Off The Shelf

It has been much too long since I have posted here, but I finally have something exciting to write about. Last Wednesday, I was choosen to attend the Teen Arts Festival as a representative of my school in the Creative Writing category. It was a day-long event filled with feedback seminars, art-viewing, and workshops for all kinds of artists. In attending the Writing Feedback Seminar, I received great praise for my short story, as well as advise and suggestions about the writing life in general. Attendees were placed in small groups of four to five, and were able to read aloud their writing while others looked on with their own copies. After this session, a friend and I attended a poetry reading, where anyone was welcome to make their way to the podium and read aloud. The rest of the day was spent viewing dance performances, browsing the art exhibits and getting a bite to eat in the cafeteria. Overall, it was a fantastic day, and I hope I get the oppo...

To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee 376 pages I few years ago, I read Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time. Looking back now, I can say that I was too young to fully understand this timeless novel. At that time, I was baffled by words like cynical , amiable , and chiffarobe - words that were key to the story and its meaning. Now, four years later, this book has been given much more meaning for me. And I'd like to share that with you. Introduction To Kill a Mockingbird tells the unforgettable story of a sleepy southern town, in the years post  - Great Depression. It tackles the common issues of growing up, and doing what is right, although that action may not be the easiest. Atticus Finch, and his children see the effects that hatred and bias have on their town first-hand, and through the eyes of young Scout, the reader will experience it too. Characters My favorite character from To Kill a Mockingbird is most certainly Miss Maudie Atkinson, the wido...

  On Friday night, a few friends and I went to see the film adaption of Nicholas Sparks' novel Safe Haven  starring Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel.   The theater was filled mostly with teenage girls, most of whom were clinging to tissues and each other by the time the credits started rolling. Here is my brief introduction to the story from a previous post: After traveling from place to plate for several months, Katie Feldman has finally settled down in Southport, North Carolina, the classic small town where everyone knows everything about everybody. But Katie has a secret, something she has worked to keep hidden since she left Boston. Just when she thinks Southport is not the place for her, Katie meets Alex - a kind, widowed store owner with two young children. As Katie struggles with her private knowledge, and her feelings for Alex, she comes to discover that love is the only true safe haven.   Now here's the thing about reading the book first, ...

Love (n.)- an intense feeling of deep affection The above is Google's definition of the word February 14th is always dedicated too. But what is yours? Many writers, painters, speakers, and common people have tackled the idea of love- what it feels like, what it looks like, how it is created. But not one of these people are ever right. Love is different for each human, and whether your love is for your spouse, for music, for literature, or for your country, everyone has experienced this "feeling of deep affection" at least once in their lifetime. At least, I'd like to hope so. Maybe that is really what Valentine's day is all about. Maybe it's about extending our love. Extending it past the ones we hold dear, but to those we normally don't talk to - the ones we sigh in traffic with, the ones we pass in the hallways, or the ones we mumble to in the grocery check-out line. On this cold and brisk February night, I sit here hoping that you spent your day...

Safe Haven  Nicholas Sparks   340 pages “I've come to believe that in everyone's life, there's one undeniable moment of change, a set of circumstances that suddenly alters everything.”   After traveling from place to plate for several months, Katie Feldman has finally settled down in Southport, North Carolina, the classic small town where everyone knows everything about everybody. But Katie has a secret, something she has worked to keep hidden since she left Boston. Just when she thinks Southport is not the place for her, Katie meets Alex - a kind, widowed store owner with two young children. As Katie struggles with her private knowledge, and her feelings for Alex, she comes to discover that love is the only true safe haven. This was my fourth read by Nicholas Sparks ( A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, The Last Song  ), and out of all four, this is the only one threw which I did not cry. Sparks is known for his emotional endings, but in ...

Skiing is a silent sport. There are no cheering fans, no plays to shout. But when the snow guns are shut off and the wind subdued to a faint whisper, you notice just how tranquil the mountains are; how unscathed.  And as you glide down the slope, spraying white tail feathers behind, you believe there is no place better on the Earth.   I spent the weekend at Sugarbush Mountain Resort in Warren, Vermont, with my family. And each day spent there seemed to improve on the previous. The skies got bluer, the air warmer, and my skiing better. It all really lived up to the mountain's slogan of "Be Better Here.". Although the thermometer at the base never reached past 15 degrees, and the words "Frost bite warning" were scrawled on the chair lift chalkboards, it was a fantastic trip.  I have never been farther south than the Outer Banks (unless you count Disney World, but I don't) so I have never encountered the fabled Southern Hospitality firsthand. Supposedly...

This afternoon I leave for Sugarbush, VT. But, before we make the trek up north, several things have to be done, and they go like this: 1. Pack 2. And pack 3. And pack some more And then... 4. Check to make sure you have everything. 5. Check again. 6. And again. ...And even after all of that, I still manage to forget something. Usually it's nothing too important, or something you can easily buy at that general store around the corner, but still, you forgot something. To be completely honest, I hate packing. I love the feeling of it, because I know I'm headed someplace great. But I never know how much of something to bring, I can never fit stuff in the bag properly, and, a common failing I believe, is that I can't make desicions. The red shirt or the black one? Small purse or big purse? Jeans or sweatpants? It's terrible. It has been way too long since I have posted any sort of book review (since Let It Snow I believe). I am currently reading Safe...