- Poem by Rushi Shah, Grade 11

Stars in sky, seas on earth

Luster of light emitted

Reflecting in the sea

Reminding me of who I am.

My identity, I am just me!

A baffled person not knowing

Where he wants to end up.

Such an immense world

What can I do?

Did I ever realize I can help someone?

Help myself.

Even help the world.

Vacillating on what I have to do

Will I have a vocation?

Do I have an aspiration?

Assuage my fear and illuminate it,

With bright light

Shining down from stars in sky.

Happy Birthday, John Steinbeck!

Born on this day in 1902, Steinbeck wrote many novels that became classics. You may have read Of Mice and Men in your English class. If you did (or if you read it on your own), then you have had a glimpse into Steinbeck's style. He is a writer who believes in the power of friendship and the unbreakable bond of family. He looks lovingly at the lower class and is constantly exploring their seemingly eternal struggle.

If you are interested in Steinbeck and have yet to read Of Mice and Men, I suggest you start there. It is a sliver book ... meaning it is quite short and full of dialogue. You can probably finish it in less than a day, if you are devoted enough.

Once you have finished, you are going to be on a Steinbeck rush. You're going to want more immediately. When that happens, let me know and I will send you a copy of The Grapes of Wrath I have two). Of course, I can only send one copy out so we're going to have to make a contest out of this. Here we go...

Steps to winning a free copy of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath:
1) Read Of Mice and Men (If you have already read it, you don't need to read it again. Skip to Step Number Two)

2) Write us at word@weeklyreader.com and tell us, in an essay of no more than 1,000 words, how much you loved Of Mice and Men (or hated it) and why you did. (Of course... if you hated it, we'll be less likely to send you the book.) Be sure to include your full name, grade, and email address. Deadline for all entries is April 1, 2006.

3) We will contact the winning student via email and publish your essay here, on our blog.

4) You will receive your copy of The Grapes of Wrath within 4 weeks.

5) Upon receiving The Grapes of Wrath you will dive right into it and become amazed at the power of Steinbeck's writing. You will go on to buy all his other books on your own including East of Eden, The Red Pony, and Travels With Charley.

Steinbeck rulz! Love the Stein. Word.

OK, so I promise this will be the last entry on William Shakespeare for awhile (probably).

In the news this week...

A death mask discovered in 1842 England is now believed to be that of Mr. Shakespeare. It bears the date of 1616, the year in which the playwright and poet died. Also, according to New York Times reporting, it appears to have the same "high forehead, prominent nose, and beard associated with Shakespeare."

Hmm... what do you think?

Too close to call, right? WRONG!

(Warning: unauthorized editorial approaching.)

It is him! Forget science, forget tests, forget all logic and just jump on in. The water's fine. There's too much debate surrounding the man. There has been for too long. People wonder whether Shakespeare was really Shakespeare. Maybe he was some other dude named Christopher Marlowe, maybe he was Sir Francis Bacon (mmm Bacon), maybe he was a group of writers pulling a fast one over centuries of readers ... I'm not going to get into all that here, we pretty much covered it already in READ issue 12. All I want to say now is ... come on, let's let the great one rest in peace and give him back his good name.

The death mask looks like him to me, and frankly, I never needed proof. From the first time I picked up Romeo and Juliet in middle school all the way up to last weekend when I saw a surprisingly strange and silly slapstick performance of As You Like It, I've always believed that Shakespeare is Shakespeare. No matter how much the naysayers nitpick, I will tell you, Shakespeare is Shakespeare. Just as you are you and I am preaching too much.

(Rant over. Probably.)

Anyway, to get back to the point, this is a pretty cool story. You can check out the facts without my idiotic ramblings here.

Have a great weekend.
Word.

Poem by Tom DeLay, Grade 10

Squirrels scampering out of the way

As a singular car

Speeds down the lonely avenue

The crack of a branch

Breaking

Awakens a rabbit

White fur enhances its appearance

The Gabriel of the morning

Calling out for all to hear

That the night has been ended

Raccoons race into hiding

Nocturnal birds soar through the sky

Fighting to get back into safety

Into a fortress of darkness

So evasive to the light

One streak comes out from the heavens

A small overture

For those who are already moving about

Beginning the day's work

Out the pores of the heavens

Come the beams of life

Containing within them the power

To bring to life all that has

Hibernated through the night

Trying to escape their scope

The amoeba of light

Envelops the entire avenue

Tentacles of joviality touching all they can

And showering everything in the celestial glow

Of the new beginning

The day is here

At last

Have you ever wanted to take a writing course but didn't have the money or the time?  Believe me, I can relate -- sometimes it can be hard to find time in your busy schedule to write for fun, much less enroll in a writing class!  But I've found that just writing for a few minutes each day can really add up to pages and pages of writing -- and a writing class provides structure and ideas to help you stick to your writing goals. 

If money's an issue, there are plenty of writing classes out there that charge minimal amounts, or even nothing at all.  My personal favorite is the program created by amazing teen writer Elisabeth Wilhelm at www.learning.absynthemuse.com.  If you're between the ages of 13 and 22, you can go on the website and enroll in writing courses for *free*!  :) There are all sorts of topics available, from finding your own writing voice to promoting your work to the class I am teaching about writing short stories. 

If you're interested in my class, there are still spots available, but act quickly -- the registration deadline is this Saturday, February 25, as the class starts on February 26 and runs for six weeks.  The key code to register for my "Writing the Short Story" class is "lightening bug."  Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions!