Every fall, approximately 10,000 tourists from around the world descend on “The Polar Bear Capital of the World,” Churchill, Manitoba. This community of about 800 people on Hudson Bay in Northern Canada is home to the annual migration of more than 1,000 hungry polar bears that pass through town as they wait for the Bay ice to return. The new Smithsonian Channel docu-series POLAR BEAR TOWN documents a season in Churchill, following this extraordinary migration of human and four-legged animals as they collide in unexpected and sometimes dangerous ways.

Maggie Burr is a DPhil candidate in Classical Archaeology at Oxford, where she spends her time trying to understand what ancient farmers did, and why. She grew up in Lexington, MA, Austin, TX, and Beverly, MA. 

“When every piece falls into place, it’s like a dance, a delicate but powerful balancing act. The art of holding on and letting go at the same time.”

Such is the beautiful writing in the winner of Elephant Rock Books’ 2016 Sheehan YA Book Prize, The Art of Holding On and Letting Go, by Kristin Lenz. A fellow Michigander, Lenz has written a powerful story of family, finding yourself, and growing up. 

Seeing trucks around town spray painted with giant-sized corn, steak, cheese, grapes, and apples I was intrigued by what they were carrying, especially with the tagline, “Local Provisions for Modern Domestic Living.” These trucks were my first real exposure to a CSA – or community-supported agriculture.

A new kind of 21st Century literary festival combining literature, the arts and interactive programming comes to Stratford next month, giving aspiring writers a chance to share their work with established authors and industry professionals.

Sam Parker is a 25 year old living in Philadelphia, and is currently in school to become an occupational therapist. She's passionate about travel, philly, yoga, anything Harry Potter, and her two fur babies Luna(tic) and Artemis(Chievous). 

Most people, outside the west coast, seem to think beaches are only for summer. If it’s not sunny and 80 what’s the point of the beach? No one wants to go to the beach in anticipation of freezing their butt off.

International experiences are very valuable to have, because they give people a chance to learn about the world, and a good way to get those experiences is to work a job that has them. There are countless jobs in the world that provide international experience. Two of those jobs with international experiences that I would consider are travel writing for a magazine, and teaching English as a second language.

Many mothers make the choice to take a few years out of their working lives while their baby is young. There are many reasons to do this if you can afford to, such as not having to arrange or pay for childcare, being able to spend precious time with your child at this unique age, and discovering new passions.

Chickens. Those fat little birds crowded desperately into farm sheds. Scrawny scavengers roaming the streets of third world countries. Delicious grilled, fried, or baked. Humans have eaten chickens for thousands of years. Chicken breasts, wrapped in shiny plastic packaging in the supermarket. Chicken legs, barbecued in the backyard on a sunny summer afternoon. But chicken heads, roasted on a stick? Are they delicious, delectable and juicy? Should you pounce on one the moment you see it? It’s up to you! I did, in Chaing Mai, Thailand!