Kind of creepy. Point taken.

“Should students still be taught cursive writing?” This is the title of a piece I came across recently in, of all places, The Costco Connection magazine. Proponents for both sides of the issue state their opinions, the yes-ers arguing that cursive helps students with hand-eye coordination, improves their ability to “chunk” letter sounds (-ing endings, for instance) which leads to better reading comprehension and spelling, and that cursive is an important part of our cultural heritage. The naysayers counter that time spent teaching cursive should be devoted to other, more important, subjects, that good handwriting is no indicator of intelligence or success (insert predictable joke about doctors’ illegible scrawls here), and that in this electronic age, the need for tidy penmanship is on its way out.

Frankly, I was surprised that anyone is even talking about this, but a quick Google search revealed that a lot of people are. I’ve never given cursive much thought, because I never learned it. I was in elementary school in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and we learned a script-print hybrid called Duvall, which I abandoned a long time ago for a makeshift printing style that deteriorates a little more each year. Of course, this is because I seem to type exponentially more each year; when I write, unless it’s a note or a list or a birthday card, I do it at my keyboard.

But the piece made me curious about how other writers work, and if the way we write actually matters. What kind of penmanship did you learn in school? What’s your weapon of choice when you’re writing? Pen and paper? Computer? Butcher paper and crayon (as visiting writer Sallie Tisdale suggested in a workshop last year)? Does what you write with change what you write?

I want to do everything.  I’m in grad school, and I want to soak up as much as I can.  If I can take 18 credits, why not?  If I can do an internship or two or three, why not?  It’s a great experience.  But how much is going to be enough to shackle bricks to my feet and drown me?

Read more »

Check out The Great Typo Hunt.

Haven’t you always wanted to do that?

Two guys spent three months driving around the USA, spotting errors in signage and educating the sign owners about proper grammar. And the best part: they weren’t trying to be holier-than-thou assholes about it.

(Second-best part: after a Grand Canyon mishap, a federal judge ordered them not to speak publicly about grammatical errors for a year. That’s got to be one of the most bizarre sentences ever handed down.)

Here’s where I get intimate with you all: I decorate my mother’s grave with stones. (See Melina’s post from yesterday–Jean Michel Basquiat.)

All the stones are from bodies of water. The first set came from the Wisconsin River about a year after she died. It seemed natural to sweep off her gravestone with dead grass and line up a handful of rocks. Then I’d talk (or not) and head out. Simple. Read more »

tombstones/how we speak for the dead: Read more »

I was going to blog about writing a braided essay, and I still am, but it might be continued next week, because I have run into technical difficulties.  My son has erased several hours of my work.

 Not my writing, though, don’t worry. 

Read more »

What say you?

Shakespeare apps, spin the bottle for themed poetry, rhyme finders, Frostisms (Whitmanisms??) poetry readings “enhanced” by reading along on a glowing screen?

I don’t know, friends. Internet on the phone with fancy apps and whatnot makes me believe I would stray farther away from poetry than I already have. Basically, I’m unconvinced by Bob Tedeschi’s argument. To me, it’s just more portable internet.

The apps don’t seem that impressive, or maybe they feel more for people who spring breeze through poetry than people who grave dig for poetry.

Riding an unfamiliar bike is kind of like borrowing someone’s shoes that have been worn in specifically to their feet, but you can’t complain about it because if it weren’t for the ill-fitting shoes you’d be barefoot and cut.

The chain on this bike is so rusty that it screeches and clicks and grinds as I pedal so that everyone on the sidewalk turns to stare. This is embarrassing while it’s happening but it might also prevent me from sneaking up on someone. Read more »

So the stakes are coming up, and within a couple of days the Lilac City will be a dust-colored speck in the rearview. But before I leave Spokane to return to the birthplace of Letterman and Vonnegut, it’s time to reflect the only way I know how: in list form.

Top 5 foods I’ll miss

1. Irish Nachos at The Globe
A pile of thick waffle fries covered in cheese, bacon, and sour cream will shut your heart right down, but you will not care.

2. Maytag Blue Fries at Zola
More fries? Sounds right to me. But these are crispier and smothered in a ridiculous blue cheese sauce. I never said it was the top 5 healthiest foods.

3. Biscuits and Gravy at Frank’s Diner
Case in point. I’ve had biscuits and gravy in a lot of breakfast places, but this is the only place in Spokane I will still order them.

4. Curry Fried Rice at Thai Bamboo
I could swear that what makes this so good is the curry, but Rachel insists the pineapple is its secret weapon, so I will defer.

5. Orange Watermelon from the South Perry Farmers’ Market
I only ate it a couple of times, and I still think about it way too much.

Read more »