Tag Archives: Shel Silverstein

C.S. Lewis’ Unicorn Song

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Brenton Dickieson

I have talked before about my love of Shel Silverstein’s poetry. Most people don’t know that he is the poet behind the Irish Rover’s international hit, “The Unicorn Song.” It’s hard to resist the Celtic charm of this lilting classic, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Poetry, Shel Silverstein, The Irish Rovers, The Sailing of the Ark, The Unicorn Song | 23 Comments

The Forgotten Posts: Blogs that I Liked But Apparently No One Else Did, or An Encouraging Read During a Difficult Writing Period, or, Longest. Title. Ever.

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

I am writing a paper, and it isn’t going well. When writers face a losing battle, we often turn to little supports that we have surrounded ourselves with over the years. I know a writer who googles his name, to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, Conversion, imagination, Narnia, Shel Silverstein, Spirits in Bondage, Stephen King, writing | 4 Comments

Natural Food for the Imagination, or Growing Up on Books

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Brenton Dickieson

One of my pleasurable memories of childhood was of my mother waking me up very late one night. She had just returned from a business trip and she had bought me a book. I can no longer remember what that … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes, Reflections | Tagged books, C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia, fantasy, imaginative literature, library, literature, love of books, Shel Silverstein, Sword in the Stone, Where the Sidewalk Ends | 17 Comments

Lessons from Childhood Reading, Or Living Life Like Melinda Mae

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Brenton Dickieson

I always have the temptation, perhaps, to look back a little too fondly at my childhood. I remember especially those sunny summer days on the farm: our backyard was the universe, an adventure waiting every time I left the breakfast … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged books, children's literature, lion the witch and the wardrobe, literature, Madeleine L'Engle, Melinda Mae, myth, Shel Silverstein, Slaying Dragons, The Lion, The Tyranny of the Incalculable | 11 Comments

The Pilgrim’s Regress and the Reader’s Progress

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Brenton Dickieson

As much as I always love it, reading Lewis occasionally reminds me of how I’m so deficient in “the literary canon”—the great pieces of literature that everyone has read; a.k.a., the books I should have read already. All too often … Continue reading →