The Connecticut Mirror published my piece on "History, Civics, and Balancing 'STEM'" – an effort to relate debate over the humanities to civic literacy.

A recent Literacy Forum gave voice to teachers, librarians, and students addressing, “Why read?”

This is a timeless question that each generation has to answer, from the agricultural and then the industrial era to the advent of radio, TV, and many more technologies since.  One accessible, brief exploration is Motoko Rich’s November 2007 New York Times article.

Francis Bacon, in 1597, recognized that “knowledge … is power.”  In his 1625 essay Of Studies, he asserted: “Reading maketh a full man ... and writing an exact man.” 

In 1771, George Washington wrote: “I conceive a knowledge of books is the basis upon which other knowledge is to be built.”

Amid all that has changed over the centuries, these insights endure.

It’s bloody likely that I’ll give blood next week, eight weeks since my last donation.  More donors are needed.