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25 Interesting Facts about American Literature


Featured Image -- 6474American Literature, Books, Classics, English Literature, Facts, Famous Authors, Literature, Writers. ENJOY! ~ Bette A. Stevens 4writersandreaders.com

InterestingLiterature's avatarInteresting Literature

Interesting trivia about American writers and their work

As it’s Independence Day, how about some facts about the great and the good from American literature, from Edgar Allan Poe to Toni Morrison? What follows is a compilation of our 25 favourite facts about American authors and their writing.

Edgar Allan Poe’s prose-poem Eureka predicts the Big Bang theory by some eighty years.

Marlon Brando was a huge fan of Toni Morrison; he would often call her up and read passages of her own novels which he particularly enjoyed.

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on 07/04/2016

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Milkweed – It’s Not Just for Monarchs


GOT MILKWEED? Monarch butterflies and other amazing pollinators need it and we need them! ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator http://www.4writersandreaders.com

Mary Anne Borge's avatarThe Natural Web

One of the most well knownassociations between an animal and plant species is the relationship between Monarch butterflies and Milkweed. Monarch butterflies may certainly be seen nectaringat various species of milkweeds…

Monarch nectaring on Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Monarch nectaringon Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Monarch nectaring on Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Monarch nectaringon Butterflyweed(Asclepias tuberosa)

Monarch nectaring on Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Monarch nectaringon Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

but this isn’t unique – they also drink at a wide variety of other flower species.

Monarch nectaring on New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) Monarch nectaringon New York Ironweed(Vernonianoveboracensis)

It’s the dependency that Monarchs have on Milkweedsas the only food source for their caterpillars that makes this relationship so noteworthy. Monarchs, like many species of insects, have evolved to specialize in their larval (in this case caterpillar) food source in order togain protection from predators through the chemicals they ingest from the plants they eat. Milkweedscontain cardiac glycosides, which are toxic to many species of birds and mammals. Plants have evolved these chemicals to protect themselves from being eaten, a strategy…

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Written

on 07/02/2016

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Wherever yo go, leave a heart print. — A Small Act Of Kindness Can Bring Smile On Million Faces


via Wherever yo go, leave a heart print. — A Small Act Of Kindness Can Bring Smile On Million Faces

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on 06/04/2016

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Season of Blossoms a Haiku by Bette A. Stevens


Inspired by nature

Apple Blossom HAIKU bas 2015Spring has sprung and apple trees are shouting about it here at the farmstead in Central Maine. After a long winter’s nap their branches are bursting into bloom. With temperatures in the 70s and sunshine in full array (Oh, but rain predicted to be on its way…), this writer is shouting about it too. Inspired by another of nature’s wonders ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author illustrator

What’s inspiring you this spring?

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Written

on 05/13/2016

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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!


MOTHERS DAY 2016 Butterfly basWishing everyone a Happy & Blessed Mother’s Day.
~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator

Author Bio

Inspired by nature and human nature, author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies (milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat).

Stevens’s children’s book, THE TANGRAM ZOO and WORD PUZZLES TOO! was first published in 1997 by Windswept House Publishing, Mt. Desert, ME; a second edition was self-published by the author in 2012.  AMAZING MATILDA , Stevens’s second children’s book, self-published in 2012 won a 2013 Purple Dragonfly Book Award (Honorable Mention for Excellence in Children’s Literature – Ages 6 and older category) and also placed #9 on The 2013 Gittle List for Self-published Children’s Picture Books. Stevens has written articles for ECHOES, The Northern Maine Journal of Rural Culture based in Caribou, Maine. In 2013, the author published her first book for the YA/Adult audience: PURE TRASH, a short story of a boy growing up in rural New England in a family whose poverty and alcoholism mark him as a target for bullying by young and old alike. This short story is a prequel to Stevens’s début novel DOG BONE SOUP released January 2015.

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Written

on 05/07/2016

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HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! Mama I Miss You… (poem by Bette A. Stevens)


MAMA I Miss you POEMWishing everyone a “Happy Mother’s Day” and sharing a poem written in 2014 to celebrate my beautiful mother on her birthday. ~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator

It will be nine years ago on August 8, 2007, when I called Mama to wish her a Happy Birthday and, as usual, we talked for hours. It was the last birthday we got to ‘celebrate’ together. Mama left us for her heavenly home the following April and there hasn’t been a day since that I haven’t thought about her and missed her. Mama’s strength of character, her poise, wit and unconditional love live on within all those whose lives she touched. The photograph (circa 1951) of Mama and me was taken in California.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mama. I miss you.

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Written

on 05/05/2016

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And what, you…


Grateful… ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator http://www.4writersandreaders.com

nataliescarberry's avatarSacred Touches

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**Image taken by Natalie; text box found on the Internet

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on 05/01/2016

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1131. The rose is without an explanation; she blooms because she blooms. ~Angelus Silesius


Picture perfect images. Oh, the wonder of it all! ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator http://www.4writersandreaders.com

nataliescarberry's avatarSacred Touches

Roses of the field whisper divine poetry,
but you must listen carefully to hear it
because noise from the wheels of progress
drowns out everything that sings.
~Edited poem by Judith Cody

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You love the roses – so do I. I wish
The sky would rain down roses!
Why will it not?
Then all the valley would be pink and red
And soft to tread on. They would fall as light
As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be
Like sleeping and like waking, all at once!
~Edited poem by George Elliot

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He(the Lord) will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. ~Psalm 91:4  ✝

**Image of my Night Owl roses

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on 04/27/2016

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Some Impressions of Our Planet Video…


LOOKING FOR A LITTLE INSPIRATION?
Inspired by the wonder of it all… ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator http://www.4writersandreaders.com

Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

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on 04/25/2016

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Award-winning Monarch Butterfly Book only 99¢ thru April 26th—AMAZING MATILDA by Bette A. Stevens


Celebrate Earth Month 

April is Earth Month. It’s a perfect time to celebrate with a copy of AMAZING MATILDA by Maine author/illustrator Bette A. Stevens’s award-winning children’s picture book for ONLY 99¢ through APRIL 26. Download this “Gem of a tale” at YOUR AMAZON today http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Matilda-ebook/dp/B00AU9ZISA/

AM EARTH MONTH 2 promo 99¢ Apr 20-26Words from a reviewer

“I immediately fell in love with Matilda, an amazing, sweet, curious character. What a lovely story with a subtle and yet deep and understandable message for young (and those who are not so young ) readers. This book is one of “must have” books in your library. I already purchased a Kindle version for myself and I ordered two more copies in print for my library.” ~ Vida Zuljevic

Already have your copy?

Matilda says “It would be great if you would share this post with your friends so that kids everywhere can find out about the life lessons my book has in store for readers ages 5-11. Kids will learn important lessons about the value of patience, persistence and friendship as they read Matilda’s amazing adventure again and again. Grownups love Matilda too!”

MATILDA for New Cover 2015About Monarch Butterflies

Monarch Butterfly conservation is in the news. AMAZING MATILDA is too! Her story line and illustrations follow the monarch life cycle and highlight milkweed, an environmentally threatened plant and a critical food source for monarch caterpillars.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Matilda doesn’t want to leap onto ledges or bound across fields. She only wants to fly. “How can a creature without wings every hope to fly?” Matilda’s friends wonder as they laugh at the tiny caterpillar who only wants to fly. Meanwhile, as Matilda munches and crunches on milkweed leaves and progresses from egg to butterfly, her friends begin to recall how they felt before they were able to do all of the things they had dreamed of doing. With a little help from her friends, Matilda learns that if she keeps trying, she can do anything that she really wants to do.

LITERARY AWARDS—Excellence in Children’s Literature:

  • 2013 Purple Dragonfly Book Award (Picture Books 6+)
  • THE GITTLE LIST 2013 (Top 10 Self-published Children’s Picture Books)

AMAZING MATILDA, A Monarch’s Tale by Bette A. Stevens is available in print ($9.49) and eBook ($3.99) versions
Grab a copy of the eBook (Don’t forget to tell your friends) and Celebrate Earth Day with the kids while this award-winning picture book is ONLY 99 CENTS April 20-26 at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Matilda-ebook/dp/B00AU9ZISA…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Inspired by human nature, author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle  school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies-an endangered species (and milkweed, the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat). Stevens is the author of AMAZING MATILDA, an award-winning picture book; The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!, a home/school resource  incorporating hands-on math and writing; and PURE TRASH, the short story prequel to her début novel, DOG BONE SOUP, a captivating Boomer’s coming of age novel.

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Written

on 04/24/2016

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