Storiarts scrolled across our feed one day and caught our interest. Their photographs display works of literature turned into everyday items. As avid book readers, this is a win-win! Big fans of wearing what we like as shirts. and can you imagine quotes from Jane Austen, Poe, Alice in Wonderland, Mary Shelley, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Maya Angelou? One of the main things that also impressed us about the company is their devotion to literature. They work with an organization – LitWorld – to spread the love of reading and writing to children. Part of every purchase is donated to LitWorld. “LitWorld is a non-profit organization dedicated to on-the-ground innovative solutions to tackling illiteracy worldwide. Based in 28 countries, LitWorld created three programs that stand today as the organization’s core models: LitClubs, LitCamps, and World Read Aloud Day. Storiarts shares their vision to strengthen children and communities through the power of their own stories…
On a bright, sunny day in July, a long reigning queen and an 100 year old gentleman met for a very happy occasion. Captain Tom Moore, a 100 year old WWII veteran, is a true inspiration to the world. He pledged to walk 100 laps around his garden to raise 1,000 BP for the National Health Service (NHS) with expenses as the coranavirus raged across the United Kingdom. He ended up raising more than 32,000,000 BP which translates to $40 M+ in American dollars. A remarkable and dedicated feat for a man and his walker to do. We wrote about his efforts in an earlier post because his story brought us such joy. “I am absolutely overawed,” he said, “This is such a high award and to get it from Her Majesty as well – what more can anyone wish for? This has been an absolutely magnificent day for me.”…
Ever experience the phenomenon where a movie or tv show gets savaged by critics and Youtubers, but you really like it? Where reviewers pick apart plots, performances, timelines, and well really everything about a show? That would give you “Space Force” co-created by Greg Daniels and Steve Carrell who brought us the American version of “The Office”. We thought it was hysterical. Of course, I laugh at Carrell’s expression on award shows. He can be subtle and say so much with a look. In “Space Force” he finds himself in the middle of ridiculous situations and has to play them off like they can be saved. He’s the cheerleading captain for a team which constantly crashes into themselves or the ground yet keep trying. https://youtu.be/l4mY2asIjWk The amount of talent in the cast is amazing: Steve Carrell, Lisa Kudrow, John Malkovich, Jimmy O. Yang, Fred Willard, and more. It’s funny to…
Off of highway 78 not far from Stone Mountain Park in Georgia, you’ll find a wonderful place for orphaned animals as well ones who cannot be released into the wild. Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary sits along the Yellow River and was once know as the Yellow River Game Ranch from 1962 – 2013. Col. Art Rilling opened the YRGR to give injured and orphaned animals a home and to offer people a chance to interact with deer, goats, rabbits, and more. He sold the ranch to employees in 2013. They ran it until they eventually closed their doors. Along came the Ordway family who have a passion for animals and worked to turn the ranch into a sanctuary as well as a means to educate the public about the residents. The sanctuary kept some of the former animals and added new ones. Tom, Jack, and I visited the venue earlier…
Robert Frost wrote a poem “Mending Wall” in 1914 as part of an anthology of poems, North of Boston. I recently wrote about a public art organization in Richmond called Mending Walls RVA. Mending Walls’ mission is to bring together artists from different cultures and backgrounds to create murals to inspire healing and connection within communities. I discovered them through their collaboration with the Poe Museum. Their name was inspired by the Frost poem about two neighbors who meet every year in a pastoral setting to repair the wall between their properties. Mending Walls RVA takes inspiration in the narrator of the poem posing the question of what life could be like if we did tear down walls between us. This is a simplified statement of what these words mean to them, and I would encourage you to visit their site to learn more about how they interpret the words…
El Orfanato or The Orphanage is a 2007 Spanish film we found one night on Netflix. Listed under “Horror” it is really more of a supernatural ghost story. Both suspenseful and sad and worth watching. The story centers around a young girl, Laura, who lived in an orphanage until one day she is adopted. Leaving the staff and other children behind, she won’t return for 30 years. The film opens with this flashback, and then the story moves to her and her family’s return. Poe in Wonderland is about sharing what we like and it may not always be something happening in the present. We find things all the time that may have been well known to others but new to us. So, a book or movie review on our site is not necessarily going to be a movie that is either upcoming or in theatres now. And, that is…
The boys and I went to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for a quick day trip. It’s only about two hours from Atlanta so easy to drive to and back home. I was dying to go walk the Walnut Street Bridge since it’s one of my favorites and I knew there probably wouldn’t be a lot of people so maintaining social distance wouldn’t be as difficult; timed it the Monday after a holiday weekend. The bridge is usually crowded, but with the pandemic, much less. When we arrived, there were probably 20 people on it and everyone was good about masks and keeping their distances. The view even on an overcast summer day was beautiful. Strange not to see all of the power boats, however, it was enjoyable to see the paddle boaters, kayakers, and few small fishing boats. This time in the world has certainly changed things. You’d normally see a lot…
Happy Birthday to Alice in Wonderland! A day late but nonetheless. Wishing Happy Birthday to the story that began July 4, 1862, on a boating trip with Charles Dodgson and the Liddell sisters. A very merry unbirthday to all of you! https://youtu.be/RdsZT7WKjW8
When we opened our email announcing the reopening of Richmond’s Poe Museum, we learned about a new initiative growing in the city. Mending Walls is a public art project seeking to spark conversation and healing in communities and let the world know that Black Lives Matter. We hope you’ll look them up, and if you have a business, consider allowing them to share their art on your walls. The information below is pulled directly from their website and the Poe Museum’s post. Photo Credit: Mending Walls The Mission Mending Walls is a public art project that brings together public artists from different cultures and backgrounds to create murals that address where we are now in society and how we can move forward through understanding and collaboration. Mending Walls pairs up artists of different backgrounds to create unique connections and give them an opportunity to tell their story collaboratively in an…