"Reading is the creative center of a writer's life." — Stephen King
August 30, 2021
Before Shakespeare invented the soliloquy, actors spoke in monologues and dialogues. Soliloquys are a radical combination of the uninterrupted speech of one person (in monologues) with the tension created by expressing two different perspectives (in dialogues). Soliloquys demonstrate how a character can go back and forth when … Read More
August 20, 2021
I always begin my “How to Write Your Memoirs” classes by asking, “Why do you want to do this?” No one has ever answered the question like novelist Pat Conroy does in this collection of essays about writing memoirs. Conroy said that he was surprised that when … Read More
August 13, 2021
Of course, this character – Astrid – had not done every single thing wrong. But, after watching someone she had known for 40 years get hit by a bus (literally), she suddenly faced the fact that she had made plenty of mistakes and had done things she … Read More
July 30, 2021
What makes this book a bestseller? Clearly, the sad “if only I had…..” theme of the book resonates with many people during a year when mental health issues are skyrocketing. Perhaps more importantly, the novel is written by someone who has lived the experience he is … Read More
July 22, 2021
I nearly fell off my chair when I read this statement in Stephen King’s book On Writing. It provides such a sharp contrast to the 20 other books I’ve been reading on the subject of writing memoirs. Because I’m working on my own book on this … Read More
July 8, 2021
We’re in the middle of the summer, and I’m still in the process of “righting the ship.” After feeling off-balance for a year, I am turning once again to my wise friend, Parker Palmer. This is the book that I chose for my first blog post … Read More
June 25, 2021
Let’s start with this idea: linguists do not designate any language as being superior. And yet, when I teach my students to write academic essays in “standard” English, I am in fact telling them what language I believe is superior. Baker-Bell argues that “standard” English is a … Read More
June 18, 2021
Instead, it’s about neurology and psychology, Rosanne Bane argues in her book about the resistance that nearly all writers experience at some point. She explains what happens in our brains when we have trouble writing. As a writing teacher, I have been experimenting with ways to support … Read More
June 2, 2021
Were my reading assignments interesting? Moving? Inspiring? These are the questions I ask myself after teaching literature classes. I hope my students will experience the sort of engagement that Eudora Welty describes here. She writes about spending an afternoon in the library reading Yeats and feeling so … Read More
May 19, 2021
Henry Taylor’s poem “The Muse Once More” continues: “…to draw me away from what I chose too long ago to forsake it now on some journey out of legend, to smuggle across the world’s best-guarded borders this token, whatever it is, that says I have risked my … Read More
May 11, 2021
Toasters? In Anne Fadiman’s world, there is a difference between useful objects such as toasters and important things that you want to maintain a connection with, such as books. She loves books. As a writer, and the daughter of parents who were both writers, and … Read More
May 3, 2021
“Those girls” are the Vignes twins, who at a very young age, saw five white men lynching their black father. The neighbors predicted that the girls couldn’t be “right” afterwards, and indeed, both girls went on to make many questionable choices. This novel — a bestseller — … Read More
April 20, 2021
Danny Caine continues, “but that doesn’t mean I’m going to quietly watch the world’s richest man relentlessly collect money, influence, and power.” In 128 pages, he argues for “resisting” Amazon. Much of what he says about fighting for local economies, data privacy, fair labor, independent bookstores, … Read More
April 12, 2021
The vicar’s wife continues, “…and expose John as an imposter. I wanted it to happen, and not only for Ianthe’s good.” Wow! What a confession! The vicar’s wife – who we thought should be friends with Ianthe – disapproved of her marriage to John. Why? She … Read More
March 31, 2021
Can reading a great book be therapeutic? Every English teacher I know would say yes. Some of us, in fact, prescribe books to our friends who might want help in delicate situations. What’s new here is the idea that neuroscientists – like Fletcher – can identify … Read More