Reading is a pastime now hundreds of years old, and it has firmly cemented its place as one of the most all-round beneficial hobbies to have. Research profiled by the Reader’s Digest shows how reading can make you happy and enhance cognitive ability, but make you live longer, too—people who read for just 30 minutes a day lived up to 2 years longer than their peers. 

Established in 2020, Dantedì is the Italian national day dedicated to Dante Alighieri. The date of March 25 was chosen because it was recognized by scholars as the day on which the poet embarked on his journey in the afterlife in the Divine Comedy.

I sat down at the roots of a tree to draw what seemed to be a Marguerite, a delicate white flower. I was surrounded by trees and mountain tops as I doodled away with my pencil in my well-loved notebook. As is typical with dreams, I never once questioned how these things came into my possession, or even how I had arrived at such a magical place. As dusk approached, I decided to wander further into the forest, until coming across one of the most unsightly creatures I had ever seen. 

I am very pleased to present one of my very favorite books I've read this year, written by our very own Literary Travel Editor, Robert Todd Felton.  His book, A Journey into Ireland's Literary Revival, published by Roaring Forties Press, is an intriguing read.

Literary Landmarks to Explore in Dublin, UNESCO’s 2010 City of Literature
 

What do you do on an island? You tell stories. What you do on Iceland, one of the world's most famous islands, the land of fire and ice? You tell stories, write books, influence the entire world with your landscape, culture, mythology, beliefs, and, of course, writing.

The eleventh annual Newburyport Literary Festival (NLF) will take place April 29-30 in various venues throughout downtown Newburyport, Massachusetts. This year the Festival will honor the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay and local teacher and poet Deborah Szabo.