They Didn’t Mention This at Librarian School
For many years, the New York Public Library kept a written collection of the questions patrons asked over the telephone. Some of our favorites...
Fun Nuns on the Run
In the late 1980s, the nuns of the Sisters of the Order of Poor Clare heard that their bishop planned to close their convent,...
Slow Down, Notice, Honor
This week's Write the Book prompt was suggested by Vermont artists Lois Eby and Nadine Budbill, wife and daughter of the late poet David...
This Scroll Tells the Story of the Gods
Is the Macedonian Derveni papyrus the oldest discovered book in Western history? Could be.
Written around 340 BC and discovered in 1962, the roll contains...
Prompt: Unlikely Pairings
In 1961, a letter from T.S. Eliot to Groucho Marx launched a three-year correspondence in which the famed poet and equally groundbreaking comedian exchanged...
Who Were the Denisovans and What’s Up with Their Teeth?
Palaeontologists in Laos have found an ancient molar they believe belonged to a young Denisovan girl. The Denisovans are an enigmatic human species, cousins...
Prompt: Build a Character With Sense
This week's Write the Book prompt was suggested by Melanie Finn, who recommends starting "outside the box" when it comes to building character.
Instead of...
Get a Global Perspective for New Story Ideas
In a post on the BookBaby blog, Michael Gallant says that looking for stories in the global news media can give you some bold...
What Secrets Await in the Family Bible?
In a post on the Newspapers.com Fishwrap blog, Jenny Ashcraft reveals some remarkable finds from family bibles. "Family bibles are a treasure for genealogists...
Who Had the Six-Fingered Hand?
Archaeologists are exploring an ancient site in eastern Turkey with carvings of grimacing men and eight-foot tall penises. The chamber, estimated at 11,000 to...
