Today I begin a series about a subgenre (possibly a sub-sub-genre) of mystery I find delightful. I’m talking about mysteries concerning the life, cultural impact, and characters of Jane Austen, one of the most respected and best-loved writers ever. On this list, you will find sequels, alternate universe retellings, modern retellings, crossovers containing all the… Read more »
I read a lot of nonfiction because I have an innate curiosity about the world and I enjoy learning things I didn’t know before. Whenever I want to learn how something works, I find a book. I especially love reading writers’ memoirs as a way of learning more about writing. While everyone is different and… Read more »
I love a crisp new…anything, don’t you? Like a fresh new dollar bill, a chocolate bar wrapper still tucked snug against the corners, and don’t even get me started on the stiff, unyielding spine of a brand new book. There is also the comfort of a folded dollar you’ve saved, the crumbs on the wrapper… Read more »
Welcome back, poets! I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting as 2021 comes to a close and I head into my final (yay!) semester of grad school. As I read through some of the poetry I wrote at the start of my studies, I’m amazed by how much I’ve learned about the craft of poetry,… Read more »
I feel like I am in the midst of the reading slump to end all reading slumps. It has stretched from October to November to December. On the rare occasion that I have a moment to actually pick up a book, I lack the mental bandwidth to focus on it. And that’s really a bummer… Read more »
Hey y’all. Lori here. As many of our readers know, today is American Thanksgiving. Many families take a turn going around the table and everyone says what they are thankful for. Fortunately, my family does not do this because I find the answers typical, saccharine, and not very sincere when you compare them to words… Read more »
Hello, my poetry-nerd friends! Today I can’t help gushing about poetry books I’ve read recently and loved. First off, I want to talk about the poetry collection What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer. Then I want to delve into a classic book on poetry as a craft, A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver. We’ll… Read more »
Welcome back to Not Just Dudes in Tights, a column about our fave comics starring, well, not just dudes in tights. This time: Lumberjanes! It’s hard to express how much I love Lumberjanes. Yes, it’s technically a comic book for children about summer camp, but it’s so much more than that. It’s heartwarming, it’s funny,… Read more »
I’m not going to declare my surprise that it’s already May. I did that in the preceding months, and time only sped up incrementally each month, which is interesting because sometimes the days drag on interminably. But here we are—it’s May. The flowers are blooming, the baseball bats are swinging, I’m enjoying cool drinks out… Read more »
Writers know that reading is essential to growing their craft, but did you know there’s a difference between reading for fun and reading analysis? When I became a Certified Story Grid Editor in 2019 (Story Grid is an editing methodology that provides practical tools and tips to help writers in the writing process), this understanding… Read more »
