spreading the word on a couple of things

The archives for one of the best radio shows out there, Word by Word, have been updated (though they are still in progress in terms of format). New shows have been added, including Steve Almond, Sue Miller, Andrew Sean Greer, and a panel discussion of Jayson Blair’s memoir. The third issue of Lilies and Cannonballs Review is now available. Visit them online at http://www.liliesandcannonballs.com.

If you will, please take a few minutes and read an absolutely stunning piece of writing by my friend, Mary Akers–On Receiving Notice of My Stepdaughter’s Pregnancy. I promise that you will be moved by the honesty and raw emotion in this piece.

Out of town today and tomorrow. Going to meet my excellent friend Ellen Meister, among others. Happy day!

The documentary Rock School is getting rave reviews everywhere I look. So much hearty congratulations to my pal Robin Slick and her talented kids who are a huge part of the story. I can’t wait to see this movie!

appoggiatura

“Appoggiatura” is the word 13-year-old Anurag Kashyap spelled yesterday to become the 2005 national spelling champion. Congratulations to him!

One of my favorite journals, Lilies and Cannonballs Review, has an updated web site, including excerpts from past and present works. It’s a wonderful journal. I would encourage you to check out their site, read the excerpts and consider subscribing and/or submitting work.

Which state are you? Take the quiz.

You’re Tennessee! A vibrantly musical individual, you probably know how to play multiple instruments. At the heart of your love for music is the guitar, though you have a soft spot for violins, which you refuse to call anything but fiddles. Fiddlesticks aside, you are very thin and have excellent posture. If you ever run for elected office, you won’t even be able to … Read More Which state are you? Take the quiz.

Great essay by Kent Nussey in Brick about writing and the meaning of success: Big Two-Hearted Supermarket

I am in love with this site: Common Errors in English. I love especially that he picked up on my one my pet peeves: PIN number/PIN. PIN means PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER! So when you say “PIN number” you are adding an extra number! When I hear news anchors say “PIN number” it drives me to distraction.

poem for 6.1.05: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot (note: today is the anniversary of when this poem was first published)

Save a Sato

I don’t know what got me thinking about them today but all of a sudden I was reminded of the satos–Puerto Rican street dogs–and the Save a Sato campaign. I used to live near a shelter that was one of the adoption points for satos on the mainland. Often when I was walking my own dog (also a mutt), I would meet someone walking … Read More Save a Sato

New fiction at Ink Pot: The Pinwheel a harrowing short story by Pam Mosher.