The Writer's Poke

Sandra Cisneros -- not an author I've read much of, but she's thought highly of in writing circles, and under the current political climate, I feel like I should be reading her and more authors like her. Not that literature should be politicized and part of the culture wars, but it is. And if I have to pick a side, I will side with Cisneros. She's a chingona, or roughly translated, a "bad ass."  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sandra-cisneros-chingona-definition_n_59ae10ade4b0dfaafcf2030b I think we typically do want to "read" authors from different backgrounds differently. If I'm reading Raymond Carver, it's not natural for me to think about his background or why he picks a certain theme or approach. But if I'm reading Cisneros, I find myself starting to think that way. Do you? It's 2025. Unfortunately, we live in a moment of time when if you're not a white man (and bring straight helps), you might be labeled as DEI or un-American or ...

If you ever watch House Hunters , you know that most people have very limited vocabularies. Q: "So, John, what do you think of the kitchen?" A: "It's nice ." Q: "And how did your lobotomy go?" A: "It turned out very nicely ." Sure, it makes a great drinking game, but why can't the average person be more descriptive? Why is it that everything is "nice," or if we're even more jazzed by what we see, we think that "very nice" adequately expresses the idea? Doesn't that mean that there are various levels of "nice," and if so, why are we so opposed to using a more specific word to more vividly describe what we're seeing. And more importantly, what we're feeling. In contrast, some MTV "reality shows," such as Parental Control and Next seem horribly scripted. While watching, you just know that the people involved in the shows would never talk that way or that they would even be capable of ...

What's more fun than playing with language? (Don't answer that.) From: http://www.funnyordie.com/jokes/25ff77418c Just like the Eskimo need many words to describe different kinds of snow, it is useful for the modern self-pleasurer to have many words to describe the sin of Onan. Roosterbate: masturbation for the purpose of waking up, or greeting the day. Reminiscibate : memory based masturbation Pragmatibate: masturbation to rid yourself of a tenacious turgidity, often employed on long distance bus trips Procrastibate : masturbation for the purpose of putting off more useful activities. Emobate : An incomplete masturbation due to self loathing Jurassibate : masturbation to dinosaur related material Karassibate : group masturbation with fellow readers of Kurt Vonnegut Debatobate : weighing the pros and cons of whether or not to masturbate NoBassibate : self-pleasure resorted to when fish aren't biting Lastibate : the last time you masturbate (theoretical)

Here are the winners of the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational, which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. 1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time. 3. Intaxicaton : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with. 4. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly. 5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little signs of breaking down in the near future. 6. Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid. 7. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high 8. Sarchasm : The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. 9. Inoculatte : To take coffee intravenously when yo...

This one is for the English teachers out there: From: http://www.beautifulperth.com/dumbenglish.html 1. The bandage was wound around the wound. 2. The farm was used to produce produce. 3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. 4. We must polish the Polish furniture. 5. He could lead if he would get the lead out. 6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. 7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present. 8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. 9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. 10. I did not object to the object. 11. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests. 12. The insurance was invalid for the invalid. 13. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend? 14. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row. 15. They were too close to the door to close it. 16. The buck does funny things when the does are present. 17. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line. 18....