Month: April 2016

3 Days Quotation Challenge: Day 2

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I was nominated by Marc Alexander Valle at https://mavtheauthor.wordpress.com for this quotation challenge. Thank you, Marc for this honor and challenge!  If any of you have not visited his blog, please drop in and read the work of a talented writer. This is day 2 of the challenge.

My quotation of the day!

jrr

(http://mrsflaherty.wikispaces.com)

“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of everyday folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”

                                                             J.R.R. Tolkien  The Hobbit

 

The Rules:

1.) Either once a day for three days, post a quotation, or post all 3 quotations at one time. It is your choice.

2.) Nominate and notify three other bloggers of the challenge.

3.) Thank the blogger who nominated you.

The nominees are under no obligation to complete this challenge, but it would be fun if you do.

My Nominees:

Mitch at The Power of Story Mitch Teemley  https://mitchteemley.com/

spearfruit at Spearfruit…it’s my life https://spearfruit.com/

Lisa at Lisa Lancaster Writer https://lisalancaster.wordpress.com

Once again, thank you very much to Marc https://mavtheauthor.wordpress.com for this challenge!

3 Days Quotation Challenge: Day 1

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I was nominated by Marc Alexander Valle at https://mavtheauthor.wordpress.com for this quotation challenge. Thank you, Marc for this honor and challenge!  If any of you have not visited his blog, please drop in and read the work of a talented writer.

My quotation of the day!

M-T-Cicero

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”

                                                                        Cicero

 

The Rules:

1.) Either once a day for three days, post a quotation, or post all 3 quotations at one time. It is your choice.

2.) Nominate and notify three other bloggers of the challenge.

3.) Thank the blogger who nominated you.

The nominees are under no obligation to complete this challenge, but it would be fun if you do.

My Nominees:

Karen at Midnight in the Garden https://karendowdall.com

Jennie at A Teacher’s Reflections https://jenniefitzkee.com/

USABaker at Running After 50  https://usabaker.wordpress.com

Once again, thank you very much to Marc https://mavtheauthor.wordpress.com for this challenge!

 

 

Reading List

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This another re-blogging of any early post.

charles french words reading and writing

I had the good fortune this week of delivering a talk at the Muhlenberg College Board of Associates Meeting on the topic of Great Books.  I spoke with the audience for about 20-25 minutes about what I consider to be great books and why they matter. The main argument I made about the importance of books is that they connect us as people.  I am an unreserved humanist; I believe that human beings have the power to improve themselves, that education is crucial to develop of an informed  society, and that books allow readers to experience the worlds of others.

The audience was one of professionals from many fields but very few English Literature majors; however, their interest in reading and books was heartening for me.  They wanted to hear suggestions about what books I would recommend.

In my classes, I sometimes do something I call — Chuck’s recommended readings. …

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Grounds For Thought Literary Group

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I thought I would reblog some of my early posts for followers who have not seen them. I conduct a once a month meeting of the Grounds For Thought Literary Group at the Taylor Roasted Coffeehouse in Northampton, PA. This began in the summer of 2014, and we are still meeting!

charles french words reading and writing

Approximately, once a month, a group of like-minded people, interested in reading and writing, gathers at the Taylor Roasted Coffeehouse in Northampton, PA. This establishment is a perfect locale for our meetings; it has a welcoming atmosphere, with examples of drawings and paintings adorning the walls, musical instruments on display, and bookshelves with volumes for sharing and reading. I love coffee, and I love coffee shops and have been in many in a myriad of places during my life, and I say without any reservations, that this is the best and my favorite coffee shop. The owner John Weber roasts his coffee beans, and the result is the best coffee I have ever tasted. Jackie Livermon is the manager and keeps the place humming. These two lovely people, both of whom I now consider myself fortunate to call friends, have given this small town a wonderful place to gather and…

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SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHDAY.

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This is a wonderful post on Shakespeare!

the itinerant reader

SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHDAY.

According to the church register, William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, and died on the same day in 1616. Stratford-on-Avon, his birthplace, is carefully preserved, with his house still standing, with numerous reminders of the most famous playwright of all times. Shakespeare’s house, Ann Hathaway’s cottage, Shakespeare Bank, hostelry, souvenir and bookshop, gardens and statues. If someone is still in doubt whether Shakespeare existed at all, Stratford is the place to visit. The whole atmosphere is pervaded by the immortal spirit. Modern children may find it difficult to understand that the modest old building they see is the actual house where the Bard lived, it is not an artifact. The surrounding garden may have been the one where the family used to sit on a summer’s day. Shakespeare is credited with not only writing 36 plays, 154 Sonnets and several poems; he is considered to be…

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Shakespeare Folios

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First_Folio_VA

https://en.wikipedia.org

Yesterday, at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, The English Department Creative Writing Program along with The Friends of the Lehigh Univeristy Libraries sponsored an event called Sonnet Slam!  This event featured readings of poetry, a celebration of the student literary magazine Amaranth, and the 400th year of Shakesepeare’s life and showcased a display of extraordinary importance for lovers of Shakespeare.

The event was held in the Bayer Galleria, a beautiful room, filled with special holdings in its bookshelves, an old fireplace, plenty of seating, and a very important display. Lehigh University has an extraordinary collection of early Shakespeare texts: in the case were the First Folio, the Second Folio, the Third Folio, and the Fourth Folio.

Shakespeare is one of my main areas of study, and as a Shakespearean, viewing these rare and important volumes was nearly a sacred experience.  I have loved Shakespeare since I was a teenager; I have studied his work, loved reading the plays and poetry, acted in some plays, directed a play, and taught his work.  Having been intricately connected with Shakespeare, being able to see these early texts was a moving and deeply powerful experience.

When the event began, I read two sonnets and had fun with that.  When I was younger, I had a goal to memorize all of them, but let’s say that was not entirely successful!  Then undergraduate students, a graduate student who is the advisor for the literary magazine and an excellent poet, and a professor read.  At that point, I had to leave to prepare to teach my upcoming class, but it was a wonderful and moving experience.

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