One thing any Shakespeare fan will tell you is that his plays have a timeless universality. Take Othello. Issues of racism are still extremely relevant. However, if I wrote a revisionist piece based off of the play, I would explore the extreme sexism and the misogynistic views that nearly everyone in the play holds, with the exception of Emelia. She astutely realizes that in regards to men and women, “They are all but stomachs, and we all but food. They eat us hungrily and when they are …
Writing Tips & Lessons
I'm constantly developing new lessons for my College Writing and/or my Creative Writing classes. I'll post and explain some of my favorite writing tips and lessons here.
Fabulous Female Authors
In honor of Women’s Day, I have compiled a list of my some of my favorite female authors. It’s a long list, and the truth is, we need more than just one day of the year to honor achievements by women. How about we just take the next century? It would be a start in the right direction, at least. I made categories,, just to help myself remember everyone. I’m sure that I forgot lots of books & authors, or that I’ll discover new authors that I want to add to the list. I expect this …
Writing Prompt Video: Paradox
Use this video that explains paradox, gives examples, and provides a writing prompt as a warmup activity for your students, or to spur your own creativity. Enjoy! …
Book Review: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
“I don't understand it any more than you do, but one thing I've learned is that you don't have to understand things for them to be.” - Madeleine L'Engle
My first experience with A Wrinkle in Time, was in fourth grade, when our teacher read it aloud to us. The part where Meg uses her love for Charles Wallace to face down the monstrous IT stayed with me for years. I then read the book on my own, as a kid. Decades …“Brownies” by ZZ Packer & a Writing Prompt
In “Brownies,” from Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, ZZ Packer relays a tale that is based on either a lie or a misconception, depending upon how you want to look at it. The members of an all Black Brownie troop insist they heard a member from an all White Brownie troop use the “N” word. The story is told through first person POV, by a girl nicknamed Snot. She barely speaks, but she focuses quite a bit on how other people sound. In the beginning, Snot is not so relevant as a character. She …