I hate Amazon’s review system. I consider it a trash fire sitting on top of another garbage fire lit by trolls and paid reviews. The reasons are numerous. I dislike the 5-star system. It’s too simplistic and doesn’t offer the user an option to rate the Amazon delivery experience separately from the product experience. Thus, … Continue reading Why I finally gave in to the dark side and started posting book reviews on Amazon
Author: Jean Spraker
Hungry Live at the First Person Arts Festival
I love the Skyline Room at the Free Library of Philadelphia. The gold elevators you must take to get there and the spectacular view of Center City from the balcony are the hidden gems of the library. I have enjoyed every event I have attended in that space. From a One Book, One Philadelphia poetry … Continue reading Hungry Live at the First Person Arts Festival
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Light and language: A writer’s journey into art
In our post-literate world, who will have the last word?
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Of steps and story slams: Rebirths, Returns, and Comebacks Story Slam at Wolf Humanities Center
I had just signed the lease on my apartment. I was an adult now. Naturally, I did what every reasonable adult would do. I climbed the Rocky steps, sat on the topmost stair, and cried. That August afternoon was hot. People on the steps would have mistaken my tears for sweat. Fortunately, my emotions evaporated … Continue reading Of steps and story slams: Rebirths, Returns, and Comebacks Story Slam at Wolf Humanities Center
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Penn teach-in asks: What’s a university for?
Last night, the University of Pennsylvania did something it hasn’t done in 50 years, something radical. A teach-in.
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Overcogitation and the wrinkle of appropriation
I was in a literary fiction hellscape populated with unfocused ideas and disconnected connections. Saying too much and nothing at all. How the hell did I get here? Overcogitation, of course, dear reader. And appropriation. Wait. What? I hear you, dear reader. You thought this post was going to meander down the well-worn navel-gazing tunnels of writerly insecurity and doubt. Oh no. I’m sorry, dear reader. You’ve come to the wrong blog for that. This post is about culture and its appropriation.
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Braving my wilderness: How I learned to stop hating the first person and my résumé
The essence of Brené Brown’s new book Braving the Wilderness lies in these words from an 8th grader: “If I get to be me, I belong. If I have to be like you, I fit in.” Where do I belong? I have struggled with this question many times while living overseas. Belonging will become the … Continue reading Braving my wilderness: How I learned to stop hating the first person and my résumé
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Reading Rupi: Translating English across cultures
Reading Indian writing in English represents an act of translation every time I read. Yes, even when the book is written in English, every book represents a journey through and across culture. It might seem strange to hear a native English speaker say that I read English in translation, but I do. Given the idiomatic … Continue reading Reading Rupi: Translating English across cultures
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Shreya’s dream
The journey from Sikkim in the far north to Karnataka in the south isn’t just long; it’s arduous, entailing multiple long-haul trains. Such a journey would be difficult for a girl so young. I knew that. What I didn’t know is how to ask what I could not ask without asking.
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Branding Bhagat: 5 points about Brand CB and 1 Indian Girl
Update: Since I published this blog in 2017, I have had the opportunity to read Ms. Bajpai's book. The stories bear no resemblance to each other. At all. Her story draws significantly on Bhagat's college romance formula. This accusation was a cheap publicity stunt. When the news broke that Chetan Bhagat was being sued for … Continue reading Branding Bhagat: 5 points about Brand CB and 1 Indian Girl
Jean Burke-Spraker 