Mutiny in Robinson Crusoe and Beyond
by Rachel McGinnis Mutiny on the open seas is as common to pirate lore as buried treasure and “X” marking the spot. A story about pirates simply would not be…
Share
Articles
512 posts
Hunter S. Thompson’s Puerto Rican Rum Diary
by Emma Stratton Hunter S. Thompson was 22 when he began work on The Rum Diary, a novel based on his own experiences working as a journalist in San Juan,…
Share
Blackbeard’s Terror in the Outer Banks and Virginia
From his initial privateering mission to his captivatingly violent death, Blackbeard is the pirate whom most remember. Due to his unorthodox yet alluring appearance, it seems as if Jack Sparrow…
Share
The Real Life and Fictional Characters Who Inspired J.M. Barrie’s Captain Hook
by Rachel McGinnis Captain Hook has been immortalized as one of the greatest, most infamous villains in literature. Created by James Matthew Barrie in his play in 1904 and restored…
Share
Privateering the Oceans of History: The Lore and Allure of Henry Morgan
by Mallory Sweeney The cascading waves of the sea have a knack for washing up legends on the eroding sands of time. Perhaps some of the most rogue characters of all…
Share
Sir Francis Drake: Pirate, Explorer, Human Rights Pioneer
by Jennifer Ciotta Most pirates, evil by nature, swashbuckling creatures who roamed the Earth’s seas, have seldom been portrayed correctly in literature and film. Often seen as the “romantic life,”…
Share
An Unconventional Journey to the Library of Congress
by Alice Leccese Powers For the last dozen years I have edited a literary travel series. My books collect the impressions, in both fiction and non-fiction, of authors touring through…
Share
Alan Lightman Interview, Part 2
by Alex Burack I have found that getting stuck is a very important part of the creative process. That when you’re stuck, your subconscious mind is catalyzed and you actually…
Share
Alan Lightman Interview
by Alex Burack I don’t automatically start on a new book as soon as I’ve finished the previous one. There are some writers who can – they’re like chain smokers,…
Share
The Opera Garnier: An Eerie Tour of Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera
by Kathryn Yelinek Like any good mystery writer, Gaston Leroux builds his novels in layers. On one layer, his The Phantom of the Opera is a tragic love story about…
Share