Today is World Read Aloud Day. I’m not one for anniversaries; my mind doesn’t work that way. But I thought I had something to say about this one. Reading aloud is particularly important to me. I once invited a few people over for Shabbat dinner, and read the entire text of the story “Yentl” to…
Tag: Poetry
The Fourth Wall (Caturday)
Big Cat, Little Cat: The Fourth Wall Was the Fourth Wall Always There? Back in my dissertatin’ days, one of my particular interests was: the occasions on which an epic poet talks in the first person. You might say: times when the poet breaks the fourth wall. For example, the way Homer does at the…
Writing Fiction: Learning to Say “I Can”
About two years ago, fueled by COVID and general upheaval in my life, I started writing again. Writing was something I’d loved doing. Until I let someone into my life who destroyed my confidence in so many ways. And, as a result, I stopped doing things that brought me joy. That was almost twenty-five years…
Becoming Two by Gabriel Wu
成雙 愛情做了夫妻就和魔術師分離麵包恢復麵包的模樣蜜糖開始告發蜜糖的有效期我們日常收拾小孩的日常小孩收拾我們的夢 總有吵得兇的時候黑得以為看不見明早的太陽把心一狠下輩子對你的愛先拿來這輩子用 文：吳耀宗 Becoming Two Once love makes us a coupleIts magic expiresBread regains bread’s castHoney rats out its own expiration dateRoutinely we pick up our children’s routineChildren pick up our dream Once in a while we fight so hardThe night so dark that I thought the sun did not riseSo I steel myself:My love for you in the…
Exactly the Same
Something I don’t yet understand.But wish to:When I write a poemI put my heart into it.Think deeply into a questionScratch out revision after revisionRage for days, months, yearsFinish only when I can whisper:This is how I felt.This is how I and only I felt at this one unique momentThis singular combination of circumstances that never…
On Writing a Thesis
寫論文 寫論文的時候我是個扮大人說話的小孩走投無路時就開始匹諾曹式的撒謊論文越長鼻子越大這謊也就更加難圓。 On Writing a Thesis Writing a thesis,I am a child talking adult talks.At my wit’s end,I started to lie like Pinocchio.The longer the thesis,the bigger my nose,the harder it is to square the circle. (Poem and translation both by Shi Huiwen.) Spread the love
Writer’s Notebook: Year in Review
“Hi,” he said. “How’s it going? Has the world ended yet?” Terry Pratchett, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch It’s kind of been feeling like that lately. At least for me. And probably a little bit for Adam, too, who has to edit all of my work before it’s posted…
Crossing Half of China to Sleep with You
穿過大半個中國去睡你 其實，睡你和被你睡是差不多的，無非是兩具肉體碰撞的力，無非是這力摧開的花朵無非是這花朵虛擬出的春天讓我們誤以為生命被重新打開大半個中國，什麼都在發生：火山在噴，河流在枯一些不被關心的政治犯和流民一路在槍口的麋鹿和丹頂鶴我是穿過槍林彈雨去睡你我是把無數的黑夜摁進一個黎明去睡你我是無數個我奔跑成一個我去睡你當然我也會被一些蝴蝶帶入歧途把一些讚美當成春天把一個和橫店類似的村莊當成故鄉而它們都是我去睡你必不可少的理由。 -余秀華 Crossing half of China to sleep with you In actual fact, there is no difference between me sleeping with youand you sleeping with me. It’s just the forceof two bodies colliding, just flowers forced open,just the illusion of springmaking us believe that life is re-blossoming.Things are happening across half of China:volcanoes erupting, rivers…
Lone-li-ness
寂寞 鄉下小孩子怕寂寞，枕頭邊養一只蟈蟈；長大了在城裡操勞，他買了一個夜明表。 小時候他常常羨豔墓草做蟈蟈的家園；如今他死了三小時，夜明表還不曾休止。 -卞之琳 Lone-li-ness The boy from the countryside dreaded loneliness,So he kept a grasshopper by the pillowcase;He grew up labouring in town,and bought a watch that shines all night long. As a child he’d always envied the grasshopperswho homed in the graveyard grass;Now the old boy is dead for three hours,The second-hand of…
Writing about Writer’s Block
There are times when I don’t feel like writing a weekly column. This is one of those times. So let’s talk about that. I’ve had a bunch of writing students over the years, and I’ve found that teaching writing makes me a better writer. For one thing, when you’re helping people out of their writer’s…