Monday 18 March 2024 The Thursday after the 16 February 2024 Russian announcement declaring Alexei Navalny, Russian dissident, had died after he walked around the prison grounds of the IK-3 “special regime” colony, known as “Polar Wolf”, I, on a whim, ventured to Union Square Park. I finished teaching my morning class. Not only to […]
Alexei Navalny: Scenes from a Pilgrimage Read More »
Monday 11 March 2024 Alexei Navalny was a Prisoner of Conscience. Was again a Prisoner of Conscience; indeed, was recognized twice. Then he wasn’t. And then his status as a Prisoner of Conscience was restored. *** Alexei Navalny was a Prisoner of Conscience. Was, not only in the sense that he no longer is
Alexei Navalny: “oh, come on, Daniel.” Read More »
Monday 04 March 2024 I had promised that my next blog was to be on the murder of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. I promise; I still will finish writing that one, but I must explain why I can’t publish it this week. First and in part, teaching about Navalny in the college
Monday 26 February 2024 Like my college students, I, too, wish I could get through the revision stage of my writing process faster and easier than I am currently doing. And like them, I, too, have thought, “Do I really need to revise this or that section?” I tell myself what I tell those reluctant
When Revision Is Having Patience Read More »
Monday 19 February 2024 When drafting this blog on revision, I initially entitled it, “When Revision Is Cutting.” I liked the title. Within moments after writing out the title in my notebook, I fastened upon the word, “Cutting.” I grimaced, puzzling over “Cutting.” I didn’t like the word. Slashing, carving, lacerating…. all violent and destructive
When Revision Is Letting Go Read More »
Friday 16 February 2024 Russian Prison Services declared that Russian opposition leader, lawyer, anti-corruption activist, and political prisoner Alexei Navalny is dead. I am speechless not because I was caught off guard by this news, but because the death declaration confirms my worst fears. At this point, no one can say they were genuinely shocked
Breaking News: Alexei Navalny Dies In Prison Read More »
Monday 12 February 2024 King Arthur’s editorial skills impress me because his various professional roles and positions: dissertation writer and published author, philosophy professor, and military officer not only account for his objectivity and credibility as a manuscript reader but explain his subtleness, discernment, and empathy as a reader. He deftly struck a balance between
When Revision Is Working With a Manuscript Editor Read More »
Monday 05 February 2024 Revision isn’t always cutting a paragraph or an entire section from a written draft. Revision doesn’t always mean adding or creating new content. Revision can be rearranging parts of a text to other places in the draft, inserting them earlier or later in the draft. At first, this form of
When Revision Is Moving Written Content Around Read More »
Monday 29 January 2024 It happens. A written draft section requires no cutting, adding, or rearranging. The draft section needs no further alteration. It’s actually good. The draft then can proceed to the next phase of the writing process: editing. Although this assessment seems to be a productive and even a happy one, this
When Revision Is Doing Nothing Read More »
Now that the first serious draft of my Katyn manuscript is complete, I now begin the next stage of the writing process: the revision. Revising one’s written work is both exciting and daunting. The etymological roots of “revision” are “to look or see at again,” “to visit again,” and “to look back.” The word history
Prelude to a Revision Read More »