My 2012 reading habits have waned, but I'm excited to set and meet some summer reading goals. What could be a better way to get back into the groove of reading than to do it by the pool?
Here is what I hope to read:
"A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin (HBO has renewed my interest in this series)
"Class Warfare" by Stephen Brill
"The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
"No Country for Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy
"In the Garden of the Beasts" by Erik Larson
Hopefully the reading jolt will also lead me to doing some more writing, too!
Cheers to summer! And to books!
~MJ
Monday, May 28, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
I am fighting for the liberation of voices with something to say
This post is mostly written by someone else. The song, which makes up the majority of this post, is incredibly fitting to my current work - my drive, my motivation, my hopes, my fears, my hurts and my wishes. Mostly, I never want to forget the voices with something to say - and never, ever, be a part of a system stamping out those voices, ignoring them, or misleading them. Always, I will fight such systems with the hope of changing things for the better. Remember Lennon's "Imagine" ? Yeah, I'm not the only one.
Fight to Win
Goodie Mob - featuring Cee Lo Green
Fight to win, stand up straight
No debate, pushed by hate
Concentrate, penetrate, generate
Motivate, live by faith
Keep believin, I know the reason
It’s the season, now’s the time
Keep on dreaming, keep on leading
And keep on fighting!
[Cee-lo Green]
I am fighting for the liberation
Of voices with something to say
Like many before me, for glory
You have to stand in harm’s way
I’m no savior, just a soldier
Soldier with an order
So I have no choice but to trust the God
Cause it must be done
My only fear is what might happen
If I didn’t fight to win
[Hook]
If I lose, then it was worth fighting for
If I win, I only live to fight again
If I lose, then it was worth dying for
If I win, I only live to fight again
Who are? We are, they are too
Can't turn the turn the, too far?
Fight, fight, fight
You should be proud for the courage
The courage to think out loud
You’ll find your way if you’re foolish enough to be faithful
Believe me, it wont be easy
But it’s surely not impossible
And if they won’t listen
Save your breath and save yourself
And as soon as you see sunlight again
Get up and fight to win!
[Hook]
Til your presence felt, fight
Til your last breath, fight
For your spirit, for your mind, fight
For your soul, fight
Never lose sight
Keep up the fight
When all fails and you done tried everything in life, fight
Keep ya head up
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Who is Harris Burdick?
That awkward moment when you think something is real and all along it has been fiction. #howsilly
I had some time to kill between meetings today and happened to be in the neighborhood of Barnes and Noble. Not that I have money to spend there or anything, but alas - I went. After aimlessly wondering the shelves for 10-15 minutes and realizing I should leave soon, I started for the door. And then stopped at a table with a myriad of children's books - "The books all kids should read." Of course, Shel Silverstein was there, along with so many Caldecotts and Newberys that I couldn't process all of the shininess.
Then there stood a book called "The Chronicles of Harris Burdick." I only passively glanced at the cover and then went inside the book flap to see that this book was a collection of short stories by various authors, all of which are based on Harris Burdick's famous pictures. I went back to the cover to see the picture, but only haphazardly. In my 2nd passing glance, I confused Burdick with M.C. Escher because the cover art - remember, in passing - kind of looked like those paintings we used to talk about all the time in math class (looking at the cover now, I was really off).
But anyway, I then noticed some of my favorite authors on the cover's border and in the table of contents: Sherman Alexie, Lois Lowry, Stephen King, Walter Dean Myers, Gregory Maguire, Louis Sacher...among others! Ok, the intro by Lemony Snicket became even more enticing. Mind you, even when reading the introduction by an author with a questionable identity, I whole-heartedly believed that indeed, these authors were creatively writing about existing famous artwork.
And then I thought...this would have been amazing in my classroom!!!!
And now, sitting at home in full view of Wikipedia, Harris Burdick and his inability to write the stories he intended to go with his illustrations is all fiction. But, I found out the real author of the book published the "Burdick" art years ago in a children's book that has been used as a springboard for creative writing. The story of Burdick making all of these illustrations, giving them captions, and mysteriously disappearing before he could write any more, has been around for years. Children have been honing their creative writing skills with Burdick's work for a long time.
Where was I?
Now, I'm debating whether I want to tear into the book - not because I'm disappointed it's fiction, but because I want to do creative writing with Burdick's art before my imagination is framed by Alexie's, King's, Myers', Lowry's, or Sachar's. I want to engage with Burdick without intervention.
But the prospect of fresh Alexie, King, Myers, Lowry, and Sachar all in one place may just be too much to pass up for an evening of relaxed reading. Or should I wait and just exercise my creative writing muscle?
That awkward moment when you have to pick a side. #suspense #anticipation
~MJ
I had some time to kill between meetings today and happened to be in the neighborhood of Barnes and Noble. Not that I have money to spend there or anything, but alas - I went. After aimlessly wondering the shelves for 10-15 minutes and realizing I should leave soon, I started for the door. And then stopped at a table with a myriad of children's books - "The books all kids should read." Of course, Shel Silverstein was there, along with so many Caldecotts and Newberys that I couldn't process all of the shininess.
Then there stood a book called "The Chronicles of Harris Burdick." I only passively glanced at the cover and then went inside the book flap to see that this book was a collection of short stories by various authors, all of which are based on Harris Burdick's famous pictures. I went back to the cover to see the picture, but only haphazardly. In my 2nd passing glance, I confused Burdick with M.C. Escher because the cover art - remember, in passing - kind of looked like those paintings we used to talk about all the time in math class (looking at the cover now, I was really off).
But anyway, I then noticed some of my favorite authors on the cover's border and in the table of contents: Sherman Alexie, Lois Lowry, Stephen King, Walter Dean Myers, Gregory Maguire, Louis Sacher...among others! Ok, the intro by Lemony Snicket became even more enticing. Mind you, even when reading the introduction by an author with a questionable identity, I whole-heartedly believed that indeed, these authors were creatively writing about existing famous artwork.
And then I thought...this would have been amazing in my classroom!!!!
And now, sitting at home in full view of Wikipedia, Harris Burdick and his inability to write the stories he intended to go with his illustrations is all fiction. But, I found out the real author of the book published the "Burdick" art years ago in a children's book that has been used as a springboard for creative writing. The story of Burdick making all of these illustrations, giving them captions, and mysteriously disappearing before he could write any more, has been around for years. Children have been honing their creative writing skills with Burdick's work for a long time.
Where was I?
Now, I'm debating whether I want to tear into the book - not because I'm disappointed it's fiction, but because I want to do creative writing with Burdick's art before my imagination is framed by Alexie's, King's, Myers', Lowry's, or Sachar's. I want to engage with Burdick without intervention.
But the prospect of fresh Alexie, King, Myers, Lowry, and Sachar all in one place may just be too much to pass up for an evening of relaxed reading. Or should I wait and just exercise my creative writing muscle?
That awkward moment when you have to pick a side. #suspense #anticipation
~MJ
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