Blog

Boy is it cold here.  No snow yet but windy and COLD!

Have you ever wanted to create your own television series? Kathryn O'Sullivan and her husband Paul Awad did just that—only they aired their Western soap online. The award-nominated series is called Thurston, and it’s one of many new independent productions in the emerging genre of web television.

 “Thurston” is a Western drama about the residents of a remote mining town and their struggle for survival in the 1880’s Kansas Ozarks. Some residents are fleeing troubled pasts. Others are pursuing dreams. All keep carefully guarded secrets. As outside forces move in, the residents must decide who amongst them is friend and who is foe as they fight to save their lives and the place they now call home. “Thurston” seeks to retell the American story of the West and its peoples for the new frontier of online television.

You can catch up with season one on their web site or on vimeo. 

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment. As part of this program, the NEA produced several half-hour audio documentaries.

• Housekeeping

  Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping audio guide features Susan Balée, Annette Bening, Dana Gioia, Pico Iyer, Bret Lott, Aimee Mann, Marilynne Robinson, and Jim White. This program features exceprts from the book Housekeeping, copyright Marilynne Robinson 1980. The complete, unabridged audio book of Housekeeping is available from Macmillan Audio.

• Love Medicine

  Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine audio guide is narrated by Josephine Reed and features Irene Bedard, Kimberly Blaeser, Louise Erdrich, Tony Fitzpatrick, Amy Tan, Anton Treuer, and Laura Waterman Wittstock.

• The Shawl

  The Shawl radio show features Peter Black, Dana Gioia, Anne Fadiman, Marion Ross, Diane Thiel, Elie Wiesel, Ruth Wisse, and author Cynthia Ozick.

• The Things They Carried

  The Things They Carried radio show features Andrew Carroll, Lan Samantha Chang, Richard Currey, Max Paul Friedman, David Kipen, Alice McDermott, E. Ethelbert Miller, Craig Mullaney, Tim O'Brien and Bradley Whitford.

• The Poetry of Emily Dickinson

  The Poetry of Emily Dickinson radio show features a program written and narrated by John Barr with poetry readings by Mary Jo Salter. All poems cited are from The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Reading Edition, edited by R. W. Franklin (Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1998, 1999 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College.) Copyright 1951, 1955, 1979, 1983 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College.

• In the Time of the Butterflies

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies. This episode features Neko Case, Edwidge Danticat, Junot Diaz, Max Paul Friedman, Ana Menendez, and Ilan Stavans, with readings by Adriana Sananes.

• The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich. This episode features Martin Amis, Susan Bal�e, James H. Billington, Dana Gioia, Olga Grushin, Alfred Molina, N. Scott Momaday, Dr. Sherwin B. Nuland, Cynthia Ozick and Jay Parini.

• Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima. This episode features the author himself along with Charles Carrillo, Dana Gioia, Tony Hillerman, Margarite Fern�ndez Olmos, Ishmael Reed, Diane Thiel, Maclovia B. Sanchez de Zamora, and readings from the novel by actor Cheech Marin.

• Sun, Stone, and Shadows - Part Two

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about the short story "Chac-Mool" by Carlos Fuentes, read by the author and narrated by Dana Gioia. This is part two of a two-part podcast featuring stories from Sun, Stone, and Shadows: 20 Great Mexican Short Stories, a volume published especially for The Big Read.

• Sun, Stone, and Shadows - Part One

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about the short story "My Life with the Wave" by Octavio Paz, read by Tony Plana and narrated by Dana Gioia. This is part one of a two-part podcast featuring stories from Sun, Stone, and Shadows: 20 Great Mexican Short Stories, a volume published especially for The Big Read.

• The Poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about the poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This episode features Dana Gioia, Martin Goldsmith, Bill O'Brien, Deirdre Levinson and Josephine Reed.

• The Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about The Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. This episode focuses on The Fall of the House of Usher and features Louis Bayard, Eavan Boland, Sam Elliott, Dana Gioia, Daniel Handler, Daniel Hoffman, Charles Keating, Laura Lippman, Camille Paglia, Stanley Plumly, Marian Seldes, Richard Wilbur and Arthur Yorinks.

• Washington Square by Henry James

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Washington Square by Henry James. This episode features Dana Gioia, Olivia de Havilland, Colin Meloy, Cynthia Ozick, Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Colm Toibin, Gore Vidal, and readings from the novel by Annette Bening.

• The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Thornton Wilder's The Bridge of San Luis Rey, featuring Russell Banks, Maureen Fiedler, Q'orianka Kilcher, J. D. McClatchy, Penelope Niven, Josephine Reed, Marian Seldes, Sam Waterston, Tappan Wilder, and historical footage of Thornton Wilder himself reading from the novel.

• The Poetry of Robinson Jeffers

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about the poetry of Robinson Jeffers, featuring Dana Gioia and radio host and producer Robert Aubry Davis reading select poems.

• The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Naguib Mahfouz's The Thief and the Dogs featuring Trevor Le Gassick, Gamal al-Ghitani, Dana Gioia, Nadine Gordimer, Tara McKelvey, Adrian McKinty, Mohamed Salmawy and Raymond Stock.

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby featuring Matthew J. Bruccoli, Maureen Corrigan, Dana Gioia, Andrew Sean Greer, Gish Jen, Robert Redford and Sam Waterston.

• Old School by Tobias Wolff

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Tobias Wolff's Old School featuring T.C. Boyle, David Dougherty, Dana Gioia, Jackson Hille, Jonathan Lethem, Lorrie Moore, Zach Rogue, Curtis Sittenfeld, and Tobias Wolff.

• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea, featuring Orson Scott Card, Michael Chabon, Michael Dirda, Pico Iyer, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kelly Link, Walter Mosley, KenYatta Rogers and R.L. Stine.

• A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, featuring Susan F. Beegel, Matthew J. Bruccoli, Andrew Carroll, David Ives, Stephen Lang, Bobbie Ann Mason, Alice McDermott, Ken Panda and Tobias Wolff.

• A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Ernest Gaines's A Lesson Before Dying, featuring Burl Cain, Ruby Dee, Ernest Gaines, Ash Green, Romulus Linney, Sister Helen Prejean, Ken Yatta Rogers and Cicely Tyson.

• The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, featuring Louis Auchincloss, Jay Cocks, Stephanie Copeland, David Ives, Alfred Molina, P. J. O'Rourke, Elizabeth Spencer, and Amy Tan.

• The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, featuring Matthew J. Bruccoli, Maureen Corrigan, Joe Gores, Diane Johnson, David Kipen, Adrian McKinty, Walter Mosley, Julie Rivett and Scott Simon.

• The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Carson McCullers's The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. This episode is narrated by Dana Gioia and features Blake Hazard, E. Ethelbert Miller, P.J. O'Rourke, Mary-Louise Parker, Gore Vidal, and Jim White.

• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. This episode is narrated by Dana Gioia and features Ken Burns, Anne Fadiman, Shelley Fisher Fishkin, David Ives, P.J. O'Rourke, Ron Powers, Richard Rodriguez, and readings by Sam Elliott.

• The Call of the Wild by Jack London

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Jack London's The Call of the Wild. This episode is narrated by narrated by Dana Gioia and features Susan Balee, Yvon Chouinard, Sara S. Hodson, Cheri Lucas, Robert Redford, Richard Rodriguez and Kevin Starr.

• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. This episode is narrated by David Kipen and features Ruby Dee, Robert Hemenway, Carla Kaplan, Bret Lott, Azar Nafisi, Jerry Pinkney and Alice Walker.

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. This episode is narrated by Dana Gioia and features David Baker, Robert Duvall, Horton Foote, Charles J. Shields, Curtis Sittenfeld, Elizabeth Spencer, Anne Twomey, and Sandra Day O'Connor.

• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. This episode is narrated by Dana Gioia and features Molly Giles, James McBride, Carolyn See, Charles J. Shields, Amy Tan, John Kuo Wei Tchen, Lijun Wang and Ming-Na.

• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about John Steinbeck's timeless classic, The Grapes of Wrath. This episode is narrated by Dana Gioia and features Ed Harris, Jay Parini, Bill Ramsey, Richard Rodriguez, Susan Shillinglaw, Kevin Starr, Thom Steinbeck, Susan Straight, Rick Wartzman, and the music of Woody Guthrie.

• My Antonia by Willa Cather

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about Willa Cather's novel My Antonia. This episode is narrated by Dana Gioia and features Kurt Andersen, Garrison Keillor, Ted Kooser, Betty Kort, James McBride, Sharon O'Brien, Colin Powell, Kevin Starr, and Antonette Turner.

• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

  The National Endowment for the Arts presents a radio show about the classic Science Fiction novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This episode is narrated by Dana Gioia and features Ray Bradbury, Orson Scott Card, John Crowley, Paquito D'Rivera, Hector Elizondo, Nat Hentoff, Ursula K. Le Guin, Azar Nafisi, Luis Alberto Urrea and Sam Weller.

I like the idea of electronic books because they could be downloaded onto tablets, right? I could not find 'Electronic Book group post in The Little Red Schoolhouse group', so I'm posting here.

I like the idea of electronic books because they could be downloaded onto tablets, right? I could not find 'Electronic Book group post in The Little Red Schoolhouse group', so I'm posting here.