For a taste of what it’s like to spend a semester studying writing with a renowned author, check out Alexander Chee’s essay in The Morning News, “Annie Dillard and the Writing Life.” Dillard’s remarkable description of...
The word peruse is such a confusing term that it’s best to avoid it entirely. Some English speakers were taught it means “to read casually,” while others were taught exactly the opposite. This is part of a complete episode...
Oliver Goldsmith observed that there was no use arguing with lexicographer Samuel Johnson, because “when his pistol misses fire, he knocks you down with the butt end of it.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “No...
Alone looks as if it might have something to do with Zen Buddhist all one, but its English history points elsewhere. Art from San Diego wondered about the contrast, since all one can suggest a state of connectedness, while alone means being by...
How do you know if it’s time to break up with a book? You’ve into the book 50, maybe a 100 pages, but you’re just not into it. Is there something wrong with quitting before the end? Tell us where you draw the line. This is part of...
What happens when a clock gets hungry? It goes back four seconds. Martha talks about how puns weren’t always considered “bad.” Cicero praised them as the wittiest kind of saying, and Shakespeare made plenty of them, for both...