I recently received a gift from a friend in the form of an e-book. E-books are electronic versions of print books displayed either on a computer or an e-book device, which is about the size of a […]
The Price of a Word
I read in The New York Times yesterday that Joe the Plumber has penned a book. The news was in an op-ed piece written by Timothy Egan, in which he takes publishers to task on allocating what […]
Quotes to Inspire
As we reach the end of the semester, most of us are extremely busy editing our literary papers, poems, and stories. Here are a few quotes I hope you will find inspirational: I never write […]
10: Chapter 6
The following post, by Mario Zambrano, is the sixth installment of 10, 12th Street Online’s first serial novel. It is being written by five authors, each of whom write two chapters each. You can read the first five […]
Writer's Block Sonnet
In lieu of the many comments here on writer’s block, I thought I’d contribute a little diddy: Writer’s Block Sonnet I stretch around to write a sonnet The words I choose do come doggone it. […]
The Weight of a Book
“Books have particular qualities that are lost in translation into code. A book isn’t just its text, it’s also a material object with a particular history, written in stains and stamps and underlining.…The body of […]
And Who in Her Lonely Slip? (A Writing Exercise)
I heard Leonard Cohen for the first time at Top Fuel, a small coffee shop in Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard. He sang like stars across the sky, soaring through the jukebox, like a million birds […]
Essays as Tiny Brains: An Interview with Ander Monson
Ander Monson edits the online journal DIAGRAM and the related printing house New Michigan Press. He’s an essayist and poet whose work has appeared in The Believer and The Best American Essays 2008. 12th Street: In […]
10: Chapter 5
The following post, by Tony Tallon, is the fifth installment of 10, 12th Street Online’s first serial novel. You can read the first four chapters here. We’ll be publishing a new chapter each week. The […]
Quiet Time
I write this from my parents’ retirement home near Chapel Hill, NC, where I’ve come to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. They live along a fairway in a gated golf community several miles from the quaint downtown area, […]
Just to clarify, I’m not a psychology major.
With finals, final papers and grad school application deadlines upon us, this just seemed appropriate! So far I have had people stand me up for meetings because they were immersed in their writing, received […]
Writing from Art
There’s been talk about writer’s block. I don’t really have a cure, but I know that every time I visit a museum, I leave with a poem. On Sunday, it was the MoMA. I went […]
10: Chapter 4
The following post, by Geoffrey Jason Kagan Trenchad, is the fourth installment of 10, 12th Street Online’s first serial novel. You can read the first three chapters here. We’ll be publishing a new chapter each […]
Cathedrals of Writing
There is something magical about a good bookstore—dusty shelves, quiet nooks, jazz on the stereo, sellers that are a blend of friendly and pedantic. It is a place of romance for an avid reader. Peace […]
What are YOU Doing Tomorrow Night?
Tomorrow night’s Riggio Honors Program: Writing and Democracy student reading is the last chance this fall to hear the words being written by your peers. Over the last couple of years within the Riggio program, […]
I’m Not Saying Buy Me a House, But I’m Not Saying I’ll Stop You If You Want To
Interesting post a couple of days ago at the Ploughshares blog about benefactors. I have mixed feelings about the idea of patronage, especially the support of a single artist by a single wealthy benefactor. Sure, […]
10: Chapter 3
The following post, by Sarah Finch, is the third installment of 10, 12th Street Online’s first serial novel. You can read chapters one and two here. We’ll be publishing a new chapter each week. The […]
Kicking the Legs Out
It’s rare in this day and age that films move us to tears. With movies like Beverly Hills Chihuahua and High School Musical 3 topping the charts, the majority of American films do little to […]
A Reader’s Question
I received a semi-anonymous email last week with a plea for advice regarding writer’s block. In lieu of a traditional post this week, I thought I would share my exchange with the writer with you, our readers.
12thstreetonline is meant to be a forum for us to explore writing both personally and professionally, so I hope you guys chime in with advice for our friend in need, and perhaps pitch some queries of your own in regards to your own writing these days.
Dear Anna,
I’m having a severe case of writer’s block. I can’t work on my play, my fiction workshop stuff, anything, and I was wondering if you had any tips? It’s seriously getting to me and I don’t know what to do. Help!
“I was never the kind of girl who grew up dreaming about her Prince/Princess Charming”
Ambulatory sisters— sister somnambulists— sorority of sleep-hikers— we are crossing a bridge. We’ve crossed our uncle & our fiancés will be cross, but we’ve got a long list, a lot of items to cross off. […]