Has it really been 20 years since the release of J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book? It some ways, it seems like only a little while ago that I first cracked open Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and in other ways, it is already such a literary classic that it hard to imagine we … More 20 Years of Fictional Magic
One of the biggest events of Summer 2017 will be the total solar eclipse on Monday, August 21 that will be visible in 14 US states (including NORTH CAROLINA, YAY!) In North Carolina, only the westernmost tip will see it as a total eclipse like the one shown here, but it will be a pretty … More Will You Be Able to See the Eclipse This Summer? Find Out Here
In North Carolina, today is the first official day of summer, the months I think of as the season of exuberance, based on Yoko Ono’s poem, “Season of Glass.” SEASON OF GLASS spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence winter passes … More Welcome to the Season of Exuberance
My last blog post was about comedy, but this one is about tragedy. Because as much as I’m committed to bliss, that doesn’t mean ignoring the pain and sadness related to events that produce international grieving. I’m referring, of course, to the May 22nd suicide bombing of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester Arena, England. … More What Do We Tell Our Children?
If you want an easy lift today, just imagine this actually happening. And if there is anything that the election of Donald Trump has taught us, it is that anything really is possible in the United States! Enjoy!
I am SO excited, because I just found out that one of my favorite unusual art forms will be on display this weekend in Raleigh, NC! On May 19-21, downtown Raleigh will be host to one of its biggest annual art festivals, Artsplosure. As usual, Artsplosure will feature all varieties of the arts: visual arts, … More Bliss Central for Triangle NC This Weekend is Katena
This wonderful month of April is coming to an end, and so is National Poetry Month and the official Week of Action follow-up to April 22nd’s March For Science. However, there are still plenty of opportunities for those of us who would like to see our governmental policies based on science instead of….well, let’s just say … More Celebrating Women as the Original Scientists
Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day! If you aren’t familiar with this annual event, it is one of the celebrations of poetry organized by the Academy of American Poets as part of National Poetry Month. The concept is simple enough for anyone to participate, even if you haven’t been planning for this for days as … More Happy Poem In Your Pocket Day!
As if we didn’t have enough great things going on in April, it is also the birth month for William Shakespeare. So how should we honor the man generally considered the greatest author of the English language? Well, how about a marathon reading of all 154 of all of Shakespeare’s (known) sonnets? That’s how we … More Sonnets for Shakespeare
Not only is April host to Earth Day, but it also National Poetry Month here in the US. Those two events intersected yesterday in a program that Academy of American Poets Chancellor Jane Hirshfield developed called “Poets for Science.” Hirshfield is one of the most accomplished contemporary American poets, and environmental awareness has long been … More Poets for Science
