Harjo says. “And yet we’re the root cultures, over 500-something tribes and I don’t know how many at first contact. But it’s quite an honor … I bear that honor on behalf of the people and my ancestors. So that’s really exciting for me.”
It seems as fitting time to recommend Barry Lopez’s book, *Crow and Weasel. Set in the mythic past and inspired by the traditions of the North American Plains people, this fable of self-discovery follows Crow and Weasel as they face unfamiliar perils on a quest for knowledge and wisdom The book contains one of my most treasured souvenirs—a quote directly from the book I like to keep ad share with others.
“The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them. If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive. That is why we put these stories in each other’s memory. This is how people care for themselves.”
Make the most of summertime reading—strategies to avoid the summer slide.
June 8, 2019
We know from extensive research that without continued reading in the summer, students fall back in their reading achievement. The good news is that the latest research shows students who read at least 4 books over the summer maintain or even increase their skills. Reading is a skill that continues to improve through practice. The […]
Why read?
May 3, 2019
The following is the most heartfelt writing I have met in a long time that makes a case for why we read, written by Alain de Botton, a Swiss-born British philosopher and author. “We wouldn’t need books quite so much if everyone around us understood us well. But they don’t. Even those who love us get us wrong. They tell us […]
Your life story
March 26, 2019
I just had the pleasure of teaching Man’s Search for Meaning, by Victor Frankl which is a book that can’t help but influence how you see life as it poses the all important question that the best of literature asks, what is the meaning and purpose of a life? Here is the quote that framed […]
Farsighted
January 29, 2019
Farsighted: How we Make the Decisions That Matter Most by Steven Johnson points our attention to one more benefit of being a reader of literary fiction. His book suggests that reading literary fiction can improve decision making, Novelists draw out the complexity of their characters’ inner lives and fictional situations help us to see decisions […]
