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Spring comes to Winesburg, Ohio.
“In the spring when the rains have passed and before the long hot days of summer have come, the country about Winesburg is delightful. The town lies in the midst of open fields, but beyond the fields are pleasant patches of woodlands. In the wooded places are many little cloistered nooks, quiet places where…
Read MoreNewton Minow, John Bartlow Martin, and the “Vast Wasteland.”
On this date—May 9—in 1961, Newton Minow, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, issued his famous description of television as “a vast wasteland.” It turns out that the famous words were the edited version of a phrase created by journalist and JFK speechwriter John Bartlow Martin, a Hamilton, Ohio native who spent most of his…
Read MoreAlbion Tourgee: Born May 2, 1838.
Albion Tourgee was born on this date—May 2—in 1838 in Williamsfield, Ohio, located in Ashtabula County. He became known in his lifetime not only as a novelist, but also as a judge, lawyer, soldier, and diplomat. He was educated at Kingsville Academy in Ohio and the University of Rochester in New York. When the Civil…
Read MoreRobert Penn Warren: Born April 24, 1905.
The distinguished novelist, poet, critic and man of letters Robert Penn Warren, best known to many readers for his novel All The King’s Men, was born on this date in 1905 in Guthrie, Kentucky. Robert Penn Warren is the only writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for both fiction and poetry. He was also the…
Read MoreCelebrating National Poetry Month: Rita Dove.
This blog is certainly a work in progress. Next year I hope to get a jump on National Poetry Month and get information on regional events lined up ahead of April 2015. So since the month is winding down, I’ve decided to write some posts on various poets from the region. Today’s featured poet is…
Read MoreLloyd C. Douglas: Novelist and Minister.
When I look back on memories of Easter through the years, I often recall the smorgasbord of religious movies that are a constant on Easter Sunday: King of Kings, Ben-Hur, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and Quo Vadis, to name just a few. Another film is The Robe, which I saw once again on Christmas…
Read MoreApril 19, 1861: Ambrose Bierce enlists in the Indiana Volunteers.
On this day in 1861, author Ambrose Bierce became the second man in Elkhart County, Indiana to enlist for service in the Union volunteers after President Lincoln’s call for troops following the attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Bierce, who was born in Meigs County, Ohio, was working in a local business that was a…
Read MoreNow the Tax Man Cometh
“Houseless: adj., Having paid all taxes on household goods.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary. (In the United States, all state and federal taxes are due on the 15th of April). Patrick Kerin
Read MoreCongratulations to Vijay Seshadri!
Congratulations to Vijay Seshadri, winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his book 3 Sections: Poems. Seshadri was born in Bangalore, Indiana and came to the United States with his family when he was five years old. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where his father was a chemistry professor at Ohio State…
Read MoreNational Poetry Month Events in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Dayton.
Here is some information about some events for National Poetry Month in the state of Ohio. I will also seek out some information on events in other states covered by buckeyemuse. The main library of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has readings every week during April. There are usually one to several…
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