Every reader has a starting point, or a constellation of them. Who read or sang to you? What did you first read to yourself? It can be illuminating to look at our earliest texts and consider where we found them and what they gave us. Dr. Gary Draper is a retired English Professor (St. Jerome’s University) ... Read more
Sometimes the world can be too much with us and we need to step out of our lives and into a book that takes us far from the world we must inhabit. Mystery, adventure, and imaginary worlds so different from our own can be just a bookshelf away. Dr. Gary Draper is a retired English Professor ... Read more
All books change us in some way, some more than others. We can learn more about ourselves and about the world we live in through reading. Leaving our comfort zone can be challenging or energizing or enlightening. Sometimes it’s all three at once. Dr. Gary Draper is a retired English Professor (St. Jerome’s University) with a ... Read more
The novel has a long history and enduring appeal. What are some of the reasons for its continuing popularity? And what about short stories? In this Age of Distraction, shorter forms of fiction can offer outsize rewards, without demanding an extended time commitment in return. Dr. Gary Draper is a retired English Professor (St. Jerome’s University) ... Read more
Does anybody read poetry anymore? If not, why not? More importantly, if so, why? Many of us leave poetry behind when we leave school. It can be revealing to come back to poetry not to exercise our critical skills but just for the joy of language. Dr. Gary Draper is a retired English Professor (St. ... Read more