Comics - trash or treasure

comis were seen during my childhood as trash - not serious reading or art atall. Now in the lbiraries where I wor and ive, "graphic novels" are allhe buzz and comics are being taken seriously again. Amazon published this interview with Doublas Wolk who has written a book on reading comics. Talking Reading Comics: An Interview with Douglas Wolk

... His second book, Reading Comics, was just released, and it's doubly refreshing. It does none of the bashful throat-clearing that mainstream writing about comics often uses to justify its interest in what was long considered a throwaway kids' medium. And it manages to love and explain the two often warring (or mutually ignorant) sides of today's comics, the ever-popular superhero tradition and the art comics that have gained so much highbrow attention lately, making the case for each to the readers of both. It's an appealingly idiosyncratic tour of many of his favorite artists that doesn't hesitate to criticize some of the most revered names in the business (like Chris Ware and Will Eisner) or investigate some of its most forgotten genre byways with serious enthusiasm. We asked Wolk a few questions about the book and his work.

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"Three tips to improve your writing rhythm"

By Michele Pariza Wacek

As a professional copywriter, not only do I do a lot of writing but I also look at a lot of writing. One of the things I've noticed that sets the good/great writers from the so so is rhythm.

What I mean by rhythm is how the writing sounds. The rhythm of the words and sentences. It's a subtle aspect of writing, one not normally talked about, but that doesn't lessen its importance.

Unfortunately, rhythm is also tough to teach (which is probably why it isn't talked about very much). It's something felt deep inside, like it is with music. It isn't as straight forward as pointing out a grammar error.

What makes it tougher is that everyone has their own style and own unique rhythm. However, these three tips should get you started thinking about your own writing rhythm and how to improve it. Article continues

Words at Work

Merriam-Webster asked its readers for their favourite words -- and here are the top 10. Test yourself by seeing if you can match them up with their definitions. (If you're not sure, look them up at dictionary.com.) The Words: 1. juxtapose (juk-stuh-POZE) 2. serendipity (ser-un-DIP-ih-tee) 3. discombobulate (dis-kum-BOB-yuh-late) 4. plethora (PLETH-uh-ruh) 5. persnickety (per-SNIK-ih-tee) 6. callipygian (kal-uh-PIJ-ee-un) 7. kerfuffle (ker-FUF-ul) 8. flibbertigibbet (FLIB-er-tee-jih-bit) 9. defenestration (dee-fen-ih-STRAY-shun) 10. onomatopoeia (on-uh-mat-uh-PEE-uh) The Definitions: a. throw into a state of confusion b. the act of throwing a person or thing out the window c. words that imitate the sound of the thing they represent d. having shapely buttocks e. place side by side f. making a fortunate discovery by accident g. fussy about small details h. superabundance i. become dishevelled j. a silly, scatterbrained person

Envisioning the Next Chapter for Electronic Books

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 5 — Technology evangelists have predicted the emergence of electronic books for as long as they have envisioned flying cars and video phones. It is an idea that has never caught on with mainstream book buyers. Two new offerings this fall are set to test whether consumers really want to replace a technology that has reliably served humankind for hundreds of years: the paper book.

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Roth wins PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

[Via the SJCPL Blog]

Eeeryman by Philip Roth has won the 2007 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Roth is the first three-time winner of the award. His previous titles awarded are Operation Shylock and The Human Stain. This national prize honors the best published works of fiction by American citizens in a calendar year. The PEN/Faulkner Foundation is an outgrowth of William Faulkner’s generosity in donating his 1949 Nobel Prize winnings “to establish a fund to support and encourage new fiction writers.”

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Look out Below

On April 14, 1912, a luxury ocean liner on its maiden voyage struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank within hours, sending some 1,500 people to cold, watery graves. The Titanic tragedy has been memorialised and analysed in movies, books and historical exhibits. As anyone who saw James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster movie about this event can attest, the story is full of great human drama. From a leadership perspective, however, what really interests me is the iceberg.
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