Beyond parades and celebration, Memorial Day carries a more difficult story. This essay reflects on sacrifice, memory, war, and collective responsibility. Wishing everyone a meaningful Memorial Day. #MemorialDay lorenmayshark.com/memorial-day...

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is home to the stunning Cuypers Library, the largest and oldest art history research library in the Netherlands #museum #rijksmuseum #travel #books #library

Memorial Day should be more than a long weekend or patriotic ritual. In this essay, I explore the realities of war, collective memory, and the responsibility we have to honor veterans with honesty, compassion, and reflection. #MemorialDay #Veterans #Remembrance lorenmayshark.com/memorial-day...

Born on this day in 1688, Alexander Pope (1688–1744) was one of the greatest poets of the English Augustan age. Known for works like An Essay on Criticism and The Rape of the Lock, his wit and verse shaped English literature. “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” #AlexanderPope #OTD

Born on this day in 1872, Bertrand Russell was a philosopher, mathematician, and Nobel laureate whose work shaped modern thought. He explored reason, ethics, and happiness through works like The Conquest of Happiness. “The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.” #OTD

Born on this day in 1890, Katherine Anne Porter was an American author known for her psychologically rich fiction, including Pale Horse, Pale Rider and Ship of Fools. Her work explores memory, time, and human complexity. “The past is never where you think you left it.” #KatherineAnnePorter #OTD

“I think people write out of what haunts them.” -Ta-Nehisi Coates #quote #amwriting

Born on this day in 1907, Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989) was an English novelist known for gothic classics like Rebecca and Jamaica Inn. Her atmospheric storytelling continues to captivate readers. “Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought.” — Rebecca #OTD

Born on this day in 1813, Søren Kierkegaard was a philosopher whose work shaped existential thought. His writings explore faith, choice, and the individual’s search for meaning. “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” #SorenKierkegaard #OTD

Happy National Black Authors Day! Today we celebrate the voices, stories, and contributions of Black authors who have shaped literature and culture. #NationalBlackAuthorsDay #BlackAuthors

Born on this day in 1853, E. W. Howe was known for his sharp, witty observations on everyday life. His sayings, collected in Country Town Sayings, reflect humor and truth. “A good scare is worth more to a man than good advice.” — Country Town Sayings #EWHowe #OTD

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." - Ernest Hemingway #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #Books #Stories #Reading #Quotes #IndieAuthor

1990s US/Berlin: rising comic Jedediah Grenzer’s climb through the underground blurs into a spiritual awakening and substance-fueled collapse. Think Running the Light × Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas × Slumberland, with echoes of Hicks/Bruce/Kaufman. Stakes: life or death. #Questpit #Q #LF

Sunflowers, Andrew Wyeth 1982

🥀 LUST-BORN | YA Romantasy 🥀 Currently revising as a 2026 #revpit winner. #questpit #YA #RF #F #Q

Charlottesville used bookstore’s got game

CABIN IN THE WOODS × JOHN DIES AT THE END × JUMANJI When one of them is murdered at their annual gaming retreat, 5 dads must rely on years of #TTRPG experience—& ball-busting puns—to solve the crime before they're all butchered like NPCs in a badly written supernatural campaign. #QuestPit #A #H #Q

Music, breath, life, and death—each follows a rhythm. This essay reflects on how death is not outside life, but part of its natural movement. A thoughtful piece on the dance we are all part of. #Philosophy #Writing #LifeAndDeath lorenmayshark.com/music-death-...

Set in the 1990s in the US & Berlin, the novel follows Jed Grenzer's ascent through the comedy underground, which becomes inseparable from his spiritual awakening. Inspired by the arcs of comics who burned intensely like Bill Hicks & LB, it examines the pursuit of comedic success. #Questpit #Q #LF

Born on this day in 1564, William Shakespeare transformed literature with plays like Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet. His work continues to define storytelling and human insight. “This above all: to thine own self be true.” — Hamlet #WilliamShakespeare #OTD

Always research details of your fiction story #writingq #writer #writing #amwriting #writingcommunity inventingrealityediting.com/2...

Happy National Librarian Day! Thank you to the librarians who inspire learning and a love of reading. #NationalLibrarianDay

Happy World Art Day! Today we celebrate creativity in all its forms. Art inspires, connects, and brings beauty into our everyday lives. #WorldArtDay #Creativity

Happy National Donate a Book Day! One book can inspire, teach, and change a life. Consider donating today. #NationalDonateABookDay

Born on this day in 1939, Seamus Heaney was a Nobel Prize–winning poet whose work explores memory, land, and identity. His poetry balances the grounded and the transcendent. “Walk on air against your better judgement.” — The Gravel Walks, Station Island #SeamusHeaney #OTD

The path to writing fiction is often built on the books we’ve loved. From Jack Kerouac to Chinua Achebe, here’s a reflection on the writers who shaped my journey. 📖 lorenmayshark.com/the-writers-... #Writing #Books #Literature #ReadingLife

Born on this day in 1821, Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867) was a French poet whose work Les Fleurs du mal revolutionized modern poetry. His writing explores beauty, decadence, and the urban experience. “You have given me your mud and I have turned it into gold.” — Les Fleurs du mal #OTD

Born on this day in 1886, Margaret Ayer Barnes (1886–1967) was an American writer best known for her Pulitzer Prize–winning novel Years of Grace. Her work explores family, society, and the passage of time. “The years of grace are the years that teach us how to live.” — Years of Grace #OTD

Born on this day in 1770, William Wordsworth was a key figure of Romanticism whose work celebrated nature, emotion, and imagination. His collection Lyrical Ballads transformed English poetry. “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” #WilliamWordsworth #OTD

Happy Easter! May your day be filled with joy, peace, and a sense of renewal. #HappyEaster

This Holy Week, I’ve been thinking about how our skylines tell a story. We once built sacred spaces for reflection. Now we build towers of ambition and wealth. What does that shift say about us? #HolyWeek #Reflection #Faith

Happy International Children’s Book Day! Children’s books open the door to imagination, learning, and creativity. #InternationalChildrensBookDay

Born on this day in 1908, Abraham Maslow (1908–1970) was an American psychologist best known for the hierarchy of needs. A founder of humanistic psychology, he explored human potential and self-actualization. “What a man can be, he must be.” — Motivation and Personality #OTD

“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” — James Baldwin

When war feels like a game, what happens to human life? This piece examines how digital interfaces, video game culture, and remote warfare are changing how we understand violence and responsibility. lorenmayshark.com/war-digital-... #HumanCostOfWar #drones #warfare

#writingq #writer #writing #amwriting #writingcommunity inventingrealityediting.com/2...

Happy National Write Your Story Day! Your experiences, thoughts, and ideas are part of a story only you can tell. Today is a great day to begin. #NationalWriteYourStoryDay

Born on this day in 1922, Jack Kerouac (1922–1969) was an American writer and a leading voice of the Beat Generation. His novel On the Road captured the restless spirit of travel, freedom, and discovery. “Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” #JackKerouac #OTD

Ten years ago I published Death: An Exploration. Writing a book about death didn’t just change my career—it changed how I think about time, loss, and meaning. A decade later, I’m reflecting on what that journey taught me. #DeathAnExploration #WritingLife #AuthorLife #Mortality

Born on this day in 1779, Frances Milton Trollope (1779–1863) was an English novelist and travel writer known for Domestic Manners of the Americans. Her sharp observations of society made her a notable voice of 19th-century travel writing. #FrancesTrollope #OTD

Born on this day in 1892, Vita Sackville-West (1892–1962) was an English poet, novelist, and gardener known for The Edwardians and the prize-winning poem The Land. Her writing celebrates nature, love, and the rhythms of rural life. “The earth is kind to those who love the earth.” — The Land #OTD

#BWFri #ColorADay #B&W #BlackAndWhite If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete. - Buddha (photographer unknown)

Happy World Book Day! 📚 Books give us new worlds, new perspectives, and sometimes a deeper understanding of our own lives. What book has stayed with you the longest? #WorldBookDay

Fear of death doesn’t just haunt us. It shapes us. It keeps us safe. It drives us toward risk. It gives urgency to love, time, and meaning. Mortality may be the invisible force behind how we live. #FearOfDeath #Philosophy #Mortality

Born on this day in 1902, John Steinbeck (1902–1968) was an American novelist and Nobel Prize winner known for The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden. His work portrays hardship, dignity, and hope. “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”— East of Eden #JohnSteinbeck #OTD

#ThankfulThursday Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. - Melody Beattie 📷 #myphoto

Born on this day in 1802, Victor Hugo (1802–1885) was a French novelist, poet, and dramatist best known for Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. His work championed justice, compassion, and human dignity. “Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” #OTD

Born on this day in 1868, W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963) was an American sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist. A co-founder of the NAACP, he reshaped modern thought on race and democracy. “The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.” #OTD

Born on this day in 1907, W.H. Auden (1907–1973) was an Anglo-American poet whose work shaped 20th-century literature. From politics to love and faith, his verse combined intellect and lyric power. “We must love one another or die.” — September 1, 1939 #WHAuden #OTD