7 Pieces of Expert Writing Advice
Great fiction-writing advice and commiseration from novelists that we dug out of the JSTOR vaults for you procrastinating, er, research pleasure.
The Man Whose Snowy Day Helped Diversify Children’s Books
Ezra Jack Keats's 1962 book The Snowy Day featured an African-American protagonist, a first for a full-color children’s book.
The Sad Story of A. A. Milne and the Real-Life Christopher Robin
The film Goodbye, Christopher Robin tells the story of how A. A. Milne’s popular children’s stories damaged his son, the real-life Christopher Robin.
When Ward Cleaver Caused Social Anxiety
In the early 1960s, an Illinois Children and Family Services worker tried to figure out how TV dads were impacting contemporary American fathers.
The Long, Winding History of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”
Julia Ward Howe wrote her most famous poem, the legendary Civil War song, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” in a single burst of inspiration 156 years ago.
The Gender Politics of the First Boy Bands
Crooning, a musical style of the late 1920s and early 1930s, was fraught with gender panic. Where the singers manly enough?
Why The Young Pope Matters
Has anything like the events depicted in The Young Pope ever happened before? The answer, you may be surprised to learn, is yes.
The Origins of Human Speech: More Like a Raven or a Writing Desk?
Language is the cognitive faculty that separates humans from other animals, but interjections have often been equated with the primitive cries of animals.
The Real-Life Story Behind Number the Stars
An interview with Lois Lowry reveals that the popular children's novel Number the Stars was based on a true story of resistance to the Nazis.
The Bird-Catching Pisonia Trees
Found mainly on Caribbean islands, Pisonia trees resemble any typical large, tropical tree. Typical, that is, until you notice the bones.