Category: words

Oslo has Litteraturhuset – a place for readers and writers to “to meet, write, debate, read, and discuss writing, ideas, and politics over food and drinks, all with the mission of promoting the greater good of art and literature,” but that kind of physical space “seemed an impossible fantasy” for New York. Until now. – LitHub

In the Victorian Era, if you wanted to break up with someone around Valentine’s Day, or if you simply wanted to let that special someone know how much you detest them, there were cards available at the stationer’s to suit your purpose. – Atlas Obscura

The parallels are numerous, and detailed. Both novels feature anxiety-ridden, middle-aged female narrators who are afraid to leave their homes, and they witness something suspicious while spying on neighbors. The stories have nearly identical plot twists in the final act. “It is the EXACT same plot like down to the main characters’ back story,” one person wrote in an Amazon review comparing the two books. “Sorry but there’s no way the amount of stolen material is a coincidence.” – The New York Times

“Ireland becomes the fifth country to benefit from Parton’s generosity, joining the US, UK, Canada and Australia. It’s another welcome step forward for a charity” — the Imagination Library — “that recently celebrated giving away its 100 millionth book (yep, you read that right: One Hundred Million books).” – Melville House

“The event has come here for 35 years, but it feels much older. At moments, it seems like 1884, when the trail drives were still happening … But cowboy poetry is more contemporary than it wants you to believe.” – Literary Hub

“Food is the great equalizer — everyone eats — and what we eat and how we eat it can be so emotional and can carry deep meaning.” Eleven authors offer their thoughts about writing work you can sink your teeth into. – Literary Hub

The founders are quick to point out that the word alphabet is used as a shorthand for many different writing systems. Abjads, abugidas, syllabaries, and pictographic systems are also included. Through the Atlas, it’s possible to take a world tour and understand more about how these systems developed. – MyModernMet

“While [Dan] Mallory’s story seems remarkable — a con man using a sob story to sashay his way to literary power — it’s actually extremely common. … The reason these frauds happen is because of the publishing industry’s and the audience’s hunger for authentic voices, particularly voices of suffering. Apologies to Barthes, but the author didn’t die; she became the text.” – The Outline

“Imagine a situation in which an American defendant hires a British lawyer for a trial in an American courtroom. The accused then demands that a British interpreter be found. British-American legal interpreters are hard to find, so the demand could delay the case for years, … despite the fact that, obviously, a British lawyer is perfectly capable of being understood in an American courtroom. This actually happens on a regular basis in the countries that once made up Yugoslavia.” – Atlas Obscura

Aaron Bady goes through they saying itself and its history to explain why. (For one thing, in Inuit languages, “they can have as many words as they want for almost anything.”) In fact, “what’s been the most interesting discovery is that all the wrong answers are at least as interesting and useful as the so-called right ones.” – Popula