Jun 21 2022
Today marks the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, also known as midsummer and the first day of summer. The sun reaches its highest point in the sky for the year on this day. To celebrate the start of the season, here is a poem by Carl Sandburg, “Back Yard” from The Chicago …
Jun 19 2022
I, Too I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother.They send me to eat in the kitchenWhen company comes,But I laugh,And eat well,And grow strong. Tomorrow,I’ll be at the tableWhen company comes.Nobody’ll dareSay to me,“Eat in the kitchen,”Then. Besides,They’ll see how beautiful I amAnd be ashamed— I, too, am America. -Langston Hughes
Jun 15 2022
“Every time he played piano, you could hear the smile in his touch, you could hear the smile in his rhythmic approach.” – Jazz Pianist George Shearing Jazz/swing pianist and composer Erroll Garner was born on this day, June 15, 1923, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Garner is well known for his excellent keyboard skills, being a mostly …
Jun 10 2022
“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” -Saul Bellow
Jun 08 2022
June 8th is World Oceans Day, a day to appreciate and respect our life-giving oceans. We are at a crucial point with our oceans and action must be taken now to reverse the devastating effects of overfishing, pollution, and climate change, with half of the coral reefs now destroyed and 90% of big fish populations …
May 31 2022
Walt Whitman was born son of house-builder Walter Whitman and Louisa Van Velsor on this day May 31, 1819, in West Hills in Huntington on Long Island, NY. He spent much of his childhood and career years in Brooklyn, where he left school at the young age of eleven to work. By the age of twelve, he was …
May 23 2022
Happy #WorldTurtleDay! As I mentioned in my recent endangered species post, the Hawksbill Turtle is on the critically endangered list, and turtles everywhere are threatened by plastic and other unwanted debris in the ocean every day. A few ways you can help show your love for these beautiful creatures is by using less plastic, recycling …
May 20 2022
Today is Endangered Species Day, a time to remember the importance of different species on our connected planet and the importance of protecting them. Here we are observing seventeen of the most threatened animals on the planet. These are animals currently on the critically endangered list according to the WWF, which means that they are …
May 20 2022
Film score composer Zbigniew Preisner, best known for his music for the Krzysztof Kieślowski Three Colours trilogy, was born on this day May 20, 1955 in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. Here is his “Song for the Unification of Europe.”
May 18 2022
“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” -Bertrand Russell
