Author: Out of Time
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What Depression Is
Depression is a big, skittery spider that you tried to smash with a book or some other heavy object but it got away and now it’s hiding in a dark corner of your bedroom so you stay awake all night because you know it will be back. Depression is a big wave in the ocean […]
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Melania Trump Steals Words
When I was teaching, I had to confront students about plagiarism far more than I would have liked. Never once did I have a “gotcha” moment. I hated it. I hated feeling like I had failed as a teacher to impart the importance of original work and/or the basics of how to (intentionally or unintentionally) […]
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“No man is an island”: Some thoughts on Brexit and the American tea party
It’s with some trepidation that I write a blog post about Brexit. I mean, I live almost 5,000 miles away from the UK, and most of what I know about Britain’s vote to leave the European Union comes from Twitter, newspapers, and magazines. I’m hardly in a position to provide any new observations. What I […]
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Conversations With Various of My Body Parts
Scene: midnight, my bed. Me: Cut it out Brain: What do you mean cut it out I don’t know what you’re even saying to me right now Me: I said cut it out. I want to go to sleep and you keep talking Brain: Okay okay okay. That’s chill. I respect that you have things […]
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The Thymes They Are A-Changing: A Few Thoughts on Recipes
A few months ago, I had a Girls’ Night Out with my friends. Digression: for us, “Girls’ Night Out” means three things: wine, food, and pants with elastic waistbands. While not actually going out. In other words, it’s pretty much this: On this particular night, we went to […]
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Why Do Libraries Bring Out The Best in Us?
I don’t want to bore you with the story of my local library—I’ve told it a gajillion times. If you haven’t read it, you can do so here or here (I’m quite proud of this library, as you can tell!). But I will tell you that even after the roller coaster ride of emotions I’ve […]
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Yours, Mine, or Ours? The Centuries-Old Debate over Public Lands
I grew up in Humboldt County, California. It’s known for a lot of things, but mostly for marijuana, great coffee, and gorgeous landscapes like this: Sadly, Humboldt County is also known for sometimes violent battles that pit economic development and conservation against each other. So I […]
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Five Expert Tips For Sucking At Writing
NUMBER ONE. Write in a café. There’ll usually be someone saying something incredibly weird and/or offensive. Once you tune in, you won’t be able to concentrate anymore, but you’ll be cool with it because it’s all fodder for the novel. So far, I’ve overheard the following conversations: A man, staring soulfully into the eyes of […]
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We’re A Nation Of Cowards
My daughter told me she and her best friend even have a bucket list, just in case they get shot at school. She’s 12.
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Trolling Librarians Are The Best Librarians
Hacking’s a terrible thing. Terrible. Except when it isn’t. Like when this guy pretended to be a Target sales rep and trolled people opposed to Target’s new gender-neutral toy marketing policy. Or like when the American Library Association got its Facebook account hacked a few hours ago and librarians got all funny and beautifully weird […]
Jennifer Sherman Roberts 