“What is the rudest question you can ask a woman?”

FwyTina Fey — arguably one of the funniest, most influential comedians today — says that the rudest question you can ask a woman isn’t about weight or age. It’s a question that men are rarely asked, namely, “How do you juggle it all?” She says that people constantly ask her … Read More

“What do these extraordinary lines summon in you?”

housdenThe premise of Ten Poems to Change Your Life by Roger Housden is this: great poems can be dangerous. They can make you question your assumptions, change your direction, and find the courage to start over. I believe that reading can lead to reflection that inspires transformation. In fact, I’m … Read More

“I began to think about what it means to be a facilitator of learning rather than a teacher.”

KnowlesWhat is the difference between “educating people” and “helping people learn”? This classic book by Malcolm Knowles — the central figure in US adult education during the last century — explores the different sets of assumptions behind these two approaches. Educators who lecture, for example, assume that their job is … Read More

“You were right to tell me that in life, it is not the future which counts, but the past.”

ModianoWhat kind of person believes that the past is more important than the future? Wouldn’t the least likely be someone with amnesia? The central character in this novel by Nobel Prize-winner Patrick Modiano is a Parisian who has no memory of his life before the second world war. It appears … Read More