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Mystery & Adventure Agency cemetery photo

Celebrate Halloween with these unique and creative activities

Today is the day! The ghouls and goblins have populated the fronts of houses, the children are excited about “what to be,” and the parents are dreading the sugar crash while sneaking a few king-sized bars. Some of my friends and colleagues bemoan the hype, commercialism, and calories. I personally LOVE Halloween (I’m a theatre person, remember, with an active inner child), but this blog is dedicated to those who don’t. You can make this holiday about something more meaningful. Here are my recommendations for doing something for All Hallows that doesn’t have anything to do with haunted houses or

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Holly and her family sitting around a table for a mystery dinner

Sharing Without Spending: 3 ways to connect even across distances

With Chanukah and American Thanksgiving just around the corner, and festivals of light and Christmas not far behind, some of my friends are at a loss as to what kinds of presents to give or how to connect with their family, friends or communities across the miles. I was mentally masticating on this conundrum as I picked up a wonderful anthology I am reading, Murder for Christmas.Then it struck me like a frying pan to the face—WHAT A GREAT PROJECT TO DO! This being an arts-in-ed blog, I am hoping none of my readers freak out, but instead read on

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Holly Adams in her studio recording an audiobook

Why do we love mysteries?

I often ponder the question, “Why are we drawn to the mysterious?” From zombies to Agatha Christie, we are sucked in like moths to flame by the unknown. As part of my work, I run Mystery & Adventure Agency and have narrated many mystery novels, so I get a little glimpse into this genre and why it appeals to us so strongly. What makes mysteries so fun and exciting? There is something wonderful and joyous about the opportunity to safely “let go,” whether that means portraying something or someone scary or allowing oneself the latitude of being deliciously, shriekingly frightened.

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Holly Adams in her studio recording an audiobook

Art, History, and the Zombie Apocalypse

I am lead writer for the Mystery & Adventure Agency, and we have participated in many events, including co-hosting a fund-raising 5K for arts education in our community. It was spectacularly popular, fabulously fun, and full of people clamoring to dress up and perform, and who paid for the privilege and then felt better afterwards. It was a 5K Zombie Run. But why are zombies popular? One evening I was taking a break with an international publication, and after finishing the article about Mauritania’s Conservation Coast, I turned the page. It was an article called, “Monsters from Mesopotamia.” It was

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