Godzilla Movie Marathon... Now With Haiku!

Well.  I did it, guys.  I faced the inevitable reality that Summer Reading is coming close and the thought that I should probably start planning events yesterday.  I looked at a chapter from the CSLP manual yesterday, that has to count for something, right?  Right.

I'm in charge of bringing the Chapter Six: Science Fiction & Fun into life for the annual Summer Reading Program workshop hosted by the Ramapo Central Catskills Library System on Monday, so the next few posts are going to either be directly related or additional ideas building on the science fiction theme.  How on earth did the manual contributors miss a chance for a Godzilla movie marathon?!  First of all, the new Godzilla movie is scheduled to debut in May 2014, just before Summer Reading kicks off.  Second of all, have they seen Godzilla Haiku?  Have you?  No?  Check these guys out:

If you have a creative writing group I would like to first inform you that I'm super jealous because I've tried to start one at my library more frequently than Gretchen Wieners tried to make "fetch" happen and it still won't stick. BUT if you have alchemical processes working in your favor and have a successful writing group (or would like to start one) might I recommend making your own Godzilla haikus?   You can find stills of the old Godzilla movies and have the teens write their own.  There are many ways you could execute this and as it has been a while since I've had the opportunity to profess my love for bulleted lists, I will do so now to demonstrate the possibilities: 

• Passive Program: Create a bulletin board of 3-5 Godzilla still frames asking for Godzilla haikus.  Provide smaller examples from the tumblr so teens have an idea what you are looking for. Create a haiku printable (doesn't have to be too fancy) and provide a submission box so no one can read the poems already entered.  Label each Godzilla screenshot with a number or letter so that teens can easily communicate which picture corresponds with their poem, fully knowing at least one teen will mess up and yet another will ask you relentless questions no matter how easy you attempt to make it.  Once you have enough submissions, slap those haikus over the appropriate image with meme font, also known as Impact in white with a black outline.  If you do not have Photoshop, might I recommend using Ribbet?  
• During the Movie Marathon: This one is less exciting, but you are more likely to get a bunch of results. You can print out the Godzilla screenshots with lines underneath them so the teens can write them in as they watch the movies.  While you are almost guaranteed more haikus this route, you will miss out on the opportunity to use the completed product as a marketing tool for the movie marathon. 
• Teens as Content Creators: The ideal situation involves using Web 2.0 apps, like Ribbet, to allow the teens to create the content themselves.  You can either offer them some sort of SRP club credit for creating it online and emailing it to you or you can have a program using library computers that allows them to do it in a group all together.  The latter suggestion would not work in my library, so I am aware that it might not work for you.  I'm talking in ideals here people! 
• Contest: Using any of the above ideas or combination thereof, you can make a contest for the best Godzilla haiku.  Teens are competitive. Having a prize at the end of the haiku tunnel might help some reluctant poets enter the mix. 

NaNoWriMo is my nemesis

November is my favorite month, hands down. First of all, if not for this month I would have a birthday in some less fortunate month that is not November. Secondly, excessive amounts of pumpkin are everywhere. Everywhere. Plus there is something to be said about fabulous shopping deals around every corner. Ahhh November.

But there is one aspect of November that fills my stomach with dread and occasionally puts a scowl on my face. If the post title didn't give it away, this is brought about by the fact that November is National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo mocks me with it's overly productive participants:

"Haaaai Kristi(e), how you doin' gurrl? Me and thousands of mah BFFLs are hangin' out gettin' 2gether writin' up some 50,000 word novels and junk. How's your novel doin'? Oh you got 2 flashcards with character names and whatever written down? That's fine gurl that's fyne. Maybe we can all get some coffee next year or sommen. Take kare of urself!"

I'm aware that if NaNoWriMo were to actually become anthropomorphized it would speak properly, but you must realize that my nemeses always have poor grammar when we get together for tea in my head so that no matter what they say I always speak more eloquently. Duh.

Anyway, I bring all this up because John Green makes a fabulous point in one of his more recent Vlog Brother posts: Anything produced during NaNoWriMo is complete and utter garbage. You hear that NaNoWriMo?! You and your BFFLs are GARBAGE! Even John Green won't be able to come up with some gold in a month. You can stop making me feel bad about the non-existent novel I'm writing, tyvm.

That said, anyone actually participating I wish you the best of luck! Because while the novel you write may end up smelling worse than a city dumpster, it is the foundation for a fabulous novel once you put in all the time and effort revising. Don't take my word for it, either. Try on what Editorial Anonymous has to say about revisions and rejections for size.

Writing and librarianship

Being a writer is hard work (duh).  There are many things one has to consider and even if the stars align and the plotline is in order, the remaining legwork can be tremulous and quite annoying on occasion.  For example, I have only one chapter outlined in a young adult series and despite knowing where the books are going I am hesitant to call myself a writer because of this minimal effort.  Perhaps this is because the only real writing endeavors I've had as of late is from my heyday as a creative writing major (which, as I've found, is the major of choice for librarians so I don't even know if I count this).  Even when I was in a regular workshop setting my professors' reactions to my desire to write for a younger audience led me to believe my grade would be lower than if I wrote supposed real fiction so I never even got to practice the type of writing I want to do.  How the heck does any of this encourage me?  Oh wait.  It doesn't. 

Thankfully, I have the interwebz!!  Despite never directly asking for help, especially not from the one and only Laini Taylor, help comes again and again.  First came the discovery of her amusing and inspiring blog Not a Robot many moons ago and now she wrote a post that serves as a bucket of ice water waking up my lifeless inner writer.  Thanks Laini!  :)  I can't wait for the hell that is library school to end so I actually can do things I enjoy in my spare time instead of tedious homework assignments.  

Wondering why I'm spending all this time talking about Writer Kristi(e) when we all know that this is a forum for me to spew librarianship and fandom at you?  Because part of being a good librarian, even if one has no desire to write, is understanding how books come to be.  Yes, enjoying an author's work is fine and dandy, but I find that the more I know about the writing process the more I enjoy the books I read.  Just some food for thought.  And while you nibble on that, check out this video posted on Tales From An Open Book to get a humorous look into the life of a book.  

BONAS JONAS: 

• Tales From An Open Book also posted this gem about what happens when people pretend that books are similar to Twix bars.
• Something Awful decided to rewrite the classics, need I say more?

Dispute resolution

observe, v. 9. trans.

    a. To take notice of, be conscious of; to notice, perceive, see. Freq. with that-clause as object. Also intr.

1560 J. DAUS tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cclxxxv, The Sunne loked pale and dimme,..And this was not obserued in Germany only, but also in Fraunce & England. 1605 BACON Of Aduancem. Learning II. sig. Ll1, If men will intend to obserue, they shall finde much worthy to obserue. 1634 T. HERBERT Relation Trav. 223 King Henry..obseruing simplicitie in the Messingers deliuery. 1736 BP. J. BUTLER Analogy of Relig. I. ii. 32 This every one observes to be the general Course of things. 1783 H. BLAIR Lect. Rhetoric I. x. 200 We remark, in the way of attention, in order to remember; we observe, in the way of examination, in order to judge. 1793 W. COWPER Let. 6 Sept. (1984) IV. 390 Hearing the Hall clock, I observed a great difference between that and ours. 1805 M. LEWIS Jrnl.20 Aug. in Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. (1988) V. 126, I have also observed some robes among them of beaver, moonax, and small wolves. a1855 J. EAGLESSketcher (1856) viii. 200, I am not, observe, here saying one is preferable to another. 1881 T. HARDY Laodicean I. II. i. 254 At last he observed the white waistcoat of the man he sought. 1940 H. G. WELLS Babes in Darkling Wood I. ii. 51 He seemed to be seeing something that had always been under his eyes but which he had never clearly observed before. 1987 T. WOLFE Bonfire of Vanities (1988) v. 125 You will also observe that I do not have eyes in the back of my head.

Jim and I are having a bit of a disagreement over what the above definition of "observe" literally means.  I think that the choice of the word "conscious" implies having cognizance of the event and therefore would also suggest that one has memory of it taking place.  Jim countered that the use of the word "perceive" intimates looking in the direction of the event taking place, but not necessarily remembering it.  What do you think?

Graphic Novel Knowledge

I joined a whole slew of listserves a while back and soon they devoured my inbox. I have since quit all but one and still have thousands of backlogged emails from that short stint. I stayed on GNLIB, because I know nothing about graphic novels and I'm realizing more and more I need to. Usually, I have to weed through endless arguments that don't seem to matter to me personally or make much sense, but today I stumbled across a gem. Someone posted the article, Drawing Power, by Bob Thompson which features everything I could have wanted to know about graphic novels and more, detailing what they are, what they represent and what they can become. It is lengthy, but definitely worth checking out. Here is a brief list summing up what you can find on each of the five pages:

1. Introductions/expectations
2. Scott McCloud's quotation on what makes a graphic novel
3. Mouly Spiegelman and the early days of graphic novels
4. Discussion of up-and-coming ToonBooks
5. A whole bunch of other gloriousness I won't summarize because I'm evil and making you check it out if you're interested!
   

One of my favorite quotes comes from Scott McCloud, on page two of the article:

"What they are is a publishing shorthand that says: big fat comic with a spine -- and people get that." --Scott McCloud on the term graphic novel

Five pages of an online article may be a bit much for your time budget, so you can check out the highlights in comic form. Some of the text is a verbatim quote from the article. You can access three out of the four strips without registration, but it requires registration to view the first for some unknown and probably idiotic reason. However, if you can, I highly recommend reading both, the prose and comic versions of this article as they are equally enjoyable!

• Strip One: The Medium is Booming
  
• Strip Two: Raw Beginnings
  
• Strip Three: Gaining Steam
  
• Strip Four: Picture the Possibilites

Meiosis

It's Wednesday and if you look at the previous post, you'll see that it's not a Pottertastic Tuesday entry. Gasp! I don't want to go ahead and blame my new job, but apparently I need a little bit of adjustment time. I'm so effin tired right now. I am sorry to have let you down, but there will be two next week. I promise.

Second bit of news: I've decided to create a new blog. It will be out and about on the town in a few days (once) this paper of mine is finished and I can quasi-relax. I noticed that there are two distinct topics going on here: children's literature/librarianship and words/writing. As a result, the latter is finding a new home and this blog will get back on course. Goodbye Sporadic Word of the Day, we're going to miss you. Or something. Also, any quotations not related to children's literature and librarianship will be moved as well. That is all.

Marry me?

Read Roger discovered a gem. There are two men embarking on a Typo Hunt Across America tour as you read this. If only more people had the courage to step up and perform the same job as these noble soldiers of the English language.

A letter to an unknown patron

Dear previous borrower of HCL's hardcover Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code,

THANK YOU! Normally I would not condone writing in a library book, but your little blue edits are phenomenal. Often I find myself wondering why the publishing industry is so competitive if they have such crappy copy editors letting stray letters slip through the cracks. But you, blue penned patron, have made this book quite enjoyable. I am only a third of the way through the book, but I look forward to the little gifts you left for me and future readers.

Kristi(e)

And the dictionary's dead depressing...

What's that you say? Kristi(e) came down with a case of dictionary depression? How can that be?

I'll tell you how. The Oxford English Dictionary, the very same book that cataloged the history of our enriching and ever-changing language, has failed me. I don't know if the sky is up or just an elaborate ruse devised by clever monkeys and vengeful birds. I couldn't tell you if Syd Barrett really was crazy, or just an elaborate story created by musicians with too much time on their hands. And you know what else I couldn't tell you? The meaning of the word embololalia after consulting the OED. That's right, not even the online version that fetches Rutgers a pretty penny. How can this be? The free version of Merriam-Webster was able to define it, so why not the esteemed Oxford English Dictionary? My world is crumbling in front of my very eyes. A better question, perhaps, is why can the OED define McJob, yet fails to enrich the lives of word enthusiasts all over with a genuinely delightful word?

Without further anticipation, I present to you, embololalia:

Pronunciation: ,em-bə-lō-'lā-lē-ə, -'lal-ē-
Function: noun
: the interpolation of meaningless sounds or words into speech

Acritochromacy

Reasons I love Wordsmith's Word-A-Day:

Well, this week we're seeing all things 14. We'll feature words that are 14 letters long, and define each of them in 14 letters.

acritochromacy (uh-KRIT-o-kro-muh-see) noun

Color blindness.

BOGUS!

I missed National Grammar Day!!!! I'm going to diagram two sentences today, just to make up for it! Blast! Fortunately I read the site and found SPOGG: The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar blog. Just what my blogroll was missing.

Thanks to Finding Wonderland for letting me know about it, even though I missed it. Sigh...

Words! Words! Wordfabulous words!

So, this week's theme for my Wordsmith's: A Word A Day is lesser known components of common words and I am totally digging it. This whole shebang makes me think of one of my FAVORITE words, whelm. Which, whelm is of course an uncommon way to say the common word overwhelm. There really is no difference aside from the noun whelm, which is a wooden drain-pipe, according to the Oxford English Dictionary online.

I figured you would be as enthralled as I am and get into all kinds of fights with me if you discovered that I was withholding the goods. Since these definitions are free and I have homework clawing at the back of my mind, I'm just gonna give the links. Deal.

Prepone

Nocebo

Dystopia

Inhume

Prequel--even though I'm sure George Lucas did his part for this word becoming more popular

You better believe I'll edit this later in the week to complete the week.

Grammar + Writing = <3

Thank you, Caroline of the Longstockings, for sharing your recent tribulations with the comma and various other grammar ticks your copyeditor found. I loves me some grammar news.

Zeugma

Who gives a fuck about the Oxford Comma?

A whole bus of grammarians definitely care about this grammatical separator. Journalists, select writers, and apparently this librarian also fancy this tiny little squiggle. I spend my free time reading blogs like the Lexicographer's Rules, reading the Oxford English Dictionary for fun, and reading about grammar in the Facebook group, "Good Grammar is Hot." I'm beginning to question my choice of graduate programs. Perhaps I would have been better served getting a degree in linguistics. Oh well.

The Sporadic Word of today comes to us from an article that was mentioned on the aforementioned Lexicographer's Rules all about Vampire Weekend and their musically driven debate about the Oxford Comma. I highly recommend the article, because it is exquisitely hilarious. This is my favorite quote, by far:

Peter Devine, Vanity Fair’s copy chief, also cops to giving a “modest-size fuck about the Oxford comma. There are times when it adds a bit of clarity.”

A modest-sized fuck (chuckles). Oh silly grammarians, how I love thee. But I didn't bring all of this up to talk about the Oxford Comma. Nope, I wanted to talk about zeugma (hence the title). I saw this in the article and ::gasp:: discovered an aspect of grammar I was unfamiliar with. Clearly I needed to get the librarian out of hiding and search for this interesting word. Normally the OED would serve me well for a purpose like this, but grammar isn't something I play around with (unless, you know, I'm writing poetry). So instead I traveled to Wikipedia and was delighted to have a vast array of distinct things to learn! To avoid making this post longer than I've already made it, I'd suggest checking out the Wikipedia entry if you are interested. Oh come on, I know you are!

Introducing: Sporadic Word of the Day!

To perpetuate my love affair with the Oxford English Dictionary I have decided to have a sporadic word of the day feature. Translation: Whenever I find an interesting word, I will define it. Some days will be a vast plain filled with nothing but tumbleweeds and a lack of good words.

On with the show, McGillicuddy!

tiswas slang::
a state of nervous agitation or confusion; occas. a state of physical disorder or chaos.

Source: Horribly Expensive Online Version of the OED
Word originally seen at: Tales from Homeward