Literary Safari

This is a short one. I’m guest blogging at Marc Aronson’s School Library Journal blog, “Nonfiction Matters” today. Check out my post “Great Resources on Islam. and on the Experience of Being a Young Muslim in America” here.

Irritating words. Clichés. Trite expressions. We hear them all the time and sometimes, we are also guilty of using them in our own writing and conversations.

Here, from Oxford University is a list of top 10 “most irritating phrases.” [see full story]

1 – At the end of the day
2 – Fairly unique
3 – I personally
4 – At this moment in time
5 – With all due respect
6 – Absolutely
7 – It’s a nightmare
8 – Shouldn’t of
9 – 24/7
10 – It’s not rocket science

And, here at Paper Cuts, the NYT literary blog is a list of the “seven deadly words of book reviewing”:

1 – poignant
2 – compelling
3 – intriguing
4 – eschew
5 – craft (used as a verb)
6 – muse (used as a verb)
7 – lyrical

And, so, off I go in search of a better substitute for “compelling” which is often a word that is part of my first draft reviews because I think it’s better than “fascinating” … which, somehow, just does not cut the mustard either!!

Your most irritating phrases?

Though comics and graphic novels have been in the publishing spotlight in recent years, educational publishers and teachers still approach them with cold hands and tentative minds. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say, when presented with a worthy and quite literary comic book, “Oh, but it’s just a comic. We can’t give kids such watered down stuff to read.”

The summer 2008 issue of Teachers & Writers magazine speaks directly to these concerns, serving up a selection of articles which effectively make the case that yes, “writing and reading comics can strengthen writing skills, spur the imagination, and boost literacy in classrooms from kindergarten to college and beyond.”

As a former editor in the educational publishing industry, the “fearful editorial culture” that Sari Wilson describes in “The Comics Revolution in the Language Arts Classroom” was all too real to me. I too have encountered the same challenges and obstacles of which she speaks. Many of the graphic novel excerpts I pitched for inclusion in our product were rejected not because they were deemed not engaging enough, but because of concerns about them “looking too much like a comic book” or not appearing “meaty enough” in terms of sentence length.

At the end of the day, much of the industry seems to feel caught between wanting to provide students with “traditional” or “award-winning” literature (read: a high-enough lexile text) and “high-interest” content (read: cool illustrations and graphics). Somehow, the notion that the two can coexist in a single text (read: graphic novel or story) that tastefully blends the elements of storytelling with sophisticated visuals is still not an accepted one. This is unfortunate because as a result students may very well miss out on being able to dissect, critique, analyze, respond to, and enjoy many worthy works that are categorized in the comics section of a bookstore.

In my opinion, this “either-or”attitude results in somewhat of a vicious cycle: On one hand, publishers are nervous about featuring excerpts from works such as “American Born Chinese” by Gene Yang in their textbooks because they worry about the teachers‘ response -“Will he or she be able to handle student responses?” On the other hand, teachers are worried about introducing similar works to their students in the classroom as part of the curriculum because they don’t see them in textbooks, and therefore, don’t want to seem to be loosening curriculum standards.

As I was going through the T&W comics issue, I was struck by the many examples provided of how comics can open for readers and non-readers alike, writers and non-writers alike. There are some amazing people doing some incredible work out there in this field. [more below the fold] (more…)

I’ve been on Poetry Friday hiatus for the past couple of months (though I was doing a South Asian themed series for adults at Sepia Mutiny). Today: poetic justice and Robert Frost, plus a giveaway of “Voice of the Poet: Robert Frost” audio CD and book (Random House). A full round up is at Snoring Scholar.

In the news this week was a story about a group of underage teens from Vermont who threw a party of drunken proportions at a farmhouse in Rimington. The farmhouse turned out to be none other than Robert Frost’s summer writing haven (which now belongs to Middlebury College).

From Vermont’s WCAX TV News:

On December 28, about two dozen young people trashed a summer home that [Robert] Frost visited for decades to write and reflect. A quiet farm house in Ripton on a road not taken by most. An ideal spot for an out-of-the-way illegal drinking party where kids wouldn’t get caught. Or so they thought.

Broken windows, furniture, and dishes littered the home. The partying vandals discharged a fire extinguisher, vomited and urinated on rugs. Nearly $11,000 in damage left behind.

28 people were charged, all but two of them teenagers. [full story]

So, what was the punishment meted out to these “delinquents”? County State Attorney John Quinn decided on “poetic justice” — a two-session poetry class with Frost biographer Jay Pirini which is intended to “show the vandals the error of their ways and the redemptive power of poetry.”

“I guess I was thinking that if these teens had a better understanding of who Robert Frost was, and his contribution to our society, that they would be more respectful of other people’s property in the future and would also learn something from the experience,” said Addison County State’s Attorney John Quinn. [see full Boston Globe article]

Chances are they’ll be reading this poem:

The Need of Being Versed in Country Things

The house had gone to bring again
To the midnight sky a sunset glow.
Now the chimney was all of the house that stood,
Like a pistil after the petals go.

The barn opposed across the way,
That would have joined the house in flame
Had it been the will of the wind, was left
To bear forsaken the place’s name.

Read the full text of this poem at Bartleby.

If you want in on Literary Safari’s giveaway of the CD of Robert Frost reading his own poetry, which is part of Random House Audio’s “The Voice of the Poet” series, just put your name down in the comments section and we’ll do a random drawing by next Friday, June 13.

Ricardo Cortes and F. Bowman Hastie, the authors of children’s coloring book, I Don’t Want to Blow You Up, were sitting on a pier along the Hudson River last summer, with their buddy Naeem, when they came up with the idea for their recently published children’s book which has been receiving a fair amount of attention (good and bad). WHAT? A coloring book for kids and adults. [preview the book]

WHO? In an age of yellow, orange, and red terror alerts, the book draws attention to the myriad people of different colors and cultures who are living peaceful and meaningful lives. It’s narrated by Naeem, a political artist. (“Hello, my name is Naeem. I was born in London. I grew up in Pakistan, Libya, and Bangladesh. Now I live in Brooklyn, New York. I blow up tires on my bicycle, but I don’t want to blow you up. Now let’s go meet some people …)

WHY? To counter the terrifying messages transmitted in the name of the “War on Terror.”

WHEN? In a post 9/11 society. In the words of the authors, “We really just wanted to so SOMETHING to try to temper the terror hysteria that has gripped this country, and especially New York, since 9/11. We also wanted to address the epidemic of identity profiling that affects not just Muslims and Arabs, but an entire suspect community that has developed based on people’s appearance, name, country of origin, or faith.”

WHERE? At the airport, on the subway, in a shopping mall, on the school playground, in New York City, in the United States of America, in the world.

HOW? There are children in the U.S. and other western countries who are taunted as “terrorists” and “osama bin ladin” simply because they look Middle Eastern or have an Arabic name. It is the authors’ hope that kids might feel empowered when reading the stories of other inspiring and impressive people like themselves. At the same time, the children out there who have been enlisted into perpetuating the terror myth might gain some new perspective by seeing some of their heroes in a different light, or by discovering new heroes in unexpected places.

Personally, I can see this book being used as a mediated tool for promoting tolerance and discussing post 9/11 reactions to terrorism, both by children and adults. Explains why I just finished writing a reading guide for parents and educators for this book [available for free online, courtesy of the book's authors here], which the authors envision “as a tool for addressing a difficult and sensitive topic of discussion with kids who have already indicated some degree of concern or fear themselves, or who have had the experience of being the “suspect.”

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“Everyone has a story. Can you tell yours in six words?” Take this question that SMITH magazine posed to its readers and throw it out to a room full of teen writers — and what do you get? A bunch of pretty amazing six-word memoirs, many of which are certainly worthy of being published in the SMITH’s next six-word memoir book. (Part I, Not Quite What I Was Planning, has gotten lots of press lately.)

Last week, I had the pleasure of teaching my workshop, Flash Memoir: Write Your Life, One Story at a Time, at the annual Young Authors Conference, organized by BOCES-NY. Each year, enthusiastic and talented high school writers from Rockland, Putnam, and Westchester counties in NY are invited to spend a day attending writing workshops. Organizer and teacher Cathy Greenwood likes to call it a “pep rally for writers.” I like the sound of that.

In the Flash Memoir workshop, we read samples of six-word memoirs that were published in Not Quite What I Was Planning, inspired by Hemingway’s story, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

Then, we wrote our own six-word memoirs. The participants in my first session were so eager to read each other’s work and to have a memento of their creative writing activity that we decided to post and share their memoirs here.

Simple things were never made complicated.

In a moment, this one ends.

The American dream swallowed me whole.

With your lemons, make Italian ice.

Jeans too tight from baby fat.

Fascination becomes habitual in chem class.

Writing teacher. More latter, than former.

I will never be as lost.

I like goldfish better than people.

If you want, I’ll smile too.
When we meet at the crossroad.

Misanthropic teen seeks someone who understands.

In the end, we’re still here.

Don’t forget to pack clean underwear.

Sight and sand and feeling.

Big smile, broken heel, fading pictures.

Not a great student, been laid.

Cheering for the wrong, who cares?

The beauty of an unborn flower.

Take the pain. Make success. Struggle.

The world is changing, not me.

I’m glad I’m not in school.

Eat vegetables. Eat your cake too.

No longer nymph. Now a goddess.

Unplanned situations are sometimes wished upon.

Smeared mascara, salty droplets, losing you.

Learning not to wait till tomorrow.

Walking with one light, through darkness.

I found what I was after.

Best friend, one guy, who’s gonna win?

(Great work, young writers! Thank you for sharing your work. I hope that some of you will go here to submit your work.)

Two of my friends who live in the Bay area are leading writing workshops in the upcoming months. If you have been thinking about taking a class, honing your skills, or simply being part of a writing community, these two women are phenomenal writers and great teachers.

Bushra Rehman performs her poetry regularly in theaters and colleges around the country. Lately, she’s been spending her time flying through the streets of Oakland and Brooklyn, writing an on the road adventure novel for Muslim girls. Bushra is co-editor of the anthology Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism (Seal Press, 2002) which has been adopted as essential reading material in women’s studies and ethnic studies classes around the United States. She has been featured in The New York Times and NY Newsday and her work has appeared in ColorLines, Mizna, Curve, SAMAR, and Bottomfish.

Bushra and I used to work and teach ESL workshops together at The College of New Rochelle, and have been friends and occasional writing buddies ever since. Her upcoming workshop:

Two Truths and a Lie: Writing Creative Non-Fiction
a 10-week writing workshop with Bushra Rehman
Mondays, February 19 – April 28, 2008, 7-9 PM

Laura Deutsch is a writer, editor, and teacher based in Mill Valley, California. Her personal essays, features, travel, and humor pieces have appeared in the New York Times, More magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Mademoiselle, and more. Her personal essays and travel pieces have been anthologized in three books and her commentary has aired on public radio.

Laura and I first met at a writing retreat with Natalie Goldberg in New Mexico back in 2000, and were cross-country telephone and email writing buddies for quite some time. A few years ago, I attended and co-facilitated a couple of sessions at one of her weekend workshops out in Petaluma, Ca., and can definitely say that it was a most refreshing experience that filled up my creative well. Her upcoming workshops:

Writing as a Spiritual Practice
A weekend workshop with Laura Deutsch and Edward Espe Brown at the Tassajara Monastery.
May 4 – 9, 2008

Writing Retreat in the South of France
May 17 – 24, 2008, with Laura Deutsch

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I am going to spend most of my day with 30 young writers from the NY area, reading their creative writing and offering editing advice. Young Authors Editing Day is an annual event organized by BOCES NY in Westchester, and spearheaded by the amazingly energetic and passionate middle school teacher and author Cathy Greenwood.

There’s a lot of advice out there for writers, both young and old. On almost the last day of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I would be lax not to point out their neat young writers program and their grade appropriate handbooks online. (If you’re wishing you’d known about this earlier, hey, there’s always next year to be an official participant, but these tips can always come in handy!)

OK, you say – that’s all about writing. What about editing?

Ah, editing – that mysterious, elusive act that turns writers into sculptors. The simplest advice that I’d like to share comes from George Orwell, whose essay “Shooting an Elephant” I consider a work of genius.

In his must-read “Politics and the English Language,” Orwell breaks this mysterious process down into six basic questions one must ask oneself:

A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus:

1. What am I trying to say?
2. What words will express it?
3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?

And he will probably ask himself two more:
1. Could I put it more shortly?
2. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?

And, I end with this advice from the American historian and Columbia University professor Erik Barnouw that I’ve come across along my personal journey for memorable writing advice:

“Go with your first intuition — if you ruminate too long, you will equivocate and commit an editing error you will regret. Your first instinct is usually the best one.”

I’ve taught writing in various capacities over the past several years, and until last May, was editing Writing, a Weekly Reader classroom magazine for middle and high school students. One of the things that has struck me in all my instructional experiences has always been the impact of collaborative writing and peer review on the learning process.

In fact, last year, one of the most exciting projects I worked on was the development of a PDF issue of Writing all about revision, which I think is one of the best areas for students to engage in peer review. (By students, I don’t just mean kids; I mean us adults too. Think writing circles, writing groups, writing buddies. Think Anne Lamott’s advice in Bird by Bird: get “someone to read your drafts”).

Anyhow, I was so excited about our revision issue that I sent it over to the folks over at Google for Educators, and one thing led to another, and pretty soon, there were conversations happening about how this revision issue could be coupled with Google Docs for a special revision project, complete with lesson plans, etc. I worked on these materials several months ago with the Google for Educator folks, and when I left Writing in May, my wonderful colleagues at WR took over. I was thrilled to see that the project went live this week, and if you have a chance, check it out: Teach Collaborative Revision with Google.

You’ll find PDF articles, lesson plan ideas, and the entire range of Google Doc tools with tutorials.

I am a huge fan of Google for Educators’ programs. Having attended their Google Teacher Academy, I can say wholeheartedly that they offer incredible classroom “accessories” and free products that make the learning experience more meaningful. The Academy is based on the teach the teacher model where educators trained in the how-to of Google’s tools go back to their districts and conduct trainings for other teachers on how to bring technology into the classroom in innovative ways.

One of my favorite outgrowths of the Teacher Academy has been Google Lit Trips, where students use Google Earth to embark on virtual literature road trips. There are examples at the site, as well as guidelines on how to create your own.

It’s all free and there’s no advertising embedded, so teachers and students (of all ages) alike have nothing to lose. Spread the wealth.

Related: eSchool News selects the revision feature as its Site of the Week (Jan. 16, 2008)