Scapegoats: Book, Library, and Dog Blaming
My last Substack post might be of interest: It’s so strange, the way librarians and library books have become the scapegoat for American society’s ills. I found myself needing to talk about the blame game. Blaming books for dangerous teen … Continued
Preemptively Banning Books is No Way to Curate a Collection
I’ve switched to writing almost all my content on my Substack “Be a Cactus: thoughts on resistant writers and how we bloom.” It’s a weekly post delivered on Sunday morning. It’s very similar to what you have received from me … Continued
My Experiences in Book Banning
Removing library books from the shelf for later review is essentially banning them, no matter what the censors say.
Morgan Llywelyn’s Finn Mac Cool
In Finn Mac Cool, Llywelyn presents Finn as an opportunist. His magical beginnings/powers are just stories he makes up in the spur of the moment. They become his legend.
Upcoming Journal on Librarians and Libraries: Submit Your Story!
Librarians, submit creative work on ANY subject. Not a librarian, but have a story/artwork about libraries or librarians? Submit that!
The High Deeds of Finn Mac Cool
A discussion of “The High Deeds of Finn Mac Cool” by Rosemary Sutcliff, focusing on Finn, Oisin, Dearmid, and Saba.
Ireland’s Immortals: Part 3
The main focus of Chapter 5 of “Ireland’s Immortals” is early thirteenth century literature, especially the Finn Cycle, where gods decline.
Ireland’s Immortals, Part 2
Part 2 of Ireland’s Immortals discusses the tenth through twelfth centuries, when the Viking Wars ended and the island was politically stable, allowing for scholarship and monastic learning. Centuries’ old writing and stories were revived. Scholars of this period have given us most of what is known of early Irish literature.
Weeding Your Home Library
Tips for weeding your home library from pro librarians: what to save, where to re-home useful books, and ideas for repurposing the rest.
Ireland’s Immortals
A discussion of the first chapters of “Ireland’s Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth” by Mark Williams. How writers recreate gods.