April 2016 – Princeton Writes

On Writing Badly

Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:09:09-05:00

On Writing Badly There is a horrible myth, one that has long persisted, that writing is a mystical occurrence, that the writer is visited by the beautiful muse and merely takes a sort of spiritual dictation. The implication is that if you are not putting forth best sellers in a meditative state, if you are actually struggling to get the right words on the page, you are not a “real” writer. Or maybe you’re a real writer, but you’re not a good one. This idea causes a lot of unnecessary grief and consternation. At keyboards from coast to coast, writers hover [...]

On Writing BadlyStephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:09:09-05:00

A Special Evening

Stephanie Whetstone2016-04-18T00:30:26-04:00

On April 11, Princeton Writes hosted its first Celebration of Student Writing, featuring the best work of eight undergraduate organizations dedicated to the written and spoken word, including Ellipses Slam Team, The Nassau Literary Review, Nassau Weekly, Innovation, Princeton Traveler, Figments, The Stripes, and All-Nighter. Pieces read or performed ranged from long-form journalism to poetry; from short fiction to late-night comedy. Held in conjunction with Princeton Preview, the Celebration drew well over 100 prospective students and current members of our University community to the Hamilton Murray Theater. Below are a few mementoes of this festive occasion, courtesy of Thomas Garcia '16. [...]

A Special EveningStephanie Whetstone2016-04-18T00:30:26-04:00

palanquin (PĂL-ən-kwĭn)

Stephanie Whetstone2016-04-11T12:00:20-04:00

Definition (Noun) A covered conveyance, usually for one person, consisting of a large box carried on two horizontal poles by four or six (rarely two) bearers, used especially in South, South-East, and East Asia. In Context "At this time of year the British preferred to travel even the shortest distance by palanquin, hoisted on the shoulders of four Indian bearers." Kate Teltscher, The High Road to China: George Bogle, the Panchen Lama and the First British Expedition to Tibet, 2006.

palanquin (PĂL-ən-kwĭn)Stephanie Whetstone2016-04-11T12:00:20-04:00

redolent (RĔD-l-ənt)

Stephanie Whetstone2016-04-04T12:00:34-04:00

Definition (Adjective) Permeated or imbued with a smell or aroma; having a particular smell. Also: having a smell suggestive or reminiscent of some quality, feeling, etc. In Context "It is earthy and redolent of dark licorice, and has a pleasant oakiness." Howard G. Goldberg, "Goes with Turkey (or Duck)," The New York Times, November 18, 2012.

redolent (RĔD-l-ənt)Stephanie Whetstone2016-04-04T12:00:34-04:00

New Collected Poems (2012) by Wendell Berry

Stephanie Whetstone2016-04-01T11:30:44-04:00

Critical Assessment "'New Collected Poems' reprints nearly 200 pieces from Berry’s long career, including the poems from his most recent collections: 'Entries,' 'Given,' and 'Leavings.' Although his voice proves more musical in these poems than in his prose works, his theme is essentially the same: a reverence for nature, a respect for the near and tangible as opposed to the distant and hypothetical, and a distrust of economies of scale. . . . "Like another poet-farmer, Robert Frost, Berry views nature not as a postcard image, but as a window into what endures – and what does not. In 'Planting Crocuses,' [...]

New Collected Poems (2012) by Wendell BerryStephanie Whetstone2016-04-01T11:30:44-04:00