Category Archives: Language

An Interview with Valerie Fridland, author of Why We Talk Funny

Posted on April 22, 2026 by Ed Battistella

Valerie Fridland is a professor of linguistics in the English Department at the University of Nevada, Reno and the author of Like Literally Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English and the 2026 release Why We Talk Funny: The … Continue reading →

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What I’m Reading February 2026

Posted on March 7, 2026 by Ed Battistella

Heartwood by Amity Gaige A thriller I’m for my book club. It involves an overlapping story and rotating narrative set on the Appalachian Trail. A middle-aged hiker named Valerie goes missing in Maine and Maine state game warden Lieutenant Bev … Continue reading →

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What I’m Reading January 2026

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Ed Battistella

The Language of Politics by David Beaver and Jason Stanley Around Christmas, I started reading The Politics of Language, by David Beaver (who has authored and coauthored books on semantic focus, logic and visual information, and dynamic semantics and Jason … Continue reading →

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An Interview with Parker Boom

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Ed Battistella

Parker Boom graduated Summa Cum Laude from Southern Oregon University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. Among other things, she served as president of the Creative Writing Club and was selected to present her poetry at … Continue reading →

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