Review: GRIT: THE POWER OF PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE by Angela Duckworth
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Angela Duckworth Scribner, May 2016 354 pp, $28 Buy: hardcover | eBook Reviewed by Aaron Sommers There’s a new teacher’s pet in class. It’s not the newest, most scientific standardized test to measure student achievement. It has nothing to do with
Throwback Thursday: “The Lottery” and Let Me Tell You by Shirley Jackson
Let Me Tell You is a collection of thirty short stories–twenty-two of which never made it into the public sphere–and twenty-six snippets and essays which encompass the body of Shirley Jackson’s work.
The Artist’s Statement—How Visual Artists Find and Use Voice
Voice is an intangible but discernible sensibility that threads through and ties together a body of work. It can be loud or quiet, but we always feel it.
A Held Breath: Alice Munro’s “Tricks” and Waiting in Literature
I am in the midst of an anticipating season. My first book comes out in a month; my second baby will be born in a little over two. I’m finding that in terms of productivity right now I’m pretty useless.
Can’t Get It Out Of My Head: Songs in Janet Frame’s Early Fiction
A good song is catchy: it’s quickly learned, and easily retained. It may be hard to forget, to the point of distraction. There’s a reason that the first literature was found in verse, in melodic and rhythmic patterns.
The Affair’s Slyly Satirical Portrayal of the White Male Literary Darling
While Showtime’s The Affair has been praised for its incisive exploration of the unreliability of memory, particularly in romantic relationships, some of its most insightful commentary is on the contemporary literary community.
End of Storytelling Era, Farewell to Vin Scully
This week a certain kind of storytelling will come to an end. Vin Scully, who began broadcasting Dodgers games in 1950, will retire at the age of 88. Yes, he was once a prodigy, announcing major league baseball games at just 22 years old.
Dancing With Text
Juliet. Aurora. Desdemona. Julie Kent has portrayed them all, bringing texts to life during a 30 year performing career as one of America’s premier ballerinas. Last year, Kent retired from her position as Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre and has since taken the helm at The Washington Ballet.
Seizing Control: An Interview with Margot Livesey
One of the pivotal moments in my writing career happened back in the early '90s when I read Margot Livesey's debut novel Homework. I was really struck by the unsettling tone of the book and by Jenny, the daughter of the hero's--Celia's--boyfriend, a seemingly awful little girl who tries
Round-Up: National Book Foundation Lifetime Achievement Awards, Banned Books Weeks, and CURSED CHILD Sales
From the lifetime achievement awards of the National Book Foundation to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child sales, these are last week's biggest literary headlines.