Category Archives: Books and reading

Jonah Lehrer, and the “marvellous Boy”

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Well, the sad news last week was that Jonah Lehrer, one of my favorite writers, admitted to fabricating quotes from Bob Dylan in his recently published book Imagine. I intended to purchase Lehrer’s book but hadn’t gotten around to it … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, Teaching, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer), Writing, blogging | Tagged "Imagine", "Inventing the University", "Plagiary", David Bartholomae, Janet Dailey, Jonah Lehrer, Nora Roberts, plagiarism, the marvellous Boy, Thomas Chatterton, WPLongform | 31 Comments

Going for Olympic gold . . . in art!

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

It was once possible to get an Olympic medal for art, according to an article in The Atlantic this week. From 1912 -1948, gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded in five categories of art: architecture, painting, sculpture, literature, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, History | Tagged arts, Bulfinch's Mythology, Cultural Olympiad, Elysian Fields, London 2012 Festival, Olympic Games, poets | Leave a comment

Learning without teachers: “The Doubting Game” versus “The Believing Game”

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Back in the early 1970s, the college writing classroom was a touchy-feely environment, occasionally subject to instruction through experiential events called “happenings,” which were basically instances of hippie-era performance art. In a “happening,” students engaged in random, unorganized activities like flicking the classroom … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading | Tagged Ernest Hemingway, innovation, leadership, learning, lifelong learning, negative capability, Peter Elbow, Steve Jobs, The Doubting Game and The Believing Game, Writing Without Teachers | 5 Comments

The making of a “reader”

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Are “readers” born, or are they made? If they are “born” then no amount of instruction is going to make a difference. But assuming a reader is “made,” how can schools best accomplish that objective? In 1955 readability expert Rudolf Flesch published … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged reading, reading instruction, WPLongform | Leave a comment

Little Free Library

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Have you heard of the “Little Free Library” yet? Boxes like birdhouses full of books are popping up in front yards around the metro Milwaukee area. My own neighborhood has several. What a nice idea this is . . . … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, Little Free Library, Milwaukee | Tagged books, Little Free Library, reading | 4 Comments

Getting use to journalists who can’t spell?

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

This morning I was watching The Weather Channel® and saw this promo for an upcoming story: “Getting use to the heat.” Sigh. It reminded me of my disappointment two weeks ago when one of my favorite writers, Peggy Noonan, penned a column … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading, Grammar, punctuation, usage, mechanics, Writing, blogging | Tagged journalism, spelling mistakes | 4 Comments

The appeal of Lisbeth Salander

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

What a wonderfully energizing discussion of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series last night at Great Books! In one of those truth-is-stranger-than-fiction coincidences, guess who was across town at Boswell Books at the same time? Eva Gabrielsson, speaking about her book “There Are … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading | Tagged Great Books, Lisbeth Salander, millennium series | Leave a comment

Rereading the Millennium series

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

I’m prepping today for next Wednesday’s Great Books event at MSOE. This event is like a nice evening at book club, except no one has to clean their house or make dinner, and the primary conversation is actually about . . . … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading | Tagged books, literature, millennium series, stieg larsson | Leave a comment

Those Grim Grimm Brothers

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

It occurred to me this morning that I should clarify something in yesterday’s post. When I described the saga of the Hatfields and McCoys as a Grimm Brothers fairytale, it’s because that was the most apt comparison I could think … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading | Tagged fairy tales, hatfields and mccoys, mythology | Leave a comment

Hard times in The Big Easy

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

I read the news today, oh boy . . . Actually, I read this particular news item two days ago. The Times-Picayune, New Orleans’ daily newspaper, is moving to a three-day-per-week publication schedule. The newspaper has an online presence at … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and reading | Tagged creative class, current-events, innovation, New Orleans, newspapers, The Times-Picayune | Leave a comment