Bram Stoker published Dracula in 1897, but years before that novel made vampires famous, New England had its own famous living dead. The stories tell of dead relatives rising from the grave to haunt their family – even drink their blood. Townspeople would become so scared they would have the Mayor and Church approve an …
Tag Archives: story
Happy Native American Day!
September 28 is an official holiday in the state of California – Native American Day. Established in 1998, it is celebrated in our schools and government offices, but mostly ignored everywhere else. Only a few states (South Dakota, Tennessee) have a similar holiday, and there is no Federal recognition. That’s really sad – we should …
J.K. Rowling’s new book comes out Thursday – an adult novel about a social concern
J.K. Rowling’s new book, The Casual Vacancy, comes out this Thursday – September 27, 2012 – and there’s not a spell in it. The adult novel focuses on small-town politics and poverty in southwestern England. A topic so far from her regular work that her publisher has skipped the publicity campaign. They’re just going to …
Teaching class with Pinterest
A great idea to bring visuals into the classroom, from the Pinterest blog: Not only are these Pinners sharing their knowledge and talents with other people, but they’re also using Pinterest as part of their classes. The teachers will be using their boards for everything from lesson plans, organizing class inspiration, showing off the results …
How the hell did I end up here?
Today, I’ve been thinking about my career as a blogger, asking the question, “how the hell did I end up here?” I never liked writing essays, stories, or pretty much anything on paper. My grades in English from high school through college were mediocre. Everything changed when I wrote that first blog. You see I’m …
Speed record set for all-electric airplane – 204.4 mph
Chip Yates does not like sitting still. Just a day after piloting his electric-powered Long EZ airplane to over 200 miles per hour – making him the fastest electric-airplane pilot in the world – he had to disassemble the airplane, pack it up and drive 2,000 miles east to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Here at Airventure, Yates …
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Peter Jackson turns The Hobbit into three films – explained in his own words
From a post by Peter Jackson in Facebook: It is only at the end of a shoot that you finally get the chance to sit down and have a look at the film you have made. Recently Fran, Phil and I did just this when we watched for the first time an early cut …
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Goodbye, Nora Ephron – Thank you for everything
What a shock to learn of Nora Ephron’s death, at 71 years old. What a loss to laughter–among the many other gifts Nora gave us. I met Nora when I was a secretary at Esquire magazine, not even a year out of college. My then boss, Binky Urban, (now my agent) became one of her closest …
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The stop-motion story of a bookmark that comes alive – Much Better Now
Narrative: The main character is a bookmark, stuck in a forgotten book. Both are connected by chance, in a life marked by standstill in a deserted room. One day a window is pressed open by a gust of wind, knocking over the book and blowing the bookmark onto the table. As they become separated, the …
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22 rules of storytelling – according to Pixar’s Emma Coats
On Twitter, Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats has compiled nuggets of narrative wisdom she’s received working for the animation studio over the years. It’s some sage stuff, although there’s nothing here about defending yourself from your childhood toys when they inevitably come to life with murder in their hearts. A truly glaring omission. #7: Come up …
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