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The merry heart: selections 1980-1995
By Robertson Davies. 1996
A collection of Robertson Davies' reflections on books, reading, and writing. These essays, book reviews, and other writings, taken from…
a selection which he had planned to publish before his death, reveal Davies at his vintage best. 1996.The library at night
By Alberto Manguel. 2006
An account of Manguel's astonishment at the variety, beauty and persistence of our efforts to shape the world and our…
lives, most notably through something almost as old as reading itself: libraries. The result is both personal and wide-ranging: a study of the mysteries of libraries, a thorough analysis of their history throughout the world, and an esoteric celebration of reading. 2006.Writers talking
By John Metcalf, Claire Wilkshire. 2003
Includes interviews with and commentaries from eight Canadian writers. Listen in to Terry Griggs on where stories come from, Michael…
Winter on writing Newfoundland, and K.D. Miller on being 'an actor who writes'. Also features short stories by these authors. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2003.Translating Montreal: episodes in the life of a divided city
By Sherry Simon. 2006
Taking the perspective of a walker moving through a landscape of neighbourhoods and eras, Simon experiences Montreal as a voyage…
across languages. Using literary passages from the colonial era till today, she traces a history of crossings and intersections around the familiar sites and symbols of the city, describing the development of social relations between linguistic communities, through translations. 2006.The joy of writing: a guide for writers, disguised as a literary memoir
By Pierre Berton. 2003
Pierre Berton shares his own experiences in learning to write and in improving during his writing career. Includes information about…
editors, tips for writer's block, and story development through many drafts. 2003.Gather: Richard Van Camp on the Joy of Storytelling (Writers on writing #3)
By Richard Van Camp. 2020
"Stories are medicine. During a time of heightened isolation, this bestselling author shares what he knows about the power of…
storytelling--and offers some of his own favourite stories from Elders, friends, and family. Gathering around a campfire, or the dinner table, we humans have always told stories. Through them, we define our identities and shape our understanding of the world. Master storyteller and bestselling author Richard Van Camp writes of the power of storytelling and its potential to transform speakers and audiences alike. In Gather, Van Camp shares what elements make a compelling story and offers insights into basic storytelling techniques, such as how to read a room--even on Zoom--and how to capture the attention of listeners. And he delves further into the impact storytelling can have, helping readers understand how to create community and how to banish loneliness through their tales. A member of the Tlicho Dene First Nation, Van Camp also includes stories from Elders whose wisdom influenced him. During a time of uncertainty and disconnection, stories reach across vast distances to offer connection. Gather is a joyful reminder of this for storytellers: all of us."Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004-2021
By Margaret Atwood. 2022
NATIONAL BESTSELLERFrom cultural icon Margaret Atwood comes a brilliant collection of essays--funny, erudite, endlessly curious, uncannily prescient--which seek answers to…
Burning Questions such as:Why do people everywhere, in all cultures, tell stories?How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating?How can we live on our planet?Is it true? And is it fair?What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism?In over fifty pieces Atwood aims her prodigious intellect and impish humour at the world, and reports back to us on what she finds. This roller-coaster period brought the end of history, a financial crash, the rise of Trump, and a pandemic. From debt to tech, the climate crisis to freedom; from when to dispense advice to the young (answer: only when asked) to how to define granola, we have no better guide to the many and varied mysteries of our universe.Ordinary Wonder Tales
By Emily Urquhart. 2022
A journalist and folklorist explores the truths that underlie the stories we imagine—and reveals the magic in the everyday. “I’ve…
always felt that the term fairy tale doesn’t quite capture the essence of these stories,” writes Emily Urquhart. “I prefer the term wonder tale, which is Irish in origin, for its suggestion of awe coupled with narrative. In a way, this is most of our stories.” In this startlingly original essay collection, Urquhart reveals the truths that underlie our imaginings: what we see in our heads when we read, how the sight of a ghost can heal, how the entrance to the underworld can be glimpsed in an oil painting or a winter storm—or the onset of a loved one’s dementia. In essays on death and dying, pregnancy and prenatal genetics, radioactivity, chimeras, cottagers, and plague, Ordinary Wonder Tales reveals the essential truth: if you let yourself look closely, there is magic in the everyday.Stranger faces (Undelivered Lectures)
By Namwali Serpell. 2020
Professor of English at Harvard University presents five essays--intended for lectures--meditating on faces, the presentation of self in physical and…
digital spaces, and perceptions of meaning. Topics include Joseph Merrick, Hannah Crafts, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, Grizzly Man, and the term e-faced. Some violence and some strong language. 2020American originality: essays on poetry
By Louise Glück. 2017
Collection of twenty essays by the winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize for Literature and author of Poems 1962-2012 (DB…
79850). Essays examine poetry and poets. The title essay deconstructs the relationship between creativity and white America's myth of itself. Some strong language. Nobel Prize. 2017Midnight assassin: a murder in America's heartland
By Thomas Wolf, Patricia L. Bryan. 2005
In December 1900, a prosperous Iowa farmer was murdered in his bed--killed by two blows of an ax to his…
head. Four days later, the victim's wife, Margaret Hossack, was arrested and charged with the crime. The community was split by the trial which was covered by young journalist Susan Glaspell, later an acclaimed writer. Co-author is Thomas Wolf. Unrated. 2005The selected works of Audre Lorde
By Audre Lorde, Roxane Gay. 2020
Collection of essays and poems by the author of A Burst of Light (DB 91119) exploring being black, a woman,…
a lesbian, and the intersection of those identities. Edited by and includes an introduction from Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist (DB 80463). Violence and strong language. 2020The condition of secrecy: selected essays
By Susanna Nied, Inger Christensen. 2018
Collection of eighteen essays originally published in Danish between 1964 and 1994. In "Freedom, Equality, and Fraternity in the Summer…
Cottage," Christensen (1935-2009) reflects on spending summers at her family's cottage--which was in a community controlled by her father's union--during World War II. 2018Letterman: the last giant of late night
By Jason Zinoman. 2017
A comedy critic for the New York Times examines the career of comedian and TV host David Letterman, especially his…
many years as host of two consecutive groundbreaking late-night TV shows. Includes interviews with Letterman and his collaborators. Some strong language. 2017You, too, could write a poem: selected reviews and essays, 2000-2015
By David Orr. 2017
A collection of reviews and essays by a New York Times poetry columnist and critic. The pieces examine the work…
of contemporary masters, younger American poets, celebrities and public figures, and more. Discusses what makes a poem or poet great or not. 2017No time to spare: thinking about what matters
By Ursula K Le Guin. 2017
The hatred of poetry (FSG Originals)
By Ben Lerner. 2016
Poet and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" explores the virtues of poetry by using the hatred of the…
form as a starting point. Examines the use of punctuation and pronunciation to alter meaning. Highlights works by Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen (DB 81184), and others. 2016The untold story of the talking book
By Matthew Rubery. 2016
The history of talking books. Covers the time from Edison's invention of the phonograph through early efforts to provide reading…
options for the blind and the early twenty-first century audiobook marketplace. Discusses controversies, such as decisions about what to record and the preferred ways to narrate a talking book. 2016Naming thy name: cross talk in Shakespeare's sonnets
By Elaine Scarry. 2016
A discussion of the lover whom William Shakespeare addresses in so many of his love sonnets, immortalizing their love affair…
through repeated references. The author argues for an interpretation in which the beloved individual responds as well. 2016A poem for Peter: the story of Ezra Jack Keats and the creation of The snowy day
By Andrea Davis Pinkney, Steve Johnson, Lou Fancher. 2016
A poetic celebration of the extraordinary life of Ezra Jack Keats, creator of the Caldecott Medal winner The Snowy Day…
(DB 43471). Recounts Keats's life growing up in Brooklyn as a son of struggling Polish immigrants and his dream of becoming an artist. For grades 2-4. 2016