So what are you reading?

We all ask this question and get asked this question. But when it comes to becoming a better writer this question can mean more than your everyday small talk.

I took the opportunity to attend a lecture at Manhattanville College's Summer Writer's Week, where Francine Prose read from her book on this topic, Reading Like a Writer (2006). Prose looks at "the greats"--Dostoyevsky, Flaubert, Kafka, Austen, Dickens, Woolf, Chekhov, to name a few--and examines why their works have endured through the years.

Prose, who also teaches at Bard College, wants aspiring writers to savor the language of the masters and decipher why they choose particular words to convey certain feelings.

I think Prose's book has some valuable advice to a reader like me, who also wants to write. When I read, I usually speed my way through a story, anxious to know what comes next. It takes a special kind of writer to make me slow down and get lost in the language of the book. Sometimes, I get both.

By poring over the finer details of a story, Prose proffers that the reader, for instance, can learn about creating character and advancing the plot through dialogue.

But then there is Anton Chekov. During the lecture, Prose read from her "Learning from Chekhov" chapter, which examines how Chekov broke all kinds of "rules" for writing fiction. He practiced "writing without judgment" and be the "unbiased observer" of his characters. 

In the spirit of Chekhov, Prose also advises, "Forget about what you read. Go out and look at the world."

With this, I came away with two pieces of advice that somehow don't conflict: learn and then unlearn. This way, the writer has a store of knowledge and tools at hand. Yet, the writer still makes room for the muse.

So what is Francine Prose reading? Well, she said she had just finished rereading David Copperfield. How 'bout you?

"It was curious to think that the sky was the same for everybody, in Eurasia or Eastasia as well as here. And the people under the sky were also very much the same—everywhere, all over the world, hundreds or thousands of millions of people just like this, people ignorant of one another's existence, held apart by walls of hatred and lies, and yet almost exactly the same—people who had never learned to think but were storing up in their hearts and bellies and muscles the power that would one day overturn the world."
     - George Orwell, 1984

When most students think of George Orwell ... or ... well ... do most students think of George Orwell? Hmm. Have you ever heard of a little book called Animal Farm? It is a delightful story about a bunch of barnyard animals who overthrow their evil captors and then run their own society. On a base level, it is a colorful children's story where "two legs equals bad" and "four legs equals good" ... or is it the other way around? On a much deeper level (one we needn't worry about til at least college), it is an allegorical commentary about Soviet totalitarianism. "Huh?" Don't worry about it. For now, just have fun reading the book and focus on how the animals take on human qualities and what we (as faulty humans) can learn from their story.

And then, once you've mulled that intensity over, try 1984 on for size. This heart wrenching novel used to be my ultimate favorite. I got over that a few years ago though when I was reading it for no less than the 15th time. The brutality of those words were just too much to live through again. I would, however, honestly give anything to have those first 14 reads back. Listen:

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

How can anyone handle that?!? Plus, when the Ministry of Truth, the Thought Police, and Big Brother are all out to get you, it's all you can do to keep yourself safe from what lies in the dreaded Room 101.

Be afraid.

Oh, and happy birthday, Georgie Porgie.

The following two poems were written by Christina Beasley, age 16

canvas

      threads lithe, tight fingers bolted to a frame of
skin and bone
stretching as though born clutching a sky
brought down by the weight of a universe-
here, take some ink and cry me a river, love-
let it sink in and dye these coarse strands
the color of thatched veins reaching across empty pallets
           bringing
life to every fiber
you, conflicted isis, isn't
this how they used to do it lacing
around impossible figures like mid-afternoon clouds
torn down to two dimensionality evanescent and cruel in their dissection
of the natural form?
seizing horizons that could
very well be the end of the world-
and yet You know as you put
away your paints and pastels

that their own flesh border still locks them in
              still holds them fixed to a splintered edge
and a corporeal casing still carries them home.

watercolor

wringing out black strands
of coarse angel hair we stand
on bridges heavy with gothic swirl
              their adornment an embrace.
strokes of graffiti and grime laced inch by inch
on bleak pillars they shout names
so far from umber burnt sienna
vermillion-
But artists bleed this
she confides
her mascara running down like two
                hiroshige
                                   waterfalls
whispering down her cheeks they are
but shadows of their former selves
-every black procession still
a masterpiece.

every touch of authenticity to
canvas is art.

Do you have the end of the school year blues?

Is the promise of summer vacation just mere days from your grasp?

When you're sitting there in Geometry, gazing out the window, does a little piece of you die inside?

Well, you'll be out soon enough. In the meantime, feel free to gripe about your woes here. Write a poem about your terrible plight and send it to word@weeklyreader.com. Put "End of School Blues" in the subject line and we'll post the best one here.

Word.

Why hello there! Happy Thursday to you!

READ Magazine's publishing year has come to an end. Our last issue took the form of a web site called Student Writing Showcase. We received so many great submissions for it. Thank you all!

Next year, we want to publish a new piece of student writing in every issue of READ (and Writing for that matter). Right now though, we are specifically looking for poems and stories about MAGIC. We are also looking for poems and stories about MONSTERS. Please email your work to word@weeklyreader.com. Put either "Monsters" or "Magic" in the subject line (depending on what your writing is about).

A writer's work is never done, eh?

Word.

The following post was written by Alicia Zadrozny, Associate Editor of READ and Writing Magazines.

At 15 years old, sisters Jessica and Danielle Dunn achieved what many people of all ages yearn for--they published a book.

The first edition of A Teen's Guide to Getting Published came out 10 years ago. What makes this book so interesting is that the authors want to help other teens get published, too. The second edition was published just last year in 2006. This edition features updated information. Basically, all references to typewriters are out. Blogs and online publishing are in.

A Teen's Guide to Getting Published offers teens a common sense approach to becoming a writer. Each chapter is filled with the nuts and bolts of all phases of the writing process. There are sections about finding inspiration, editing, and selecting the right market for your work. The second half of the book contains valuable directories of writer's markets, contests, and creative writing programs around the nation.

Jessica and Danielle included some of their own early publishing experiences as a resource for other teens. Their advice is encouraging and realistic at the same time. For one, they advise teens to "start small and work your way up." They tell teens not to expect to be paid in the beginning and to expect some rejection along the way. And still, the book's tone remains optimistic.

"Writerly" teens would be lucky to have Jessica and Danielle's combination of motivation and enthusiasm that infuses their book.

READ and Writing Magazines recently featured A Teen's Guide to Getting Published in our electronic issue, Student Writing Showcase. To read the excerpt, click here.

The following post was written by Alicia Zadrozny, Associate Editor of READ and Writing Magazines.

It was Friday night and I was in the mood for a party. I had spent the day perusing Book Expo America, picking up book galleys and meeting authors. (I'm hoping heaven is a lot like BEA, lots and lots of free books, but sans the bathroom lines.) Anyway, I headed downtown to Webster Hall not knowing exactly what to expect from the Rock Bottom Remainders, an improbable band formed with mostly famous and best-selling writers. Some of the better known members include Stephen King, humor columnist Dave Barry, Scott Turow, Amy Tan, Mitch Albom and Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons. Frank McCourt made a special guest appearance. Roger McGuinn, formerly with the 1960s rock band The Byrds, was billed as the concert's "real musician." The $25 admission price benefited children's literacy programs.

By all appearances, this was going to be a concert like any other. Lines of people waited outside the venue to get in, after the show had already started. There was a surly bouncer and even a snotty reporter who huffed and puffed when told she had to wait in line.

By the time I got inside, the band was in full swing playing their favorite rock music through the ages, such as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and the Monkees. So now you're probably wondering if these writers sing and play instruments as well as they write. Well, I'll spell it out for you. Stephen King: Terrible. Scott Turow: Truly, truly terrible. Dave Barry: Tape his hands down and take away that guitar. Mitch Albom: If only you had spent your Tuesdays practicing that keyboard. Amy Tan: Gets my vote for the worst singer-ever.  I'd go through all the performers, but that gives you a pretty good idea.

Most likely, it's a certain sort of person who's going to love this kind of concert. It's the person who gets the joke behind the joke. It's not their corny cracks at each other. It's the fact that Stephen King gets people to pay money to hear him howl his way through Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London." The "king of horror" is also a master of irony. His real song was, "I'm so bad; I'm good."

Roger McGuinn saved the musical day to an extent with "Turn! Turn! Turn!" along with some other old hits by The Byrds. So what if his accompanists couldn't stay on key with him? I didn't really mind. It was just plain funny to see these writers have so much fun together. They looked like a bunch of goofballs, sure. But they are also very smart goofballs.

Editor's Note: We here at Weekly Reader love and admire the above artists for their day jobs. Any negative criticisms toward their musical ability is overshadowed by the brilliance that comes through in their true work: Teaching the blind to bowl. God bless you fine people.

On Friday, I attended Book Expo America (BEA) at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. It was a day filled with literature great and small, classic and contemporary. Readers from all corners of the country flooded the floor where publishers flaunted their achievements in the printed word.

The Jacob Javits Center is a mile if it's a yard. The place is big. It covers no less than five New York City blocks and is multi-leveled. No wonder the show is three days long! Lucky for me, I still have a bit of a bounce in my step and I was able to get the full BEA experience in just under 8 hours.

I met a Monster Spotter named Scott Francis, and a wizard author named Zendric. Zendric's passion for keeping Monsters at bay will be shared with the world this August when her very important survival guide, A Practical Guide to Monsters, hits bookstores everywhere. In it, she shows us characteristics of Chimera and vampires, griffons and Thri-kreen (giant, intelligent insects that hunt in packs) and then offers advice on how to defeat them all in battle. Monster Spotter's Guide to North America is a result of an deep obsession that's 1,000 times more dangerous than bird watching. By looking through a monster spotter's eyes, readers learn stories of Phantom Felines, The South Carolina Lizard Man, The Gloucester Sea Serpent, The Black Fox of Salmon River, The Lake Utopia Monster, Colossal Claude and many many more (including, of course, Bigfoot). Scott's book also comes out in August. Don't be surprised if you see Zendric and Scott side by side in an issue of READ next year. Stranger things have been known to happen.

At Seven Locks Press, I read a recipe inspired by Shakespeare in Spice Chronicles: Exotic Tales of A Hungry Traveler, watched Santa Claus promote his new book, and met an extraordinary young man who has created The Adventures of Captain Candy. Young author Ryan Lederer's fully illustrated, action packed book comes out in July.

At the LongPen booth, a machine signed my name to perfection, exactly as I had done!

I learned a bit about Old English from Patrick Conner at West Virginia University Press.

Grammar Girl wowed me us with a live presentation about apostrophes! ... or should that be apostrophe's? ... Either way, I think I need to get out more.

The Book Expo was a genuine sharing of ideas, of stories. Authors of all walks of life were in attendance and many of them, like Joe Hill, were more interested in checking out the lit than talking about themselves. (I'll let you figure out who Joe Hill is on your own. Not everything in the blogosphere should be linkable.)

Stay tuned for in-depth coverage of the Rock Bottom Remainders concert. Coming next week...

The following blog entry was written by Sarah Chassé, a copy editor of READ, Writing, and a whole bunch of other Weekly Reader magazines.

Watching TV rots your brain, right? Not necessarily. I spent last night learning some great new vocabulary words from my television--and no, there isn't a new reality show called Playing Scrabble With the Stars. We're talking the finals of the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee, which aired live on ABC.  The competition, held in Washington, D.C., featured 286 spellers from the United States and Canada. In the 13^th round, eighth grader Evan M. O’Dorney of Danville, Calif., spelled the word serrefine (seh-ruh-FEEN) to become the Super Bowl of spelling’s newest champ.

OK,  so maybe serrefine (an adjustable spring clamp used in cardiovascular surgery) isn't the most useful word—you can't exactly drop it into casual conversation. But it's still a cool word to know. Here are some other unusual words from the Scripps finals you can dazzle your friends and family with:

rascacio: (rah-SKAH-see-oh) a scorpion fish found in the western Atlantic Ocean from Cape Cod to Brazil

bouleuterion: (boo-leh-TEE-ree-on) a council chamber in ancient Greece

schuhplattler: (SHOO-plat-luhr) a traditional folk dance from Bavaria and Austria in which dancers rhythmically strike their thighs, their knees, and the soles of their feet

grognard: (groh-NAHR) an old soldier

aniseikonia: (ah-nigh-sigh-KOH-nee-uh) a defect of binocular vision in which the two retinal images of an object differ in size

My favorite word from the bee was definitely schuhplattler (just don't ask me to demonstrate it). Have a favorite word of your own that you'd like to share? Drop us a comment! (And make sure you spell your word correctly!)