* Owl’s birthday message to Pooh. Today is the birthday of Alan Alexander Milne, creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, born in 1882 in London, England. He wrote his famous “Winnie the Pooh” books for his son, Christopher Robin. Pooh and the other characters were based on Christopher’s toys, and the 100-Acre Wood was based on a forest […]
Christmas is one of the few times in the year when we Americans celebrate our nation’s European heritage. Though Christmas itself dates back over a millennium and some of our holiday traditions are ancient, many hail from the Victorian era. I believe this is partly due to the surplus of great literature from that […]
Comics have a reputation like the late Rodney Dangerfield – people enjoy them, but they “don’t get no respect.” Perhaps more than anyone, Alan Moore has helped to change this. “Graphic Novel” sometimes seems like a euphemism, but Moore’s creations, such as Watchmen and V for Vendetta, deserve the title. What he did for superheroes […]
The great American writer and humorist Samuel Clemens was born today in 1835. Though the classics as written by “dead white males” have fallen into disfavor in academic circles, he remains one of our nation’s outstanding talents. He’s definitely a favorite of mine, because he was irreverent and cynical but also somewhat idealistic. That’s […]
