american literature

Wildwood native is new ambassador to Panama

By ROXANNE BROWN Staff Writer WILDWOOD -- Growing up, Barbara Stephenson dreamt of becoming a teacher and seeing the world. However, the local Wildwood native far outreached her dream and as of July 10, was officially named the new American Ambassador to the Republic of Panama. Her official title? Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Panama. "I was joking with my grandson after the ceremony and told him he couldn't call her mama anymore...

End-o'-the-Week Kid-Lit Roundup

In this week's roundup, we learn about a forgotten kids'-book author who also wrote erotica, ask whether the Incredible Hulk is really the best reading tutor, and find out who Helena Bonham Carter would play in a Runaway Bunny movie: Mo Willems: Radio Cartoonist. Cartooning on the radio? Few people could pull off such an unlikely sounding feat, but Mo Willems is definitely one of them. The beloved creator of the Pigeon and Elephant & Piggie stories (and a former Emmy-award-winning writer for Se...

Avalance of new SciAmMind articles

The new edition of Scientific American Mind has just appeared with a whole host of new freely-available articles available online covering the psychology of storytelling, gifted children, genius, animal intelligence, scent, smell and learning through error. My favourite is the article on the psychology of storytelling and narrative, and why it could intricately bound up in the cognitive abilities we've developed to navigate the social world. The article is quite wide ranging, dipping into anthro...

The geography of Irish-American lit

Matthew L. Jockers, a "digital humanities" expert at Stanford and a specialist in Irish-American literature, argues that scholars have been too East-coast-centric in their analysis of Irish-American writing. Yes, they talk too much about Boston. Here's visual evidence, from a paper of his titled "Beyond Boston: Georeferencing Irish-American Literature." Using Google Earth, Jockers mapped the geographic setting, explicit or implicit, of novels by Irish-American authors from 1800 to 2000. As you c...

Rare and Renowned Red-on-Black Opal??The Flame Queen?. Bald Hill Workings, Lightning Ridge, Australia

Rare and Renowned Red-on-Black Opal—“The Flame Queen”. Bald Hill Workings, Lightning Ridge, Australia Property of a Family Trust. Weighing approximately 263.18 carats and measuring approximately 72.13 x 57.73 x 11.5mm - Sold for $120,000 Ever since it was found at Lightning Ridge in 1915 by miners Jack Philips, Walter Bradley and “Irish” Joe Hegarty, this famous opal has attracted worldwide attention as one of the rarest and most superb specimens of its kind. At the time Lightning Rid...

YA Wednesday: Margo Rabb, Skinny Girl, Ghostgirl, and John Wayne

In this edition of YA Wednesday, we have the authors who are published as YA, and the bloggers who have the review copies of their books piling up. Margo Rabb: "I'm YA, and I'm OK" The most interesting thing written about YA (or publishing in general) this week, by far, was Margo Rabb's great essay in this weekend's New York Times Book Review about the experience of publishing her first book, Cures for Heartbreak. In addition to personal anecdotes, the essay quotes last year's National Book Awa...

You are what you read

Seth Lerer, author of Children's Literature: A Reader's History from Aesop to Harry Potter was a featured guest yesterday on WGN radio's Extension 720 with Milt Rosenberg. On the show, Lerer engages Rosenberg in a fascinating discussion of the history of children's literature and its indelible influence on young readers. Listen to the archived podcast on the WGN website. Lerer's book was also mentioned in an article in yesterday's New Yorker about NYC librarian and critic Anne Carol Moore who, ...

"Why do spouses have to be the automatic beneficiary of a retirement plan?"

That’s a question posed to me the other day in an email from one of this blog’s readers. It’s an interesting question, both from a historical standpoint and in the current political environment in which women’s issues are an important component. So here’s the answer for all to see. Let’s set the dial on the ERISA Wayback Machine to 1984, a year (aside from the obvious reference) in which there were many memorable events. One of which occurred on October 5, the day that Astronaut Kath...

Liddy Dole: Rename HIV Aid Bill After... Jesse Helms?!?

Oh yes. That's right. Senator Dole has asked that a bill funding HIV prevention efforts globally be renamed after the one, the only Jesse Helms. That dirtbag bigot who finally kicked the bucket a few weeks ago. Joe @ Joe. My. God. says it best: Jesse Helms, the man who in 1987 described AIDS prevention literature as "so obscene, so revolting, I may throw up." Jesse Helms, the man who in 1988 vigorously opposed the Kennedy-Hatch AIDS research bill, saying, "There is not one single case of AIDS i...

Free and Easy Events

Kids of all ages can enjoy learning about the Red Planet -- and seeing its surface in 3-D -- on Mars Day. (L. William Kobelka for The Washington Post) Every week, the Going Out Gurus suggest ways to enjoy Washington's cultural scene without spending any money. Have an idea for us? Send it to events@washingtonpost.com. Monday 'Dr. No' at Screen on the Green Pack a picnic and a blanket for the return of summer movies on the Mall. This year's series begins with Sean Connery's first turn as James Bo...