Literature Blog

Searching

March 07, 2025

In his poem, “Searching”, Billy Collins describes how people remember books. It begins:

James and Mistakes

March 05, 2025

In the middle of “James”, Percival Everett’s retelling of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective, James is forced to make horseshoes. James has never done this before, and another enslaved person, Easter, instructs him how to proceed. When James expresses frustration in the process, Easter says, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not learning” (Everett, 153).

Poetry As Searching

March 04, 2025

Reading poetry can be a sort of random search and a cataloguing process. Pick up a book of poems, and read. A poem might hit. When the poem hits, catalogue it somehow. Then note why it was meaningful. It will have struck a chord because it aligned to some emotional moment in one’s life.

Where Does Poetry Fit

March 01, 2025

Where does poetry fit into my day? How does it enhance everyday experience? Unlike fiction, I don’t read it consistently. I have tried to get into the habit of reading poetry more frequently, but I never keep it up.

Franking Manning

February 21, 2025

This morning, I finished Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop, by Frankie Manning and Cynthia R. Millman. There was so much good stuff in it. Reading about his life inspires me to learn more about the history of African American dance.

Crossword

February 19, 2025

Working on a crossword puzzle requires stamina. After 15 minutes of work, the clues become more difficult to solve. After a restful break, where the mind is allowed to recharge, the answers appear more easily.

Wake Up Reading

February 19, 2025

I have been trying for years to figure out how stop hitting the snooze alarm. Some of the techniques I have tried are opening the blinds, drinking water, meditating, going to be earlier. The list goes on. I recently started keeping a book by my bed, and when the alarm goes off, I start reading. It has been suprisingly effective. Today, for example, I opened up Frankie Manning’s biography. I read a section about him working for the Post Office. After I opened the book, I didn’t worry about the snooze alarm.

All Fours

February 19, 2025

Finished “All Fours” this morning. It is a remarkable book. I felt, at various moments, that it was an important book for me personally.

Reading for the Verb

February 18, 2025

I continue to try to find the most effective way to read efficiently. Recently, I have been frustrated with both my reading speed and comprehension. This morning, while reading the news, I found that both were improved by focusing on verbs. By pointing my attention to verbs, the grammatical structure of the sentence becomes clear. My mind automatically starts analyzing the sentence by checking who or what is the verb’s subject. That is a quick route to understanding, and fast comprehension leads to faster reading speed.

All Fours and Attention

February 15, 2025

I am currently reading “All Fours” by Miranda July. It is a remarkable book. While reading it this morning, I began thinking about the relationship between reading and attention.

Reading

February 11, 2025

I have applied many strategies of reading: Reading for speed using my finger sweeping across the page; reading for the emotional content of the sentence; reading to engage with the social relationships of a story. Today, I am reading with grammar front of mind.

Writers Mentioned in Literature Posts