Tag Archives: writer

May16

unleash your kindness.

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author, brad meltzer, class of ’92, gives the commencement speech at his son’s graduation

 

“My son hadn’t had a proper graduation since middle school. Here’s my commencement address at the University of Michigan, written for him & Class of 2024, “

And here is the last line: “The world needs more empathy, more humility, and certainly more decency. If you really want to shock the world, unleash your kindness.” – Brad Meltzer

 

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*Brad Meltzer is an American novelist, non-fiction writer, TV show creator, and comic book author. His novels touch on the political thriller, legal thriller and conspiracy fiction genres, while he has also written superhero fiction for DC Comics and a series of short biographies of prominent people for young readers.

 

 

 

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source credit: Alumni Association of the University of Michigan

Feb27

word after a word.

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someone sure has a lot to say
not sure exactly what that is yet
but i think
someone has to pay something.
—
“a word after a word after a word is power.”
― margaret atwood
Feb25

private.

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is it really, though?

what would stop anyone from just walking around the sign,

unsure of where the private part begins and ends?

or to test the boundaries?

 

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“there is no private life which has not been determined by a wider public life.”

*George Eliot, Felix Holt: The Radical 1866

 

*Mary Ann Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, (who changed her name because she wanted her writing to be taken seriously), was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and widely recognized as one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrote seven novels: Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Romola, Felix Holt, the Radical, Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda.

Jan31

secondhand.

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DETERMINED: Manoj is proudly destined to put his name on the list of Guinness Book of World Records. He can write A-Z in 6 seconds using both his hands.
DETERMINED:
manoj is proudly destined to put his name on the list of guinness book of world records.
he can write A-Z in 6 seconds using both his hands.
—
i’m not quite there yet, but sometimes my ideas spring up so quickly that i really wish i had his super power.
instead, i write notes with one hand, on any scrap, napkin, rock, or available writing surface.
even though i’m only using one hand, trying to decipher it later is not always easy.
good thing i’m also into puzzles.

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“i only wish i could write with both hands, so as not to forget one thing while I am saying another.”

*-teresa of avila,

*also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer.

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photo credit: usha wagle gautam, gulf times
Oct15

alive.

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“A little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters – sometimes very hastily – but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, ‘Dear Jim: I loved your card.’ Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said: ‘Jim loved your card so much he ate it.’ That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.”

Maurice Sendak, as noted by Luke Davies in an article in the Brisbane Times, December 3, 2011.

Photograph of Maurice Sendak by Joyce Dopkeen.

 

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“we can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”

– thornton wilder

Aug10

meeting ann.

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last night i had the great pleasure of going to my favorite theater

where one of my favorite authors, ann patchett

was appearing

while on a book tour for her latest book, “tom lake’

which happens to take place in northern michigan

a place dear to my heart.

ann is a prolific novel writer

a wordsmith of the highest order

who has a way with the human story

always using her literary magic to somehow weave her characters together

in unexpected and wonderful ways.

she was funny, smart, down to earth, and very relatable

talking about her books, writing, book banning, life,

offering support for other authors and books she knows and loves,

because she knows it can make all the difference for them,

 the joys and pains of book tours

and being an independent bookstore owner

(her other avocation).

 when i finally had the chance to meet her

i handed her my very used copy of ‘bel canto’

my favorite book of hers

she opened the cover, signed her name, and wrote:

‘thank you for bringing a well-loved book.’

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“i have been accused of being a pollyanna,

but I think there are plenty of people dealing with the darker side of human nature,

and if I am going to write about people who are kind and generous and loving and thoughtful, so what?”

-ann patchett

Jul7

in gear.

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what i imagine it looks like inside of our heads –

along with

the scientific explanation for how this all works.

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“it usually helps me write by reading – somehow the reading gear in your head turns the writing gear.”

-steven wright

 

 

 

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image credit: milton bradley game company

May23

change of heart.

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A 9-year-old girl’s plea to save a sidewalk slab with a heart-shaped cavity has tugged at the heartstrings of Ann Arbor officials, who have agreed to let it stay. The inspector also spray-painted an X over the R that previously marked the slab for replacement, while writing “Save!” and giving the heart a fresh touch of color.
Where Dahlia left a note along the sidewalk last week making the case for keeping the slab, the city’s inspector on Monday left a response letter complete with the city seal on it. “Thank you for your wonderful letter, and for bringing this to our attention!” it reads. “Your note is very well written, and after further considerations, we feel this sidewalk slab can be saved. We’re so glad you let us know, and that we can save your ‘heart.’”
Seventh Street heart sidewalk

“Thank you for being so passionate and proactive about your community!” the response letter states. “When you’re old enough, you should consider working for the city to continue making it a great place to live. Sincerely, City Sidewalk Repair Program.”

Dahlia, the daughter of Kelly and Matt,  said in her note to the ‘Sidewalk People” last week that she was devastated when she saw the slab was marked for replacement.

“You see, the heart is not just a heart,” she wrote. “Ever since I was little, I said hi to the heart. Don’t you see how much it means to me? Every time I pass the heart, I say hi and it brings me joy.”

Anyone else who wants to say hi to the heart now can find it along the east side of Seventh Street across from Waterworks Park between Murray Court and Washington Street.

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“kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much.”

-blaise pascal

 

 

 

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source credit: ryan stanton, mlive, ann arbor news

Jan10

“even if not one person read my blog, i’d still write it every day.” -seth godin

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(a happy note from WP yesterday)

Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!

You registered on WordPress.com 11 years ago.

Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.

—

 thanks to all who have taken this flight with me

11 years in the blink of an eye

faster than the speed of write. 

—

“even at eleven, he had observed that things turned out right a ridiculous amount of time.”

-stephen king