At ten years old, a bookworm, I had already decided I was going to be Hermione Granger when I grew up.

CONTINUE READING

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

For me, reading and writing have always been a comfort. I write a lot: papers for school classes, of course, and a decent amount of homework assignments, but also journal entries, loud opinions and quiet musings, short jots in bullet journals, lots of outlines in iPhone notes, and my treasured blog posts.

CONTINUE READING

My West Point SLE Experience

at the leadership challenge course, west point sle. photos from west point's flickr.

Dare greatly.

At West Point, the United States Military Academy, cadets must "dare greatly".

At the Summer Leadership Experience (SLE), a week-long program to involve students in life at West Point with physical challenges, academic classes, and motivational and college preparatory seminars, "dare greatly" served as our mantra. We screamed it, every morning, afternoon, and night at formation and meals (and several attempts to sit on auditorium seats in unison while maintaining a straight face and without first adjusting the seat).

CONTINUE READING

In Defense of Libraries: 4 Reasons to Love Public Libraries

Seattle Public Library, photo by Sylvia Yang on Unsplash

In a (now-deleted) article published yesterday, Forbes columnist and economist Panos Mourdoukoutas asserted that Amazon bookstores should replace public libraries to eliminate library taxes. This short-sighted proposal would deprive community residents of a safe space to read, research, think, interact with others, or even escape the elements. So, in defense of libraries, here are four reasons public libraries remain necessary.

CONTINUE READING

5 Reasons to Read The Nowhere Girls

"Silence does not mean yes. No can be thought and felt but never said. It can be screamed silently on the inside."

Girls. We are growing up in a time in which sexism still pervades; a time in which girls regularly face catcalling, slurs, intimidation, threats, and assault; in which even our leaders remain respected despite sexual misconduct and vocalized approval of sexual assault.

CONTINUE READING

50 Books I Want to Read Before 2019

Mid-year, July offers a turning point for many. For students, the month represents the middle of summer, a couple weeks closer to another school year. For those in the workforce, July can promise a vacation or time to reflect. And for us bookworms? July is a time to evaluate reading progress for the year so far and set some goals for the remaining months ahead.

CONTINUE READING