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Not having read Lorrie Moore in a while (too long!), I forgot how uncanny her stories are. Or perhaps I never knew. I mistook the first short story of hers that I ever encountered, “You’re Ugly, Too,” for how-we-live-now fiction—dark and mordant, but not particularly spooky. Zoë is the token female in the history department of a liberal-arts college in Illinois. Her East Coast sarcasm has a bite that confuses midwesterners, or so she thinks: “What is your perfume? a student once asked her. Room freshener, she said. She smiled, but he looked at her, unnerved.” She has a mysterious...

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information. You’ve settled into your airplane seat, started a movie, opened a book or powered up your laptop when you hear that dreaded ear-splitting sound — a baby has started crying just a few seats away. It may begin as a whimper or whine and eventually escalate to an all-out howl, as whatever the baby wants clearly isn’t happening fast enough. News flash: Babies cry on planes. And, well, everywhere else, too. Of course, a crying baby can frustrate both the parents and nearby passengers on the plane. Before...

  Years of materials and ideas tucked away -which ones contain what? Naomi’s Photos, 2023 Oh! Do you also sometimes feel that memories related to your life as a teacher before the pandemic hit have faded or even disappeared? Materials you once prepared lie dormant, forgotten in some binder or box, their underlying rationale swirling murkily in your memory? Or is it just me? Thank goodness I got a lifesaver in the mail – the program for the Upcoming July ETAI International Conference. It jogged my memory. The amazing, world-renowned Penny Ur will be speaking at the conference! After hearing...

As Johnny Carson used to say (this, or some variation, often enough that he was made fun of for doing it), “That was weird wild stuff.” Adding: “I did not know that.” (It’s a four second clip on YouTube now.) This reaction offers a way into Frederick Barthelme’s story, “Box Step,” though when it was written in the early 80s, it would not have been particularly weird. It’s the author’s handling of the somewhat weird that’s interesting, his writing a story that undermines the status quo of literary weird. A quick and inadequate summary of the story: It’s about Henry...

Courtesy of Crate & Kids. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Reading up on Domino’s shopping guides is like having your own personal product concierge. We do the tedious part—deep-dive research, hands-on testing, and tapping experts for advice—so all you have to do is hit “add to cart.” That’s why we call them Simply the Best. A good desk can be a game changer. In fact, it’s hard to overemphasize the importance of having a dedicated space for deep concentration, and this (productive!) piece of furniture—whether it’s tucked in a corner...