ChatGPT could turn writing into ‘technical Mad Libs.’ But could it also spark needed change in higher ed?
Several Pittsburgh-area professors are trying to embrace AI in the classroom rather than resist the new wave of technology. Chris Girman, an English professor at Point Park University, talks about AI software ChatGPT and its potential impacts on teaching and learning in his office on Monday, Jan. 23rd, 2023. (Photo by Amaya Lobato-Rivas/PublicSource) Professor Chris […]
Otter.ai Is A Gem For Transcribing Your Recorded Thoughts Into Writing
Taking notes by keyboard, or even worse for some, by hand with a pen or pencil, is akin to the dark ages. It is not a task that most people yearn to do. Otter.ai is a voice-to-text conversion tool that can help you avoid making notes into digital documents and be more productive. 75 years […]
Why I’m Still on Strike: Portraits from the HarperCollins Picket Line
58 Days and 308,500 Steps (and Counting) I really love my job. As a book cover designer, I read unseen manuscripts and create art to swaddle them in, a visual blanket to usher them into the light of day. Working for a major publisher like HarperCollins means my work will be seen worldwide, in airports […]
Collected Works
The following is from Lydia Sandgren’s debut novel Collected Works. Sandgren is a trained psychologist and lives in Gothenburg, Sweden. A din of voices rose towards the domed ceiling of the market hall. Coats were unbuttoned, scarves unwrapped, and gloves held in one hand as customers leaned across counters to talk to cashiers. Martin was […]
What Does Writing Smell Like?
On my way to Everything Mason Jars one day, I saw a fancy-candle store. I’ve wanted a fancy candle for some time, so I popped in. Hi, welcome to Everything Candles! We have a hundred different fragrances. I’m Sandra. Can I help you? Me: Do you have a candle that smells like writing? Sandra: What […]
The Dangers of AI Writing and How to Spot AI-Generated Text
AI programs are here, and one of their missions is to take over the writing space. Large language models like ChatGPT are some of the latest-to-arrive AI programs that can generate a variety of texts. After consuming billions of words from the internet, including sources like websites, articles, and Reddit discussions, the language models can […]
Minnesota writers, illustrator win awards
Two Minnesota authors of children’s books and one Minnesota illustrator were honored Monday morning by the American Library Association at its annual Youth Media Awards presentation. Kao Kalia Yang, St. Paul author of numerous memoirs for adult readers and picture books for children, won the Asian/Pacific American Literature Award for “From the Tops of the […]
The voice behind 400 audiobooks: Julia Whelan talks about her unusual job and her own writing
Julia Whelan and her book “Thanks for Listening: A Novel.” Whelan will appear with fellow author Allison Winn Scotch at the “Super Book IV” event in San Diego on Feb. 16 Julia Whelan is a bestselling author, a screenwriter, an actor, a Grammy-nominated audiobook director and an award-winning audiobook narrator. How does she select the […]
Patricia Engel’s Enduring Friendships Always Include Books
What’s the last great book you read? I recently reread Edwidge Danticat’s “The Art of Death,” an extraordinary exploration of how we make meaning from death in life and literature. It was even more revelatory reading it from this point in the pandemic. Are there any classic novels that you only recently read for the […]
Paul La Farge, Inventive Novelist, Is Dead at 52
Paul La Farge, whose well-regarded novels played audaciously with history and narrative technique as they explored how the past can affect the present, died on Jan. 18 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He was 52. His wife, Sarah Stern, said the cause was cancer. Mr. La Farge’s novels and short stories defied easy categorization, but they were […]