Month: April 2011

Q: If one comes across a vulgar word in a poem, it makes a powerful statement. In hip-hop, vulgarity is used so frequently that it essentially loses its “punch” and can do little but fill space. Would you say that vulgarity helps or hinders the message of hip-hop songs? Certainly…

The University of Connecticut has hosted many writers-in-residence and visiting professors over the years, and the rewards are always great for students within and outside of the English major. These writers enrich the experience of students and give a good example of what a career in writing might look like….

Ellen Litman, author of The Last Chicken in America, shares how she began writing and the creative process behind her first fiction. You’re reading a chapter from 1984 and suddenly a brilliant idea pops into your head. Should you write it down? So you make your way over to the…

LRR:  At what age did you start writing? Why? Three or four years old, preschool age. There was a marathon on TV with alternating episodes of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, and the theme was a contest or debate deciding which was best. Apparently this was so inspirational I…

Shoulder to shoulder with my comrades, I stare down the entity that could very well be the cause of my death. A flood of enemies rushes towards us and I grip my weapon in anticipation for the inevitable slaughter, whether it be us or them. The only question left now…