By The Team
Ana Roselli
Who is your favorite All-American Author? George R. R. Martin
George R. R. Martin
Why are they special to you? He is amazing for his capacity to write entire books changing every chapter from which character perspective he is going to tell the story as a first person narrator. Doing this requires a high level of mastery, since you must fully embrace a new personality and a new way to understand what is happening around you. Martin is also really unpredictable, what makes his plots so addictive to a curious Gemini like me.
What is your favorite piece of theirs? A Song of Ice and Fire
Jamie Sutton
Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
Who is your favorite All-American Author? Dr. Seuss
Why are they special to you? As many did, I grew up reading Dr. Seuss books. My Dad also grew up reading Dr. Seuss and throughout his life, kept a copy of his favorite book, Horton Hears a Who, which was given to him when he was just a child and later given to me. I remember the first time we read this book together and through its silly rhymes and caricature illustrations, my Dad told me that this lesson would teach me one of life’s important stories and morals: loyalty. Horton did his friend, the Mazie Bird, a favor by looking after her egg, and though an elephant, out of place and uncomfortable- teased and abused- he was faithful to his word, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant, an elephant’s faithful 100%”.
Dr. Seuss taught life lessons using tales, stories, and rhymes and like many children’s books, he taught valuable lessons most (dare I say more) relevant to adults. The Lorax, teaches the importance of caring for the environment and the consequences that will come of greed over natural resources. How the Grinch Stole Christmas, yet another classic, teaches us that no matter how mean or cruel a person may be, it is easier to love than to hate others, or as my Dad would say: “Kill them with kindness.”
These stories, though simple and elementary, teach stories that many adults need to read one more time.
What is your favorite piece of theirs? Horton Hears a Who
Alexandra Fondren
John Steinbeck
Who is your favorite All-American Author? John Steinbeck
Why are they special to you? Few American authors have been able to capture the tone - the haunting and darkly beautiful melancholy - of depression era America. Grapes of Wrath was hard to swallow, but few novels provide such a realistic, textured insight into the dust bowl period and the makings of the modern American West. On the other hand, few books are as poetic, nostalgic and emotionally charged as East of Eden and Cannery Row. Living in the Bay, I think of John Steinbeck often when I'm driving through Monterey and especially down the Salinas/King City corridor. It reminds me of all the back-breaking work that went into the 'easy' California lifestyle that we often take for granted.
What is your favorite piece of theirs? East of Eden
Kimberly Charles
Who is your favorite All-American Author? My favorite American Author is Walt Whitman who was really more of a poet than a novelist, although he did publish select smaller works.
Walt Whitman
Why are they special to you? Whitman's profound love of nature guided much of his writing, but he was equally a keen observer of human nature. His poems and writings encapsulated beauty, irony, inspiration, humanity and the majesty of nature. I'm constantly delighted by the timeliness of his words, considering he was an early to mid-19th century author. He was considered to be emblematic of free verse in writing and inspired the beat poets of the 1960s among many others.
What is your favorite piece of theirs? Leaves of Grass
All the Swirl is a collections of thoughts and opinions assembled by the staff and industry friends of Charles Communications Associates, a marketing communications firm with its headquarters in San Francisco, California. We invite you to explore more about our company and clients by visiting www.charlescomm.com.