When a group of locals got together last year to organize the first Dickinson Little Italy Festival, I was intrigued. [Read more…]

From a modern perspective, many grim aspects of Victorian life are best left in old, unsmiling photos. Impoverished children working in mines and factories, rigid class structures and the idea of “separate spheres” in which men were strong and women were weak, come to mind. [Read more…]

On Jan. 1 each year, before we sit down to black-eyed peas, cabbage and cornbread, my husband and I partake in another New Year’s ritual. I call it “The Reading of the Calendar.” In this ritual, I take an inked-up calendar from the newly old year and recite aloud the highlights — day by day. [Read more…]

Most Texans are too gracious to gloat, but we’re known to brag now and then. [Read more…]

As we worked on this issue, I couldn’t help but think about the first Thanksgiving, recounted from an eyewitness report written in December 1621 by Edward Winslow. [Read more…]