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Recently the Quirk compound was visited by beloved children's book character Flat Stanley.

As many of you will recall, young Stanley was rendered two-dimensional when a huge bulletin board fell on top of him. He didn't let flatness keep him down, though; in fact, he took advantage of the situation by folding himself into envelopes and mailing himself all around the world. Since then, kids in over 6.000 schools–including my nephew Sam–have participated in the Flat Stanley Project by creating their own Flat Stanleys and mailing them all over the place.

The Stanleys are mailed back with photos and information about where they've been. So here are some of the pictures from Stanley's visit to Quirk. (Spoiler alert–Sam got an A.)

The thing about stories is that they make room for the weird and (almost) impossible. We’ve met characters who push our imaginations to the limit and show us all the amazing things they can do. Towns are like that too. Fictional settings can be a little strange and “off.” While they make look normal on the surface, there’s usually something odd hiding underneath. Here are six fictional towns that re-define what it means to be weird.

In honor of National Columnist Day on June 23, take a look back at these writers, poets, playwrights, and philosophers who got their start in journalism. Many of these men also sported fantastic facial hair. Coincidence? Yes.

At 22 years old, newly married with abandoned plans to create a Utopia in the Pennsylvania wilderness, English poet and philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) created a journal called The Watchman, published every eight days to avoid the weekly newspaper tax (smart!).

The journal’s first issue was published in March of 1796 and ceased publication by May of the same year (okay, maybe not so smart). Coleridge’s journal contained essays, poems, news stories, reports on Parliamentary debates, and book reviews. Coleridge soon grew to detest his wife Sara Fricker, but at least their marriage lasted longer than The Watchman. The two were separated in 1808.

by Buzzy the Cicada

Pssssttt…hey, you down there. Yeah, that’s right. Hi. I’m up here, in the tree. You got a minute?

If you’re tired of reading black ink on a white page, or black pixels on a white screen, take a break and watch one of Quirk’s recommended movies for book lovers. We all need a break sometimes, but a break doesn’t mean you have to abandon your precious books.

DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989): A film for those who appreciate the power of poetry. An inspirational movie about one man’s attempt to teach his students about the value of literature. Make sure some tissue is nearby.

MATILDA (1996): A film for library fanatics. Our protagonist, Matilda, escapes her troublesome life at home by exploring the world of books through her local library. It is this passion for stories that gives Matilda the courage to stand up to those who don’t treat her (or her school teacher) with the respect and care that she deserves.

SECRET WINDOW (2004): A film for the horror fan. The protagonist, played by Johnny Depp, goes into a spiral of insanity when his written stories become a little too life-like. A creepy thriller about one of the scariest of topics: writing a novel.

CAPOTE (2005): A film for the true crime connoisseur. Truman Capote’s research about a Kansas murder is given new life in this movie adaptation. The writer gets a little too involved with his work, developing an odd friendship with one the killers who is meant to be a character in his book.

MISS POTTER (2006): A film for lovers of children’s literature. This movie tells the behind-the-scenes story of Miss Potter’s struggle to have her book published in an industry largely dominated by men.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (2011): A film for fans of the modernist writers. The main character, played by Owen Wilson, travels back in time to hang out with the likes of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein during the glorious time in the 1920s when expatriate American writers inhabited Paris.

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Maria Vicente is a literary agent intern living in Ottawa, Canada. She likes coffee, books, snail mail, and magic. You can find her on Twitter (@MsMariaVicente) or check out her website (mariavicente.com)