Great Patriotic War: June 22, 1941 — May 9, 1945.
Losses of the Soviet Union: 26.6 million lives.
Never forget.
history
On Saying “No” & November Writing
- Rings a bell?
‘Whatever anyone talked about, and there was a lot of talking, you couldn’t tell anyone that what he was saying was wrong. You couldn’t tell anyone that. You had to say, “Yes, that’s right.” To say “no” was not allowed — death. And those folks wouldn’t stop saying, “Freedom.” How strange.‘
— K.A. Korovin, a famous Russian artist; a diary entry on the post-revolutionary Russia
- Do you keep a diary?
Might be a neat idea for the writing month of November — starting a diary. Or, if you feel like socializing, check out ten online writing communities recommended by Writer’s Digest.
Whichever writing activity you choose — spring into action, and enjoy!
Image: K.A. Korovin, “Spring” 1917, public domain
On Taboo Words in Literature, & Trains That Glimmer
- What book are you reading now?
A story I’ve read recently–“The Basement Room”–made me think that it might not be long before Graham Green is added to the growing list of racist authors.
He used the N-word! More than once!
Does it matter that it’s a fictional character that uses the word? Does it matter that it’s important to the story? Does it matter that it’s a slice of history?
Apparently, it today’s world it doesn’t.
So, hurry. Read “The Basement Room” before it’s banned.
It’s a masterful, haunting story. What a great, great writer.
- Have you penned a story, or two?
Glimmer Train has two contests you can still submit your work to: Very Short, & Fiction Open. Deadline’s tomorrow, August 31. HURRY!
Image: Horace Pippin. Supper Time, c. 1940. Oil on burnt-wood panel, Overall: 12 x 15 1/8 in. (30.5 x 38.4 cm). BF985. Public Domain.
Erasing History, or Watch out, Laura!
- ‘Since 1954, the American Library Association has awarded a medal for lifetime achievement in children’s literature in the name of Laura Ingalls Wilder. …
In February, the ALA announced that it was reconsidering the name of the Wilder Award. Alluding to the depiction of American Indians and African Americans in Wilder’s work, the ALA declared that her legacy put the group in the uncomfortable position of serving children while being unable to model values of “inclusiveness, integrity and respect.” Wilder’s books, it went on, “reflect racist and anti-Native sentiments and are not universally embraced.”’
A sneak attack under cover of darkness took care of “bad” old statues. It’s time to fight “bad” old books now.
- PG of The Passive Voice wrote an excellent post on the Wilder Award dilemma. (Make sure you read the comment thread as well.)
I don’t have much to add to what PG said, except perhaps one thing. It’s easy–while shaming long dead authors of fiction–to overlook what’s going on here and now:
“Inclusiveness, integrity and respect”?
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Image: Maurice Brazil Prendergast. Rocks, Waves and Figures, c. 1902–1904. Watercolor with graphite underdrawing on handmade wove paper, Overall: 11 1/8 x 15 5/8 in. (28.3 x 39.7 cm). BF2079. Public Domain.
sasha a. palmer 