Well, those TV writers are still on strike ... but they're talking again! They're hoping for a pay increase, and they might actually get it. That's excellent, because I know I for one am going crazy without new programs. And if the strike goes on for a lot longer, it might even affect movies. I don't like the sound of that one bit. No TV and no movies makes Jessica a dull girl. (Oh, for all you out there who aren't movie nerds like I am, that was a reference from The Shining, which is an old movie--and an awesome book, by the way--so at least you can rent it if the strike goes on.)

I'm certainly glad that the writers might be back to work soon. But there is one thing that's been nagging me about the strike. (OK, one other thing besides the leaving us without new TV episodes.) These people are writers. And, while I'm sure we all have different opinions of the quality of TV shows, these are good writers, more or less. So what's with all the boring signs? "Writer's Guild of America on Strike!" Yeah, that's creative.

Come on, WORDians. If you were a Hollywood writer who was on strike (and if you were a Hollywood writer, you certainly would be on strike. We don't like scabs. Solidarity, brother!), what would your sign say?

Here's mine:

Writing? It's in the Scripture!

Uggh, I guess it's harder than it looks. But I bet you guys can do better! What would be on your signs?

Oh, and on a completely different note--tonight is the first night of Hanukkah. For all of you celebrating, eat some latkas for me! (I don't think I've ever used my kitchen, so I must enjoy the latkas vicariously.)

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Boys and girls!

Children of all ages!

READ Magazine is proud to present...

THE ONE...

THE ONLY...

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE!!!

(See this is where you applaud madly and scream with glee.)

Click here for Willie's goodness.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

Please, remain calm.

Mr. Shakespeare has been delayed.

He will be here on Monday. Well not HERE... but here.

Please do not panic.

The time is near.

He is coming...

Recently, we got a hold of Joyce Carol Oates and asked her one question. We could have asked her more but, for some reason, we only asked her one. Hmm... that was probably pretty stupid of us. OK, well, we'll have to find her again sometime soon. But for now, we only have the one thing.

Ms. Oates, as you may know, is the author of such books as Freaky Green Eyes, Big Mouth and Ugly Girl, and most recently, The Gravedigger's Daughter. We asked her what her favorite Shakespeare play is. Shakespeare, as you may know, was a playwright who wrote such works as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Die Hard 4: Die Hard With Avengeance. Well, the first two anyway.

Ms. Oates responded thusly: 

My favorite of Shakespeare's tragedies is King Lear, which I have read and re-read numerous times. It is a great, demanding, profoundly moving work, with fairy-tale origins; its vision of evil, and of the power of "good" to transform evil, is searing.

Searing? Yes. Powerful? Yes. Hungry? No thanks, I had a nice lunch before.

Why are we talking about William Shakespeare? I dunno. I think the better question is: Why aren't you talking about William Shakespeare?

Think about it!

Then come back and check with us here on Friday. We've got something for you.

Ooh! Presents! Yayyyyyy!!!!!!!

Tis the season...
WORD

Did I blog about this before? I feel like I blogged about this before? Hmm... anyway, I have decided that I'm not reading enough. Awful right? The editor of READ magazine isn't reading enough. So I'm implementing a new literary diet into my daily routine. If you haven't guessed what it is yet, then you aren't one who reads subject lines are you?

25 pages a day

It doesn't seem so hard, right? I think the last time I blogged this idea I said I was going to attempt to read 50 pages a day. Well, that was probably well over a year ago and if I remember correctly, it only lasted for about a month. Let me tell you though, that was a wicked cool month.

Reading regularly is easy once you get into it. Set your own goals and try it yourself. Read 10 pages every night before you go to sleep. Or read 5 pages in the morning while you're eating breakfast. Whatever you want. Or... you could just read. There doesn't have to be any strict rule about it. Maybe this whole idea turns you off. That's fine, too. I suppose it could seem like a project to force yourself to read a certain amount every day. And the last thing you need is yet another project. Am I right?

Well anyway, this is about as informal a bloggy entry as you'll ever see here. Things have been crazy hectic lately and it's all we can do just to keep our heads above water. I hope you are enjoying your READ magazines. Are you? Hope so. I really do.

Stick around here for a couple days. We've got a huge hit coming your way on Friday. Want a hint? Check out the back cover of READ Issue 7. That's the Native American issue. Do you see that guy there wearing the crown? Yeah, he's pretty cool. Trust me.

OK. Read.

WORD