I’ve had a wonderful time posting entries here for the last 1 ½ years. Now I’m turning my attention to other projects–although, on the principle of “Never say never,” I won’t rule out returning at some point.
I’ll leave both my blogs up so that you can look at the archives, and I’ll be posting new links periodically on the links section of my website. Please drop by there from time to time, and always feel free to send me a message.
Definitely check out the great blogs listed in the right-hand sidebars of this blog and my other blog (Amy On The Web).
Thanks so much for reading!
Posted by Amy as Blog Housekeeping at 7:44 AM EDT
9 Comments »
Latin Quotes, Latin Phrases, Latin Mottos, and Latin Quotations: “Over 1,900 Latin Quotes, Latin Phrases, Latin Mottos and Latin Quotations dictionary with English Translations.”
Posted by Amy as Language at 8:01 AM EDT
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Great Moments In Literary Baseball: very funny article from 1987 features highlights from games with Franz Kafka as pitcher, Henry Miller as third-base coach, Vladimir Nabokov as player-manager, and more.
Via Myrtias.
Posted by Amy as Humour at 7:29 AM EDT
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You Call That Poetry?! Seven Letters That Managed To Freak Out a Nation:
On a cool autumn evening in 1965, a 22-year-old poet named Aram Saroyan typed seven letters that would amount to one of the most controversial poems in history.
Not that he knew it at the time.
Via Robot Wisdom.
Posted by Amy as Poetry at 2:59 AM EDT
2 Comments »
What To Do An SF Convention: choosing what panel to attend, how to bid on art work, figuring out the etiquette of fan parties, and more.
Posted by Amy as Speculative Fiction at 10:24 AM EDT
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The Robin Hood Project:
THE ROBIN HOOD PROJECT is designed to make available in electronic format a database of texts, images, bibliographies, and basic information about the Robin Hood stories and other outlaw tales.
Posted by Amy as Books Online, Fairy Tales/Folk Tales at 10:49 AM EDT
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Other Women’s Voices: Translations of Women’s Writing Before 1700:
The site offers an introduction to over 125 women who wrote a substantial amount before 1700 and whose work (or at least a good part of it) has been translated into modern English. All but three entries are on women who wrote in languages other than English; those three are on women who wrote in the English of the 1300s and 1400s. Almost all of the entries are on individuals; a few are on more than one woman.
The site’s goal is to get you to want to read all that is available in translation (or in the original if you can) of these women’s writing. Why all? You need to read the whole work in order to hear the writer’s full voice. Anthologies are admirable, but in reading them you eavesdrop on a small part of a conversation; you need to go to the whole to hear the writer’s full conversation with her world.
. . . . .
You will find three women telling of their experiences in prison (Perpetua, Leonor Lopez de Cordoba, Leonora Ulfeldt), and one woman trying to come to grips with another kind of prison—total deafness (Teresa de Cartagena).
Five describe their own experience of war (Li Qingzhao, Daibu, Gulbadan, Olympia Morata, Anne Marie Louise de Montpensier), while three others write in praise of war and warriors (Auvaiyar, Khansa, Laila).
One tells of a theft she carried out (Helene Kottanner), and another writes in praise of a smuggler (Huneberc).
Via MetaFilter.
Posted by Amy as Women's Writing at 1:35 AM EDT
2 Comments »
You’re Watership Down!
by Richard Adams
Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you’re actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You’d be recognized as such if you weren’t always talking about talking rabbits.
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.
Via Books, Inq.
Posted by Amy as Fun Stuff at 1:40 AM EDT
2 Comments »
Digitized Book of the Week:
Featuring news and highlights of the large scale digitization initiatives at the Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As a member of the Open Content Alliance, UIUC Library is digitizing and contributing to the Internet Archive books and serials from its collections that focus on Illinois history, literature, and natural resources; rural life and agriculture; railroad history and engineering; and works in translation.
Two recent books: Cranky Ann, the street-walker : a story of Chicago in chunks (1878) and Wicked Nell: a gay girl of the town (1878), both by Shang Andrews.
Via Plep.
Posted by Amy as Blogs and Bloggers, Books Online at 1:29 AM EDT
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Examples of Author Signatures: Louisa May Alcott, Maya Angelou, Kinky Friedman, John Galsworthy, Erle Stanley Gardner, and many more.
Posted by Amy as Authors, Design/Illustrations at 1:27 AM EDT
1 Comment »
A List of the Most Offensive Swear Words (Ranked In Order):
When I went to meet the editorial policy/legal people at the BBC, the first thing I wanted to know, as you can well imagine, was this: which swear words am I allowed to use?
I was shown a ranked list of rudeness. It was every bit as entertaining as I had hoped, but to my disappointment, there was no possibility of removing this fabulous document from the room. I don’t like to paint too much of a melodramatic picture, but the offending piece of paper was physically removed from my hand (I think they had the idea that I would scan it, post it on my blog, and write an article about it).
Anyway, I mentioned this to someone else from the BBC at a party recently: she sent me a copy this morning, and as you can see, I have indeed scanned it and posted it on my blog.
Via Head Tale.
Posted by Amy as Words at 1:26 AM EDT
2 Comments »
What Book Got You Hooked On Reading?: there’s a list here of books that were the most effective at getting young people reading. Anne of Green Gables makes the list, as do Nancy Drew books and Goodnight, Moon.
I don’t think any particular book got me hooked–I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading.
Via El Dorado County Library’s What’s Hot On The Internet This Week.
Posted by Amy as Children's Literature, Readers & Reading at 1:19 AM EDT
4 Comments »
Do you know what “canned cow,” “sun kiss,” or a “radio sandwich” are? If not, check out Diner Slang:
The exact origins of diner slang have not been clearly identified. There appears to be some common usage by black waiters in the 1870s and 1880s. Diner slang was popular in diners, lunch rooms and luncheonettes from the 1920s until the 1970s. Although many of the terms were created for fun and to lighten up the stress of the restaurant environment, having distinct names for menu items helped the short order cooks.
As older diners and diner style restaurant are replaced by fast food chains, diner slang is going by the wayside as older cooks and waiters/waitresses are replaced by students and itinerant and part time workers. Many of the fast food franchises also have brand name items that are particular to their business concept, such as the Burger King Whopper or the McDonald’s Big Mac.
We’ve compiled a substantial list of Diner slang here your enjoyment and for your triva games. Feel free to send us any missing slang.
Posted by Amy as Language at 1:11 AM EDT
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Biologists Helping Bookstores:
My Mission
To correctly shelve pseudo-scientific junk to the appropriate parts of bookstores.
When it comes to “Intelligent Design”, booksellers seem especially confused. I aim to help bookstores as much as I can in my capacity as friendly, local biologist.
Sneaking about shops with armfuls of religion books, awfully witty prose, and a keen eye on science are my modi operandi. Join me.
Via MetaFilter.
Posted by Amy as Blogs and Bloggers, Books, Booksellers at 1:08 AM EDT
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Beasts in MSS From the Middle Ages:
Beasts, both real and fantastic, swarm, creep, and scramble across the pages of manuscripts made in the Middle Ages (about 500–1500 A.D.). Animals were an essential aspect of almost every facet of life in this period. They formed the backbone of a farm-based economy, served as instantly recognizable visual symbols, and were imagined to be the fantastic inhabitants of unknown realms. This exhibition features a diverse assortment of these beasts from the colorful pages of illuminated manuscripts.
Via Plep.
Posted by Amy as Design/Illustrations, Medieval and Old English, Manuscripts at 1:55 AM EDT
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The Book Inscriptions Project:
We collect personal messages written in ink (or pen or marker or crayon or grape jelly) inside books. Pictures count. So do poems. So do notes on paper found in a book. The more heartfelt the better. Send a copy of the cover and the inscription and any details about how, when and where you found it.
. . . .
The Book Inscriptions Project started in 2002 when I opened a book from the shelf of an underground Manhattan bar. The Road to ‘Human Destiny’: A Life of Pierre Lecomte Du Noüy by Mary Lecomte Du Noüy. Inside the book I found this inscription:
“Joey, I love you so much!
You have surpassed the definition
for all. I will always cherish our orgasmic
moments.
love + resistance
Mark”
For whatever reason, I happened to open the book and saw the message from Mark to Joey. Something about that note, handwritten by an unknown to an unknown of whose whereabouts, gender and relationship I was unaware, struck me as both tragic and powerful. Since then I’ve been searching for more inscriptions and, after poring through thousands of books at garage sales, libraries and book sales, I now have a large and ever-growing collection.
These inscriptions—not to be confused with author dedications or autographs—are personal messages written in ink (or lead or marker) and were given as gifts from one person to another. Some of them are so private that it seems almost impossible that they ended up in a library or a garage sale. Did the owner die, or forget that his copy of After the Fall contained a private note from his parents?
Maybe someday this book will again find its way to Mark or Joey and I’ll get to meet them, and ask them if it worked out, if their orgasmic moments were enough to survive life’s difficulties. I’d like to ask Joey if he was able to resist the temptations or oppositions that plagued him. I’d like to ask what those were. I’d like to ask Mark what inspired him to write his message in this tragic memoir.
Via 50 Books.
Posted by Amy as Books, Readers & Reading at 1:52 AM EDT
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The Phrontistery: Obscure Words and Vocabulary Resources:
Welcome to the Phrontistery! I’m your host, Forthright. Since 1996, I have compiled word lists in order to spread the joy of the English language. Here, you will find the International House of Logorrhea (an online dictionary of obscure and rare words), the Compendium of Lost Words (a compilation of ultra-rare forgotten words), and many other glossaries, word lists, essays, and other language and etymology resources.
Posted by Amy as Words at 1:47 AM EDT
2 Comments »
Which Ancient Language Are You?
Your Score: Linear B
You scored
You are Linear B. Even those who can follow you think you’re all Greek to them. Which, after all, is true - Linear B being the first known text for written Greek. To most people, you’re incomprehensible. But what do you care? You’re tough, hard, long-enduring and have greater nobility than most. Naturally, you don’t admit to borrowing extensively from your brother Linear A.
Via Moyen Âge.
Posted by Amy as Fun Stuff at 1:54 AM EDT
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Poetry in SF—Recommended Reading List:
One of the panels I presented at Archon/NASFiC this past weekend was about poetry in science fiction and fantasy. Here is the recommended reading list that I handed out to the audience. You folks are heartily encouraged to add your own recommendations or discuss the ones I’ve listed here. These aren’t even all of my favorites — I cut a lengthening list down to what would fit on the two sides of one page. Have fun!
Via Rebecca’s Pocket.
Posted by Amy as Poetry, Speculative Fiction at 12:18 AM EDT
3 Comments »
The Raymond Chandler Website: this site has many interesting features, including Chandlerisms (”A collection of similes, one-liners, and turns of phrase that could be written only by Raymond Chandler”), “Cracking the Cassidy Case” (”An inside look at the real-life murder incorporated by Chandler into The High Window“), and much more.
Via El Dorado County Library’s What’s Hot On The Internet This Week.
Posted by Amy as Authors, Mysteries at 1:20 AM EDT
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Ancient Manuscripts from the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu:
Timbuktu, Mali, is the legendary city founded as a commercial center in West Africa nine hundred years ago. Today it is synonymous with the phrase “utterly remote,” but this was not always so. For more than six hundred years, Timbuktu was a significant religious, cultural, and commercial center whose residents traveled throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe. Timbuktu was famous for educating important scholars who were well known throughout the Islamic world. Many individuals traveled to the city to acquire knowledge; others came to acquire wealth and political power.
Situated on the edge of the Sahara Desert, Timbuktu was famous among the merchants of the Mediterranean basin as a market for obtaining the goods and products of Africa south of the desert. However, Timbuktu’s most famous and long-lasting contribution to Islamic and world civilization is the scholarship practiced there. By at least the fourteenth century, important books were written and copied there, establishing the city as the center of a significant written tradition in Africa.
These ancient manuscripts cover every aspect of human endeavor. The manuscripts are indicative of the high level of civilization attained by West Africans during the Middle Ages and provide irrefutable proof of a powerful African literary tradition. Scholars in the fields of Islamic Studies and African Studies believe that analysis of these texts will cause Islamic, West African, and World History to be reevaluated. These manuscripts, surviving from as long ago as the fourteenth century, are remarkable artifacts important to Malian and West African culture. The exhibited manuscripts date from the sixteenth to eighteenth century.
Posted by Amy as History, Manuscripts at 1:19 AM EDT
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In Case of a Reading Emergency, Pop The Trunk: Brian Doyle researches what people keep in their car trunks to read when they get the opportunity. The article makes for a fascinating read in itself.
I have to confess that it never occurred to me to keep something in the trunk of my car—I just usually grab whatever book I’m currently reading on my way out the door when I’m going somewhere that might provide me with an opportunity to read (e.g. doctor’s office).
Maybe I should prepare for a possible reading emergency after all. Something by James Joyce might be a good plan; I’d certainly never read him otherwise.
Via h20boro lib blog.
Posted by Amy as Readers & Reading at 1:07 AM EDT
2 Comments »
Speculative Fiction Authors Considered As High School Students: very funny piece, even though I only recognised about 30% of the names (because I’m not as familiar with SF as I’d like to be).
Via Hassenpfeffer.
Posted by Amy as Humour, Speculative Fiction at 1:03 AM EDT
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The Reading Experience Database 1450—1945 :
We would like to collect as many examples as possible of the reading experiences of British subjects and overseas visitors to Britain from 1450-1945, whoever they were, and pretty much whatever they were reading. RED has no ‘literary’ bias. We are keen to gather evidence of all sorts of reading, not only books but also newspapers, journals, posters, advertisements, magazines, letters, scripts, playbills, tickets, chapbooks and almanacs. We include the compilation of Books of Hours, commonplace books, etc. and the experience of reading aloud. Over time, we believe this collected information will be weighty enough and significant enough to push the study of texts and reading in new directions. It will certainly enable the study of readership to progress beyond the theoretical and speculative.
That said, we have had to keep our parameters manageable and exclude certain types of ‘reading experience’, not because we don’t believe in their value, but because we feel a focussed resource is ultimately more useful. For the moment we do not include library catalogues, professional public readings such as Dickens’s; fictional depictions, illustrations or photographs of reading; the reading of music; theatre or cinema attendance; readings over the radio; or theories of reading. We hope that related projects will some day collect the items we exclude, and in that case cross-referencing with RED will be a top priority.
Via MetaFilter.
Posted by Amy as Readers & Reading at 1:59 AM EDT
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Which Author’s Fiction are You?
Via Charlotte’s Web.
Posted by Amy as Fun Stuff at 1:56 AM EDT
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