fiction and creative non-fiction from Brennan Quenneville
I don't take the words of Ursula K. Le Guin lightly. So when a review of Nnedi Okorafor's Lagoon pushed me to learn more about the book, I soon found myself reading the Le Guin quote that sits atop Joey Hi-Fi's magnificent cover art. "There's more imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor's work," says [...]
Willie O'Ree was not a dominant player. His entire NHL career spanned only 45 games during which he registered a serviceable if uninspiring 14 points. He is the most underrated player in NHL history. Shortly after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1947, he was followed into the big leagues by Larry Doby, Hank [...]
Do not for a second believe that the events of January 6th, 2021, in which domestic terrorists assaulted the United States Capitol, were fomented only by the words of Donald Trump. The sitting president is a habitual, unrepentant liar and his constant spew of hateful, untruthful rhetoric is of dire consequence for America. But he [...]
Malcolm Gladwell's Talking to Strangers introduced me to "Hell You Talmbout," a magnificent piece of social activism by Janelle Monae and Wondaland Records from 2015. The song is primarily a roll call of Black Americans that have been murdered by the police and that it feels even more prescient right now than it did in [...]
"Tell me what democracy looks like," said a young black man. His words, amplified through a megaphone, carried across the intersection to where we stood. "This is what democracy looks like," came the response from the crowd that had flooded each of the four corners of our city's small downtown. We wore masks and stood [...]
We are living in a fraught, historic time and right now it feels nearly impossible to think about anything save the unrest that grips the nation and the onslaught of dangers that beset black Americans and other systemically disenfranchised minorities. As a member of the privileged white middle class, I make a less than compelling [...]
This post contains spoilers for If You Come Softly that cover the book's climactic moments. If you don't want the story ruined for you, bookmark this page and come back once you've finished the book. Happy reading. Jacqueline Woodson's 1998 YA novel If You Come Softly is slim but cutting and every bit as relevant [...]
Songs & Stories 