Brain… Don’t think of a purple giraffe (and what else not to say) 31 Jan 20154 Jul 2016 A company I admire allowed an employee to blog, "You probably don't want to come to our conference, but here's why I think you should." Really? I don't want to…
Books… Reading is for Babies 25 Jun 201413 Jun 2015 The American Pediatrics Association says, "Immunize your children against illiteracy." NPR's Audie Cornish interviewed Professor Susan Neuman about new evidence showing that the younger you read to your children, the better. Reading benefits babies,…
Advertising… The Worst Birthday Card Ever 8 Sep 201213 Oct 2012 I'm excited to be turning 50 soon, and my friends are celebrating early--even Aetna. They sent a card: "Happy Birthday!" it says, with fourteen lighted candles. It says "aetna" in…
Children… Oh, the Places You’ll Gather Memories 2 Jul 201213 Oct 2012 At Brenna Martin's high school graduation, she received a surprise that took her father Bryan 13 years to prepare: a favorite Dr. Seuss book filled with comments from all her…
Change the World… Poetics and Paralysis 29 May 20126 Sep 2020 Continuing this theme of learning to listen to silence, consider Matthew Sanford. He teaches yoga, his spinal cord has an interruption, and his story and poetic observations teach us about…
Blogging… “Just Put One Foot on the Ground” 4 Jan 201230 Dec 2011 About a month ago, Mimi Meredith shared her mother's advice for cold Montana mornings: "Darlin' girl, just put one foot on the ground." I've been smiling over that ever since.…
Courage… Happy Birthday, Reverend Jupiter Hammon! 17 Oct 201117 Oct 2011 Happy 300th birthday to Jupiter Hammon, believed to be the first published African-American author, who even gave fatherly advice to Phillis Wheatley: I pray the living God may be, …
Caring… Hamlet in Prison 12 Jul 201111 Jul 2011 Jack Hitt's hour-long report for This American Life on Hamlet performed by prisoners, originally broadcast in 2002, has inspired me all week with its deep insights about Hamlet and encouragement for…
Business… How to Succeed in American Business 11 Jul 2011 Teaching in a multicultural environment often includes overtly explaining American business culture and helping students practice that language. For starters, there's the direct eye contact, the body language, the smiling,…
Blogging… Publishing as Independence 4 Jul 201116 May 2017 "Are you published?" It's the first question an industry outsider will ask, while a fellow writer will get to it eventually, however tactfully. "So tell me about your work!" But…
Blogging… Thanks, I Needed That! 2 Jul 20112 Jul 2011 WordPress showcased "10 Prolific Post a Day/Week Participants," and I'm one of them! Shall I tell you what this meant to me? I realized today how burned out I've become…
Composition… Friday Flick: How to Tell a Story 1 Jul 201110 Jul 2011 A great reporter is a storyteller, and Scott Simon can do that, and even teach it. Here's Scott's storytelling advice:
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