Something About Bellairs in Bristol: Morris Showing

Really: for refuge straight to Bristol!!!

Something About Bellairs in Bristol: Cotham Gardens

For refuge straight to Bristol!

Something About Twelfth Night

To Sir Toby!

Something About the Pilgrim Pope

How many times did the pope cross the ocean?

Celebrating The Pedant and the Shuffly

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of The Pedant and the Shuffly, the second book of John Bellairs and his second collaboration with illustrator Marilyn Fitschen. The short, 79-page illustrated fable details the encounter of the two titular characters: the pedantic wizard Snodrog, who submits logic traps to his fellow countrymen to transform their weak-minded bodies into linen napkins, and the fury, mop-topped creature known as the Shuffly, whose cheery and playful mindset constantly circumvents the Snodrog's best laid plans.

Who's Who: Dean Husk?

"And who, may I ask, is Dean Husk?" The Question Box Moderator may be asked an assortment of oddball inquiries but this time he’s out to ask one of his own (Saint Fidgeta and Other Parodies, 49-50).

Who's Who: Lyndon Johnson

During Pope Paul VI's 1965 visit to the United States this president met him in New York City [Saint Fidgeta and Other Parodies; 30].

Sweet Fidgeta, Deliver Us!

We’re celebrating fifty years since the publication of Saint Fidgeta and Other Parodies and a half-century of John Bellairs as the famous author.

Staging "Heartbreak House"

The fifth - and we assume final - in a series of articles about Bellairs performing with the College of Saint Teresa Drama Department.

Richard Dyer-Bennet: Modern Troubadour Covers Wide Range

It's been fifty years since musician Richard Dyer-Bennet visited the College of Saint Teresa campus in Winona, Minnesota, which is where Bellairs taught during 1964-65 school year.  Bellairs first encountered Dyer-Bennet when the singer visited the University of Notre Dame campus during the 1957-58 school year.

Richard Dyer-Bennet: Tenor, Guitarist To Sing at College

It's been fifty years since musician Richard Dyer-Bennet visited the College of Saint Teresa campus in Winona, Minnesota, which is where Bellairs taught during 1964-65 school year.  Bellairs first encountered Dyer-Bennet when the singer visited the University of Notre Dame campus during the 1957-58 school year. Dyer-Bennet performed on the Saint Teresa campus on Jan. 20, and we'll discuss the event in a few days.

Researching the PMLA Again

Not too long ago we found ourselves with access to JSTOR and we thought, on a whim, we might finally nail down the long-running PMLA question.

Staging "Electra"

The fourth in a series of articles about Bellairs performing with the College of Saint Teresa Drama Department.

Staging "Twelfth Night"

The third in a series of articles about Bellairs performing with the College of Saint Teresa Drama Department.

Staging "Ring Round the Moon"

The second in a series of articles about Bellairs performing with the College of Saint Teresa Drama Department.

Time Capsule: November 22, 1963

Friday, November 22, 1963: The Tea House at the corner of West 17th and Gould Streets on the campus of the College of Saint Teresa in Winona, Minnesota. That’s what the late Norbert Geier remembered.

We’ve met numerous people over the years here at Bellairsia, mostly sharing memories of John and his life and times. Sometimes the stories recall momentous events – the publication of a book or the news of a chance encounter – but often they are anecdotes of what was happening a generation or two ago. This story is a bit of both.

High on a Stage: The College of Saint Teresa Drama Department

The first in a series of articles about Bellairs performing with the College of Saint Teresa Drama Department.

A Brief History of the College of Saint Teresa

The College of Saint Teresa was a Catholic women's college in Winona, Minnesota. Founded as a women's seminary, it became a college in 1907 and ceased operations in 1989. John Bellairs taught here beginning fifty years ago this month, between September 1963 and spring 1965.

Researching Mary Zimmerman Again

With this year being the fortieth anniversary of The House with a Clock in its Walls we thought we’d revisit again the life and times of Mary Holoubek Zimmerman. Does that name sound almost familiar but not quite right? It should. Here’s some of our initial research from a decade ago.

Off-and-on this year we’ve dug back into the trenches for grins to see if anything new could be found. We did feel a bit foolish at the get-go of the hunt if only because we realized that we have had a street address for her all these years. Sort of. During our initial research a decade ago, the fine folks at the Wisconsin Historical Society sent us what amounts to an autobiographical sketch that includes her birth (Chicago; September 18, 1905), martial status (wife of Louis P. Zimmerman, married 1934), children (two), and an address.

Time Capsule: The First Fidgettine Phenomenon

We’re celebrating a half-century since the first miraculous Fidgettine vision!

It was fifty years ago this year...when exactly we’re not quite clear...that John Bellairs began frequenting the apartment of his friends, Dale and Marilyn Fitschen. Both John and Dale were taking classes at the nearby University of Chicago, with Bellairs plodding along in pursuit of his doctorate in literature and pounding out pages of his dissertation.