Brainpickings -- a Humanities treasure trove

Need a daily dose of literature and the arts in a succinct package? If so, you can't really go wrong by checking in with Maria Popova at the Brainpickings blog. Popova's literary labor of love is subtitled "Marginalia on our search for meaning," and it began over fifteen years ago as an inner office email to some friends and colleagues with succinct bits of information that Popova found interesting and wanted to share. It grew from that into a blog and a Twitter feed, and it has become a popular site with an incredible amount of info and links. In fact, Brainpickings is kind of the dream site and project for people like me, as it's much like the vision I had for A Teacher's View when I first started. 

But I don't want to diminish what Popova is doing at Brainpickings as simply a hobby any reader and blogger could produce -- she is incredibly smart, and she is a true workhorse in putting together the engaging descriptions of the humanities subjects she wants to talk about. I can't even fathom the discipline and focus she must have to produce three fully developed and researched pieces a day, week after week for years. Like many great teachers and ideas gurus, Popova is able to discern and distill some real gems from the vast literary and artistic work she covers, and she puts out thoughtful and erudite summaries of content and themes that ultimately invite readers to seek out more and pursue greater depth of knowledge.

Popova is truly an artist, as is her support of the arts and humanities.