Inspire Science

Gertrude Barrows Bennet is better known by her pen-name, Francis Stevens. With a career that only spanned three years between 1917 and 1920, when she stopped writing after her mother's death, she is credited as "the woman who invented dark fantasy". She was a direct influence on H.P. Lovecraft, and in the words of Sam Moskowitz was the "greatest woman writer of science fiction in the period between Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and C.L. Moore"

A new order. An ancient evil. A battle about to begin. It is the near future. Adrian De Vere, president of the European Union, oversees the signing of an unprecedented international treaty, ushering in a new era of one-world government. Jason De Vere, media mogul, finds himself forced out of the empire he helped create. With friends, allies, and even family turning against him, help comes from an unexpected quarter.... Nick De Vere, archaeologist and playboy - and newly returned from the dead - leads Jason into an underground world of hidden knowledge and forbidden secrets.

For more than a year, Howard Schultz, the chairman and former CEO of Starbucks, and former Washington Post senior correspondent and associate editor Rajiv Chandrasekaran searched the country for even more of America's unsung heroes, as a follow-up to Upstanders' first season. Now you'll hear the stories and voices of the people they found - local citizens who are demonstrating unbelievable courage and inspiring a better America at a time when we need these heroes more than ever.

The Black Land is a myth: Centuries have passed since that Great Enemy was slain. Yet old fears linger, and on the longest night of the year, people in the South still light ritual bonfires to banish the dark. In her village, this duty falls to Solveig, a girl favored by the gods with powerful fire magic. But when her brother kills a Northern lord’s son during the ritual, it is Sol who faces punishment, by being weregild—part hostage, part guest—in the North for a year and a day.

The universal appeal of Laura Ingalls Wilder springs from a life lived in partnership with the land, on farms she and her family settled across the Northeast and Midwest. In this revealing exploration of Wilder's deep connection with the natural world, Marta McDowell follows the wagon trail of the beloved Little House series. You'll learn details about Wilder's life and inspirations, pinpoint the Ingalls and Wilder homestead claims on authentic archival maps, and learn to grow the plants and vegetables featured in the series. Excerpts from Wilder's books, letters, and diaries bring to light her profound appreciation for the landscapes at the heart of her world.

Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life is the first work to explore the origins of Beatrix Potter's love of gardening and plants and show how this passion came to be reflected in her work.

Are you looking for picture books with strong female role models but don’t have time to prescreen them all? Do you want to introduce your young daughter to all of the awesome women out there, but keep it upbeat and fun at the same time? The Girls' Happy Place Picture Book Guide reviews 150 fiction and non-fiction picture books, calling out potential pitfalls -- like mention of violence, war, or death -- that might be too heavy for young children's sensibilities. While intended for children ages 3 to 6 years old, the Happy Place Picture Book Guide is valuable for those living or working ...

This essay comes from the NPR series This I Believe, which features brief personal reflections from both famous and unknown Americans. The pieces that make up the series compel listeners to rethink not only what and how they have arrived at their beliefs, but also the extent to which they share them with others.

How seeing Earth through the eyes of an astronaut brings new wonder and meaning to life on our planet.

Epictetus was born a slave, and became one of the most influent Stoic philosophers. Stoicism is the attitude allowing one to free oneself from the unnecessary suffering that arises from anxiety about events that are beyond our control; therefore, it can be of tremendous importance in one's life. According to Epictetus, our own actions and attitudes are the only thing in our control; whatever else happens, we should examine calmly and dispassionately, because no amount of suffering will change the impact of external events.

Girls of Paper and Fire meets A Song of Wraiths and Ruin in June CL Tan’s stunning debut, where ferocious action, shadowy intrigue, rich magic, and a captivating slow-burn romance collide.

Chicago, 1924. There was nothing surprising about men turning up dead in the Second City. Life was cheaper than a quart of illicit gin in the gangland capital of the world. But two murders that spring were special - worthy of celebration. So believed Maurine Watkins, a wanna-be playwright and a "girl reporter" for the Chicago Tribune, the city's "hanging paper".

Emma is used to things going her way. Her father is headmaster of her prestigious boarding school, her friends take her advice as gospel, and she's convinced that a relationship with her long-time crush is on the horizon. As it turns out, Emma hasn't seen anything yet. When she finds an old book in an abandoned library, things really start going Emma's way: anything she writes in the book comes true. But the power of the book is not without consequences, and Emma soon realizes that she isn't the only one who knows about it.

At age sixteen, Brian Banks was a nationally recruited All-American Football player, ranked eleventh in the nation as a linebacker. Before his 17th birthday, he was in jail, awaiting trial for a heinous crime he did not commit. Discover the unforgettable and inspiring true story of a young man who was wrongfully convicted as a teenager and imprisoned for more than five years, only to emerge with his spirit unbroken and determined to achieve his dream of playing in the NFL.

Imani is a magic-wielding warrior sworn to protect her land from the monsters that roam the desert. But an even worse enemy now threatens the Sahir. As the powerful Harrowlanders march south with their greatest weapon—spice magic—Imani knows it’s only a matter of time before their invasion of her land begins . . . and it will be a losing battle for her people. But Imani also knows that one way to fight magic is with monsters. If she can restore Qayn’s stolen powers, together they can summon a supernatural army to defend the Sahir from the Harrowlanders.

Susan Fowler was just twenty-five years old when her blog post describing the sexual harassment and retaliation she'd experienced at Uber riveted the nation. Her post would eventually lead to the ousting of Uber's powerful CEO, but its ripples extended far beyond that, as her courageous choice to attach her name to the post inspired other women to speak publicly about their experiences. In the year that followed, an unprecedented number of women came forward, and Fowler was recognized by Time as one of the "Silence Breakers" who ignited the #MeToo movement.

Life is normal again for former Navy SEAL, Captain Robert Orson Tyler. Or is it? Rob has returned home to South Carolina, settling into retirement, spending time with his family and getting involved in his church. But the nefarious powers responsible for the disastrous events during that previous summer have some very different plans for him. While on an outing with a group of children, including his own, Rob is driven to contend with events that are every parent’s nightmare. Every action has an opposite reaction … just as every mirror has its reflection. Rot is still suffering from ...

A Syria-born dancer offers his deeply personal story of war, statelessness, and the pursuit of the art of dance in this inspirational memoir.

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood before thousands of Americans who had gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. in the name of civil rights. Including the immortal words, “I have a dream,” Dr. King’s keynote speech would energize a movement and change the course of history. With references to the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, Shakespeare, and the Bible, Dr. King’s March on Washington address has long been hailed as one of the greatest pieces of writing and oration in history.

Bringing together Susan Sontag's most fearless and incisive writing, On Women examines the oppression of women and the tools necessary for liberation. First written in the 1970s during the height of second-wave feminism, Sontag's essays examine the 'biological division of labour', the double standard for ageing and the struggle for real power, topics which are strikingly relevant to our contemporary conversations. For any Sontag fan, this collection of lost essays is a revelation into her achievements as an essayist.