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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in writing

To all the writers and poets and editors out there, I offer you fair warning: you know all those how-to manuals that fill the writing and publishing sections at bookstores and libraries? 

Yeah.

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  • Lia Hunter
    Lia Hunter says #
    Similar to your description of #5 is this book: "How to Read a Poem...: and Start a Poetry Circle" by Molly Peacock. I really enjo
  • Wendy L. Callahan
    Wendy L. Callahan says #
    As an editor with two publishers, I MUST have the latest CMOS on my desk. As a writer, I figure the dictionary and thesaurus are
  • Rachel Lee
    Rachel Lee says #
    Many Thanks Rebecca, I am looking into all these books, except the thesaurus & dictionary as I have them, but the "Tarot For Write
  • Janet Boyer
    Janet Boyer says #
    I, too, beg to differ. Being a voracious reader does not a good writer make. Writing is a craft, and it takes dedication, persever
  • Elani Temperance
    Elani Temperance says #
    I am not a writer by any stretch of the word besides the one which identifies a writer as 'anyone who writes'. Still, this list wa

Posted by on in Studies Blogs

The unexpected death of a friend this week brought into sharp relief the differences between traditions around death and grief, not only between different communities but also between different generations. How we handle the dead and our sorrow shows a lot about our culture.

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  • Anne Newkirk Niven
    Anne Newkirk Niven says #
    My condolences on your loss, Kate; I thank you for sharing your wisdom and reflections with our community.
  • Kate Laity
    Kate Laity says #
    Thanks so much, Anne. The power of community in bad times reflects the strength of its joy in good times. And the fluctuation betw
  • Kate Laity
    Kate Laity says #
    Thank you, my dear. It's never easy, but the weight becomes more familiar as we age, alas. It's the first time I have felt 'away'
  • Byron Ballard
    Byron Ballard says #
    Of course, you touch my old heart with the very mention of Scyld Scefing and Beowulf but I also want to offer my condolences on th

World mythology is a rich resource for comic book and graphic novel creators. Characters as varied as Marvel's Thor, Hellboy from Dark Horse, Image Comic's Age of Bronze, and Wildstorm's Promethea -- to name just a few -- draw on the spiritual, mythological, magical and occult traditions of the world.

The newest publisher to join their ranks is Campfire Graphic Novels. Inspired by the age-old image of family and friends gathered around a fire to share tales of adventure, danger and virtue, Campfire has launched four distinct lines of graphic novels: Classics (adaptations of great novels and plays), Mythology (to date, Greek and Hindu stories), Biography (inspiring leaders, scientists, authors, and philosophers of the past), and Original (new stories).

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Pop quiz, Jeopardy style: the Instructions of Shuruppak and the Kesh temple hymn.

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Question: what is the oldest surviving literature in the world? The Instructions of Shuruppak and the Kesh temple hymn, sometimes called the Liturgy to Nintud, both date to roughly 2600 BCE Sumer. The first is Mesopotamian wisdom literature, while the second is a creation myth. They were dug out of the ruins of Abu Salabikh in modern–day Iraaq, along with some five hundred other clay tablets, in a series of archaeological surveys which -- due to current conditions -- have yet to resume. Who knows what else lies beneath the sands, waiting?

Bonus answer: the Maxims of Ptahhotep.

Question: what is the oldest work of literature which can be credited to a specific author? Written down sometime around 2350 BCE, the Maxims are Egyptian wisdom literature, passed down from grandfather to father to son. A few decades later, sometime around 2270 BCE, the royal priestess Enheduanna penned her hymns in honor of Inanna and other Mesopotamian deities, making her the oldest known woman author.

Think about what that means, what that *really* means: the oldest works of literature in the world were written by pagans. Polytheists. People who prayed to Goddesses and Gods, who made offerings to spirits of river and cave and sky, who honored their forefathers and foremothers.

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  • Rebecca Buchanan
    Rebecca Buchanan says #
    Walls' book on Anat has been on my wish list for several years -- but I have not been able to find an affordable copy. I will add
  • Tess Dawson
    Tess Dawson says #
    Absolutely. Check out Ugaritic Narrative Poetry, edited by Simon B. Parker; Canaanite Myths and Legends by JCL Gibson; and Ritual
  • Rebecca Buchanan
    Rebecca Buchanan says #
    Oh! More info, please. Do you have specific titles or a book I can track down?
  • Tess Dawson
    Tess Dawson says #
    Marvelous, Rebecca! Be sure to remember the Canaanite writings from 1200 BCE in Ugarit.

The charms of Anglo-Saxon England consisted of words, herbs and actions. The folks who lived in the period after the Roman era and before the Norman Invasion of 1066 believed that words had a magic of their own especially when spoken aloud, but that the application of the right herbs would help the healing processes along, too. Sometimes other actions were required to create the right atmosphere or to move bad luck along to someone else. All three techniques used together was simply magic.

Among the most common uses for magic was for healing. Lacking any kind of organized medical care system, they pieced together charms and poultices to take care of the common health problems. But they also used charms to protect, both themselves and their belongings. Chief amongst their property was cattle. The Anglo-Saxon word for "cattle" (feoh) is the same as the word for "wealth" which shows how important cattle were. Charms also came in handy to enhance good luck and increase one's bounty.

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  • Joseph Bloch
    Joseph Bloch says #
    At the risk of being pedantic, the Ango-Saxon for cattle and movable property is "feoh". "Fé" is the Old Norse version of the word
  • Kate Laity
    Kate Laity says #
    You're right, of course! I go back and forth between OE and ON so much, I slip up on words from time to time. Good to know I've go
  • mary widner
    mary widner says #
    i enjoy reading this
  • Kate Laity
    Kate Laity says #
    Thank you, Mary.
  • Hunter Liguore
    Hunter Liguore says #
    Magic and healing, very interesting element. Looking forward to reading more.

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