Having recently completed a wonderful writing retreat offered through the Chippewa Valley Writer’s Guild, I feel inclined to share my experience and some writing tips with our library blog readers. First, about the experience. (Pst, skip ahead if you’d like to get to the tips.) The writing retreat, run by BJ Hollars and the Chippewa […]
Graphic novels and their predecessors, comic books, have had a grueling battle over the years to prove their value in literature. Comic books were the ‘video games’ of their day, unwittingly accused of “rotting the brain” and inspiring “violence in youth.” They are, even to this day, often considered inferior to their textual counterparts. If […]
Earth Day! If you’re reading this, then it has already passed as it was on Sunday, April 22nd, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still contribute! The environment doesn’t need just one day a year of attention. It needs every day. So, what is it? Some may wonder what Earth Day is. Others might even […]
We’ve all played some kind of tabletop game in our lives. Whether it’s playing cards, traditional board games, or the geekier side like heavy strategy games, trading card games or pen and paper role playing. As a matter of fact, the tabletop gaming industry is growing every year. ICv2 reported a value of what they […]
I frequently find myself discussing the latest and greatest movie titles with family, friends, and coworkers. Often I will find someone mentioning the terrible ratings a movie received, and more often than not I will have had no idea. Except of course for the blockbusters that have reviews circulating like the latest British royalty gossip. You […]
I had an interesting conversation with a coworker recently. One of those conversations we library-type folks tend to have about nerdy, booky things. I told him that I discovered a new subgenre of Fantasy I was excited about. He responded by saying that making new genres was annoying to him. I was a little shocked […]
Discin’, frolfin’, chuckin’ some plastic. Whatever you might call this popular disc flinging sport at your local disc golf course, it’s an amazing summer activity that’s relatively low cost and provides you with a little physical activity and some fresh air. If you haven’t tried this sport out yet, or are skeptical about it in […]
Sculpting has always been an area of curiosity for me, but I never had the patience, tools, or mentor necessary to get me going. I remember doing one project in sixth grade with some clay, but even that was not quite what I was looking for. Or, at least, I can’t remember a single thing […]
One of my most defining moments of self realization in my life was when one of my favorite professors, Rob Reid, called me a fantasy snob. I was torn between taking the comment as an insult or accepting it as a badge of honor. From Rob Reid, if you know him, it’s not always so […]
Ever since I first heard of the concept in the early 2000s from a Popular Science article, I have been fascinated with the concept of 3D printing. It’s no surprise then that I leapt at my first opportunity to purchase an affordable printer as soon as they were marketed for consumer use. I have an […]
