Arts & Humanities

It only seems fitting that if this is to be a column of reviews, then an order be maintained. Hence, according to the Channel-wise list at Helium, Arts & Humanities tops the list. Content and contributors from this channel start the weekly series of reviews.

For those who frequent the Arts & Humanities section at Helium or BrightHub, this should be familiar ground. For those who do not, this should be an eye-opener into what

this channel contains; Dance, Philosophy, Language, World Wars, History, and of course Writing Resources to name a few. .

Today’s blog is dedicated to the Arts & Humanities Channel. Cheers to all its editors and writers at both – Helium and BrightHub. This blog is for you.

The Dance sub-channel intrigued me, and so I decided to delve into it further. Take a look at this article; ‘The history of Western Swing’ by David Braybrooke. It’s actually quite fascinating. I’ve always taken for granted that I was born into a family that has a talent for dance, but never have I actually taken the time to get to the roots or history of the styles we follow.

Are you interested in becoming an actor? Perhaps you already are, or someone in your circle is interested. This article might catch your fancy. ‘Five steps to become an actor’ by Rich Mastriani. Five steps to the glitz and glamour of the rich and famous. Could it probably be the path that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie once walked?

Now here’s an article that will definitely be very helpful to one who is a writer. ‘Free tools you can use to find ideas to write articles’. In this piece, Gordon Hamilton gives us a peek into what we already are aware of; yet do not make use of to our advantage. I personally recommend this as a definite must-read for every writer.

My next pick was inevitable. I was drawn to the article title; and voila, who should I see? Dawn Hawkins as the author of ‘Becoming a better writer’! Are you struggling with your writing skill and wondering how to improve your skill to increase earnings? Perhaps it’s time you read this article.

The title of this next article caught my fancy a long time ago. ‘Short story reviews: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving’. Those who have read this legendry tale will agree that it’s a story worth reading over and over again… and enacted too. For those who haven’t read the story of Ichabod Crane, this review might perhaps raise your curiosity.

Find out the basics of scientific and analytical literary criticism in this article - ‘An Introduction to New Criticism’, by Rukhaya Moideen Kutty . She mentions the main tenets, merits and de-merits of such a criticism.

Are you looking for resources on learning how to write magazine-style articles. Perhaps this brief description ‘The Value of the Handbook of Magazine Article Writing’ by Brian Lamacraft will be more helpful.

Perhaps at some point you have been looking for a selection of books for young adults. '5 Great Books for Young Adults’ by Benjamin Sell should prove beneficial. His collection of book titles range from categories of war to family to adventure.

The lights are on you ......

Today’s pick for writer of the week is Kenneth Andrews. Kenneth is a prolific writer in this Channel and his written work covers many of the sub-channels seen in this section. Proficient in many languages, Kenneth has also delved into studies related to Cinema, Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology. A lot of expertise and knowledge in these subjects reflect in his articles. He is rightfully the Channel Manager for the ‘Writing Channel’ under the Arts & Humanities Channel at Helium.

Other interesting articles:

The relationship between dancers and musicians – Marisa Wright

Tap dancing: The cultural fusion of Irish and African in America – Loretta Murphy- Birster

How America’s musical theatre tradition influenced dance trends – Can Tran

History of New France - J. Carter

Little known New Hampshire state facts – Diane Quinn

Reintroducing the lost art of letter writing - Olivia Bredbenner

Why writers write – Raymond Alexander Kukkee

Avoiding common writing mistakes: Run-on sentences – M. J. Joachim

Freelance writers: How to get organized – W. Diane VanZwol

Reflections on the Patan Museum in Nepal – Mimosa

This is the first among the channel-wise series of reviews. I welcome feedback, input and opinions of how this blog has turned out and how it can be worked on to be presented better.

Please note that articles on Crafts will be featured in the Hobbies & Games Section, while Music will be under the Entertainment section. Poetry and Poetry Analysis fall under the Creative Writing Channel reviews.

Images Credit: Amanda Dcosta

Image 1: Ancient city ruins, Nizwa, Oman

Image 2: Declyn D'rozario modelling the Panaolla Kuda, Vypeen, India. (Copyrights obtained)

Image 5: Information board about the 'History of Nizwa Fort & Castle', Nizwa, Oman

Image 6. View of Nizwa City from the Nizwa Fort, Nizwa, Oman

After much contemplation...

I've been in two minds about writing a blog... as I've wanted it to be something substantial, interesting and beneficial. Of course beneficial for me... but then more importantly, I've been wanting to feature interesting articles that I've read up during the week.

I plan to highlight articles primarily from my writing circle, and feature one or two writers for the week. I know that many of you are brilliant writers and worth the mention. Surely you will bear with me for turning the limelight onto you. :)

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Without much ado, I'd like to commence my blog with the writers of today beginning with Glory Lennon. She doesn't need much introduction. From her bubbly presence at the zones and chats to her amazing contributions in the field of horticulture, Glory gives us an insight into the practical aspects of gardening. Take for example one of her recent articles 'How to landscape in dry conditions'. You'd think you'd have problems with creating and maintaining a beautiful garden in the hot, dry areas of the country, but boy... does she find a solution for this worry.

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From the dry garden techniques of Glory's article, we move over to the cold Canadian winter of Raymond Alexander Kukkee. His flash fiction entry, 'A winter call', tactfully presents not only a story, but a warning against serious hazards of snowmobile 'highmarking' causing fatal avalanches. It may be summer, you tell yourself, but a highlight of the past couple of months is worth recollecting in the light of great writing talent.

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Returning back to gardening, this week an article of mine was published at BrightHub; 'How to build a potting bench for gardening'. It was a pretty interesting topic as I had the opportunity to translate my idea of a potting bench into an E-Guide at BrightHub.

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That brings me to the end of my first blog; officially going live. I appreciate feedback, comments and input into how I might improve, expand on or edit my pages. I thank you very much for visiting my page and giving me all the support that I need.

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The next issue will focus on the Arts & Humanities Channel. You can look forward to reviews of a random selection of articles along with a series of articles in a particular topic from the channel. Apart from this, a few prominent writers from this channel will also be featured.

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Till then...

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