Writing about place, people, and whatever parts of the universe I'm lucky to see.
Human languages glitter with variety. Rife with synonyms, recursive structures, nuances of tone and pronunciation--the ways we speak and write possess the subtlety of art. Today, we'll examine how sentence structure in English can be modified to bring our texts to life. Let's see. Linguistic Background Multilingual people often debate the merits of their languages.... Continue Reading →
I'm afraid a quick post today is all that I can manage. I've slept in late (9:44 the time reads now), and at 11:30 I'll head on down to campus for the Sunday study hall I lead, three meetings with students scheduled up, and a set of tests haranguing me for grades. It's also my... Continue Reading →
This post is part of the monthly #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, where you can find a great cadre of writers sharing wisdom, tips, and inspiration. Check out these great writers! One year ago this month, I tentatively made my first four short story submissions to literary magazines. I'd done a little research and spent a little time, but... Continue Reading →
I've never had jet lag this bad before. I lie down. My mind is racing. I follow where it goes and end up in some kind of loop. The wind is howling mad outside. I get up, read. It's four a.m. Yesterday, I finally fell asleep at six. I slept til noon. Why this time?... Continue Reading →
I wrote five letters of recommendation for students in the wake of Christmas. Five good students. Five iterations on a form. Five attempts to capture the standout. Five people to reflect upon. I'm not sure I've met a teacher who enjoys writing recommendation letters, although perhaps I just assume. We smile graciously when asked. "I... Continue Reading →
It's funny, the way a feeling can change in just a few days. Last week, I wrote about a bitter feeling towards this country, the overwhelming materialism, the dark history that stood out paramount alongside the undeniable beauty. On Tuesday, we flew onward to Wisconsin blanketed in a crusty snow. After a couple of restorative... Continue Reading →
America has been troubling. The consumer push is thicker than I ever remember, the pressure to buy big and often and right now. Things are far larger than they need to be. It's a difficult relationship, I think, that I've got to my home country. For moments I wish I had been born somewhere else.... Continue Reading →
We made it to Chicago in a quick burst of a day. An overnight in Bergen (you can't get a ferry down there earlier than noon, and with a flight taking off at ten--), a fifty-five minute run through Amsterdam. This morning I wake up in Chicago, the big city, the million voices, the land... Continue Reading →
I nipped into the ceramics room during my free block the other day, flipped the kiln on so the temperature would show--24 degrees. I flipped it off. I'd left my two bowls at the bottom of the kiln, quick glazed them up last week after five hours of oral exams, until at last I could... Continue Reading →
I return today to a question that has arisen frequently on this blog, that nagging issue in fiction I've not yet been satisfied with my own answers to, that I feel like this week I've stumbled haphazard into a new idea about--today, let's circle back to that question of conflict. When I taught high school... Continue Reading →
Jimmy Kindree 