TED-Ed Vernacular Lessons

Readers, I have a confession to make: I am a TED junkie. Studying English (or any other subject, really) is a commitment to that one subject for a very extended period of time, as it should be. But what about when my brain needs a break from literature and analytical writing?

One of my favorite things to do when I reach that breaking point, which happens no matter how much I might love what I'm studying, is to listen to a TED Talk. TED-Ed has so many great series out there about everything from new groundbreaking polymers to cultural explorations to, yes, stories about literature and language. They're perfect for putting on when I go for a run or head to the gym for a little study break and some exercise. I'm still learning, but I get to do it in a different manner, with some subjects that I may not otherwise find myself exposed to.

Lately, as I enjoy a brief winter break from the rigors of my academic program, I'm listening to a great TED-Ed series called "Mysteries of Vernacular." It explores some of the most interesting or unexpected words in the English language and where they come from. My personal favorite so far? The word "odd." The next time you need a break from the holiday music or want something stimulating to listen to while wrapping those gifts, check out the "Mysteries of Vernacular" series from TED-Ed. You'll learn some fascinating bits to bring up over fruitcake and eggnog at your next holiday gathering.

Black Girls Matter: A YA Reading List

The dearth of diverse Young Adult books both featuring minority characters and written by minority authors has been especially evident lately. Organizations like We Need Diverse Books and conferences like Sirens Con have sprung up to fight for accurate representation of ALL YA experiences, including mental health and body issues, disability representation, and variety in language, race, ethnicity and culture. This heightened awareness of who we're representing in YA literature and how has led to some great resources for diverse books, including this list from Stackedbooks.org, which gives a great selection of YA books featuring main characters who are black. Take a look, read them through, and pass it along!

Book Review: "One Hundred Demons" by Lynda Barry

I've been greatly enjoying one class in particular this quarter, entitled "Comics Theory" taught by Eisner Award winner Dr. Susan Kirtley. Recently this class introduced me to artist and writer Lynda Barry, primarily through her work "One Hundred Demons."

I loved this book for a number of reasons, one of which was the origin of the premise. Barry herself explains this in the introduction, so I won't go into it here except to say that it's ingenious and beautiful. Finding inspiration for writing and art projects in other activities is one of the real gifts of begin and artist of any variety. Barry is possibly one of the most versatile writers around right now, and her work displays the myriad ways in which she tackles and attempts to make sense of her childhood experiences. They include questions of identity, race and ethnicity, innocence, coming of age and sexual abuse.

Barry's style particularly in "One Hundred Demons" appeals to me. Its visual aspects, the ways that the collages both tie in the style of her comics panels with bright colors and the way that it serves as almost the opening curtain of the next theatrical short, are at once beautiful and disturbing through how vivid they are. In black and white, or published as a novel, these panels and their stories wouldn't have nearly the same level of impact as they do now. Originally they were published on Salon.com, where the extra printing costs of doing everything in full color weren't an issue. Barry had to fight to have the same color present in the print collection that became "One Hundred Demons" and it's obvious that had she not, this work wouldn't have the impact that it does visually or emotionally.

Another part of this book that I adore is the way that the content is framed by an intro and outro directed at the reader directly from Barry (and her demons). It explains Barry's approach, what started her on the project, and then it invites the reader to try the same process that the author used. This invitation is something that I took seriously, and I've put down a few of my own demons since reading about hers. And like hers, they haven't been the ones I expected. Pick up a copy of Lynda Barry's "One Hundred Demons" at your favorite local independent bookstore and take inspiration from it! It's a beautiful piece of art both visual and literary.

2015 PAMLA Conference

This weekend marks the 113th annual Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association, or PAMLA, conference in Portland, Oregon. The three-day event takes place in downtown Portland and welcomes scholars from across the United States as well as international figures. Speakers' subjects range from Queerness and Animality to British Literature and Culture and Environment, Ecology and Nature in Italian Literature. The panels offer scholarly discourse and discussion on themes of fiction and nonfiction from an academic viewpoint.

Talks that I'm personally looking forward to attending are Nordic Literature and Culture, Gothic I, Finding Lost Time: Narrative, Nostalgia, Utopia, and two Science Fiction panels. If you're interested in finding out more about PAMLA, including plans for next year's conference and protocol for submitting papers, please check out their website. If you're attending the conference, maybe I'll see you there!

An Interview With Punk Writers

I've recently started working with a group of talented punk writers at Punk Writers. As part of a recent writing project I've written a piece for the upcoming collection "Merely This and Nothing More: Poe Goes Punk." It's a series of stories and poems originally written by Poe, reimagined in various punk genres. As part of that project, I've just done an interview for the PunkWriters website. You can find it here. Enjoy! And if you're a fan of punk genres (steampunk, cyberpunk, splatterpunk, etc.) be sure to keep an ear out not just for "Merely This and Nothing More" but also "Once More Unto the Breach; Shakespeare Goes Punk Vol. II." 

Book Review: "Storm Front" by Jim Butcher, Dresden Files Book #1

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files are an ongoing series that has achieved a cult status. I've long been suspicious of the urban fantasy genre, since it's a rare thing indeed to find an author who can successfully meld modern living with the legends and power of the world of Faerie. Friends and fellows in the book world have long been suggesting I read Jim Butcher to disprove my stereotype of urban fantasy as too awkwardly meshed or romance-heavy.

I'd say that "Storm Front" is like reading a film noir, much like I described "Shovel Ready" by Adam Sternbergh. But these are two very different novels, not just because of the magical element in Jim Butcher's work; "Storm Front" is classic Bogart where "Shovel Ready" is "Sin City" in the future. Butcher has a much classier, ironic and self-deprecating voice that I immediately adored, and when the plot or certain characters started to disenchant me I stuck with it because of the writing's voice.

Harry Dresden is a modern-day wizard. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. And he thinks it too. It's ridiculous that here in present-day Chicago, he's marketing himself as a practicing wizard. Part of that ridiculousness is that business isn't so hot. But every now and then his associate at the Chicago Police Department brings him in on peculiar cases, and that's how "Storm Front" begins. What follows is an intricately woven tale of murder, mystery and magic with a quirky but lovable good guy who always winds up in the bad situations, an evildoer who is one of those love-to-hate-'em bad guys, and a brief introduction to Harry's dark past and the way that magic interacts with the modern world.

The balance that Butcher strikes between modern-day settings and is well-done in this first volume, focusing on humans who go looking for trouble rather than magical beings that cause havoc. I found this setup much more reasonable than the sort of thing that was played out in "Jackaby" by Raymond William Ritter. The danger that he faces is real, and the snarky, "of course this would happen to me" sort of humor that Dresden adopts as he tracks down a necromancer, avoids the mob and stays out of jail is downright fun to read.

What got to me were some of the social implications that came from the narrative style that's part of that feel of classic film noir. Some of the character tropes were just too spot-on, to the point where I cringed at the implied sexism that went with them. Dresden is the classic down-and-out hero, who retains his manners and a sense of chivalry despite his poor financial circumstances; Murphy is the tough broad with a heart of gold; Susan is the smart, sexy but lacking in self-preservation love interest. I had to keep reminding myself not to get up in arms about how all the women needed rescuing (and only Dresden could do it) and how formulaic relationships, if not the plot, were. And as much as I liked Harry's character, I don't feel like I should have to keep reminding myself that a book isn't sexist. Because if I have to do that, then maybe I'm wrong.

I have so much respect for Jim Butcher as a writer who's founded one of the most iconic fantasy characters of the modern day, and "Storm Front" did help disprove my assumptions about urban fantasy. But because I felt so uncomfortable reading the stereotypical female characters in this first book, I'm not planning on reading any farther into the series. All of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher can be found at your favorite local, independent bookstore. If you're a long-time Dresden fan, make sure to check there regularly for the next release in the ongoing series!

The Purpose of Note-Taking

When I was in high school, and  even during my undergrad years, notes served one primary function: to highlight the main points of a lecture or other class material. This helped me to understand what the big takeaway points were in a class, and also helped me to study by pointing to the major points of content with big, florescent green stars and arrows.

I've just completed my first week of classes as a graduate student, and I'm already feeling the pressure of the sheer volume of literature that I have to read for my classes. An English student, I knew that I was in for a lot of reading. That's kind of the point after all. But in an academic atmosphere where I'm reading around a hundred pages of literary theory every couple of days, I've found that note-taking has taken on a new significance and purpose. Now, instead of taking notes solely to highlight the main points of an article or lecture, I'm taking them to remember what I heard and where I heard it.

These sources are important especially in light of the fact that I may need to use them for research material in the near (or distant) future, and being able to glance through an obscenely large file folder of printed articles is much easier when I've scribbled the main points near the title of each one. It also helps to connect material to different classes, underscoring its relevance in literature as a whole regarding the ideas laid out there. Being able to look at an essay by Thomas De Quincey and connect his ideas of absence as meaning with the use of space, textual and artistic, in a graphic novel is something that will be useful to me for the rest of my career. But accessing that information to make those connections is much easier when I can glance through a few pages pull the ones that say something like "meaning in absence" and "the blank space creates meaning."

Note-taking is a real art, to be certain. You have to know yourself as much as the material you're studying, what you want to get out of it and how best to organize it for your future reference, in order to get the most out of it. I'm still regaining my footing as I return to the world of academia, but note-taking is one of the skills that I'm ever so grateful to have retained from my former school years. If you're out of practice, these tips on how to take stellar academic notes from Dartmouth College should help you hone or rediscover your talents.