Tuvalu: how to make it rain
There’s tough and then there’s Tuvalu. The number of messages I’ve sent about this place –the third least populous nation on Earth after Vatican City and Nauru – over the past year is probably nearing the 50 mark. And though many of the people I contacted were willing to help, there was no getting round the fact that there was simply very little to suggest.
Somewhere along the way, however, I got in touch with scholar, writer, photographer, restorer of antique radio equipment, and community volunteer Peter McQuarrie. Though based in New Zealand, McQuarrie is married to a Tuvaluan and has connections with the Tuvaluan community in Auckland. He promised to ask around and duly came back with the suggestion of Tuvalu: a history, a book written by 17 Tuvaluans and published in 1983, a few years after the nation declared its independence.
As I explained to McQuarrie, I…
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Inside a translation funding panel
Since I finished my Year of Reading the World last December, I’ve had the privilege of being involved in a number of exciting opportunities and projects. The last few months have been no exception. Not only was I invited to record a piece about reading the world at BBC Broadcasting House for NPR in the states (you can hear the finished report through the link at the bottom of this post), but I was also asked to sit on English PEN’s PEN Translates panel for the second time.
If you’ve not come across it, PEN Translates is a funding programme run by the freedom of expression and literary network charity English PEN. It exists to help pay for the translation into English of works that deserve to reach a wider audience. Scores of books have received support from the fund since it was launched in 2012, including Quesadillas by…
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Mystery Photo Revealed
As you can see from last week’s challenge our front porch is a pretty popular place. Thank you for your really detailed guesses!
This wasn’t an easy task since there were nine well-camouflaged critters skulking around. Alison’s keen eyesight correctly identified eight of them. The elusive ninth was a Black-tailed Jackrabbit sleeping by the planter at the far right edge of the photo. Granted it was partially obscured by the cages we installed to keep said jackrabbit from eating our plants.
1- Harris’ Antelope Squirrel, 2- Curve-billed Thrasher, 3- Female or Juvenile Gambel’s Quail, 4- Curve-billed Thrasher, 5- Curve-billed Thrasher, 6- Male Gambel’s Quail, 7- Desert Cottontail, 8- Cactus Wren, 9- Black-tailed Jackrabbit
The Wisdom of Nelson Mandela
Wisdom of Nelson Mandela
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