Quotations By Franklin D. Roosevelt

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”

“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”

“Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.”

Grading Is Done!

(Photo by rovenimages.com on Pexels.com)

Yay! I finally finished grading for the second summer session classes I taught at the Muhlenberg College School of Continuing Education in Allentown, PA. I had two courses in the second summer session: Literature and Film and Renaissance Plays In Process, and both courses had a full enrollment.

I had a wonderful time teaching these classes, and of course, I had much to grade at the end. That leads to a question–who is the person who assigns these papers anyway? Hmmm . . .

And now it is time to finish syllabi for the Fall semester which begins in one week!

And I can also return to writing. I had to take a few days off to complete my schoolwork.

Quotations On The Knowledge Of History

4/11/02 Michael Crichton ’64, HMS ’69 speaks on “The Media and Medicine” at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA on Thursday, April 11, 2002. staff photo by Jon Chase/Harvard University News Office

“If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree. ”

Michael Crichton

(https://en.wikipedia.org)

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”

Carl Sagan

(https://en.wikiquote.org)

“Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

George Santayana

“We should and must judge our leaders by their knowledge of history.”

Charles F. French

August Self-Promotion Party!

green trees under blue and orange sky during sunset

(Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com)

Hello to all the writers out there and reading this blog!

It is well into the month of August, so it is time for a shameless self-promotion party, so please do not be shy about your work.

Writers need to be their own best publicists, and we should also help each other!

Let the world know about your book(s)!

Shout to the world about your writing!

Tell us about your book(s), and leave an image and a link if you can.

In order for as many people to see your work as possible, please Tweet, and reblog this post!

Please remember to be proud of your work!

Here is my shameless self-promotion: my latest book can help writers who have issues with finishing first drafts of their books. If that is you, I offer direct, practical advice on how to Get The Draft Done! Helping Writers Finish Their First Draft by Charles F. French.

GetthedraftdonepossEbookcover!-page-001

Get The Draft Done! is available here: Amazon.com

Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.

Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.

An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.

Please follow the following links to find my novel:

ebook

Print book

Thank you!

The book trailer:

Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I

My radio interview:

interview

Available on Amazon

Available on Amazon

Through The Nethergate by Roberta Eaton Cheadle — A Review

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I am very happy to write this review of an excellent novel I have just finished reading!

Through The Nethergate by Roberta Eaton Cheadle is a wonderful YA novel that will be appreciated by readers of all ages! Cheadle does an excellent job of weaving true historical characters into her tale that pits a teenaged girl, along with her Grandfather, and a few other helpers, against the very forces of Hell itself.

I deeply appreciated the way Cheadle was able to tell the historical tales and intertwine them into the main plot. Cheadle makes this book about history and its connection to our times.

Her development of characters is very strong, and the reader will care what happens to Margaret, the young protagonist of this novel. Margaret is a very special young lady who along, with a supernatural ability, shows empathy and courage as she faces terrible horrors. She witnesses the terrible actions of people in the past as well as seeing what can happen today. Margaret asks, “Do you think the world will ever change? I mean, do you think humanity will ever learn from its past mistakes and be able to turn away from greed, corruption, and jealousy?” That is a truly important question.

Cheadle has written a true page-turner, a tale of ghosts and horror, and a book that confronts current and past evil. I recommend this novel highly!

Returning to Dining With Authors

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(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Renaissance_theatre)

The drawing of the Swan Theatre (1596)

Hamlet, Doctor Faustus, The Tempest, and Edward the Second are just a few of the plays produced by the two greatest playwrights of the Renaissance: William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. Born in the same year–1564, they were the two premier writers of their age and arguably among the most important of any era. These are writers who have informed both my studies and entranced my imagination. At Muhlenberg College, I teach Renaissance drama courses and Shakespeare . This summer I am teaching a course called Renaissance Plays In Process, in which we look at several plays and the circumstances surrounding them in the Renaissance as well as how they might be produced today. Whenever I can, I love teaching about these playwrights.

shakespeare-67698_960_720

https://pixabay.com

Christopher Marlowe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Marlowe

I would love to have the opportunity through a magic time machine to sit down and have a conversation with these two giants of the theater. I would invite both writers to spend an afternoon or evening at a pub–English of course–and over beer and food discuss many topics with them. I am sure that sometimes I would simply listen to them.

I would love to hear what they said about their work and how they felt about each other. I would love to learn from them the specifics of the way their plays were staged. I would ask Marlowe about his mysterious work for the Queen of England. Was he a spy? I do not know if he would answer, but I would still have to ask.

I would ask Shakespeare about the canon of his plays. Were there plays he wrote that are currently lost? If so, what are they? And I have often wondered if he ever considered writing a tragedy about King Arthur.

I also wonder how the two great writers would behave together. Would this be a polite conversation, a deep discussion of theatrical issues, or a wild and fiery debate or argument among bitter rivals?

I wish I could speak with them.

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https://pixabay.com

If you could speak with 2 or 3 authors, no matter living or dead, who would they be? Where would you like to have the meeting?

Books That Are Needed Now

Some books speak to a specific time, and some reach across eras with their messages. Some include a message for a definite audience, while others span a more general readership. And some times call out for certain books to be read.

Books are one form of the Media, which must remain free if freedom itself is to survive. Given the turmoil of our present time, I am suggesting these books as crucial reading for today’s world:

1984

by

George Orwell

1984

(https://commons.wikimedia.org)

Night

by

Elie Wiesel

wiesel-elie

(http://night2011.wikispaces.com)

It Can’t Happen Here

by

Sinclair Lewis

itcanthappenhere

(https://en.wikipedia.org)

I have offered three books I consider to be essential for our times.

What books or books do you think are needed now?

Shakespeare on Wisdom

(Photo by Mike on Pexels.com)

“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”

As You Like It

“ And seeing ignorance is the curse of God, Knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to heaven”

Henry VI, Part 2

“There is no darkness but ignorance”

Twelfth Night

Quotations By Isaac Asimov

(https://en.wikipedia.org)

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”

“The easiest way to solve a problem is to deny it exists.”

May Poetry Retreat 2020 With Poet Robert Fillman Leading A Workshop

Hello everyone: My good friend and extraordinary poet, Robert Fillman will lead a workshop in an online Poetry Retreat. This will be a wonderful opportunity to work on your poetry.

This is being called “May Poetry Retreat” which is rescheduled from an earlier planned retreat.

Poetry Retreat flyer for august 2020 rescheduling v2

Here’s the info:

May Poetry Retreat 2020 is a single-day retreat through Zoom. Poets can spend the day generating new material, sharing their work, and talking with other poets. Opt for any (or all) of three creative writing workshops, sign up for a spot at one of our two Zoom readings, or spend some quiet time writing. We’ll also provide Zoom breakout rooms throughout the day for small group discussion on the side as preferred. Poets of all experience levels welcome.

When: Saturday, Aug 1, 9am – 3pm

Cost: $15

To Register: Email kingswritingconference@gmail.com

Hope to see you there!

Please remember to check out Robert Fillman’s excellent book of poetry:

Available here: