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How ‘Seinfeld Book Report’ allows MU professor to reflect on the show’s literary tastes
For those with eyes to see, “Seinfeld” houses its own strange and specific library, books and magazines scattered through scenes, literary references landing certain punchlines. With a “giddy up” that’s gentler than any Kramer ever delivered, Donald Quist leads you into that world. This summer, the University of Missouri English professor launched his podcast “Seinfeld…
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Welcome to Ed Park’s Many-Layered World
“Same Bed Different Dreams” is the rare sophomore novel that has the wild, freewheeling ambition of a debut. SAME BED DIFFERENT DREAMS, by Ed Park Just after I’d registered for my first semester of college courses, I was meandering among a concourse of clubs and teams, fending off their grinning ambassadors, when a newspaper headline…
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The Annotated Nightstand: What Ahmad Almallah is Reading Now and Next
I’m excited to shine a light not only on a new book of poetry but also on a new small press: Winter Editions began publishing titles in May of this year varying from titles that are five decades old but out of print to debut collections of poetry. While “big 5” publishers get books in…
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Shir Alon and Joseph Farag on Palestinian Literature
In the wake of the recent violence in Palestine and Israel, the show returns to an interview taped in June 2021 with scholars Shir Alon and Joseph Farag, who join co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V.V. Ganeshananthan to discuss how Palestinian and Israeli writers have written about the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Farag…
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We’re drowning in historical fiction
Every day is yesterday — pop culturally, at least. Many of this year’s buzzy Oscar movies are biopics or historical narratives: “Oppenheimer,” “Maestro,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” to name three. The same approaches dominate the smaller screen. “The fall TV of 2023,” Kathryn VanArendonk recently noted in Vulture, “has an allergy to modern…
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Literary character costume event brings books to life at Santa Maria High School
Santa Maria High School held its first Literary Character Costume Extravaganza Tuesday inside the historic the Ethel Pope Auditorium.
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Investing in Creators to Promote Children’s Literature in Mongolia
November 1, 2023 By Mark Koenig, Khaliun Ganzorig, and Undraa Nergui A session with Sunjidmaa J., cartoonist Tsogtbayar S., and iBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People, Mongolia. (Photo: The Asia Foundation) Every caregiver and educator knows the excitement that a new book can stimulate in a young reader. Whether it’s the story,…
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When Accusations Against Books Meet the Actual Law
As we have seen repeatedly over the past two years, it is easy to make accusations against books and librarians. It takes little effort to fill out a materials challenge form alleging that books are obscene or pornographic. Anyone can step up to the microphone at a public meeting and share out-of-context excerpts from award-winning…
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Holiday books will be featured at sale
#inform-video-player-1 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; } #inform-video-player-2 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; } The next Southern Appalachian Labor School book sale is scheduled Saturday, Nov. 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the SALS annex at 140 School St. in Oak Hill. This month the sale will have a table of…
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The importance of difficult subjects in literature
My daughter is an avid reader and always has been. Since first grade, she has easily exceeded any reading goals her teachers have set. She quickly surpassed her reading level and started reading more advanced books at a young age. In the third grade, we bought her the Harry Potter series. A family member was…