An Interview with Award-Winning Author Jayne Anne Phillips

After participating in an inspiring writing workshop with Jayne Anne Phillip as part of The 15th International Conference on the Short Story in English in Lisbon this past June, Jayne Anne kindly agreed to answer a few questions for the ASB. The resulting email interview gives our readers a glimpse into the many roles that Jayne Anne plays and her take on creative writing in a post-literate society.

Sabrina: Please use three adjectives to describe yourself.

Jayne Anne: Three words: these might change day to day, but today I’d say: Determined. Questioning. Hyper-sensory aware.

6 March 2019Teaching ToolsSebastian Reimann

Improving Robert Frost’s poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

By Maria Moss

f course the title is facetious: I certainly don’t want to – even if I could, which I can’t – improve one of the best and most anthologized poems in the English language written by one of the greatest lyrical voices of all times. What I ‘do’ want to do, however, is write about a teaching tool that initially sends shivers up every student’s back: continuing a poem, using the same rhyme scheme and meter. Once they’ve mastered the task, however, they’re quite proud of themselves – and rightfully so.
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28 February 2019Creativity CornerSebastian Reimann

Thoughts of a Digital Alternative

By Maria Moss

Since tomorrow is the National Day of Unplugging, we thought it only made sense to relaunch the “Thoughts of a Digital Alternative.” Here’s our advice: Use your phone today and “tell a friend.” If you still need assistance, download the unplugging kit: www.nationaldayofunplugging.com.

Believe it or not, I’ve never owned a cell phone. This sentence coming from a toddler might not be that astounding, but coming from a middle-aged woman who tremendously enjoys the company of friends, colleagues, and students, is rather surprising. Why wouldn’t anyone – with the exception of hermits and strict techno refuseniks – want to enjoy being and staying in touch all the time. Well, maybe it is exactly the “all the time” that I find disturbing. Of course, people tell me that you could just turn your phone off, that you don’t need to be online continuously, that it’s o.k. to be unavailable at times. And apparently, I’m not alone.
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20 February 2019Access AmericaSebastian Reimann

Beyoncé and Jay-Z at the Louvre: A Timely Reminder of Art Museums’ Racist Past

By Wiebke Kartheus

Beyoncé and Jay-Z posing in front of the Mona Lisa

The Louvre is the most famous and most visited museum in the world. Arguably, it is also the most prestigious one. So what does it mean when two of the biggest cultural icons of the 21^st century shoot a music video there? What does it mean when Beyoncé and Jay-Z, under the name “The Carters,” present themselves in the Louvre in their “Apesh*t” video released in June 2018?

13 February 2019Access AmericaSebastian Reimann

“My only sin is in my skin. What did I do to be so black and blue?”

By Orla Heatley

The dizzying drum beats, bright, floating tones of a trumpet or sax; the thumping undercurrent of rhythmic bass; the lively bouncing piano – all energized by the improvisatory buzz. This was the sound of one of the United States’ most crucial Cold War weapons:

30 January 2019Best Books & Fabulous FilmsSebastian Reimann

Adventure Time – Not Just for Children

By Kai-Arne Zimny

It was long after midnight. I was sitting in a fancy bar, killing time while waiting for my train home. I’d been at Comic Con in Berlin that weekend and had a freebie with me, its package prominently featuring the image of a clumsily drawn cartoon character with a yellow dog. I considered keeping it in my bag, given that this was something you’d expect to see in the hands of a preschooler, certainly not in this setting dominated by high heels, suave suits, and classy cocktails. However, upon sitting down, I proudly put the cartoon on the counter. Instead of taking my order, the barkeeper set his gleaming eyes on the boy and his dog, smiled from ear to ear, and said only two words: Adventure Time.

What followed was a free whiskey for me and a passionate discussion about a cartoon show featuring a twelve-year old boy named Finn and his magical dog, Jake, who live in a candy kingdom. You might say this sounds like a story made for little kids. Actually, it sounds like a story made ‘by’ little kids. But the very adult barkeeper told me in absolute earnestness that Adventure Time’s (2010 – 2018) final season’s finale, which he’d just seen and which had its premiere in Germany on that very day, had moved him to tears. Now why is that?