You come very close to successfully combining argument and explication here…

I recently came across a box of old writing, including a binder where I had saved some undergraduate papers.   When returning a Beowulf paper for a Brit Lit survey, my instructor had stapled a page of hand-written notes that began, “You come very close to successfully combining argument and explication here, much closer than…

The Pope’s Prayer for Countering “Fake News”

Today is the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists. We are sharing a famous prayer that #PopeFrancis has adapted: a prayer to fight #fakenews. If you know a journalist, give them some love today, and feel free to share this prayer. (CNS illustration/Joanna Korhorst) —Catholic News Service Similar:When Robert Pinsky Wrote a Video Game[F]or…

Details from the author’s life are not the magic ticket to “correct” interpretations in literature class

Students who are new to college literature classes often value literary biography very highly, expecting that one of their tasks is to spot one-to-one relationships between the literary texts and the personal lives of the authors. For instance, from the two Sylvia Plath poems that use Nazi imagery to describe troubled relationships with paternal figures,…

My schedule every Friday this term. (Payback for teaching a course over Christmas break.)

  Similar:And again I ush.PersonalPlaying a well-dressed bad guy. PersonalHelping students find my office (St. Joseph 403)PersonalLet’s Make the Academic Job Market More HumaneIt’s been decades since I’ve had the “I’…AcademiaShe was a musical ingenue Sunday, filmed a slasher movie past midnight Monday, and was pre…DanceSecond episode of “Electron Jones” paranormal detective audio series is up.…

AmLit Rescue — Scratch Game

A student in my “American Literature: 1915-Present” class used the medium of a 2D graphic adventure game to deliver her multimodal final project. (Students also wrote a traditional term paper.) You are the cameraman of a new TV show based on Thornton Wilder’s “The Skin of Our Teeth.” But things quickly go downhill when a…

Updating a handout I originally wrote in 1998. #tech #writing

A mechanism description analyzes (that is, subdivides into components for further scrutiny) an object in space. When you try to organize your major subsections, if no other obvious pattern seems appropriate, you can always fall back on the more-important-to-less-important strategy. Don’t sell the object. A technical writer is not required to persuade the reader that the object is wonderful,…

Playing a well-dressed bad guy.

  Similar:The daughter was invited back to perform at this year’s Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Co… The daughter was invited back to perfo…AwesomeCelebration of Writing Fall 2025. Students present their research for their upcoming term …PersonalI get a little workplace gift as the academic year closes.I get a little workplace gift as the aca…PersonalStill More…

Father-daughter bonding between takes.

That’s a prop knife in my right hand. Similar:How much of what local TV stations post to Facebook is actually local? For many, right aro…I am not a fan of TV news, and in fact o…BusinessJust in case you can’t find the tweet that Trump, who got trolled for making a rookie erro…This is how…

Younger friends, can you write or read cursive? I’m curious.

Similar:Go Forth and Conquer, but Postpone the Selfie“We have about 850 graduates, and we hav…AcademiaThe CRAFT of News Writing (Clear, Relevant, Accurate, Fair, Timely)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwEZPWSE…CultureSeton Hill University advertises for “Social & Digital Content Manager”The Social & Digital Content Manager…AcademiaMissouri governor vows criminal prosecution of reporter who found flaw in state website • …I’m shocked… shocked that…

When we play Star Trek Monopoly, I am the Captain’s chair.

  Similar:Ensign Ro (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season 5, Episode 3) New Bumpy-nosed Officer Is Stubbor…Rewatching ST:TNG Picard is ordered to …CultureMore #Blender3D practice. Making many objects to liven up a #steampunk environment.PersonalWhat’s My Cue? Let’s Talk Shakesepare with Andy Kirtland Virtural #BritsburghCultureI am not really sure why I have kept it up this long. I…

Tonight’s Supermoon.

Similar:Top deck of a #neovictorian #steampunk cruiser needs an airlock at the top of the spiral s…    AestheticsStudents present their research for the Celebration of Writing @setonhilluniversityPersonalNASA Confirms That Curiosity Found An Ancient Martian Stream Last year, NASA announced that the Cur…GovernmentNew Data Shatters Video Game Player Stereotypes: Gamers Regularly Involved in Community, C…”Gamers…