Grrrrrrrrrrrr...I love making school visits and I've been fortunate to have several recently. At St. John Neumans Regional Catholic School, I met with students K-8 (not at all at once, thank goodness!).Obviously, I told different stories to different age groups: for the K-2, I focused on the story of how Alexander tamed the wild horse, and of how he "took" the Sogdian Rock in … [Read more...] about On Growling at Kids and Unintentionally Hilarious Letters
Friday Funnies–Ancient Style!
Original spell-check. Satyr speaks... … [Read more...] about Friday Funnies–Ancient Style!
The Darker Side of Greek Myths
When I tour school children through our museum's classical galleries, I tread carefully around some of the uglier aspects of Greek mythology. I might say something like, "Zeus fell in love with Europa and took her to Crete." Or, "Zeus loved Leda and came to her as a swan, etc., etc."In other words, I tiptoe around the fact that the head god of the ancient Greeks was … [Read more...] about The Darker Side of Greek Myths
Friday Funnies–The Hunger Games!
Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games has so many references to the classical world (see my 2010 post here), I don't feel like I'm cheating when I focus this week's Friday Funnies on the amazing blockbuster book/movie. Or, at least, that's what I tell myself. Enjoy!Artemis: "Um....Katniss who?" … [Read more...] about Friday Funnies–The Hunger Games!
A Deleted Scene–And Why My Editor Killed One of My “Darlings”
People often ask me what it was like working with the great Cheryl Klein (delightful!) and how I responded when she suggested I cut or rewrite scenes (jump? How high?). Yet Cheryl encouraged me to stand my ground if I felt strongly about something. But claiming that you want to keep a scene just because you "liiiiiiiked it," wasn't good enough. Let me give you an example. … [Read more...] about A Deleted Scene–And Why My Editor Killed One of My “Darlings”
