The Art of Staying Informed

There are certainly some exciting happenings in the arts, humanities, and sciences this week, so today I'd like to share some current events and great sources of arts news:

1) Did you know this is Banned Books Week? The annual event began 30 years ago this week in 1982. You can read more about its history and oft-challenged books online at the American Library Association and at the Banned Books Week site. I think the most recent selections that I've read on this year's list are the three books that make up The Hunger Games Trilogy. What was your most recent or favorite banned or challenged book?

What's the Buzz?

Hello again to all of my lovely readers and followers. It's been a very busy first month of the fall semester for me, and I'm happy to have found a few moments to sit down and write a new post!

I've been bouncing around ideas and post titles in my head over the past several weeks, and I thought I'd begin here. I want to take a moment to discuss "buzzwords" with you this evening.

I come across a LOT of buzzwords on a daily basis as a graduate student. Some of the top buzzwords on the campus of Texas Tech University are (in no particular order): honor, respect, tradition, civility, ethics, and diversity. We hear buzzwords in politics, advertising, social media, our workplaces, etc, etc, etc.

But... have we ever thought of our own personal "buzzwords"? I've decided to co-opt this term and apply it to my own life. So, my "buzzwords" are terms that get me excited, ideas about which I'm passionate, items to add to my "bucket list" even.

So, please indulge me and allow me to share just a few of them with you.