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Category: Poetry and Literature

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

An Ode to Autumn by a Writer in the Spring of Her Career

Posted by: Stephen Wesson

Helen Keller had been eagerly writing since she had first gained the ability to do so several years before. Although an illness in her infancy had left her unable to see or hear, an inventive teacher, Annie Sullivan, introduced her to language, and soon she was reading and writing using braille and the assistance of interpreters.

Posted in: Development of the Industrial United States (1877-1914), Poetry and Literature, Women's History

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Banned Books Week: News Coverage of Textbook Burnings During World War I

Posted by: Stephen Wesson

During the last week of September, a number of organizations observe Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the freedom to read. As the Library of Congress is currently commemorating the hundredth anniversary of U.S. involvement in World War I, this is an opportunity to explore a wave of book burnings in American towns that took place during the war.

Posted in: Industrial United States, World Wars and the Great Depression (1914-1945), Poetry and Literature