Ellen Jovin started Grammar Table on more or less of a whim on September 21st, 2018, in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The idea was simple: sit in a public space with a sign that encourages passersby to ask her questions related to grammar and language. To her surprise, the questions came flooding in. Image via the buffalo news Jovin is well qualified for the role. She is a founder of Syntaxis, a communication skills training consultancy, and the creator of a language-learning website called Words & Worlds of New York. She also has a B.A. from …
Although the final book in the Harry Potter series was published over a decade ago, the Harry Potter universe has continued to expand dramatically. This is not only thanks to the film series, the amusement parks, or the Fantastic Beasts series. One of the most fascinating, if not infamous, sources of information into the wizarding world comes from J.K. Rowling’s twitter account. Image via wikipedia It started back in 2007 when Rowling disclosed that our beloved headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was gay. This took the fanbase by storm, and the revelations kept on pouring in over the years: Hermione might …
It was the two-hundred year anniversary of Walt Whitman’s birth this past May, and The Morgan Library & Museum and The New York Public Library are celebrating with separate exhibitions regarding one of America’s most beloved poets. The New York Public Library’s exhibition titled: Walt Whitman: America’s Poet, examines many of the individuals, beliefs, and experiences that shaped Whitman’s work while also noting his literary legacy and continuing cultural impact. The exhibition will be up from March 29, 2019 – August 30, 2019. image via biblioklept The Morgan Library & Museum’s exhibition, Walt Whitman: Bard of Democracy, includes several of …
Children’s books are powerful tools that help instill a sense of empathy in young readers. They are testing grounds for new ideas and exercises in ethics. Reading, at any age, teaches us that the experiences of other people are not only valid, but influential to our own lives. It’s for this reason that representation in children’s books matters. According to reporting from Cooperative Children’s Book Center of Education, in a study of 2,500 titles, less than 1 percent of books for children and teens had Black authors or illustrators in 1985. Although that number has improved more than 30 years …
As far as iconic book jackets in America go, the Harry Potter series has touted some of the most memorable covers we’ve ever seen. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was published in America three years before the movie was released and the cover gave readers their first image of the scraggly haired, four-eyed wizard we’ve come to know and love. These covers held a consistent theme throughout the entirety of the American Harry Potter series, and they were all made by one woman: Mary GrandPré. Image via ao5 gallery Although she initially declined Scholastic’s offer to illustrate the covers, GrandPré changed her …
