Bio:
Maria Vicente is an Associate Agent at P.S. Literary Agency. She is also the Wicked Witch of the East Coast.
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/MsMariaVicente
Website:
http://www.mariavicente.com
Summer makes bad songs sound good. There's no better time of the year to blare Top 40 music as loud as possible and sing about how awesome life is. There are some songs that re-surface every year throughout the summer months and, for some reason, they are universally loved.
With Canada Day coming up on July 1st, I'd like to say a few words of thanks to important Canadian icons. These Canadians make me proud to be a Canadian myself - in the quirkiest of ways.
The thing about stories is that they make room for the weird and (almost) impossible. We've met characters who push our imaginations to the limit and show us all the amazing things they can do. Towns are like that too. Fictional settings can be a little strange and "off." While they make look normal on the surface, there's usually something odd hiding underneath. Here are six fictional towns that re-define what it means to be weird.
If you’re tired of reading black ink on a white page, or black pixels on a white screen, take a break and watch one of Quirk’s recommended movies for book lovers. We all need a break sometimes, but a break doesn’t mean you have to abandon your precious books.
Image via Flickr
Most consider the act of writing letters a dated activity. With the ease of email - and the immediacy of social media - there doesn't seem to be a need for snail mail anymore. However, just because there isn't a need does't mean we shouldn't embrace this traditional communication device.
There's a permanence to snail mail that we can't find in the digital realm. Sure, pixels on a screen can get a message across, but they don't fill the heart with joy like the sight of an addressed envelope. We all groan at the thought of an overflowing inbox, but delight in the excitement of receiving a parcel.
Snail mail is synonymous with sentimentality. Writing a letter or putting together a great parcel requires a lot of time and effort. People cherish snail mail for years. Think of all the famous authors and illustrators who have letters on display in museums or in published anthologies (Kerouac, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Gorey - to name a few). It's time to buy a new set of pens and remind yourself how to write by hand.
As much as it might pain us, sometimes we have to put down a book and stop reading. We know—it's awful. But it doesn't have to be! We have searched the Internet (okay, Etsy) for handmade bookmarks that pay tribute to your favourite pop culture icons. Treat yourself to a literary present and celebrate your favorite things every time you turn the page.
