

Discover the Hope Rose and a Wondrous Old Rose Garden
My husband and I looked down at our sad miniature rose. "I don't think it's going to make it," Peter said. When Peter gave me the little rose bush for Valentine's Day, it boasted a wealth of tiny red blossoms. Now we knew the rose was in trouble. It struggled to thrive on our Berkeley apartment's shaded deck. In an attempt to find more sun, we moved the plant container several times, Nothing helped, and it was discouraging to see more leaves turn yellow and drop off every day

Linda Borromeo
4 min read


Kate Greenaway: Staying True to Your Own Style
How do memories transform creativity and imagination? For artist and poet Kate Greenaway, childhood memories created a swirl of color,...

Linda Borromeo
7 min read


In Her Own Hand: What Book Treasures Came to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair?
Credit: Charlotte Brontë by Evert A. Duyckinck, courtesy of the University of Texas at Austin The Possibilities of a Handwritten Name...

Linda Borromeo
4 min read


They Never Wearied of Stories: Discover a Surprising Children's Library
Painting by Helen Allingham What can the height of a table tell you? If you walked into a special children's library of long ago, a...

Linda Borromeo
4 min read


Mary Cassatt and the Vanishing Mural
On a cool autumn evening , Christie Edwards faces a life-altering decision. She is attending an awards ceremony at the 1893 Chicago...

Linda Borromeo
6 min read


A Spanish Princess, a Glass Dress, and a Creative Gamble
Actress Gloria Cayvan (left) and Infanta Eulalia of Spain Cinderella's fairy godmother created glass slippers with just a flick of her...

Linda Borromeo
5 min read


When a Viking Ship Invaded Chicago: Tales From the 1893 Chicago World's Fair
"Viking" by Hjalmar Johnssen (1898) vikingship.us A Shimmering World of Illusion One of the delights of writing historical mysteries...

Linda Borromeo
3 min read

