Early on in the semester for my Introductory writing class, I like to bring in motivational and inspirational quotes from other disciplines. I’m looking for examples of strong writing that also offer an opportunity to segue into discussing the work of writing. For example, when… Read More
All posts by “Chris Csont”
When the best words aren’t the right words
Dena and I have been having a lot of conversations with our daughter about Thankfulness because of the napkins on our kitchen table. Every napkin has a discussion prompt for people at the table, and this one is Sprout’s favorite: It’s her favorite because of… Read More
Current Mental Conditions vs. The Mental Forecast
It was a Saturday morning, and my daughter had been awake for forty-five minutes. By that point she had already peppered me with questions about what family birthdays are in which month, fourteen pieces of Star Wars minutiae, and three requests to look at her… Read More
How am I not myself?
Ever since I started using streaming music services, I’ve wondered about how much of my listening choices have been shaped by the service. Am I really listening to what I want to, or have I been going with the algorithm’s flow, listening to minor variations… Read More
Other uses for seeds that don’t sprout
This morning, I watched a squirrel eating helicopter seeds off the ground. Look, when your mind latches on to an analogy, and the world around you seems to be prompting you, just run with it. The tree made the seeds to try and grow more… Read More
On continuing to try
Out for a run this morning, I watched a helicopter seed spiral out of a tree and land on the concrete. Nothing will come of that seed. It has nowhere left to go. But the tree has hundreds more seeds to drop, just waiting for… Read More
The One Where I Write About Depression
At the beginning of this year, my four-year-old daughter was interrogating me at the breakfast table. Sprout: What did you want to be when you were a kid? Me: When I was about your age, I wanted to be a paleontologist and dig up dinosaur… Read More
