What is wrong with the following sentence (other than the obvious heartbreak): “The thing is, is John just doesn’t love me anymore” ? It’s the fake relative pronoun. A relative pronoun, obviously, is a word that begins a relative clause. In the sentence just previous to this one, the word is “that;” essentially, this pronounContinue reading “Relativism”
Author Archives: Katie Botkin
Terse editorial
Editors want writers to blow their socks off lyrically, yes. They also want them to be informative, relevant and concrete. These are two opposing sides to the same coin. The coin may land face-up or face-down, depending on the publication, but most often, the two sides should spin in a silver whir, scarcely distinguishable. InContinue reading “Terse editorial”
What to do with frozen lettuce
I’m back to my culinarily-creative self, which involves not wasting anything. Including a head of lettuce I pulled out of my crippled fridge last night intending to make salad, only to discover it was crunchy with ice. I stared at it until I recalled once making soup out of lettuce. Now, generally something this weirdContinue reading “What to do with frozen lettuce”
Theory of divorce
God hates divorce. I think the question should be asked, though, as to why. If God is not just some arbitrary sprite creating a disorganized maze for us to scramble through to reach the peanut-butter middle of eternal life, then there should be a compelling reason or two. Malachi hints that it has something toContinue reading “Theory of divorce”
Affirmative responses: not always so clear cut
English, though not exactly on the same context level as Chinese, can still present problematic nuances to second-language learners, even advanced ones. Consider the following possible affirmative responses (said in a fairly neutral voice) to the rather nerve-wracking request “Would you like to go out with me on Friday? To see that show? I hearContinue reading “Affirmative responses: not always so clear cut”
Glossy posse
There’s a stack of fashion magazines at my sister’s house, Glamour and Vogue. And, man, the headlines are all the same, blurring together from issue to issue: 3 flat belly secrets, 100 sexy looks you can afford, 50 things your man wishes you knew, 25 ways to wear this season’s clothes. The best jeans forContinue reading “Glossy posse”
Free trade starvation
I am sitting at a coffeeshop, a free-trade coffeeshop, drinking pomegranate green tea and soy milk. My hair, which was nicely bodified by a day of being twisted up and which I have not washed since, testifies to the fact that I belong. So, ironically, does my Mac laptop, the Canon camera at my feet,Continue reading “Free trade starvation”
Europe 2009
The New Socialism
Socialism to the literary skeptic means 1984 (where Ingsoc, shorthand for English Socialism, rules with an iron fist for the Party’s good pleasure), or Harrison Bergeron (where everyone is pulled down to the lowest common denominator so that finally everyone is equal). To the redneck, it means not being able to call any land hisContinue reading “The New Socialism”
Between the Walls
We saw the Class yesterday, though at first I had sort of hesitated, asking myself if I really wanted to relive teaching unmotivated French adolescents from the lower classes. Class, itself, has its own subtleties. It always does. I had my jaw agape the whole way through thinking that this had to be some sortContinue reading “Between the Walls”
Botkin Creative 