From The Writing Life (public library) by Annie Dillard — a wonderful addition to the collected wisdom of beloved writers — comes this beautiful and poignant meditation on the life well lived, reminding us of the trade offs between presence and productivity that we’re constantly choosing to make, or not................... .Read More   

Alexandre Dumas-fils (1824-1895) French author and playwright, best known for the romantic novel La Dame aux Camélias (The Lady of the Camellias), adapted into Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Traviata (The fallen woman).

Pablo Casals (1876 - 1973) Cellist, composer, and conductor from Catalonia. Generally regarded as one of the greatest cellists of all time. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963.

Wangari Maathai (1940 - 2011) Renowned Kenyan social, environmental and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Prize. She founded The Green Belt Movement in 1977

French children’s book author Franck Prévot and illustrator Aurélia Fronty tell her remarkable story in Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees  - You can learn more at Brain Pickings in Maria Popovas's article "Planting trees as resistance and empowerment" 

Photo credit : The Green Belt Movement