Poem: A Litany in Time of Plague
A Litany in Time of Plague (1600) Adieu, farewell, earth’s bliss; This world uncertain is; Fond are life’s lustful joys; Death proves them all but toys; None from his darts can fly; I am sick, I must die. Lord, have mercy on us! Rich men, trust not in wealth, Gold...
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Poem: Full Moon, March 2020
Full Moon March 2020 Ted Kooser (former US poet laureate) The moon was in self-isolation, too, and wearing a white mask as it passed us in an aisle of the night, keeping a distance not acknowledging us. It was pushing a cart heaped up with stars, far more stars than...
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THIS SIDE OF PARADISE: A LETTER FROM F. SCOTT FITZGERALD, QUARANTINED IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE
by NICK FARRIELLA Dearest Rosemary, It was a limpid dreary day, hung as in a basket from a single dull star. I thank you for your letter. Outside, I perceive what may be a collection of fallen leaves tussling against a trash can. It rings like jazz to my...
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365 Books by Women Authors
For over a century, International Women's Day has been observed — and this year, the New York Public Library blog has compiled 365 books by women authors from across the globe to keep the celebration going all year long. I'll be posting one book from this list every...
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The Ghost Stories of Charles Dickens
The holiday season sees a million variations on Charles Dickens’s classic A Christmas Carol, yet this marvelous supernatural tale all too often overshadows the ghostly echoes that permeate Dickens’s entire oeuvre. Here’s a brief overview. In John Irving’s book of...
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