John in Omaha, Nebraska, wonders about a phrase that encourages someone to attend an event or risk being left out or feeling uncool: be there or be square. Don’t fall for the fake etymology about people wearing boxes on their heads! Ditto for this...
Reading A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life (Bookshop|Amazon) feels like auditing a class with creative writing professor writer George Saunders, author of the acclaimed Lincoln in...
Affrilachian adj.— «Finney is an associate professor of creative writing at the University of Kentucky and founding member of the Affrilachian Poets. “Affrilachian” is a term used to describe people of color living in the Appalacian region.» —“Poet...
