I attended an all girls’ boarding school — Villa Maria High School, unfortunately now closed — and I lived in the dorm for the first three years. Each year around this time all the girls would start to worry about weight we’d gained over the winter months. The cafeteria specialized in heavy carbs, and there …
Author Archives: Cynthia Closkey
Curiouser and curiouser
Exactly the result I would hope for: My Book Quiz Match is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which is one of my all-time favorite books. You’re Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland! by Lewis Carroll After stumbling down the wrong turn in life, you’ve had your mind opened to a number of strange and curious things. As life …
Impressive
In the current issue, the Economist considers several reasons why Matteo Arpe, the 38-year old head of Capitalia, Italy’s fourth-largest banking group, is having such great success in modernising and reforming the traditionally corrupt Italian banking system. They mention his talent, his mentors, his experience, his flair. Yet they leave unstated one obvious factor: He’s …
My mental state, depicted graphically
Gapingvoid has tapped into my brainwaves somehow. How else to explain this poignant image? It’s amazing what he can do with a pen and a business card.
Think big
Following up on my previous posts on cultural standards in the U.S. and the U.K. and on bucking the established system, I recommend this interesting article that considers the risks inherent in not taking risks. It’s focused on marketing, but I think it applies to more.
Ridiculous Drink of the Week: Surfer on Acid
From Happy Hours: Drink Recipes: SURFER ON ACID Creator: N/A Ingredients: 1 oz. J
All the world’s a stage
Terry Teachout, theater critic for the Wall Street Journal among other roles/publications, discusses the enjoyment he finds in small, non-Broadway theater. Since moving back to the town I grew up in, I’ve gotten involved in our terrific community theater, the Butler Little Theatre. (Shameless plug: My sister Katy Wayne is starring in the next production, …
Expense report issues
From a series of emails debating the reimbursability of certain Christmas Day working meals at NYC firm Skadden, Arps: “In the absence of reimbursement for my meal on December 25th, I would appreciate your office having someone available this upcoming Christmas Day so that when I am stuck here, I will have someone to call …
Agent provocateur
From Teresa Nielsen Hayden, regarding the need for and quality of literary agents: “A bad agent is worse than no agent at all. A really bad agent is worse than not being a writer. Getting past the
Summarizing in three to five pages
Maud Newton continues the discussion of the problems with synopsis-based publishing. Her starting point is Robert McCrum’s article, “The Curse of the Synopsis,” which is both insightful and depressing. Yesterday in my writing group, we worked on the synopsis of one member’s nonfiction book. This member (J) has read at least a half-dozen books on …