Phillis Wheatley was a slave kidnapped from West Africa and brought to Boston in 1761. John Wheatley purchased Phillis for his wife and over time, they allowed her to learn to read and write, which was uncommon in the days of slavery. Wheatley became the first African-American to publish a book of poetry, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, at only 20 years old. Yesterday marked the 243rd anniversary of her book’s publication. Image courtesy of https://bit.ly/2bPIZCW ‘Phillis Wheatley’ was the name given to her by the family that bought her. It was customary for slaves to take the last name of their …
Today marks the 37th anniversary of the publication of The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. Google has debuted doodles for their homepage, designed by Sophie Diao, to celebrate the story. Take a look at them below: Images courtesy of https://selnd.com/2bX8FTd The doodles were inspired by the original illustrations for the story by Roswitha Quadflieg. Google stated: Every once in a blue moon a book captures the imagination, providing a portal into magical places unknown. So it was with The Neverending Story, a children’s fantasy novel by Michael Ende, which topped best-seller lists in the author’s native Germany following its release on September 1st, 1979. The movie was released …
If you haven’t heard the name, “Sarah E. Farro” before, you’re not alone. Gretchen Gerzina, Professor of English at University of Massachusetts Amherst discovered Farro while researching in the UK for her novels, Black London and Black Victorians/Black Victoriana. Gretchen Gerzina Image courtesy of https://bit.ly/2bH225o In an article Gerzina wrote for The Independent, she notes that Farro “appears nowhere in the canon of African-American literature.” She continues: After doing more research, I soon realized that Farro had made her mark writing about white people – and that this may also be the reason her work was forgotten. Learning of a black woman whose race was documented, …
Happy September 1st! Today is the day witches and wizards everywhere head off to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express! With a new school year, there comes news from the Potter world. Surprises never stop coming with this franchise. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child might become a movie! According to The New York Daily News, “Warner Bros. is interested in bringing the West End play…to the silver screen as soon as 2020” We’ve already got more J.K. Rowling adaptations coming. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is being released this Fall and according to Rowling, Fantastic Beasts will be a …
Seth Grahame-Smith loves vampires and zombies. He’s the author of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Last American Vampire, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Hachette, a major publishing group, is suing Grahame-Smith for his “appropriation of a 120-year-old public-domain work” and “breach of contract.” You can read the full complaint here. Grahame-Smith’s work includes envisioning Abraham Lincoln, America’s 16th President, as a vampire hunter and Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters as gun-toting, knife-wielding, zombie slayers. Image courtesy of https://bit.ly/2c3ENTZ Grahame-Smith’s stories have made it to the big screen. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was released in 2012 and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was released just …
