Above All, Remember to Live #Poetry #MaryOliver #Live

As I sat in bed last night, debating between Marilynne Robinson’s Home, Andrew Klavan’s The Truth and Beauty, or Mary Oliver’s Devotions, I eventually settled on Oliver’s collection of poems. Sleep would be coming quick, so a poem or two felt like a safe bet, especially when Robinson’s novel doesn’t include any chapter breaks (sheer … More Above All, Remember to Live #Poetry #MaryOliver #Live

Our Inevitable Struggle #Poetry #Nettles #NPM22

Today in British Literature, I reintroduced the “Life is Full of Adventure and Struggle” unit as we began our journey with Frodo Baggins in Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. As part of the teaser, I shared Vernon Scannell’s “Nettles” with my students, emphasizing that this poem actually comes from a contemporary poet, not a … More Our Inevitable Struggle #Poetry #Nettles #NPM22

Hey Scrooge! Imagining The Beatles Christmas Carol

What if John, Paul, George, and Ringo provided the soundtrack for a musical revival of Charles Dickens’s immortal A Christmas Carol? Thanks to The Muppets, we already have at least one spectacular musical version of Dickens’s classic, and I’ve even seen one staged in Pittsburgh. But as I wrapped up our study of the novella … More Hey Scrooge! Imagining The Beatles Christmas Carol