Fantasy literature has some ancient roots that have grown and flourished into what it is today through different movements, including the renaissance and romanticism. Its evolution encompasses contributions from all over the world—ghost stories, religious stories, fables, folklore, and fairy tales. Though some influences—like the stories of knighthood from the Middle Ages—are more felt than others. The fantasy genre that we know today [...]
As daunting as learning a second language may feel—after all, you have to learn grammar, pronunciation, and even some culture among other things to really effectively communicate—the struggle of doing so pays off eventually. Forget bragging about being bilingual or multilingual! Learning a second language comes with a variety of benefits, ranging from having a higher paying job to improving cognitive skills. Acquiring [...]
We’ve all heard the term “mindfulness” and how important its practice is in our day to day lives. Research has shown that mindfulness can improve your quality of life and health.[1] It has been linked to reduced stress, anxiety and depression, and can act as a tool to manage pain, insomnia, and hypertension.[2] Mindfulness has also been found to improve productivity and many [...]
Why is the Crisis Happening? As evident through the extensive lack of teachers and/or people wanting to become educators, the teacher shortage of K-12 classrooms has been steadily rising. Schools, communities, and present teachers are attempting to create solutions to the various problems associated. But, why exactly is there a shortage, and what factors have been influencing this decline in recent years? Experts [...]
Between the widespread adoption of emails, evolving technology, and dependency on digital devices to take notes, writing longhand has been pushed to the sidelines. Writing letters or cards seem to have also gone out of fashion, as most holiday and celebratory cards now have printed text within them. Friends spend months not talking to each other only to have one short burst of [...]
With every new admissions cycle, colleges continue to receive record breaking numbers of applications. This is no surprise, as the need for a college education becomes essential in landing a job in the current market. But with this growing demand, colleges and universities are accepting more students than they have room for, putting a new kind of strain on already stressed freshmans and [...]
The Revival At first, brick-and-mortar bookstores thrived amongst readers, but the recent past has shown how various factors, including digitalization, have affected their success. Additionally, giant corporations like Amazon swooped in and became the new villain as drastic discounts and the creation of Kindle e-readers threatened to wipe out printed books and subsequent bookstores entirely.[1] These effects took place before the COVID-19 pandemic, [...]
Children across all age groups are struggling with reading—be it fourth graders who can barely sound out words, or incoming college freshmen who can’t finish their assigned readings. Reports have indicated that literacy rates have dropped significantly. Various factors have contributed to the crisis, with the pandemic exacerbating some of its effects. Let’s take a closer look at what data shows, what’s happening [...]
What is Peer Review? To be able to examine the positive and negative concepts of the current peer review systems, one must define the term “peer review” and discover its underlying purpose. Peer review serves in providing intentional and constructive feedback to research authors, encouraging the improvement of their work.[1] Another major aspect of peer review in this context is in the assurance [...]
What is a Student Literary Magazine? Firstly, it is crucial to establish what exactly a student-run literary magazine is and what role it can play in students’ lives. In participating in creative writing through a literary magazine, students can learn the value in expressing their authentic voice and build a community as a result.[1] Additionally, there are specific guidelines within these magazines that [...]