“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”― Marcus Tullius Cicero That decree to the masses, an order to arrive in Bethlehem to view the newborn son of God, suggests many things. Among them is the inference that there will be many of these ‘faithful’ who should put down whatever they’re doing and… Continue Reading
“Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.” — Albert Einstein From his $5,000 suit to his subtle swagger and Mona Lisa smile, Harvey Specter is the epitome of success. The male protagonist of Amazon Prime’s movie, ‘Suits’, embodies achievement in the most commonly accepted meaning of the word.… Continue Reading
“Experience of life (not of books) is the only capital usable in such a book as you have attempted …” —Mark Twain Inward is not forward; it’s not backward, either. In fact, turning inward is going nowhere. Yet we’re so often told that’s what people do, quite naturally, as they age. Translate ‘naturally’ to mean,… Continue Reading
“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.”― Émile Zola How frustrating it is to have a question answered with another question. But often the most provocative, insightful, and thoroughly engaging explorations come after just that kind of beginning. This one, what is talent, came from a young composer during… Continue Reading
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” ― Winston S. Churchill How artists motivate themselves has become a favorite topic of mine. I’ve started writing about some of the people who’ve stirred my past, present, and future creativity with a post called Motivation Monday, where I choose one of the writers, artists,… Continue Reading
I now see historical fiction as a far cry from guilty pleasure. It seems to me it’s an imperative for exposing the truth. Sarah Blake, author of one of my favorite reads The Guest Book, put it particularly well in a presentation for PBS Newshour, June 19th- ‘In my humble opinion’. She said: “But what if, this time, we look at the truth in the mirror, and break now from then, making a truer now, one that doesn’t forget the past, but confronts, acknowledges, reconstructs and so, we can hope, repairs?” Continue Reading