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Emily Dickinson is famous for her idiosyncratic grammar, liberal use of the hyphen, and seemingly random capitalization of words. Despite using typical poetic devices such as assonance, consonance, and alliteration in her works, her poems take unique forms with layouts often making them a bit cryptic. Are these idiosyncrasies in her poetry a sign of…
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English is often called a glorious mess of a language. Unlike languages that guard their purity, English has never been shy about stealing vocabulary from others. Why coin a new word when you can borrow (or outright snatch) one that’s already in use abroad? Linguist James D. Nicoll put it most colorfully: “The problem with…
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Is Langston Hughes a Modernist poet? That question, once handed to me in a college classroom, now strikes me as too small for the man who so clearly saw poetry as a public force. Labels like “Modernist” tend to flatten voices into movements. But Hughes resists neat categorization. Yes, he wrote in free verse. Indeed,…
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There’s a dangerous myth that still lingers in how we teach, critique, and canonize writing, particularly with essays. It’s the idea that language is fixed, finalized, etched in stone. We’re taught in grammar school that the first draft must already point toward the final product. Then, revision is about perfection, not possibility. But the essay…
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“Being a queer girl isn’t something you decide. It’s something you survive, until you get old enough to claim it.”—Emily Pratt Slatin, Friendship Bracelets And Other Broken Promises This quote from my wife, Emily Pratt Slatin, is surgical. It names what so many queer femmes—especially lesbians and trans women—have lived: not a “choice” but a…
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In my teenage years, I came to realize that angels and demons are actually the same thing, but spiritually polar opposites. So, it’s then our place as mere mortal beasts cursed with divine reason to decide ultimately which side of the pendulum attracts us most. There was a moment in my own adolescence—especially for someone…
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There are days when everything feels like too much—like the very structure of reality is just slightly tilted, and you’re the only one noticing the slope. On those days, grand wisdom and motivational speeches just ricochet off your skin. But a small affirmation? That might make it through. Kate Cassidy recently said in her video…
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Today, let’s figure out just how a little symbol is now @ the top of the English dictionary. Yes, that curly little character that lives rent-free in your email address. Somehow, it managed to tango its way to the very beginning of the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. How does this happen, you ask? Once, the ‘@’…
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Stamp collecting, also more properly known as philately, is a hobby that has been enjoyed by many people for generations. Whether you are an avid collector or just getting started, there are a plethora of blogs and websites out there that cater to stamp collecting enthusiasts. Let’s explore some of the best philately blogs and…
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If you are an amateur coin collector, you might be interested in finding out which pennies are worth more than their face value. Some pennies can be worth thousands of dollars, depending on their rarity and condition. Here are some tips on how to identify and value the most valuable pennies to look for worth…