A Literary Cornucopia

Dreaming has long fascinated the human mind or at least that's what I've read. There must have been a time when Man must have questioned how our minds work during sleep cycles. Here is my take on the matter. What's yours?

Another group of students who reflected on resolutions for the new year. Is there hope for this generation? Let's listen to find out. 

There was a diversity of thoughts on resolutions for the new year 2022. Listen in on what these students had to say on the topic. 

Well, it's that time of the year again. A time when we can make a fresh start. Who doesn't want that? To be able to do something different for a new year and turn into a nicer version of the old self. Some will make it through hard work, others will try but give up the struggle. Oftentimes it better to leave well enough alone. Do you agree?

Sometimes you look back and have to readjust your view of the significant people in your life. Amy Tan's essay on "Mother Tongue" did just that for me. 

Ah, love! The heart flutters when affected by a sensation that's difficult to describe. Can a person dodge Cupid's arrow? How does one know when love is real? It's an age-old question that can only be answered by an all-powerful being.  It's most definitely beyond the scope of the human mind.

Students of the Eleventh Grade Advanced Level English Course got into small groups to discuss the oral narratives of Bram Stoker’s ghost story “The Judge’s House”. The first narrative they listened to was the complete story. The second one was an adapted version that could have been presented on the  radio. They analyzed and compared the two audio versions.  Want to know what each group...

Ever wonder what it might be like to be thought of as an object? People pass by you maybe stopping to look but don't see you. As humans we need to interact with others. But if you're an inanimate object, it doesn't really matter. But who knows? Maybe it does. 

What do ghost stories have in common? There's always a mystery, of course! Sometimes we find out in the end what happened but we might find it puzzling. Do you know a good ghost story? Maybe you know one that has sent chills up your spine and made your hair stand on end. Those are the best kind.  

If you've listened carefully, you'll realize that this story may have a sequel. Could it be a happily ever-after one? Depends on what a person may consider a happy ending. Given more time, this could turn into a novel. I'll leave that up to my students. I'll bet they could come up with some real page turners. 

When writing a mini-series you get emotionally involved with the characters. You wonder what to do with them because you want your readers (or listeners, in this case) to be satisfied with the outcome. But you also want to make that outcome believable and at the same time pleasantly surprising. What to do and how to do it? Two very good questions.  Anyway, I've enjoyed the writing part....

Have I done a decent job of keeping my listeners guessing?  I hope so. I've tried to provide details (hints) as to what might happen in the story. Can you come up with any interesting ideas?

We discover a bit more in this episode. The mother's name and how she came to find the book of spells. 

The theories in response to what happened to the father in "Secrets" (Part One) have been varied and very unusual.  The father has either been killed, he's run off, he went crazy, or just mysteriously disappeared. I knew they'd come up with a few wild ideas! 

My students will have read at least Act One of Arthur Miller's well-known play The Crucible so I decided to make up a narrative about witchcraft. I struggled to come up with a title but "Secrets" will have to suffice for now.  The topic of witches and their "craft" has always been a popular one. Who doesn't like a good story about witches--whether they be good or bad?  Will this story ha...

Essays are sometimes difficult to write. Topics may be elusive to the mind. I decided to write about human behavior in very general terms. This is just one viewpoint for the benefit of my students who have been exposed to a few unusual behaviors during the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I'm hoping it will inspire them to write down some of their thoughts on the subject. 

They say as you grow older you become wiser.  I'm not so sure about that. In this tale, an old woman instructs a young mother who is desperate for help with her children. Whether her solution was wise or not is up to the listener to decide. My students had mixed reactions to the tale. 

I must admit that I admire mystery writers. Plotting a mystery takes into consideration so many details. I can just imagine the writer jotting down all the events and how they lead to a satisfactory conclusion. It must be like a map where an X is placed to indicate a clue and all those clues lead to a treasure. The reader must be careful because sometimes the clues are false and are placed there t...

Grannies or "nanas" are lovely people. Right? But not all are alike. They have their quirks. Is Gertrude a typical grandmother? As a mother-in-law, does she convince the listener that she only has her daughter-in-law's best interest at heart?  Or is she only concerned for her son? What motive would she have to harm Alice? 

Nannies are lovable people or that's what most people think. If they take care of children, they must be nice, right? But you never know. Besides, what possible motive could Nanny Claire have?  In this episode a new character is mentioned. Might this person have something to do with Alice's "accident"?  

"The butler did it" is what we often hear in these mysteries. In this one we have no butler but we do have a maid. Could Nancy be a possible suspect? What might be her motive to harm Alice? 

In this episode the listener has a suspect to consider: Alex the husband. What possible motive might he have to harm his wife Alice?  In the episodes that follow, other clues might be found. There is also one other character who has not been mentioned.

Writing a mystery is no easy task. The writer has to keep in mind all the details while providing the reader or, in this case, the podcast listener some clues without giving away the ending.  This mystery is like a puzzle that can have different ways of putting it all together. There is just one thing the listener has to do and that is come up with a logical suspect to commit the crime (if th...

What is it about tales of horror that draw us? Why are we attracted to 'things' that instill fear? I would say for some of us, it's like a thrill ride. The macabre beckons some while it repulses others. I felt fear and fascination while I read this tale taken from The Giant Book of Ghost Stories edited by Richard Dalby. If you care to read the entire story, go to   https://anilbalan.files.wor...

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein has long been a fascinating topic for many industries, especially the film industry. Although it has never really been given justice through film, I understand its film-making appeal. But I would rather read the novel to get the true flavor. Re-reading the novel after so many years offered a different perspective. I was able to digest the themes in a way that I could not...