(I’m not an academic but this book inspired me to go to grad school)

uwpress.wisc.edu/Books/T/The-...

It seems to me a recentish development and among people who don’t know Latin (or any other languages)—for whom “correct grammar” is not based on actual grammatical knowledge but vibes-based style cues that signify class.

I’ll just say, properly taught, grammar is not about learning One Correct Way. It teaches how language works and gives you the language to describe and talk about how it works. If you imagine this shouldn’t be a part of education, you should fix your heart.

Yes! Among my more unhinged beliefs is that blanket opposition to passive voice is very often just disguised sexism. Passive = feminine = bad. We must all be DIRECT and ACTIVE and not WEAK.

I routinely encounter adults who think they are good writers because they eschew “passive voice”—but they think passive voice is any structure that uses an auxiliary verb.

It mystifies me how people don’t see that using AI images damages their credibility.

Sometimes the winning move is not to play

There were elk in the pasture this morning. The only sound is dripping and frogs.

I’m reading this while “on a walk” by myself lol

Sure this is part of a teenage mutant ninja turtle costume

I loved those books as a kid! I certainly think you can learn important things from books. But I think ideally the lessons are a little more open ended and less nakedly didactic.

For my cool 12 year old niece, who was into American Girl Dolls last time I saw her, pre-Covid, The Golden Compass.

I defaulted to my own “first book”—the first book I remember choosing for myself: D’Aulaire’s Greek Mythology. Blakean images and important lessons like: overthrow your cannibal father and take command of Olympus! Punish peeping Toms by having their own dogs eat them alive!