June 12, 2023  Calgary is a surprising mecca on the Prairies.  It’s one of the largest systems in North America, with 57 percent of Calgarians carrying a library card.  The new Central Library, which opened in 2018, is an architectural wonder:  a six-level ark rising up over a light rail line.  A curling tunnel of cedar at the entrance leads patrons into a lofty, pleasingly off-kilter atrium that does the thing that parliaments, cathedrals, and other great buildings are supposed to do:  create awe and uplift—the feeling that you are in a place where something of significance is happening.  The building was responsible for putting Calgary on the New York Times list of “52 Places to Go” in 2019 and was included in Time magazine’s 100 “World’s Greatest Places” that same year.  Nicholas Hune-Brown  https://thewalrus.ca/future-of-libraries/   

The Dancing Plague of 1518, or Dance Epidemic of 1518, was a case of dancing mania that occurred in Strasbourg, Alsace (modern-day France), in the Holy Roman Empire from July 1518 to September 1518.  Somewhere between 50 and 400 people took to dancing for weeks.  The event inspired the 2022 choral song "Choreomania" by Florence and the Machine.  It was the third track on the album Dance Fever, which took its title from the song.  The book series "A Collection of Utter Speculation" released a title "The Dancing Plague:  A Collection of Utter Speculation" in 2022.  It is a fictional account about the events that happened in Strasbourg.  The 2023 novel, The Dance Tree, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a fictionalized version of the summer of 1518 in Strasbourg.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_plague_of_1518#   

Ella Minnow Pea lives on the fictional island of Nollop, located of the coast of South Carolina.  The island is named after a man named Nevin Nollop, who is credited with the pangram, “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”  The citizens of Nollop pride themselves on their extensive vocabulary and their creative use of language.  The story is told through a series of letters to and from different citizens on the island, beginning in July and ending a few months later in November.  When the novel begins, Ella (who lives in the busy town of Nollopton) writes to her cousin Tassie (who lives in the more rural village of Nollopville) explaining that something odd has happened.  There is a statue commemorating Nollop in the center of Nollopton, with each letter of the pangram inscribed on a tile at its base.  One day, the tile bearing the letter “Z” falls from the statue.  The island’s governing body, the High Island Council, determines that this is a sign from Nollop beyond the grave that citizens should no longer use the letter “Z” in speech or writing.  Soon, a second letter falls:  “Q,” which is banned quickly thereafter.  When “D” falls The Council sends out a directive, providing alternative names for the days of the week.  With one day left in the challenge, eight tiles fall, leaving only five remaining:  L, M, N, O, and P.  Ella writes a final letter of rebellion, declaring, “No mo Nollop pomp  No mo Nollop poo poo!”  https://www.litcharts.com/lit/ella-minnow-pea/summary   

The perfect appetizer for a cookout or to accompany a pasta dish, Texas Rattlesnake Bites have a combination of spicy and sweet that will make them an instant hit.  They’re unbelievably simple to make, easy to transport, and great-tasting the next day, in the unlikely chance that there are leftovers.

Ingredients:  (makes 12 pieces)

12 slices of bacon, regular or thin-sliced

6 whole jalapeños (longer ones work best)

6-12 ounces cream cheese, brown sugar/cinnamon or honey/pecan 

Can be served hot or cold.  Tip:  Use plain cream cheese for a milder, less contrasting taste.   Daniel White  https://berkscountyliving.com/food/recipes/texas-rattlesnake-bites/

Charles McColl Portis (1933–2020) was an American author best known for his novels Norwood (1966) and the classic Western True Grit (1968).  Both Norwood and True Grit were adapted as films, released in 1970 and 1969, respectively.  True Grit also inspired a film sequel and a made-for-TV movie sequel.  Another film adaptation of True Grit was released in 2010.  In 2023 The Library of America published his Collected Works.  In the introduction editor Jay Jennings observes,"Charles Portis is now recognized as a singular American genius, a writer whose deadpan style, picaresque plots, and unforgettable characters have drawn a passionate following among readers and writers."  Portis has been described as "one of the most inventively comic writers of western fiction".  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Portis#   

True teas come from the Camellia sinensis plant, which is found in tropical and subtropical locations.  On the other hand, tisanes come from a water-based infusion of herbs, spices, flowers, leaves, etc.  Essentially, an herbal infusion, or tisane is any plant-derived drink other than true tea.  Teas contain caffeine, with which people tend to have a love-hate relationship.  It wakes you up, but may give you a touch of anxiety.  Tisanes, contain no caffeine, but have diverse herbal components.  https://www.coffeeam.com/blogs/blog/tea-tuesday-whats-the-difference-between-tisane-and-tea   Thank you, Muse reader!    

Pijin  proper noun  In full Solomon Islands Pijin, Solomon Pijin, or Solomons Pijin:  a language spoken on the Solomon Islands, which is a form of Melanesian Pidgin.  Borrowed from Pijin Pijin, from English pidgin, from a Chinese Pidgin English pronunciation of business.  Despite the literal meaning of the word pidgin, the language is considered by linguists to be a well developed creole, because a creole is the native language of a group of people whereas a pidgin has no native speakers.  July 7, 1978 is the Independence Day of the Solomon Islands, marking the anniversary of its independence from the United Kingdom.   

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2693 July 7, 2023