Archive for November, 2009
November 10th, 2009
by Julia H. Jackson
“I see no intrinsic reason why a doubly talented artist might not arise and create a comic strip novel masterpiece.” – John Updike, 1969
A young Iranian girl is sent to boarding school in Switzerland in an effort to escape the Iranian revolution. One night, after her boyfriend breaks up with her and she is left alone in an isolated European metropolis, she gets on the subway and rides it in loops all night long. She is an outspoken artist, a teenager living in exile whose strongest bonds are to the God she is just beginning to doubt and her uncle Anoosh, who is a political prisoner.
Who is this girl? And how do we know her?
We see her in thick black and white lines, her story outlined in rectangular blocks, words penciled in panels like a photograph’s negative. She is Marjane Satrapi, cartoonist, writer, and author of Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, and its sequel, Persepolis 2: The Story of Return. Satrapi, who grew up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and was educated in Iran, Switzerland, and France, transformed her story into an animated film in 2007. Satrapi’s story is family, exile, religion, art, politics, and personal growth, and it transcends both cartoons and memoir. Her work is best categorized as graphic novel, a genre that we will explore in today’s Write Like You Mean It: Graphic Storytelling.
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November 9th, 2009
by: Adam Krause
The English language has been around for long enough by now that words which once fell out of vogue have sometimes returned again in different forms. For instance, the word “defalk” once meant to lop something off with a sickle or pruning hook. It then linguistically morphed into the word “defalcate,” which sounds even worse, and is: it means to misuse or embezzle funds. In this era of shifting financial fortunes, the word “defalk” has a chance to make a comeback, as people line up outside their stockbrokers’ offices armed with sickles and pruning hooks.
Impress your friends and family with these five fine Words from the Past.
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November 6th, 2009
By: Garin Kilpatrick
Writers Block is a formidable foe. The following 10 tactics will help you fight writers block and get started on your writing project! Way back in my high school days I remember having to do stream of consciousness writing projects in class. These were simple exercises where we wrote down whatever streamed into our brains. This task helped me come to realize that having great writing is not the most important part. Having great Editing is. If you have suffered from writers block in the past, don’t worry, the problem was all in your head. Take these next 10 tips to heart, clear your mind, and get ready for worry free writing!
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November 5th, 2009
By: Julia H. Jackson
Rachel Van Blankenship is a features designer for the Times-Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, as well as a poet and photojournalist. Her work has taken her all across the United States, where she has worked with reporters and designers to present stories in creative ways.
Rachel also just finished the first draft of I Am My Own Daughter, a novel in poems. Rachel agreed to share some tips for young journalists and writers for our latest installment of Writing Careers: Real Tips from Real Writers.
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November 4th, 2009
by Adam Krause
Let’s be serious: caffeine is awesome. What other legal, nonprescription, tasty drug allows you to thoroughly wake up in the morning, concentrate at work, and subvert your body’s urge to sleep seven to eight hours at night? I’ve tried caffeinated mints, caffeinated water and would love to try caffeinated bacon. A typical day for me begins with coffee, continues with cola and ends with Earl Grey tea. I’m even drinking caffeine AS I TYPE THIS!
However, for you students out there, it may actually not be too wise to become dependent on the miracle drug for fueling all your last-minute papers. In the interests of science, Eduify has compiled a list of caffeine’s effects on the body, listed according to number of eight-ounce cups of coffee.
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