June 2016 – Princeton Writes

Pick a Number

Stephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:07:15-05:00

Pick a Number In The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster's classic ode to learning, the rulers of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis are at loggerheads, each believing that words and numbers, respectively, are paramount. "Never mention numbers here," King Azaz the Unabridged declares. "Only use them when we absolutely have to." In actuality, numbers play a critical role in the wordsmith's craft. Much of English poetry, including dramatic verse, is metrical and thus reducible to lines, feet, and syllables, most commonly expressed through iambic pentameter, a line with five feet, each containing two syllables -- the first unstressed and the second stressed. Shakespeare was a [...]

Pick a NumberStephanie Whetstone2020-01-14T14:07:15-05:00

A Walk in the Woods (1998) by Bill Bryson

Stephanie Whetstone2016-06-01T12:00:22-04:00

Critical Assessment “There's an awkward and telling moment, early in Bill Bryson's new book about hiking the Appalachian Trail, in which he casts about for the exact reasons he's subjecting himself to a five-month slog through the underbrush. There's the fitness rationale: Bryson is a mildly overweight, middle-aged writer who's tired of looking, as he puts it, like 'a cupcake.' There's the he-man rationale: when faced with impending danger, Bryson would like to feel more like a flinty Cormac McCarthy protagonist than someone who is 'jumpier than Don Knotts with pistol drawn.'' Finally, there's the ecological rationale: the Appalachian wilderness is [...]

A Walk in the Woods (1998) by Bill BrysonStephanie Whetstone2016-06-01T12:00:22-04:00

2016 Princeton Writes Prize and Honorable Mentions Awarded

Stephanie Whetstone2016-06-01T09:00:18-04:00

Staff members at Princeton University can compose more than just well-crafted emails and reports as proven by their participation in the second annual Princeton Writes essay contest, an initiative designed to inspire and recognize outstanding writing on their part. This year’s submission prompt invited employees to share their thoughts on diversity in our community. Out of 20 submissions across 18 academic and administrative units, an essay by Bryant Blount took the top prize. April Armstrong, Violette Chamoun, and Brian Mondschein received honorable mentions. From left, Princeton Writes Staff Essay Contest honorees Brian Mondschein, Bryant Blount, Violette Chamoun, and April Armstrong. [...]

2016 Princeton Writes Prize and Honorable Mentions AwardedStephanie Whetstone2016-06-01T09:00:18-04:00

Pick a Number

A Walk in the Woods (1998) by Bill Bryson

2016 Princeton Writes Prize and Honorable Mentions Awarded

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