I watched the 1948 movie version of "Oliver Twist." Oliver is an orphan, raised in an English workhouse which, essentially, requires slavery for food and shelter; then Oliver is sold, at about eight years old, to an undertaker as an apprentice, where he is also...
A trip to New England sparked my interest in the writings of Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909). An early feminist, ecologist and architectural preservationist, Jewett wrote about the Maine country people she knew so well. Her best known story—really a novella—“The...
(This reflection by Cornelia on “Life in the Archives” was published in the newsletter of the Coordinating Council for Women in History in August, 2011) I take my favorite place—a chair at the long wooden table that is closest to the tall windows—and wait. ...
This poem was written in 1978, during the time of helping the boat people, by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh (see “resources” for his books) Don’t say that I will depart tomorrow— even today I am still arriving. Look deeply, every second I am arriving to be...
At an interfaith service for peace at a time of war, I heard this beautiful song, which I wanted to share with those of you who visit this website. The song was written by Lloyd Stone in 1934, and is sung to the tune of “Finlandia.” It is from the New Century...