“THE WASTELAND GROWS,” wrote Nietzsche over a century ago. “Woe to him who hides wastelands within.” Since then, the wastelands have grown more indiscriminately within and without. Our social and spiritual lives wither on our cell phone screens. Our cities, habitats, and public arenas suffer from a blight whose causes remain obscure while the effects
Tyler Cowen: “I’ve never been convinced that AI will rise up and destroy the world or turn us into paper clips.” Understatement as talisman When Clare Cavanagh was first invited by a mutual friend to translate the poems of Adam Zagajewski, who died two years ago this month, how did she respond? “I froze, answered
David James, editor of the Alaskan literature anthology “Writing on the Edge,” during a signing at Title Wave Books on March 4. James will be at Barnes & Noble in Fairbanks this Saturday from 1 to 3. PHOTO BY Karen Jensen Alaska means different things to different people. A new anthology of 33 Alaska stories,
Don’t feel like writing? Join the club. Sometimes life is too busy, and our brains are too crowded with schedules, appointments and commitments. Sometimes we lack ideas or confidence. A clear mind allows room for inspiration, but how can we banish the mental detritus? Nature can nurture, so heading for an unpeopled locale can be
Written Out Loud is a writing and storytelling program that works with schools and students outside of schools to teach writing and empathy skills through collaborative storytelling practices. The education program was founded by Joshua Shelov, a filmmaker and screenwriter who wrote the Green Street Hooligans, starring Elijah Wood, and co-wrote and directed The Best
Over 30 years ago, I received my bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Tennessee. Despite the passing of time, I still hold dear two items from my five-year educational journey: my framed diploma and a small book entitled “The Word: An Associated Press Guide to Good News Writing” by Rene J. Cappon. This
Two-time CBC Literary Prizes winner Chanel M. Sutherland won a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts. (Submitted by Chanel M. Sutherland) Chanel M. Sutherland is a two-time CBC Literary Prize winner. She first won the 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize for her essay, ‘Umbrella.’ Then in 2022, she won the CBC Short
10,000 hours. That’s how long, at least according to author Malcolm Gladwell, it’s supposed to take to master a craft. Or, if you’re an AI a matter of months, weeks, or days. When I read that is now such an adept writer it’s on Amazon’s self-publishing service, I experienced a mini freakout. To be clear,
Timed free-writing — no stopping, no correcting, no fretting — can leapfrog mental paralysis to a “shitty” but valuable first draft of Korrina Duffy’s free-write notebook. Pen poised. Go! Free writing is for when you need to write the damn thing already. If you, like many, have a bad case of blank page syndrome, free
Although purple prose sounds pretty and like a way you would want your writing described, it’s actually not a good thing to have your writing described this way. If someone calls your purple writing prose, essentially, they’re calling it flowery. They think it’s too wordy, formal or trying too hard to be poetic. Although there
