Joyce Carol Oates, born June 16, 1938 in Lockport, NY, is an incredibly prolific author who's also versatile in different formats—novels, short stories, essays, plays and memoirs. Having written a hundred books, Oates has covered a wide range of topics, from boxing, starlets and rebellious teenage girls to serial killers, gothic horror tales and dysfunctional…
Happy Birthday, Maurice Sendak!
When I was seven years old, the first book I bought with my hard-earned allowance was none other than Where the Wild Things Are. It still holds the same appeal now as when I first read it. Not only is it a picture book, but it was an opera, a movie and even became a postage stamp…
Happy 60th Birthday, Michelle Pfeiffer!
Famous for her string of box office hits in various genres throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the talented Michelle Pfeiffer has appeared in over 40 films throughout her career. Born April 29, 1958 in Santa Ana, Calif., Pfeiffer began acting after winning the Miss Orange County pageant at 19. After a bumpy start with Grease…
Celebrating Deaf History Month for Kids
Did you know that Deaf History Month is celebrated from March 13 to April 15? It celebrates Deaf culture and important people connected to Deaf history. As a young girl, I learned about Helen Keller, a deaf and blind woman, as I read through my school library's collection of biographies. Born deaf myself, imagine my…
#TBT: Janis Joplin, Queen of Psychedelic Blues
On the surface, the singers Mavis Staples and Janis Joplin don’t seem to have a lot in common—Janis came from a small segregated Texas town, a rebel who pushed all the boundaries and lived a hardcore rock 'n' roll lifestyle with booze, sex and drugs. Mavis grew up on the South Side of Chicago, heavily…
