Category Archives: Ideas and Opinions

An Interview with Melanie Stormm

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Ed Battistella

Melanie Stormm is a poet and writer of short-fiction. Her novella, Last Poet of Wyrld’s End is available through Candlemark & Gleam. Her short story “A Mohawk Place for Souls” was a finalist for the Hamlin Garland Award for Short … Continue reading →

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Summer Reading 2020

Posted on September 22, 2020 by Ed Battistella

Summer reading 2020 What Fresh Hell is This? by Marion Meade I’ve been wanted to tackle this for a while – and Parker has been a fascination since I learned about the Algonquin Round Table. Meade brings DP alive in … Continue reading →

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An Interview with Tea Krulos, author of American Madness

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Ed Battistella

Tea Krulos is a freelance journalist and author from Milwaukee, WI. He writes about art and entertainment, lifestyle, and food/drink for publications like Milwaukee Magazine, Shepherd Express, and Milwaukee Record. Other publications he’s contributed to include Fortean Times, The Guardian, … Continue reading →

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An Interview with Stuart Rachels, author of The Best I Saw in Chess

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Ed Battistella

Born in 1969, Stuart Rachels grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and began playing chess when he was 8. At 11 he became a chess master and was the US Junior Champion in 1988 and the US co-champion in 1989. At … Continue reading →

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An Interview with Neil Nakadate, author of Looking After Minidoka

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Ed Battistella

Neil Nakadate is a graduate of Stanford and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. at Indiana University.  He is University Professor Emeritus from Iowa State University, where he received the Iowa State Foundation Award for Career Achievement in Teaching. He is … Continue reading →

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The Em Dash, a guest post by Rachel Harris

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Ed Battistella

The Em Dash: A Survey Despite its proliferation in modern texts, the em dash is not present in the majority of early writing curricula. It is one of the most versatile punctuation marks in the English language, with many different … Continue reading →

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Who’s got the best COVID Mask?

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Ed Battistella
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From the Notebooks of Raymond Chandler

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Ed Battistella

Drawn from journals kept through his career, The Notebooks of Raymond Chandler contains some of Chandler’s descriptions and ideas that would later appear in his classics novels. Included are observations on slang and more. Enjoy.

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An Interview with Alissa Lukara, author of Secrets of the Trees

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Ed Battistella

Alissa Lukara is the author of the novel Secrets of the Trees, set in Latvia.  Her memoir, Riding Grace: A Triumph of the Soul (Silver Light Publications), was called by the Midwest Book Review “a transcendental story about the immeasurable … Continue reading →

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An Interview with Bethroot Gwynn, Honoring Women’s History Month

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Mary Gently

Bethroot Gwynn graduated from Duke University and Union Theological Seminary. She lives on women’s land in the forests of Southern Oregon, where she has been writing, growing food, making theater and ritual since 1976. She has taught, directed, and performed … Continue reading →

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