Invisible boundaries. The gum lines of aggressive brushers. Chins, if you’re a Hapsburg. The stamped fingerprints of once white shoes. Synthetic beards on aging tires
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Writing Prompts
Advice on Writing a Novel by Joseph Conrad
Advice on Writing a Novel by Joseph Conrad “I have not read this author’s books, and if I have read them I have forgotten what they were about.” These words are reported as having been uttered in our midst not a hundred years ago, publicly, from the seat of justice, by a civic magistrate. The […]
Poem: Weep Willow Reeds by Konstantin Nicholas Rega
Born in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Konstantin studies British & American Literature and Creative Writing at The University of Kent in Canterbury, England. He has been published by The Claremont Review, Four Ties Lit Review, AOM, and has won the ZO Magazine Silver Prize for Poetry
Fenimore Cooper Sucks at Writing by Mark Twain
Fenimore Cooper Sucks at Writing by Mark Twain It seems to me that it was far from right for the Professor of English Literature in Yale, the Professor of English Literature in Columbia, and Wilkie Collins to deliver opinions on Cooper’s literature without having read some of it. It would have been much more […]
POETRY TO-DAY IN AMERICA by Walt Whitman
POETRY TO-DAY IN AMERICA SHAKSPERE—THE FUTURE by Walt Whitman Strange as it may seem, the topmost proof of a race is its own born poetry. The presence of that, or the absence, each tells its story. As the flowering rose or lily, as the ripened fruit to a tree, the apple or the peach, no […]
My First Typewriter Sucked by Mark Twain
THE FIRST WRITING-MACHINES (From My Unpublished Autobiography) by Mark Twain Some days ago a correspondent sent in an old typewritten sheet, faded by age, containing the following letter over the signature of Mark Twain: “Hartford, March 10, 1875. “Please do not use my name in any way. Please do not even divulge that fact […]
On the Decay of the Art of Lying by Mark Twain
On the Decay of the Art of Lying by Mark Twain An Essay for Discussion, read at a meeting of the historical and Antiquarian Club of Hartford, and offered for the Thirty-Dollar Prize. Now First Published [Did not take the prize] Observe, I do not mean to suggest that the custom of lying has suffered […]
Poetry as a Study by William Wordsworth
With the young of both sexes, Poetry is, like love, a passion; but, for much the greater part of those who have been proud of its power over their minds, a necessity soon arises of breaking the pleasing bondage; or it relaxes of itself;—the thoughts being occupied in domestic cares, or the time engrossed by […]
Jane Austin Quotes
We are big fans of Jane around here, and in our effort to bring you more about writers and writing, we are putting up some of her quotes.
Five Ways to Strengthen the Role of the Villian
One of the most important parts of writing a good action/adventure book usually involves a strong villain. Now when I say a villain, you don’t have to imagine Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty or Dr. Drakken from Kim Possible. The best part about making a villain is that you don’t have to follow the fairytale archetype, […]
THE POETIC PRINCIPLE by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) was born in Boston, the child of actors who died while he was very young. He was adopted by a Virginian gentleman, Mr. John Allan,
Steampunk Art by Mike Savad
Mike Savad is a photographic artist. The images are designed to look like fine oil paintings, primarily in vintage and nostalgic themes.
Poem: Instructions: On Getting Ready to Die by Gayle Kellner
Gayle Kellner is a writer, an artist, a poet, and an educator. Her essays and poems have appeared in Utne Magazine, Orion Magazine, The Loop, The Beachcomber, and The Nature of an Island. She is currently a regular guest on Voice of Vashon’s community radio program
Story: Retreat by Jack Coey
She ran away from home, and Pastor Bruce was dismayed after talking with her mother. Her mother said she’d been sullen for the last month or so, and even the school nurse called once. Her daughter wouldn’t tell her what was wrong, and she asked Pastor Bruce