Kristen Hall-Geisler

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  • Skills for the Future

    I’m trying a new thing here on this website, and this quote seems like a good test subject. – khg The proliferation of “cheap intelligence” (more code, text, and images than ever before) means that the skills of discernment, evaluation, judgement, thoughtful planning, and reflection are more crucial now than before. —Karen Thornber, professor of…

  • My 2024 Reading Roundup

    I was surprised to learn, thanks to the StoryGraph, that I had read 64 books this year. That’s about 10 more than usual. I figured it was because I spent this year writing my master’s thesis, which required me to read about 60 sources, both books and journal articles. But no! I only entered two…

  • Tools for Reading

    If you’re thinking about becoming a more serious reader, either by putting in more time or by more carefully considering whatever you read, there are a few tools that can help. Luckily, you probably have almost all of these already!

  • Etymology: Jizz (It’s about Birds)

    Of course I looked it up. The Oxford English Dictionary has it as “the characteristic impression given by an animal or plant,” which is basically what she had said. However, the first usage entry is from Bird Haunts & Nature Memories by T. A. Coward published in 1922.

  • It’s Not a Shed in the Back Yard, It’s a Studiolo

    I have a shed in my back yard where I work; it has my desk, a book case, and a sofa where my dog hangs out most of the day. It shall henceforth be known as a studiolo, thanks to Andrew Hui.

  • I Have No Opinion at All about Sally Rooney

    Sally Rooney has a book out this fall, and for a few weeks it was absolutely unavoidable for bookish types. I realized that I have no opinion whatsoever on Rooney’s work, and I may be the only person in the country—maybe in several countries—who is completely neutral on this topic. It reminded me of my…

  • Review: Sinead O’Connor, The Last Interview

    Review: Sinead O’Connor, The Last Interview Melville House, October 29, 2024 After the death of a cultural figure, Melville House will sometimes select interviews that the person did over the course of their career and publish them. This collection of Sinéad O’Connor’s interviews, including an interview she did on The View in 2021 before her…

  • Yet Another Way Running Is Like Writing

    No one likes talking about writing and running like writers who run.

  • Review: A Complicated Passion: The Life and Work of Agnes Varda

    In A Complicated Passion, longtime film critic Carrie Rickey simply follows Varda’s life from cradle to grave. She begins with the artist’s parents and her early life in Sète, where she formed her attachment to the waterfront. “If we opened people up, we’d find landscapes. If we opened me up, we’d find beaches,” Varda said…

  • To Catch and Comfort

    This week, I memorized a poem for maybe the first time in my life. It was a very good decision.