Exploring Books, Life, and Writing
Many years ago I was talking to a freelance proofreader who was several weeks late getting a project back to me. She chronicled the various issues in her life that were keeping her from completing the job. She concluded by saying, “I really want to get this done. I feel extremely guilty I am so late.”
I replied, “Well, that just proves what a poor motivator guilt is.”
There was a very long, very silent pause at the other end.
Continue reading “What’s My Motivation Here?”
Maybe I’m old fashioned. Maybe I’m out of style. Maybe I’m the hipster culture’s worst nightmare. But I still think books make a difference.
David Brooks’s piece in the New York Times cites another study that shows the power of print. When students take books home for the summer, the impact is as great as attending summer school–aligning with the 27-country study I mentioned here previously.
Brooks makes the interesting point though, that books not only improve our thinking or reading abilities, books make us into different people. They shape not only how we see the world but how we see ourselves. We gain an identity as a learner or science fiction fan or lover of history or maybe just as a reader.
Books help make us who we are. And I think that’s a good thing.
Anxiety dreams are common. It’s the day of finals and you can’t find the classroom–in fact, you have neglected to attend class all semester. Or it’s the big game and the coach sends you in as the point guard–only you are short and a really bad basketball player who hasn’t practiced with the team all season. Or you are suddenly called on to give a speech with a few only a minutes’ notice.
Except that the last one wasn’t a dream for me. It really happened once.
Continue reading “Speaking of Nightmares”
Those who know my wife, Phyllis, know that she is a larger-than-life personality. Those who know me, know that I am not. We are the poster children for Opposites Attract. I’ve often said that Phyllis can strike up a conversation with a fencepost, and get the post to do most of the talking!
Continue reading “Dedicated to the One I Love”
Sometimes a publisher has a footprint bigger than its foot. That certainly has to be the case with Copper Canyon Press. Respected if not revered by poetry patrons and literature lovers everywhere, Copper Canyon, since its founding in 1972, has developed an international reputation for doing (and doing well) what virtually all other publishers studiously avoid–publishing poetry. And we’re not talking sentimental rhymes here. We’re talking Nobel laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners.
Continue reading “A Footprint Bigger Than Its Foot”
Some 230-plus years ago, thirteen colonies were unhappy with the mother country. So the leaders of these New World governments gathered in Philadelphia to debate, discuss and bargain. Finally, they cobbled together a unanimous vote (with one abstention–New York!). As all school children know, the momentous day in 1776 on which the colonies declared independence was July the 2nd.
Continue reading “Happy 2nd of July, America!”
Want your children to go further in their education—high school, college, maybe more? Want them to earn more as adults? Here’s one key predictor of educational attainment and earning power. Is it IQ? Is it economic status?
Continue reading “Increase the Earning Power of Your Children”
I am known to work on the occasional crossword puzzle. Maybe every week or two I try my hand. I’m not like some friends who can whip through one in thirty minutes. In fact, it usually takes me a few days to finish. But I’ve seen a remarkable pattern in how I manage to solve them.
Continue reading “Solving a Puzzle”
Engadget reports that Sony’s Steve Haber, head of their digital reading business division, says that “within five years there will be more digital content sold than physical content.” That means not just books but all print media, including magazines and newspapers.
So, dear readers, what do you think? Is Sony just trying to create buzz? Are they just puffing the product line they expect to make gazillions on? Or are they right–digital sales will overtake print by 2015?
Everybody does it. Besides that, it’s not wrong. In fact, sometimes it can be a beautiful thing. No, I’m not talking about that! I’m talking about ending sentences with a preposition.
Continue reading “That’s Unheard Of!”