The University of Southern California has received a $40,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to produce a video game based on the work of Henry David Thoreau. You can explore the game in the video embedded above–what do you think?

Here’s more about the project: “The game will take place in a real-time 3D environment which will replicate the geography of Walden Pond and the woods in which Thoreau made his home using both game technologies and video. Beyond the replication of a virtual environment, however, the gameplay itself will embody the experiment that Thoreau set for himself, reinforcing the basic messages of his work. Walden, a game posits a new genre of play, in which reflection and insight play an important role in the player experience. ”

You can download free eBook edition of Thoreau’s Walden at this link. At the same time, a number of PBS shows saw significant reductions or cuts in their NEA grants this year.

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Celebrating the memory of a victim of the terrorist attacks on 9-11, the Brooke Jackman Foundation has launched its first annual summer reading list. Below, we’ve listed all the books selected by the foundation’s  advisory committee.

The committee includes actor Alec Baldwin, actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Reading Rainbow show creator Dr. Twila C. Liggett, literacy expert Dr. Gay Su Pinnell, and children’s authors Stephanie Calmenson and Katie Davis.

Here’s more from the release: “Each selected two of their favorite books – a favorite from their childhood and a second book that has become more relevant in their adulthood – and added an anecdotal line about their selections … The 12 books selected by the committee convey invaluable lessons about hope, loyalty and individuality.”

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