Maria Popova

Just in case you were wondering what the 'Slaughterhouse Five' author did with his days. More »

And other excellent questions from kids, answered by great minds More »

The writer of 'The Quick and the Dead' says a good author should be able to startle a reader to life. More »

For 200 years, pop culture has been transfixed by the notion of an obliterated New York City. More »

These new ideas caused radical transformations in the art world. More »

How a British admiral shaped the language More »

The capture of light is an ever-evolving process. More »

These optical illusions were created not by computers, but by painstaking, clever handiwork. More »

The 'Factotum' author believed writing should be a way of celebrating life, not lamenting it. More »

A comic book brings philosophy to eye-popping, exquisitely drawn life. More »

'Setting words on paper is the tactic of a secret bully,' and other selections from 'Why I Write' More »

"The creative writer does the same as the child at play," and other quips More »

Stay limber, get a thesaurus, and eight further morsels of writerly wisdom from the award-winning Canadian author More »

Some of these authors were censored, but they certainly weren't silenced. More »

Get enough sleep. Write inane tweets. Understanding mental blocks and why quality expression "doesn't just come out like vomit after a bad meal" More »

"Each lapse is like the letting fall of a ball of string which one is carefully winding up." A timeless validation of grit and persistence as secrets to success More »

This is why you don't troll a literary genius. More »

Be sure to write on a computer with no Internet connection, and other tips from the 'NW' author More »

The elements that make up our bodies and the world around us imagined as superheroes. More »

And "how do we get people to feel clean again?" More »