(The eye, altering, alters all) — William Blake
Content 16+
One of my more engaging and creative young Chinese students (a girl of 13 years) recently started an essay with the following title: ‘Imagine that you are someone’s shadow for a day.’ In the first paragraph, she asks, “Can you choose whose shadow are you or would you just come into existence when someone is born or when the person … Read the rest
Content advisory 14+ There were times when libraries experienced heavy traffic as readers pop in to find the latest release. Days when one could hardly go to bed without reading a chapter or two, but what is happening nowadays? More time is spent on leisure and scrolling up and down a screen. That doesn’t mean that books are not treasured. There are few serious readers left. Are you one of … Read the rest
Content advisory 18+ F. Scott Fitzgerald (author of “The Great Gatsby”) was, like many artists, an unstable person and drunkard. He was never among my favorite authors; nevertheless, amid his many collapses and psychological crack-ups (having Hemingway as a ‘friend’ probably didn’t help), he came up with a single line I always remember. He said: “In a real dark night of the soul, it is always 3 o’clock in the … Read the rest
