When you think of your ancestors coming to this country, you probably picture them coming through Ellis Island, with the Statue of Liberty in the background. But another building existed before Ellis Island, and 8 million immigrants passed through its doors between 1855 and 1890. This building was known as Castle Garden. A fort called…
What is Zoom? Zoom is a video conferencing software that can be used on your internet browser or in the Zoom app that’s downloadable through their website. This software has become an incredibly useful tool, especially in the time of social-distancing, for companies (and individuals alike) to keep in contact. With this app, one can…
“You can escape a town, but you cannot escape blood. Somehow, the Vignes twins believed themselves capable of both.” The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett The 16 year-old Vignes twins disappeared from their small Louisiana town in the night after the Founders Day Dance in 1954, and Brit Bennet’s brilliant new book The Vanishing Half…
Allergic to Gluten but looking for something tasty to change up your breakfast menu? Well, I’ve got you covered because for today’s Workshop@Home project, I’ll be showing you how to make yummy, easy-to-make Gluten-free pancakes, courtesy of Instructables. Ingredients List 225g gluten-free flour 250ml milk 2 eggs Mixing bowls Wisk Pam Pan Instructions 1. Pour…
Phil Christman is the author of the new book Midwest Futures – a collection of interconnected essays about the Midwest. The book expands on Christman’s 2017 essay for The Hedgehog Review On Being Midwestern: The Burden of Normality. Both the essay and book start with a dissection of writing cliches about the Midwest as a…
Last week in this space, I considered the difficulty that many of us have been having concentrating on anything these days, including reading. There have been many articles in the book-related emails that come into my box every day. For many of us, reading is just something that we do—eat, sleep, play, work and read.…
During times of national crisis, we often look to our leaders for guidance and reassurance. Perhaps that is why, during these uncertain times, I was compelled to read two recently-published books about wartime leaders who, though very different in personality and upbringing, were both cognizant of their responsibility to the people they represented, and extremely…
It’s time once again for another installment of my Workshop@Home series, where I provide inspiration and instructions for all your crafting needs! It’s been a bit grey out recently (at least it has been when I was typing this) so I thought I’d brighten things up with this cute craft idea for mini fabric lamps…
Part our job as Bookies at Cook Library is to read books—even while we’re quarantined and working from home. Early on in the quarantine, we Bookies (professional readers all!) found it difficult to concentrate on much of anything, and apparently we weren’t alone. In fact, I’ve read several articles about why some of us are…
Erica’s Pick of the Week is a hopeful, heartfelt story about the power of creativity and connection.
