Writing is one of the activities that makes us humans so unique. For thousands of years, the human race has been attempting to record its thoughts and experiences with various forms of the written word. From its beginnings, the written word has become one of the most powerful tools we have when it comes to[…]
Those who understand the power of great books and the amount of knowledge they possess have never left their power go to waste. Many authors have managed to unlock so many secrets about humanity and our existence. This is a book list that will show you a few great books that shape our past, present,[…]
As a student, you may often wonder why you need to study history. The most cliched answer you would get is that “we must learn from our mistakes.” But that is not the only reason why you need to study history. It is an essential subject because it helps us to understand several aspects of[…]
All rhetorical techniques are designed to enhance one of the three pillars of communication: ethos, logos and pathos. Benson Kua We all use rhetorical structures. But, unless we’re skilled in their use, as politicians and advertisers clearly are, we don’t necessarily grasp their full manipulative power. By Dr. Joan Leach / 02.02.2016 Professor and Director, International Programs Australian National[…]
By Diane Sherry Case / 01.03.2018 Novelist Choose a moment in your day. It can be as small as when a clerk smiled at you, when you noticed a child’s laughter or when you smelled a lovely flower. Now, savour that moment in writing. Use all your senses as you describe the experience and how[…]
Locking articles away behind a paywall stifles access. Elizabeth, CC BY-NC-ND By Dr. Patrick Burns / 11.05.2017 Dean of Libraries Vice President for Information Technology Colorado State University Imagine a researcher working under deadline on a funding proposal for a new project. This is the day she’s dedicated to literature review – pulling examples from existing research[…]
An argument. Photo by Flickr user Dmitris Papazimouris through a Creative Commons license. From The Writing Center University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Arguments are Everywhere Most material you learn in college is or has been debated by someone, somewhere, at some time. Even when the material you read or hear is presented as[…]
Former gangster Lucky Luciano teaches an old dog. Rome, 1949. Photo by Bettmann/Getty By Dr. Suzanne Cope / 06.21.2017 How do we get others to change their minds? That is the question many of us are asking in this polarising social and political climate, where the gulf between some people’s beliefs appears almost insurmountable. But there[…]
Classic narratives. From Cinderella, 1950. Photo by Rex Features By Veronique Greenwood / 11.18.2016 In recent years, literature has been getting attention from an unusual quarter: mathematics. Alongside statistical physicists analysing the connections between characters in the Icelandic sagas, and computer scientists exploring the life and death of words in English fiction, a team of mathematicians at the University of[…]
‘You spoke of Hope surpassing Home, I thought that Hope was Home – a misapprehension of architecture.’ Emily Dickinson letter to Otis Phillips Lord. / Amhurst College Library By Dr. Siobhan Phillips / 04.12.2017 Professor of English Dickinson College A lot of people love personal letters now that very few people write them. We have publishing initiatives such[…]
From Herman Melville’s Moby Dick / Wikimedia Commons By Dr. Jenny Davidson / 08.22.2016 Professor of English and Comparative Literature Columbia University A great sentence makes you want to chew it over slowly in your mouth the first time you read it. A great sentence compels you to rehearse it again in your mind’s ear, and[…]
Statue of Thomas Jefferson / Photo by Gage Skidmore, Flickr, Creative Commons By Dr. Ruth Finnegan Emeritus Professor of Social Sciences The Open University Prelude: A Dip in Quoting’s Ocean As I sit upstairs at my desk thinking about quoting, a series of repeated chunks of language and evocations of voices become visible and audible[…]
© Illustration by Jenny Reynish F.T. Kola was born in South Africa, grew up in Australia, and lived in London and New York City before pursuing an MFA at the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Austin, where she is a fellow in fiction. By F.T. Kola / October 2016 My princess[…]
YES! Illustration by Jennifer Luxton. How to cope with anxiety, self-doubt, and “the check’s in the mail.” By Brandon Ambrosino / 09.11.2016 I’m currently waiting for around $10,000 worth of paychecks to reach me for freelance writing projects I’ve done. Most of these projects were completed months ago. Some editors have since gone silent, leaving[…]
…and Red Little Riding Hood / Shutterstock By Dr. Simon Horobin / 09.06.2016 Professor of English Language and Literature University of Oxford Unlikely as it sounds, the topic of adjective use has gone “viral”. The furore centres on the claim, taken from Mark Forsyth’s book The Elements of Eloquence, that adjectives appearing before a noun[…]