Quote of the Day:
"Spokane is not the first place in Washington you would expect to find literary types. But there has been a lively writing scene here for years, drawn by university programs, cheap housing and a gritty underbelly that provides plenty of fodder for writers."
- from the PI article, "There's no mystery to this Spokane author's success"
Monday, July 24, 2006
I'm still alive
It's just that I have a full-time writing job now at a local magazine, and had a few freelance assignments in June. This doesn't leave much time for blogging...or poetry writing, either. (I'm currently average one new poem a month. Hmmm.)
And summer time has been busy with backpacking, water skiing, cherry picking, voracious magazine reading, yard work, and dog walking. I also just finished reading The World is Flat. (If you've read it, you understand that there's a lot of information to digest. A combination of awe and sheepish admission that I only knew a small iota of this stuff, along with many "uh huh" moments because Friedman's ideas--especially why the Middle East is so bent on unflattening the global community--are understandable and right on.)
Hopefully, you who are reading this have had your own engaging, intellectual, fruitful summer time, as well.
Most importantly, what are you reading? Your comments are enthusiastically welcome.
And summer time has been busy with backpacking, water skiing, cherry picking, voracious magazine reading, yard work, and dog walking. I also just finished reading The World is Flat. (If you've read it, you understand that there's a lot of information to digest. A combination of awe and sheepish admission that I only knew a small iota of this stuff, along with many "uh huh" moments because Friedman's ideas--especially why the Middle East is so bent on unflattening the global community--are understandable and right on.)
Hopefully, you who are reading this have had your own engaging, intellectual, fruitful summer time, as well.
Most importantly, what are you reading? Your comments are enthusiastically welcome.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
7th grade moustache
Yes, I saw a 7th grader with a moustache this week. Faint, but visible. Little wispy hairs, not enough to shave, but enough to make him seem cool to the other boys. Plus, he was like 5'7" tall...which, if you've been around middle school kids much, you know that is really quite tall. The average 7th grade boy is maybe five feet tall, with arms and wrists like spring branches reaching out to touch anything kinesthetically interesting. I subbed for a science class where the student-teacher did everything. I was just the legal certified adult in the room, a back-up (which, there was a fight, initiated by an unwanted wet-willy, during one period--but it was like over in 20 seconds). It was a very fascinating three hours of human observation. There is an amazing amount of variety in a random sampling of twelve-year-olds. Body shape, size, work ethic, classroom behavior. Which makes the fact that someone found my blog from this search string even more humorous: "how to help students realize value of education". Hmmm, not sure I have the answer for that one.
Eight of the last ten substitute teaching days have been at a middle school...4 of which were consecutive days for the same teacher. I met a future comedian who, everyday, had a funny story to tell about his iguana and poop. Now the next three days, I have another extended assignment. The crazy thing about this week is that the weather is blazing hot here...like 90 degrees, if you can believe that. So these old schools have no AC, poor insulation, horrible ventilation, and it's a sweaty, smelly, sleep-inducing, irritating school day experience for the kids by the end of the day (and their teachers!). Somehow we all make it, but is it uncomfortable! Try putting a business CEO in that kind of work environment for 7 hours and see how he/she feels! These Spokane kids do unbelievably well, actually. They bring water bottles, wear sleeveless shirts. I told one class of 8th graders today, "Everytime you talk, you release 98.6 degree air into the room. It'll get cooler if you don't talk." They believed me, which I'm not sure that statement is false--I just don't have proof. One girl even said to me, "You should be a science teacher." I think they thought I was super-smart for knowing the body's core temperature was 98.6.
But back to the million dollar question, how do you help students realize the value of education? Show them the money! Or at least tell them about the money. Education = choices = money.
With education (and the corresponding knowledge and skills), they have more opportunities and a greater array of choices. Choices for college. Choices for jobs, careers. The choice to not live with their parents until they're thirty! And with choices for higher education and jobs, comes money (i.e., fast food server vs. engineer--as one extreme example). And with money comes more choices--where to live, what to drive, how to dress, what to eat, how one lives, etc.
If kids can see that connection, the long-term benefits of education, then maybe there's a chance.
Eight of the last ten substitute teaching days have been at a middle school...4 of which were consecutive days for the same teacher. I met a future comedian who, everyday, had a funny story to tell about his iguana and poop. Now the next three days, I have another extended assignment. The crazy thing about this week is that the weather is blazing hot here...like 90 degrees, if you can believe that. So these old schools have no AC, poor insulation, horrible ventilation, and it's a sweaty, smelly, sleep-inducing, irritating school day experience for the kids by the end of the day (and their teachers!). Somehow we all make it, but is it uncomfortable! Try putting a business CEO in that kind of work environment for 7 hours and see how he/she feels! These Spokane kids do unbelievably well, actually. They bring water bottles, wear sleeveless shirts. I told one class of 8th graders today, "Everytime you talk, you release 98.6 degree air into the room. It'll get cooler if you don't talk." They believed me, which I'm not sure that statement is false--I just don't have proof. One girl even said to me, "You should be a science teacher." I think they thought I was super-smart for knowing the body's core temperature was 98.6.
But back to the million dollar question, how do you help students realize the value of education? Show them the money! Or at least tell them about the money. Education = choices = money.
With education (and the corresponding knowledge and skills), they have more opportunities and a greater array of choices. Choices for college. Choices for jobs, careers. The choice to not live with their parents until they're thirty! And with choices for higher education and jobs, comes money (i.e., fast food server vs. engineer--as one extreme example). And with money comes more choices--where to live, what to drive, how to dress, what to eat, how one lives, etc.
If kids can see that connection, the long-term benefits of education, then maybe there's a chance.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Did I forget to tell you Yusef came to town?
Spokane's annual Get Lit! festival was a few weeks ago. Yusef Komunyakaa's poetry reading (April 21 in Cheney) was amazing. His deep, resonating voice was mesmerizing . . . which if you don't get turned on by poetry, you won't really understand what I mean.
Fun fact question: what do Yusef and I both have in common, besides a love of reading and writing poetry? We both had the same creative writing professor. Christopher Howell was Yusef's teacher at Colorado State long ago...now Chris teaches in the MFA program at Eastern. Chris's Lynx House Press also published Yusef's first book of poems, Lost in the Bonewheel Factory.
I also heard Julie Gamberg read poems from her new (and first) book, The Museum of Natural History. I highly recommend it if you enjoy lyrical poetry--you can buy it direct from EWU Press. She opened up for Nancy Pearl, who was very witty and engaging. Then Saturday night there was a late-night poetry reading at The Davenport Hotel. And then...the following Tuesday, Donald Hall (yes, Donald Hall!) gave a poetry reading at Whitworth College! Man, it was poetry heaven in Spokane! All my favorite poet/writer friends were in attendance and I shook Donald's hand, he signed my two books (Without and his book of essays), and was such an enjoyable man. Because of his age (Robert Frost was his teacher at Bread Loaf...he's almost 80 years old), I suspect he may not be giving too many more poetry readings outside of his general hometown area. So I felt very honored to have heard him read his work, plus his witty transitionary banter between his poems. (Here's a neat interview with Donald Hall.)
And to give you a taste of Julie's style, here are some of my favorite lines:
"I am not a twin and have never felt part of something larger. When I look up I do not contemplate the universe and feel tiny. I am always wide open. I am enormous."
- the last section "Pepper Shaker" from a prose (?) poem called "From the House (I)"
Some years smear into the ones before and since.
A decade constructed out of smudged coffee grounds,
yellow nicotine stain, red wine spills everywhere.
It's so cold today, the sky
crammed beneath my skin."
- from "Fast Forward. Rewind. Repeat."
Fun fact question: what do Yusef and I both have in common, besides a love of reading and writing poetry? We both had the same creative writing professor. Christopher Howell was Yusef's teacher at Colorado State long ago...now Chris teaches in the MFA program at Eastern. Chris's Lynx House Press also published Yusef's first book of poems, Lost in the Bonewheel Factory.
I also heard Julie Gamberg read poems from her new (and first) book, The Museum of Natural History. I highly recommend it if you enjoy lyrical poetry--you can buy it direct from EWU Press. She opened up for Nancy Pearl, who was very witty and engaging. Then Saturday night there was a late-night poetry reading at The Davenport Hotel. And then...the following Tuesday, Donald Hall (yes, Donald Hall!) gave a poetry reading at Whitworth College! Man, it was poetry heaven in Spokane! All my favorite poet/writer friends were in attendance and I shook Donald's hand, he signed my two books (Without and his book of essays), and was such an enjoyable man. Because of his age (Robert Frost was his teacher at Bread Loaf...he's almost 80 years old), I suspect he may not be giving too many more poetry readings outside of his general hometown area. So I felt very honored to have heard him read his work, plus his witty transitionary banter between his poems. (Here's a neat interview with Donald Hall.)
And to give you a taste of Julie's style, here are some of my favorite lines:
"I am not a twin and have never felt part of something larger. When I look up I do not contemplate the universe and feel tiny. I am always wide open. I am enormous."
- the last section "Pepper Shaker" from a prose (?) poem called "From the House (I)"
* * *
"The sky looms heavy as steel-toed boots.Some years smear into the ones before and since.
A decade constructed out of smudged coffee grounds,
yellow nicotine stain, red wine spills everywhere.
It's so cold today, the sky
crammed beneath my skin."
- from "Fast Forward. Rewind. Repeat."
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
lines from Jack Gilbert
We find out the heart only by dismantling what
the heart knows. By redefining the morning,
we find a morning that comes just after darkness.
We can break through marriage into marriage.
By insisting on love we spoil it, get beyond
affection and wade mouth-deep into love.
We must unlearn the constellations to see the stars.
- Jack Gilbert, from his poem "Tear it Down" (The Great Fires)
His bio does not include that he was a visiting professor some years ago for Eastern's MFA program. After he left, Jonathan Johnson took over that office...and I've sat in there many times. Good vibes there. Now Nance has that office and Jonathan, now Program Director, gets one next to the main office...in case you were wondering.
the heart knows. By redefining the morning,
we find a morning that comes just after darkness.
We can break through marriage into marriage.
By insisting on love we spoil it, get beyond
affection and wade mouth-deep into love.
We must unlearn the constellations to see the stars.
- Jack Gilbert, from his poem "Tear it Down" (The Great Fires)
His bio does not include that he was a visiting professor some years ago for Eastern's MFA program. After he left, Jonathan Johnson took over that office...and I've sat in there many times. Good vibes there. Now Nance has that office and Jonathan, now Program Director, gets one next to the main office...in case you were wondering.
Friday, April 14, 2006
halfway over
...so it's National Poetry Month, the "official" celebration that happens every April. Though some of us breathe and live poetry all the time through a combination of reading it, writing it, thinking about it. Even when I'm reading a great novel or book of non-fiction, I'm still considering the lyricism of the author's language, figurative language, what kind of spin-off image or poem could occur.
The past few nights I've had some really lucid images in my mind while drifting off to sleep. The first time it happened, a really strange and beautiful image came to me in an entire line. I remember feeling really cool I had thought of it, and that I should write it down. But I was so cozy. The bed was warm, my husband was in a deep sleep and I was only a few seconds behind him. I didn't disturb my sleep to write it down. I actually said in my head, "This is so good, I won't forget this line." Zzzzzzzzz.....Zzzzzzzz.....
I still can't remember that damn good line. But last night, it happened again. "White ducks lined up like mannequin heads"...or something like that, at least that's how it started. I was half-asleep, but still able to think: "Ok, the lucid lines are starting to come. Let them." And then words started building into complete lines! I didn't want to turn on the light. I didn't want to move at all. I wished for a dictaphone to appear on my nightstand. I'm such a slave to my art, to my calling...obviously.
But I didn't want to miss the chance of writing that one really great poem that would be "the one" to first get published in a national literary magazine. (Oh, the ambitious hope I have!)
So I did it--turned on the light, grabbed the ballpoint pen by my clock, and scribbled on the back of a library check-out receipt until I had no more room.
What I read in the morning was a little...well, odd. I still need to sort it out. The World's Greatest Line of Poetry Conceived While Half-Asleep is not going to premiere today.
So sad.
But do read a great poem today.
Monday, April 10, 2006
we all know one, don't we?
(I couldn't wait for another day to post this.)
"Regurgimailer: people who forward to everyone they know everything that lands in their in-boxes. Warnings about techniques that rapists use in parking lots; photos of adorable missing children; heart-warming lists of why women and their friendships are so wonderful; jokes about, well, everything. The fact that most of the items either have been traveling the Internet for years or turn out not to be true, or both, does not stop them. A word to regurgimailers — check Snopes.com before you forward, please." - from LISA BELKIN's article
True finding: People from North Dakota are especially prone to this, as I usually get everything they send to my mom--another ND native.
"Regurgimailer: people who forward to everyone they know everything that lands in their in-boxes. Warnings about techniques that rapists use in parking lots; photos of adorable missing children; heart-warming lists of why women and their friendships are so wonderful; jokes about, well, everything. The fact that most of the items either have been traveling the Internet for years or turn out not to be true, or both, does not stop them. A word to regurgimailers — check Snopes.com before you forward, please." - from LISA BELKIN's article
True finding: People from North Dakota are especially prone to this, as I usually get everything they send to my mom--another ND native.
drinking coffee in Spokane
Today: Hung out with "Wide-Eyed" today for some good coffee, a walk through the park, and stimulating conversation. Colorado is lucky to have her. Rebecca for Poet Laureate in 2021!
New in the book-bag this week:
Writing Biz:
An interesting NYT's article, "This Boring Headline is Written for Google", about how headlines are used to generate internet traffic via search engine listings.
* * *
And finally, here's my list of recommended places to drink coffee (while writing) in Spokane:
1. Rockwood Bakery - Excellent lattes every time; delicious baked goods with half-price deals for day-old muffins and scones; great people-watching opportunities; free parking; a plethora of tables; friendly staff. Kids love coming here, too, because of their huge chocolate chip cookies and decorated seasonal cupcakes! A relaxing place to get some writing done. Their drip coffee is only $1.35 with 25-cent refills. I'm not sure if they exclusively sell Craven's Coffee
2. Starbucks - Like most major cities, there are very many locations to choose from. Some stores are not big enough to handle the number of people who want to linger for hours and write on a laptop or do homework. Sometimes fellow patrons can be fairly loud, and the crowded stores can be too chatty for reading/writing--rather than a dull background noise, it can sound like a sporadic conversational party. Great for stealing dialogue if you can pick out specific comments.
3. The Empyrean Coffeehouse - Hosts poetry readings,concerts, mini art gallery, serves individualized French Press coffee, as well as alcohol and good food. Lots of space to hang out, which seems to attract a large adolescent crowd to this downtown venue. I'm glad kids have a cool place to go, but they can be a little too rowdy for an otherwise laid-back coffeehouse culture--especially when Saturday evening poetry readings are taking place. Finding nearby parking can be difficult. Meters free after 6pm and all day Sunday.
4. Lindaman's - Delicious lattes, gourmet food, and it's okay to just get a coffee and hang out for awhile and write. The barista man creates really neat designs in your milk foam.
...But then again, you could make your own coffee at home and write at your table. That sounds like a good deal, especially when a coffee shop owner says this: “...the profit margins are the highest in the food industry. You can make a 16-ounce cup of mocha for 55 cents and sell it for $3.25 or $3.50.” - Okay then...who wants to go to the new Coffee Deluxe.
New in the book-bag this week:
- Anne Lamott's Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
- ZZ Packer's Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
- 100 Essential Modern Poems, an anthology created by Joseph Parisi
- The Best American Poetry 2005
- Denise Levertov's New & Selected Essays
- The ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing
- Handbook for Freelance Writing, by Michael Perry
This afternoon: I read (quite loudly) some Yusef Komunyakaa poems on the corner of Main and Washington in front of Auntie's Bookstore while standing on top of a milk crate, as part of the Milk Crate Readings for Get Lit! In addition, I helped pass out festival programs to pedestrians (and a few drivers) with two other poets.
If you live near Spokane, Wash., you should go to at least one event--some are free or low-cost, others are worth the ticket price. Embrace a spirit of literacy! This is, like, one of the coolest things that happens every year in Spokane. Last year I met Rita Dove, Robert Bly, and David Sedaris at Get Lit! This year I'm attending the Yusef reading and Nancy Pearl event.Writing Biz:
An interesting NYT's article, "This Boring Headline is Written for Google", about how headlines are used to generate internet traffic via search engine listings.
* * *
And finally, here's my list of recommended places to drink coffee (while writing) in Spokane:
1. Rockwood Bakery - Excellent lattes every time; delicious baked goods with half-price deals for day-old muffins and scones; great people-watching opportunities; free parking; a plethora of tables; friendly staff. Kids love coming here, too, because of their huge chocolate chip cookies and decorated seasonal cupcakes! A relaxing place to get some writing done. Their drip coffee is only $1.35 with 25-cent refills. I'm not sure if they exclusively sell Craven's Coffee
2. Starbucks - Like most major cities, there are very many locations to choose from. Some stores are not big enough to handle the number of people who want to linger for hours and write on a laptop or do homework. Sometimes fellow patrons can be fairly loud, and the crowded stores can be too chatty for reading/writing--rather than a dull background noise, it can sound like a sporadic conversational party. Great for stealing dialogue if you can pick out specific comments.
3. The Empyrean Coffeehouse - Hosts poetry readings,concerts, mini art gallery, serves individualized French Press coffee, as well as alcohol and good food. Lots of space to hang out, which seems to attract a large adolescent crowd to this downtown venue. I'm glad kids have a cool place to go, but they can be a little too rowdy for an otherwise laid-back coffeehouse culture--especially when Saturday evening poetry readings are taking place. Finding nearby parking can be difficult. Meters free after 6pm and all day Sunday.
4. Lindaman's - Delicious lattes, gourmet food, and it's okay to just get a coffee and hang out for awhile and write. The barista man creates really neat designs in your milk foam.
...But then again, you could make your own coffee at home and write at your table. That sounds like a good deal, especially when a coffee shop owner says this: “...the profit margins are the highest in the food industry. You can make a 16-ounce cup of mocha for 55 cents and sell it for $3.25 or $3.50.” - Okay then...who wants to go to the new Coffee Deluxe.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
recently published
My book review of Joe Williams' book.
Also, my interview article with former Olympian and Bloomsday race director Don Kardong.
Also, my interview article with former Olympian and Bloomsday race director Don Kardong.
Monday, April 03, 2006
out of silence
Then
When I am dead, even then,
I will still love you, I will wait in these poems,
When I am dead, even then
I am still listening to you.
I will still be making poems for you
out of silence;
silence will be falling into that silence,
it is building music.
- Muriel Rukeyser
Considered one of the prominent foundational poets in the feminist school of poetry, Rukeyser is probably largely unknown to non-MFA readers of poetry. Out of Silence: Selected Poems is an excellent book to own. In this poem above, I like to think she's speaking to all the future women poets--her "daughters", so to speak, as if we could channel her like a muse--as well as her son and loved ones.
When I am dead, even then,
I will still love you, I will wait in these poems,
When I am dead, even then
I am still listening to you.
I will still be making poems for you
out of silence;
silence will be falling into that silence,
it is building music.
- Muriel Rukeyser
Considered one of the prominent foundational poets in the feminist school of poetry, Rukeyser is probably largely unknown to non-MFA readers of poetry. Out of Silence: Selected Poems is an excellent book to own. In this poem above, I like to think she's speaking to all the future women poets--her "daughters", so to speak, as if we could channel her like a muse--as well as her son and loved ones.
Friday, March 31, 2006
homemaker
"One writes to make a home for one’s self, in paper, in time, in others’ minds." – Alfred Kazin
Next deadline: April 7th - article for Northwest Runner
Currently reading: The Last Days of Dogtown, novel by Anita Diamant; and the Spring 2006 issue of Prairie Schooner
This afternoon: teaching English at a local high school
Next week: my intensive week self-directed "Freelance Writing Boot Camp" (no sub days due to Spring Break)
Next deadline: April 7th - article for Northwest Runner
Currently reading: The Last Days of Dogtown, novel by Anita Diamant; and the Spring 2006 issue of Prairie Schooner
This afternoon: teaching English at a local high school
Next week: my intensive week self-directed "Freelance Writing Boot Camp" (no sub days due to Spring Break)
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
father of free verse
"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem . . . ."
- Walt Whitman, from the Preface to Leaves of Grass (1855)
- Walt Whitman, from the Preface to Leaves of Grass (1855)
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Harry Potter vocab list, part II
affably
aghast
airily
albeit
alchemical
amok
aquiver
bade
besotted
brooded/broodingly
chortled/chortling
cleaving
contemptuous
crenellated
cunning
curtly
dawdled
disparate
disquiet
efficacious
envisaged
exerted
feebler
fervently
filigree
furtively
genial/genially
goading
gormless
hastily
haughty
hovel
imperiously
impervious
incantations
incredulously
inexorably
inexplicable
ingenuity
inordinate
intuitive
jocularly
jowls
livid
mirthless
morose
mutinous
oblivious/oblivion
ominous
ostentatiously
pallid
pallor
phial
placidly
pouffe
procure
prodigious
putrid
ramparts
raucous
reminisce
reproving
resolutely
retching
retort
ruefully
ruse
seething
sentry
simpered
sinuously
sodden
sulky
surreptitiously
sycophantically
tersely
travesty
trawled
tripe
uncouth
unplumbed
ursurping
volition
wrest
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
freelance writing and coffee break reading
For the past few months I've been more seriously researching how to establish a presence and earn money as a freelance writer/editor. There is a lot of exaggerated and useless information available in the form of web sites. Here's a brief list of how to get started on this path--from someone who finally figured out where to begin in a low-cost and efficient way. (This assumes that as writer you have proven your successful writing ability through verifiable work experience with businesses &/or non-profit organizations, and you also have some publication credits. Depending on who you want to target as a freelancer, publication may not be necessary.)
1. Join a writer's forum or group. If you live in the Northwest, join www.seattlewritergrrls.org. It's not limited just to women, although that's how it started. Mainly, this is an online email discussion group for learning about issues related to writing jobs, events, and networking opportunities. There are over 1,000 members, so many potential employers are there, along with other great bits of advice. Post any valid writing-related question, and you'll get thoughtful and helpful replies from professionals who've been-there-done-that. It's a great mentoring venue. Be sure to read and understand the discussion/membership guidelines. There is also a Portland Writergrrls chapter, made up of freelance journalists. I've also started a Spokane Writergrrls chapter that's just getting going--with 10 members so far. If you live in the Spokane/CdA area, join at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SpokaneWritergrrls/
2. Check out www.mediabistro.com - there's a fee to join and get full access, but you can also get a free subscription to view some areas.
3. Check out the web sites of reputable freelance writers, which are used to promote their services. www.dawnweinberger.com is a very good one (she's the founder of Portland Writergrrls). You can google search for more, but also those who participate in online forums usually include their site address.
4. Do further research through books, classes, workshops, etc. Dawn's website suggests some books. Amazon has a plethora to choose from, but only one really good one is needed. I haven't decided which one I'll purchase yet. I trust Dawn's recommendations.
5. Create a small collection of writing samples to share with editors/publishers either when applying for a job or after you send them your resume and/or query letter. Perhaps even create a blog portfolio to link to online examples of your work or post samples. I always wonder about plagarism is this way, so I scanned published pages of my articles and created picture files that were then uploaded. Some writers pay for web hosting. I'm not even close to this stage yet.
6. Research your local business scene and publications which may provide freelance writing opportunities. Check out the Chamber of Commerce members, weekly and monthly magazines/publications, etc.
* * *
An amusing, even quirky, short story: My God, Is It Raining Hard ... strange and surreal. Worth a short coffee break.
* * *
How many boxes of books do you own? Using small liquor-store boxes, I'd estimate that I have about 10-15. Octavio Butler had 300! She was an African-American science fiction writer who recently passed away. I'm sorry I never heard of her before, but now I want to read Kindred.
1. Join a writer's forum or group. If you live in the Northwest, join www.seattlewritergrrls.org. It's not limited just to women, although that's how it started. Mainly, this is an online email discussion group for learning about issues related to writing jobs, events, and networking opportunities. There are over 1,000 members, so many potential employers are there, along with other great bits of advice. Post any valid writing-related question, and you'll get thoughtful and helpful replies from professionals who've been-there-done-that. It's a great mentoring venue. Be sure to read and understand the discussion/membership guidelines. There is also a Portland Writergrrls chapter, made up of freelance journalists. I've also started a Spokane Writergrrls chapter that's just getting going--with 10 members so far. If you live in the Spokane/CdA area, join at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SpokaneWritergrrls/
2. Check out www.mediabistro.com - there's a fee to join and get full access, but you can also get a free subscription to view some areas.
3. Check out the web sites of reputable freelance writers, which are used to promote their services. www.dawnweinberger.com is a very good one (she's the founder of Portland Writergrrls). You can google search for more, but also those who participate in online forums usually include their site address.
4. Do further research through books, classes, workshops, etc. Dawn's website suggests some books. Amazon has a plethora to choose from, but only one really good one is needed. I haven't decided which one I'll purchase yet. I trust Dawn's recommendations.
5. Create a small collection of writing samples to share with editors/publishers either when applying for a job or after you send them your resume and/or query letter. Perhaps even create a blog portfolio to link to online examples of your work or post samples. I always wonder about plagarism is this way, so I scanned published pages of my articles and created picture files that were then uploaded. Some writers pay for web hosting. I'm not even close to this stage yet.
6. Research your local business scene and publications which may provide freelance writing opportunities. Check out the Chamber of Commerce members, weekly and monthly magazines/publications, etc.
* * *
An amusing, even quirky, short story: My God, Is It Raining Hard ... strange and surreal. Worth a short coffee break.
* * *
How many boxes of books do you own? Using small liquor-store boxes, I'd estimate that I have about 10-15. Octavio Butler had 300! She was an African-American science fiction writer who recently passed away. I'm sorry I never heard of her before, but now I want to read Kindred.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Recently published
My article at Associated Content:
Interview with Former Olympian Don Kardong, Lilac Bloomsday Run Founder and Race Director
Interview with Former Olympian Don Kardong, Lilac Bloomsday Run Founder and Race Director
Vocab Words
from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
apparition
astute
bestial
blithely
bravado
cosseted
derision
dignified
drones
eccentric
enigmatic
enmity
excruciatingly
extricated
exuberantly
furtive
indignantly
irate
jibe
liaison
pestilential
prudent
reluctant
resilient
resolutely
sardonically
secateurs
silhouette
tantamount
vindictive
vivacious
And this is just from chapters 1-14, there's still over 300 pages left to go. This is the list of words that I would pull out to assist secondary students as a reading strategy. Teach to the lowest reader, if in doubt. I'm sure these words would cause pause from the average student, either with pronunciation and/or meaning. Most kids might say they've "heard" of the word, but wouldn't actually be able to use it in his/her own conversation or written work. Moreover, they would probably be nervous to read it aloud with confidence. Some students would rather die than mispronounce a word, where smarty-pants classmates will call out the correct pronunciation right on their heels--or worse, call it out during the reader's pause before attempting it. That is the teacher's role, always to be done with kindness, naturally. It's one thing to have the teacher help you. It's a whole 'nother story when the hottie in the next row does it with the whole class as witness. Depends on the tone of voice used, of course, by the samaritan classmate. In middle school, kids are ruthless and like to show how much they know and others don't.
If Harry Potter were on the secondary curriculum list, Albus Dumbledore's dialogue would be excellent examples for teaching the usage of commas, clauses, and inflection in voice to establish characterization. A challenging sentence diagramming exercise, as well.
apparition
astute
bestial
blithely
bravado
cosseted
derision
dignified
drones
eccentric
enigmatic
enmity
excruciatingly
extricated
exuberantly
furtive
indignantly
irate
jibe
liaison
pestilential
prudent
reluctant
resilient
resolutely
sardonically
secateurs
silhouette
tantamount
vindictive
vivacious
And this is just from chapters 1-14, there's still over 300 pages left to go. This is the list of words that I would pull out to assist secondary students as a reading strategy. Teach to the lowest reader, if in doubt. I'm sure these words would cause pause from the average student, either with pronunciation and/or meaning. Most kids might say they've "heard" of the word, but wouldn't actually be able to use it in his/her own conversation or written work. Moreover, they would probably be nervous to read it aloud with confidence. Some students would rather die than mispronounce a word, where smarty-pants classmates will call out the correct pronunciation right on their heels--or worse, call it out during the reader's pause before attempting it. That is the teacher's role, always to be done with kindness, naturally. It's one thing to have the teacher help you. It's a whole 'nother story when the hottie in the next row does it with the whole class as witness. Depends on the tone of voice used, of course, by the samaritan classmate. In middle school, kids are ruthless and like to show how much they know and others don't.
If Harry Potter were on the secondary curriculum list, Albus Dumbledore's dialogue would be excellent examples for teaching the usage of commas, clauses, and inflection in voice to establish characterization. A challenging sentence diagramming exercise, as well.
lack of work
“Under decentralization, the heat might bet turned down at night or the gym floor might go another year without refurnishing. In the past, if a school made such efforts to save money, the funds would only be sent back to the central office to be spent by someone else. Now it stays where it may mean a part-time reading instructor. When substitute teachers are paid by headquarters, teachers call in sick more often. When money saved on substitutes comes back to the school, absenteeism falls 40%, [William] Ouchi* says.”
- from “Schools take a lesson from big business”, USA Today, 3/9/06
(* Ouchi is a UCLA Management professor)
more from this article . . .
The Dark Side? . . . Teacher union president gives his 2 cents.
“ ‘Decentralization is a terrible idea that would be a disaster,’ says A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles. Too many principals and assistant principals are ‘demigods who take credit for what teachers do and blame teachers for what goes wrong,’ and they would become more ‘mean spirited’ if given the power of the purse, he says.
Decentralization works in industry, Duffy says, because employees can find a similar job elsewhere if they have an abusive boss. ‘You can’t do that in schools,’ he says. ‘You either work there, or you become a welder.’ ”
--Is that really the only two choices for LA teachers? Teacher or welder? Is it really that hostile there? Duffy's comments totally undersell and underestimate the aptitute and work skills of teacher. Educators can apply their talents in numerous ways outside of the traditional teacher position--whether with businesses or non-profit organizations.
A startling example cited in the article -
NYC Catholic schools have a central office staff of 22. The NYC public school system has ten times as many students, which should correlate into 222 central office staff (using the same efficient, less bureaucratic, lean principles). Uh…no. It’s actually 25,500!! Outrageous.
- from “Schools take a lesson from big business”, USA Today, 3/9/06
(* Ouchi is a UCLA Management professor)
more from this article . . .
Good or bad?
“Principals at high schools in New York City’s autonomous zone have given up assistant principals, guidance counselors and attendance clerks. But they have been able to add so many teachers with the same budget that the number of students a teacher sees each day has been driven down from 160 to 60, Ouchi says.”Yikes!! That's an amazing teacher-student ratio; however, I can recall numerous ways that AP's and counselors are important. Who's doing all that work for them, the principal? Or are the teachers doing more administrative and non-instructional duties to compensate for this? And last I knew an attendance clerk was busy making sure there was communication between the school and parents, and keeping track of truancies, etc. That seems important when high school kids are tempted to fool the system.
The Dark Side? . . . Teacher union president gives his 2 cents.
“ ‘Decentralization is a terrible idea that would be a disaster,’ says A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles. Too many principals and assistant principals are ‘demigods who take credit for what teachers do and blame teachers for what goes wrong,’ and they would become more ‘mean spirited’ if given the power of the purse, he says.
Decentralization works in industry, Duffy says, because employees can find a similar job elsewhere if they have an abusive boss. ‘You can’t do that in schools,’ he says. ‘You either work there, or you become a welder.’ ”
--Is that really the only two choices for LA teachers? Teacher or welder? Is it really that hostile there? Duffy's comments totally undersell and underestimate the aptitute and work skills of teacher. Educators can apply their talents in numerous ways outside of the traditional teacher position--whether with businesses or non-profit organizations.
A startling example cited in the article -
NYC Catholic schools have a central office staff of 22. The NYC public school system has ten times as many students, which should correlate into 222 central office staff (using the same efficient, less bureaucratic, lean principles). Uh…no. It’s actually 25,500!! Outrageous.
eat, pray, love? sounds good to me
'Eat, Pray, Love' is a dazzling memoir of one woman's 'search for everything' is the title of a Seattle PI article about Elizabeth Gilbert's new book, Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia . . . sounds very interesting. Gilbert's reading in Seattle at Eliot Bay Bookstore on Tuesday evening. I'd go if I lived within an hour's drive. Spokane usually isn't fortunate to get many authors doing their West Coast book tour to make the 1-hour flight east (or 4-5 hr drive) for a reading/book signing.
Monday, March 06, 2006
something i wish was in spokane
...as found at Seattle Weekly.
Shar[e]d Ingredients
Two shows explore the combination of verbal and visual poetry.
Shar[e]d Ingredients
Two shows explore the combination of verbal and visual poetry.
husky lovers
No, not large, big-boned people...husky as in the dog breed, those who love huskies.
If you love my Emerson or the general beauty and energy of these happy, strong dogs, you must see the movie Eight Below. (Fun fact: There were 2 dogs for each dog character, so look-alikes to make sure there was a back-up as needed.) See it for the dogs and the scenery, not the human actors. And Disney sure knows how to manipulate music, close-ups, and dog sounds to maximize the emotional impact and trigger audience response. Even my husband felt a tiny bit vaclempt. P.S. The dog known as "Shorty" in the film, looks just like Emerson--except for two same-colored eyes.
And this time of year is Iditarod time. The official web site, sponsored by the Iditarod Trail Committee, even has stuff for teachers to use in the classroom, updates. Some other good Race sites include: Dogsled.com, Cabela's site (Always one of my favorite to check with great daily updates and pictures...they are Jeff King's sponsor, and I met King in 2000 while visiting his husky kennel. Nice guy.), and the Anchorage Daily News.
We take Emerson on his own personalized mini-Iditarod races all the time. On Saturday, he got a 5-mile mountain bike adventure through Manito Park and the surrounding neighborhood--with steep grassy slopes and dirt singletracks. His tongue flapped out of his mouth and his ears bent back just like he was heading towards Nome.
If you love my Emerson or the general beauty and energy of these happy, strong dogs, you must see the movie Eight Below. (Fun fact: There were 2 dogs for each dog character, so look-alikes to make sure there was a back-up as needed.) See it for the dogs and the scenery, not the human actors. And Disney sure knows how to manipulate music, close-ups, and dog sounds to maximize the emotional impact and trigger audience response. Even my husband felt a tiny bit vaclempt. P.S. The dog known as "Shorty" in the film, looks just like Emerson--except for two same-colored eyes.
And this time of year is Iditarod time. The official web site, sponsored by the Iditarod Trail Committee, even has stuff for teachers to use in the classroom, updates. Some other good Race sites include: Dogsled.com, Cabela's site (Always one of my favorite to check with great daily updates and pictures...they are Jeff King's sponsor, and I met King in 2000 while visiting his husky kennel. Nice guy.), and the Anchorage Daily News.
We take Emerson on his own personalized mini-Iditarod races all the time. On Saturday, he got a 5-mile mountain bike adventure through Manito Park and the surrounding neighborhood--with steep grassy slopes and dirt singletracks. His tongue flapped out of his mouth and his ears bent back just like he was heading towards Nome.
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