September 2012
13 posts
August 2012
12 posts
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“There is something about living through Katrina and hardship that refines who people are, I think, that showcases their most essential selves.”
—
Jesmyn Ward at LIVE from the NYPL
As Hurricane Isaac continues to pound the Gulf Coast, we remember the destruction that region suffered when Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans and surrounding areas on this day seven years ago. Yet out of Katrina’s ruin rose an abundance of narratives and poetry created in remembrance of what was lost. Jesmyn Ward, who was brought up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, is among the authors who expressed her feelings about Katrina in writing. She came to LIVE in May to discuss her novel Salvage the Bones, which focuses on a family’s struggle to find meaning in the days leading up to, and immediately following, Katrina. If you need an escape from the raw news coverage of Isaac, watch Jesmyn Ward discuss her work that was born out of natural disaster.
We hope everyone who is currently experiencing Hurricane Isaac stays safe.
(via livefromthenypl)
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“A scientist is never certain. … We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and there is no learning.”
—Richard Feynman (via explore-blog)
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
—
Maya Angelou in Conversations with Maya Angelou, 1989.
“
[T]he problem with unforeseen delays is you can’t foresee them, no matter how finely detailed your planning… [T]he unlikely trick is to plan in less detail: avoid considering the specifics and simply ask yourself how long it’s taken to do roughly similar things before.
[…]
Better yet, where possible, avoid planning altogether. Use the “ready, fire, aim” approach, and correct course as you go along.
” —Oliver Burkeman on the psychology of why everything takes longer than you think.
Also see Frank Partnoy on the art of delay.
