Author Archives: Samuel Snoek-Brown

Judy Blume

Last night I drove with my wife and another university librarian (our education librarian, who oversees our children and young-adult literature collection on campus) to Madison to attend a lecture by Judy Blume. Blume’s speech was part of the larger Wisconsin Literary Festival underway this week, but her specific appearance was at the invitation ofContinue reading “Judy Blume”

Taboo: The answers

Your grandma makes it — it’s warm. You sleep with it. Answer: a quilt  This is a really old famous writer. Answer: William Shakespeare  It’s Friday! It’s a candybar!Answer: Payday  It’s coming out of your nose. “Boogers! Snot!” Yes — another word for what’s happening . . . . Answer: Drip   (hilarious laughter) Just skip it! Answer: Armpit  Thing in the sky. WhenContinue reading “Taboo: The answers”

Taboo

This week I have my students playing Taboo. The exercise serves a number of functions, actually: 1) It helps them form bonds within their newly-created workshop groups; 2) it allows them to practice description by finding alternate ways of describing things or ideas, since they have to avoid the obvious descriptive terms on the cards;Continue reading “Taboo”

I’m watching The Watchmen, that’s who!

Thanks to a generous loan from a former student/current fraternity advisee, I’m reading The Watchmen. I’d long heard of the book, but back in the apex of my high-school comic nerdism, my tastes tended more toward the X-Men, a healthy dose of Spidey and the Punisher, and a handful of mainstream DarkHorse titles (if thereContinue reading “I’m watching The Watchmen, that’s who!”

Dissertation vs. Novel

Today (yes, it took that long–it’s been nearly a year), the bound copies of my dissertation arrived in the mail. It’s an odd thing to see, this document long finished here anew in my hands, in a solid form suggesting something like legitimacy. In some ways, I dread looking through it–over the past year, whileContinue reading “Dissertation vs. Novel”

Lost won; Fringe is frayed: a study of character vs. plot

Okay, lame title for a comparison of JJ Abrams series. For the past several weeks I’ve been embroiled in an on-and-off argument with a friend of mine. It relates to how we define quality writing and how we use the terms “literary” and “genre,” among other things. (I use “literary” in a positive way andContinue reading “Lost won; Fringe is frayed: a study of character vs. plot”

An assignment for me

My students are busily typing away at an assignment I’ve given them. Which surprises me. Ordinarily, when I bring my classes to a computer lab, I have to all but beat students away from IM, Facebook, YouTube, or any of the other distractions I, too, would ordinarily have open in side windows. But either they’reContinue reading “An assignment for me”

“The Bullet Surprise,” courtesy of “beta amphetamine”

My friend Beth Ann Fennelly has a new book of of poetry out, Unmentionables, which I’ve been salivating for since I finished her nonfiction book Great with Child a year ago. I haven’t ordered it yet, but I’ve been thinking about the book, so to whet my yearning I’ve picked up an old favorite, herContinue reading ““The Bullet Surprise,” courtesy of “beta amphetamine””

New journey, no map

I’ve been neglecting this blog nearly all summer. That doesn’t mean I’ve been neglecting my writing, of course: I’ve written reviews of the books I’ve read, I’ve typed up my journals from my trip to Scotland (and written a 20,000-word photodocumentary of the trip for friends and family), I’ve worked on stories and even startedContinue reading “New journey, no map”