Punctuation is politics. I've said it before. In a post on this blog titled, "We Need to Talk About Ellipses," I wrote, "[T]he basic job of the ellipsis is to fill in for a missing chunk of text in a direct quote. This gives it, along with the quotation mark, a certain moral weight–it’s punctuation … Continue reading We Need to Talk About Brackets →

"Church Stone Shelter," Julia Kivelä, archdaily.com It is a truth universally acknowledged--among my colleagues, anyway--that the best classroom experiences tend to come from the ancient pedagogical practice known as "winging it." Sometimes, that means veering into a side quest when it seems profitable enough. At other times, it means walking in totally unprepared, relying only … Continue reading Cold Comfort: The Classroom as Refuge →

"Lady Macbeth Sleepwalking," Johann Heinrich Füssli I recently read Macbeth—twice—in case I ever decide to watch Joel Coen’s film version. Half way through I was surprised to find how much it mirrors Hamlet in its theme of conscience battling with action. The main difference is that, while Hamlet struggles internally--and endlessly--over the ramifications of righting … Continue reading Is “Macbeth” a Reboot of “Hamlet”? →

In response to a recent post on this blog, a friend writes, in FB Messenger: I've been reading the New York Writers Workshop MFA writing guide which tries to take the place of a 30-40,000 dollar MFA program and there's lots of focus on essay and article idea generation. I'm curious, Do these other articles … Continue reading Sit Here. Eat. →

I recently submitted a manuscript for a chapter to be published in an upcoming MLA anthology to be titled, Approaches to Teaching Writing in Prison. My article includes this description of what I call "the Great White Wall" surrounding Attica CF: Those who come into contact with it cast their own emotional, moral, and political … Continue reading On Star Wars and “Common Knowledge” →