Monthly Archives: August 2013

Edwidge Danticat & Evelyne Trouillot

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Ellen Akins

In light of my review of Edwidge Danticat’s Claire of the Sea Light, a note on another book, and another writer, close to the author’s heart. The University of Nebraska Press recently brought out The Infamous Rosalie, by the celebrated Haitian writer Evelyne … Continue reading →

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Notes on Coetzee

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Ellen Akins

J. M. Coetzee’s new book, The Childhood of Jesus, will be published on September 1 (and my brief review will appear in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune somewhere around there), in anticipation of which, a few notes: Here’s a link to Coetzee’s … Continue reading →

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Footnotes

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Ellen Akins

Further notes on footnotes: blue streak “As Mexican guns began to fire the Americans noticed a curious phenomenon. Owing most probably to a combination of poor Mexican gunpowder and the rarified mountain atmosphere, the enemy cannonballs left a blue streak … Continue reading →

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Ic! Nouns ending in ic or s, etc.

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Ellen Akins

“There’s two things to watch for in writing:  subjects and verbs” Yes, you read that right (or wrong, depending on how efficiently your brain corrects what it sees as it sees it):  “There’s two”–one of the mistakes Stephen Wilbers (“Effective … Continue reading →

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In the picky picky dept., more grammar, and another comma

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Ellen Akins

1.  (dis)agreement From an article in the NYT: “About one in 10 doctors trained in India have left that country” “have” left?  “has” left?  “One in ten” might mean one, or it might mean thousands, so which is right? 2. … Continue reading →

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