Category Archives: history
“Find Sunshine Among Shadows”
Last October, I received the Loft Literary Center’s Mirrors and Windows Fellowship, which is named for Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s crucial essay, “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors” (1990), which discusses the lack of diversity in books. The program, mentors … Continue reading
“We have no inheritance of political buncombe”
Women’s suffrage in the United States begins with a series of loses. From 1777 through 1807, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and eventually throughout the United States, lost the right to vote. For over a century afterward, activists worked to … Continue reading
“Seldom, very seldom does complete truth belong to any human disclosure”
Jane Austen’s (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817)) fourth novel (after Sense and Sensibility in 1811, Pride and Prejudice in 1813, and Mansfield Park in 1814) Emma was published on December 23, 1815. Austen wrote Emma from January 21, … Continue reading
Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears
The cluster of islands, including what would become known as Ellis Island, were known to the Algonquin as “Oyster Islands.” Ellis Island was know as “Little Oyster Island,” despite being the second largest. Though probably not used for permanent settlement, … Continue reading
“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”
Two men became rulers 121 years apart on September 30. The first was King Henry IV of England (April 1367-March 20, 1413), known as Henry Bolingbroke, in 1399. His parents were John of Gaunt, the third surviving son of King … Continue reading
Selena M Moon 