Holidays! Food! Solitude?
Posted on December 02, 2022
During the US holiday season, some of us are planning special meals or big parties, while others can't wait for some quiet time. Here are readings to fit each of these moods:
Holiday shopping? 12 global children's books for history buffs
Posted on November 14, 2022
What's a young history buff to do? In the magazine Words Without Borders, literary translator Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp explains the dilemma:
10 Global Tales of the Uncanny
Posted on October 18, 2022
Looking for something unusual to introduce to students this Halloween? How about a no-face ghost, a grandmother-golem, or a murderous pack of zombies? Below, you'll find stories and poems featuring the ghosts of Japan, the all-too-real human monsters of Stalin-era Russia, and many other uncanny characters.
"Proud to be a Woman:" Meet Caribbean Poet Suzanne Dracius
Posted on October 09, 2022
In a video interview with WWB, Suzanne Dracius explains that her poem "Women's Fantasies" came out of some frustration with traditional depictions of women's identities and experiences of love:
"We just are who we are": A Puerto Rican story of identity, plus an author video!
Posted on October 03, 2022
Set among Puerto Rican teens dealing with friendships, bullying, and gender identity, Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro's short story "Bruises" offers an unflinching, yet deeply sympathetic, look at growing up. The story is available bilingually, making it especially relevant to Latino and Hispanic Heritage Month, and Lawrence Schimel's translation preserves some of the original Spanish.
Pizarro's protagonist, Elena, is an unforgettable character equally capable of dreaming about her classmate Johana, taking part in a beat-down of a boy, and obsessing over her burgeoning chin-hairs. In a pivotal scene, the boy Elena once bullied offers her some timely advice: