Here is a collection of topical articles and personal essays by Robin Van Auken.

Protective Magic: Incantation Bowls

How Incantation Bowls Protect from Demonic Forces Believing that malevolent forces caused tumors and other illnesses, Jewish communities in Mesopotamia created incantation bowls (c. 300–700 CE) to trap demons and protect the family. Inscribed in Aramaic with spiraling spells and magical symbols, and placed upside down at the entrances of their homes,

Find the Beautiful, the Strange at Your Local Botanical Garden

I am not a botanist, but I enjoy spending time at Botanical Gardens. These gardens can take many forms, but the specimens are usually suited to the particular climates found in the state. According to Wikipedia, the inception of botanical gardens is linked to the history of botany, and most 16th and 17th-century scientific

2023-04-07T13:52:25-04:00By |Go Outdoors, Inspiration|

Useful Guide to Free Photos, Media and More

As a writer, you're not always concerned with visual or audio artwork. It's often secondary to the Muse dictating the story to you. As a Self-Sufficient Author, however, you need media for marketing your author brand, so how do you find it and use it legally? The Ultimate Guide to Free Photos, Media & More

Reawaken Your ‘Sense of Wonder’: Remembering Rachel Carson

The spirit of Rachel Carson lives on, instilling in the Earth's human population awareness of its fragile environment and an urgency to protect it from toxins. Although it's been five decades since the publication of her runaway bestseller, "Silent Spring" (1962), Carson remains one of the greatest nature writers of America and one of America's

Register Your Author Website Domain Before It’s Gone

What are you waiting for? An invitation? If you haven't registered your name with ICANN as a domain for your Author's Website, then you better get a move on. I have a unique name, and there are still several people in the United States with the same name. Lucky for me, I'm tech-savvy and

Kids Dig ‘Arch in the Park’

Arch in the Park is a hands-on heritage program designed by students for students. Organized by communication students at Lycoming College, Arch in the Park is an archaeological outreach offered by Muncy Historical Society, Northcentral Chapter 8 and Lycoming College's archaeology department, under the direction of Robin Van Auken with Hands on Heritage. Together,

2023-04-07T15:56:01-04:00By |Robin Van Auken|

Hands-on Heritage: Market Square

This 1875 photograph shows the southwest corner of Market Square in downtown Williamsport. Bustling with downtown traffic despite the muddy thoroughfares, Williamsport's booming lumber trade summoned entrepreneurs eager to capitalize on the region's wealth and new construction. The block featured a ticket office for the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad Company, a hardware store, and

2023-04-07T16:11:48-04:00By |Robin Van Auken|

Williamsport: Boomtown on the Susquehanna

Williamsport: Boomtown on the Susquehanna (Robin Van Auken and Louis E. Hunsinger, Jr., Arcadia, 2003) This book relates the history of Williamsport, as well as many towns and boroughs of Lycoming County. Williamsport, a struggling frontier village that grew into a town with a taste for success, eventually molded itself into a magnetic and vibrant

2021-03-11T11:27:58-05:00By |History, Robin Van Auken|
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