Just a little quickie today, a few links to make you say “hmm.”
- Something to watch for during Banned Books Week (Sept. 30 – Oct. 6).
Fiction writer and editor Corey Michael Dalton will be building a “prison” out of banned books and then living inside them. The project will be at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dalton’s motive for the project is to protest the way Vonnegut’s book Slaughterhouse-Five was treated by a Midwestern school district which first banned it completely and now requires parental permission for the book to be borrowed. - Have you ever heard of the Jardin de la Connaissance in Quebec, Canada? I hadn’t either. It is a garden of decaying books – intentional – designed to slowly rot and become part of the forest in which they sit. There are critters inhabiting the books, mushrooms growing from some of them, and the designers just introduced moss hoping it will find the books hospitable and help speed up the decaying process. Check it out, there are pictures.
- Have you ever thought about writing a Wikipedia article? I’ve thought about it but never got beyond that because, what would I write it about? Well, apparently it isn’t as hard to do as I imagined. How to Write a Wikipedia Article (it’s easy) has gotten me thinking about it. There is probably much that can be written about that falls into the realm of books. Now to find the time to to figure out some topics, do the research, and write (or contribute to) the article.
Off to do some reading and relaxing. We had a library outreach table at an incoming student event today and I’m all worn out from being friendly and social. You know how it goes. I need quiet and calm to recover my balance.
Thanks for the write for Wikipedia link. That’s a good assignment and I would like to try. The topic will be your blog.
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Richard, ha! you crack me up! 😀
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I haven’t heard of the Jardin de la Connaissance either – sounds very intriguing!
Great post, thanks for sharing 🙂
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dianne, it is an intriguing thing for sure! Glad you enjoyed the links!
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Reblogged this on Plots and Playgrounds and commented:
From a prison built from banned books to a garden growing from rotten books…this is an interesting read!
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Plots, thanks!
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Yes, I have written many Wikipedia articles … from around 2007 to 2009. Lately though I’ve been just doing the odd editing. It’s no coincidence that my article writing stopped pretty much in 2009. Guess when I started blogging? Yep. May 2009. I feel a bit guilty because there’s lots of write, but I did get a few good (I think) articles written on Aussie literature topics and am proud of that.
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Shocked at treatment of Vonnegut’s novel. I’m pretty sure that traditions of free speech are strong enough to survive this sort of thing in the USA – but obviously a worrying trend.
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Ian, you’d be shocked at how many attempts are made at banning particular books in U.S. school districts and even public libraries. That’s why libraries here have a Banned Books Week every year in order to raise awareness about attempts at censorship.
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Whisperinggums, I was thinking of you when I read the article and was writing about it since I know you are a Wikipedian! Funny how blogging put the brakes on your work there. I suppose there are only so many hours in a day. I use Wikipedia so often I really would like to make a contribution I just have to find a topic that sparks my interest that hasn’t been written on or that needs building up!
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That’s it. Not enough hours in the day! Wikipedia does have lists of topics waiting … But it can be a lot to read through. It was easy for me when I started because Aus Lit was very poorly covered. It was a no-brainer. And I had just taken early retirement so i’d go off to the National Library and research. It was fun … And I still enjoy a bit of editing, but it’s not quite the same.
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Oh there is a list somewhere of waiting topics? Does one have to login somewhere to see it? It might be a slog to look through but could perhaps provide some inspiration. That is, when those extra hours in the day turn up!
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Yes there is and I think it’s open to all. In the left sidebar of Wikipedia is a link to Community Portal. Click that and the left column is headed Help or some such. There are lots of headings for ways big and small that you can help. In the second block down the page is Requested Articles. Click on that and you can navigate through categories of articles needed eventually finding, for example, Literature and Books. Click on those and every heading in red is an article waiting. If there’s a blue heading it means the article is on its way and should have been removed. There are TONS of articles waiting in all sorts of subjects. Or, think up your own! And see if it’s covered.
If you can’t see the Community Portal I guess you’ll need to sign in/get a wiki account which is easy.
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Whisoeringgums, thanks! I never noticed that community portal link before and goodness, there are quite a lot of items on the literature and books lists! I’ll have to do some looking through them over my upcoming long holiday weekend. 🙂
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It’s amazing what you don’t see when you’re not looking for it, eh? I do it all the time. Anyhow, if you need any help at anytime, let me know. Wikipedians are usually friendless but occasionally you’ll come across a fierce one who forgets what it was like to be new to it.
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I actually started a wiki article once. I read a book by Farley Mowat about a certain northern tribe of natives called the Ihalmiut and when I looked up more info on the internet about them, couldn’t find any! So I wrote in what I knew from the book. Since then a lot of people have added to/amended my article with more accurate information, but you can still find a few of the original sentences I wrote!
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Jeane, that is really cool!
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I liked the garden pictures, although my heart did get a few pains — all those books left out in the rain! No!
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wherethereisjoy, I know, I felt a pang about the decaying books at first too but then I decided it was really cool since they were being returned to the forest so to speak.
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Oh boy, the friendly and social thing – exhausting! Hope you have something nice to read to recover with afterwards. And I do keep meaning to write a wikipedia entry but never getting around to it. Thank you for the link, which will prove most useful!
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Litlove, there is always something goo to read! 😀 If you do write that Wikipedia article let us all know!
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Thanks for the links. The Canadian garden is so weird! As for the wikipedia thing, I might try it one day, good to know.
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Smithereens, you bet! The garden is weird but in a good way I think. And enjoy wiki writing should you decide to give it a try!
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The Jardin de Connaissance is both weird and cool at the same time–must bookmark that one. And is banned books week already coming up? So many bookish things to keep track of (in a good way that is). I missed out working my library’s welcome week table–which I usually do. Socializing does take up a little extra energy–and now the fall semester is well under way–and the library nice and busy–yours, too?
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Danielle, I feel the same way about the garden. Yup, Banned Books Week always sneaks up on me. You missed your library’s welcome table for a good reason, San Francisco needed you more this year 🙂 My library is wonderfully busy again, so nice to have students back!
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Wonderful links…thanks so much for sharing.
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