Not-writing is a state of comfort
I’ve always thought of myself as a writer, although saying it out like that sounds a bit pompous, at least to me. Building something through my words never fails to thrill me, but I wouldn’t say I like to attach a defined role to it. I think the lack of pressure on my younger self […]
On the Yahara Writing Center connects people with nature, poetry and Mary Oliver
The Yahara Writing Center isn’t trying to turn anyone into the next Henry David Thoreau. Although if that happened, that would be okay too. Troy Hess, the center’s founder and guiding spirit, started leading small group classes on poetry, nature writing, and mindfulness almost six years ago as informal get-togethers in area coffee shops. “It […]
How can humans detect AI writing? These Penn researchers have some tips
If a group of people is presented with a body of text, will they be able to spot the human-written passages over the AI-generated ones? The answer is, well — maybe. AI detection work is at the center of a University of Pennsylvania study in its School of Engineering and Applied Science. Chris Callison-Burch, an […]
“It’s translating, not sex,” he said. “You can do it with more than one person.”
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 […]
TUCKER ON Writing Well
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 […]
Richard Anobile, Chronicler of the Marx Brothers, Dies at 76
Richard Anobile, a prolific creator of film books whose friendly collaboration with the anarchic comedian Groucho Marx on a project called “The Marx Bros. Scrapbook” turned sour when Mr. Marx sued to stop its distribution after reading his unedited quoted remarks in print, died on Feb. 10 in Toronto. He was 76. His wife, Elizabeth […]
Writer Samuel D. Hunter digs deep to let loose his truth for ‘The Whale’
Writing “The Whale,” says Samuel D. Hunter, “felt entirely different than my previous plays. It was at once easier to write and more difficult, familiar but scarily vulnerable.” I didn’t set out to write a film. At first, I wasn’t even sure I was writing a play. Maybe it was something I needed to write […]
In Her Last Book, Valerie Boyd Amplifies the Voices of Black Writers
To say that Valerie Boyd was a critically acclaimed writer, editor and educator doesn’t do her justice. And when she passed away in February at age 58 after a five-year battle with pancreatic cancer, she left behind an incredible legacy. “Wrapped in Rainbows,” Valerie Boyd’s biography of Zora Neale Hurston, is considered one of the […]
Markus Dohle is resigning from Penguin Random House.
Yes, it’s true, Markus Dohle is leaving his position as CEO of Penguin Random House , in what is clear fallout from the failed attempt to acquire Simon & Schuster. Dohle, who pushed hard for the attempted merger, said in his letter of resignation that: Following the antitrust decision in the U.S. against the merger […]
Novelist Ian McEwan: Writing is “a way of being”
“A secret, I think, can be fatal,” said acclaimed novelist Ian McEwan. “She died with her secret intact.” That secret McEwan is talking about was a personal one held by his mother: “She would give birth to a baby boy, and she gave that child away. The moment she gave that child away, I think […]