Leisure Learning, March 2023: Poetry Galore

Leisure Learning, March 2023: Poetry Galore

Greetings, fellow word nerds! As we head into April (aka National Poetry Month), it only makes sense that this month’s Leisure Learning column should focus on the short form of the written word. In a world where words can easily become blather, poetry offers a magnificent opportunity to return to the essence of our human… Read more »

Leisure Learning: Almost Spring!

Leisure Learning: Almost Spring!

Hello, word nerds! Welcome to the Almost Spring edition of Leisure Learning. This month’s melange of experiences brings you the nostalgia of Beatrix Potter, the convoluted craziness of Ian Fleming’s role in British naval service, The Oscars (for books!) and a wealth of Irish tales, recorded by school children in their 1930s-era copybooks. Whatever your… Read more »

Leisure Learning, December 2022

Leisure Learning, December 2022

Only a few more days til 2023! With Covid largely behind us, 2023 means we can get back out there and live fully. We can do research at destinations we’ve had on our lists for years! In the spirit of kicking off the new year, my December 2022 leisure learning recommendations are designed to set… Read more »

November 2022 Leisure Learning

November 2022 Leisure Learning

Happy holidays and solstice celebrations to all! As the year comes to an end, I hope that you take the time to look over those moments which made 2022 special for you in terms of literature. Whether they are of the reading, writing, or researching variety – anything that inspires linguistic love counts as a… Read more »

October 2022 Leisure Learning

How’s it going, word nerds? Do you have your challenging November writing goals all mapped out? In just about 9 days, many of our community members will be embarking on their projects for National Novel Writing Month, which has become an international event by now. I generally don’t participate in this event, but I do… Read more »

August 2022 Leisure Learning

August 2022 Leisure Learning

Are you getting excited? Is your literary heart starting to quicken? Why? Because it’s almost fall, and soon a good portion of us will be reading under the golden light of autumn. Is there anything so romantic yet word nerdy? I think not. as many in our community head back to the classroom, I thought… Read more »

July 2022 Leisure Learning (and Mid-Year Recap!)

July 2022 Leisure Learning (and Mid-Year Recap!)

Hello, fellow word nerds! As some of you may have noticed, this column is relatively new for DIY MFA. The first installment came in January 2022 and since then, it has been both an honor and pleasure to share with you the most interesting literary-related projects I’ve stumbled upon. Over the months, I’ve had the… Read more »

June 2022 Leisure Learning

June 2022 Leisure Learning

It’s summmmeeerrrrtiiiiiiiiiimmmmmeeeee and reading is breeeeezy. I live in Pittsburgh and we are well into the dog days of summer. My paperbacks are acquiring the smell of sunscreen, chlorine, and just a hint of BBQ smoke. Summer reading is going well and I am finding myself replacing “just another episode” with “just a few more… Read more »

May 2022 Leisure Learning

May 2022 Leisure Learning

Greetings and felicitations, word nerds! Who’s signed up for a summer reading program? I know that by the time this is published, I shall be registered. If you are an adult who also takes part in a local summer reading program, let me know in the comments! I’d love to know what you’re reading and… Read more »

April 2022 Leisure Learning

April 2022 Leisure Learning

April 2022 Leisure Learning Spring greetings, leisure learners, and word nerds! I hope this April has found you immersed in the power of individual words, a la National Poetry Month. Now, what happens when you put a whole bunch of words together, complete with punctuation? Hopefully, a short story. Pair it with the month we… Read more »