This newsletter was sent to everyone on Jim’s email list (4,466) on Friday, Dec. 22, 2017. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year. Tis the season to celebrate, and there are lots of good greetings out there. I wish you good fellowship, good friends and family, good food, good music, and • Read More »
Archives: Ambrose Bierce
The state of Alabama, various and sundry; newsletter, Dec. 15, 2017
December 18, 2017 | By Jim Stovall | No Comments | Filed in: newsletter.
This newsletter was sent to everyone on Jim’s email list (4,204) on Friday, Dec. 15, 2017. The state of Alabama plays a prominent role in this week’s newsletter. So does Edgar Allan Poe (again), James Whistler, and the Washington Post. The newsletters this week and next week are a bit shorter than usual because of the Christmas season. Next week I • Read More »
A ‘day’ becomes a ‘date’; Poe’s rules for detective fiction; a little bit of Henry Fowler
December 11, 2017 | By Jim Stovall | No Comments | Filed in: journalism, newsletter, Private eye.
This newsletter was sent to everyone on Jim’s email list (4,140) on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. Hi, Last week’s question: Were there no Americans before 1776? An answer came in from newsletter reader and good friend Jane P: There were many Americans long before 1776, in the numerous Native American societies and groups across what became the • Read More »
Jean Ritchie and the dulcimer revival — and much more; your pet peeves about English
December 4, 2017 | By Jim Stovall | No Comments | Filed in: newsletter, Women writers and journalists.
This newsletter was sent to those on Jim’s email list (4,189) on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. Hi, Last week’s entry about America’s first published poet, Anne Bradstreet, brought this from one of our newsletter readers, Robin K., who has done a good bit of genealogical research on her family: I thought that name looked familiar – I’m • Read More »
More about true crime podcasts; Fowler’s English classic; and giveaways galore
November 20, 2017 | By Jim Stovall | No Comments | Filed in: newsletter.
This newsletter was sent to everyone on Jim’s email list (4,261) on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017. Hi, The county where I live, Blount (pronounced blunt) is home to a part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Smokies are beautiful any time of the year but especially so during the fall foliage season, which has • Read More »
True crime podcasts; Amazon gift card giveaway ($200)
November 14, 2017 | By Jim Stovall | No Comments | Filed in: newsletter.This newsletter was sent to everyone on Jim’s email list (3,827) on Friday, Nov. 10, 2017. Good afternoon from East Tennessee. I hope you’ve had a good week and are looking forward to a great weekend. Viewing tip: Click the display images link above if you haven’t done so already. Mystery lovers = Fans of true crime • Read More »
Another reader on free expression; Anger as temporary madness
November 9, 2017 | By Jim Stovall | No Comments | Filed in: newsletter.This newsletter was sent to all those on Jim’s newsletter list (3,873) on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Hi, Where did English come from? The origins of English are many and varied. If you don’t know much about it, there’s a great sub-five-minute video from Open Culture embedded at the top of the JPROF.com website. Gardening is a year-round activity: I spent • Read More »
More from the Devil’s Dictionary; Where do a fiction writer’s ideas come from?
October 30, 2017 | By Jim Stovall | No Comments | Filed in: newsletter.This newsletter was sent to those on Jim’s email list (3,926) on Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. Hi, This week has blessed me with a wide range of interesting reading — from anger to Anne Bradstreet to an excellent essay on the surprising history of higher education. Each of these topics is likely to appear in • Read More »
Writing and dying, in public view; The Devil’s Dictionary
October 23, 2017 | By Jim Stovall | No Comments | Filed in: newsletter.This newsletter was sent to the people on Jim’s email list (3,988) on Friday, Oct. 20, 2017. Hi, Fence rows, tractor lifts, chainsaws, and hayrolls — they’ve all been a big part of my life lately. The farm offers an endless variety of experiences and possibilities. Don’t forget the victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate. The wildfires in • Read More »