Posts by author
Ian MacAllen
-
Sharing Our Words
Writers often overuse a few unique words, creating a linguistic fingerprint. Vocabulary words are also exchanged between social groups. Some people contribute new words, while others adopt them. The process is not entirely random, though: Diana Boxer, a professor at…
-
Read Slowly, Read Better
Reading is healthy, but not all reading is created equally. Advocates of slow reading suggest that dedicated periods of thirty to forty-five minutes away from other distractions can lower stress and maximize reading benefits. And reading online content just isn’t…
-
Portland’s Bicycle Library
Portland is home to Street Books, a bicycle-based library that serves the city’s homeless population and day laborers. The project started in 2011 with a temporary grant, but has since flourished into a full-time non-profit. The Oregonian takes a look…
-
This, That Mean More Than You Think
The words we never think about reveal a lot about what we’re saying. Filler words—this, though, I, an, and, that, and there—are so common we never really think about them, but they give away a lot of information. Psychologist James…
-
Saving William Blake’s House
William Blake lived in a cottage in West Sussex for three years beginning in 1800. Now the cottage is up for sale and the Blake Society wants to save the house for historic purposes. They negotiated a discounted price with…
-
Indie Bookstore Road Trip
Independent bookstores will save the world, or at least the publishing industry, maybe. Josh Weil and Mike Harvkey took a road trip across the country, exploring independent bookstores. They found a collection of dedicated shops and local literary communities, but…
-
Notable NYC: 9/13–9/19
Saturday 9/13: Sara Lippman reads from collection of stories, Doll Palace. BookCourt, 7 p.m., free. Mitchell S. Jackson, Porochista Khakpour, Gabriel Roth, and Elissa Schappell read as part of LitCrawl, presented by Center for Fiction. KGB, 6 p.m., free. LitCrawl…
-
Trigger Warnings
With the American Association of University Professors announcing its opposition to providing trigger warnings, Emily Semple shares some of her thoughts on the subject at Flavorwire.
-
Million Word Novel
Author Alan Moore, best known for graphic novels like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and V for Vendetta, has just finished the first draft of his second novel, Jerusalem, a manuscript with a million words. The Guardian reports that Moore’s latest work beats out classic long…
-
The Freedom of Self-Publishing
Self-publishing has never been easier for writers with digital technology, particularly ebooks, allowing for new titles with little to no capital costs. Poets, after all, have a long history of self-publishing, explains Sarah Gonnet over at Luna Luna, in part…
-
Little Black Book
Artists Camille Leproust and Andres Ayerbe printed a book on thermal paper — specially treated paper that turns completely black as its slowly heated. The book will be on display at The London Art Book Fair. Other books on display will…
-
Books for Children Top “Great Books” Lists
While the great debate over whether adults should love or hate YA books raged this summer, Facebook users were busy listing their top ten favorite books in a viral status update challenge. Turns out, Facebook’s favorite books were meant for…