Castor bean (Ricinus communis) One autumn morning in 1978, communist defector and BBC journalist Georgi Markov walked across London’s Waterloo Bridge and stood waiting at a bus stop.  He felt a painful jab in the back of his thigh and turned around in time to see a man pick up an umbrella, mumble an apology,Continue reading

Today’s post is a tribute to Edgar Allan Poe, a master writer whose eerie tales give me the Halloween willies worse than any slasher flick! Like most great writers, Poe enjoyed a good, stiff drink. Here is his favorite cocktail, the Sazerac, as cataloged along with that of 42 other classic American writers in HemingwayContinue reading

Today’s post is coming to you courtesy of Kathy Pories, Senior Editor at Algonquin and Senior Editor of our annual New Stories from the South series (now in its 19th year!). She gets to soak up loads of short stories when making selections for the series and once a month she’ll share a favorite withContinue reading

If you haven’t read Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year, um, what are you waiting for? The book is spirited, funny, and endearing. But don’t just take my word for it! It’s been hailed as “the gold standard” of the first-person account (The New York Times), and declared “hilarious” by People, and aContinue reading