Readers are plentiful; thinkers are rare. – Anthony Burgess

John Anthony Burgess Wilson (February 25, 1917 – November 22, 1993) was an English writer who is perhaps best remembered for his dystopian novel A Clockwork Orange. Stanley Kubrick adapted the novel into a film, starring Malcolm McDowell as Alex, which considerably influenced the popularity of the book. Other notable works by Burgess include Earthly Powers and the Enderby quartet. He was also a longtime literary critic for The Observer and The Guardian, as well as an accomplished musician and linguist who composed over 250 musical works, including three symphonies.

"A voice is a human gift; it should be cherished and used, to utter fully human speech as possible. Powerlessness and silence go together." -Margaret Atwood

Happy Birthday, Margaret Atwood!

Today, Margaret Atwood turns 73, although she let her fans know via Twitter that she considers herself "39 (again)."

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian writer who has written numerous novels and anthologies of poetry. Her novels often cover themes of science fiction, dystopian fiction, and speculative fiction. Her poetry often draws upon inspiration from myths and fairytales. In 1987, her novel, The Handmaiden's Tale, received the first ever Arthur C. Clarke award, for best science fiction novel published in the United Kingdom from the previous year.

She is also highly respected as a literary critic and champion of the Canadian writing community, although her work has gained global renown. Atwood is also an environmental activist with deep concern for the humane treatment of animals. Atwood remains an active author, and has received honorary degrees from eighteen universities to date, within Canada and abroad. She has won many awards, both for her literary work and social contributions.

As President of The Juilliard School, Dr. Joseph Polisi is a twenty-first century visionary poised at the helm of a world-renowned performing arts institution; he is a fierce proponent of the arts, an author, a teacher, and a performer.

"If you can channel the best part of you that is bigger than yourself where it’s not about your ego and not about getting ahead, then you can have fun and you aren’t jealous of others.  You see other people's talent as another branch of your own.  You can keep it rooted in joy...Life is long and there are plenty of opportunities to make mistakes.  The point of it all is to learn."

-Ethan Hawke