The Writing Life
Monday, February 28th, 2011 Posted in Greatest Hits, the writing process | 6 Comments »This is the 600th blog post at jamespreller.com. Will anyone read this? Google Analytics informs me that about 250 "visitors" will swing by today. Whoever they are, taking whatever they want. Close friends, curious guests, lost surfers riding the wave. I'm ...
Getting Boys to Read: Two Authors Chat About It (part 2)
Sunday, December 5th, 2010 Posted in Around the Web, Greatest Hits, The Gender Gap in Reading | 1 Comment »A while back, author Kurtis Scaletta and I shared on this blog an online chat we had on the wide-ranging topic of "the reading gender gap." Specifically, we discussed an Associated Press article, written by Leanne Italie: “How to get boys ...
Patti Smith Commencement Speech: Direct from the Heart
Thursday, June 10th, 2010 Posted in Current Events, Greatest Hits, Interviews & Appreciations | No Comments »I am a huge Patti Smith admirer, for many years now, but especially now after reading her fascinating memoir, Just Kids. A fabulous, uplifting book that could have been subtitled: "Portrait of an Artist as a Young Woman." I'd love ...
Books for Boys: A Tribute to “William’s Doll”
Monday, May 17th, 2010 Posted in Greatest Hits, Interviews & Appreciations, The Gender Gap in Reading | 1 Comment »"William wanted a doll." And so begins Charlotte Zolotow's classic picture book, William's Doll, illustrated by William Pene Du Bois. Published 38 years ago, and dedicated to Billy and Nancy, it is still relevant today -- and very possibly moreso. This title ...
Entenmann’s & Dad: Part 1, from memory to realistic fiction
Monday, April 26th, 2010 Posted in Family, Greatest Hits, the writing process | 4 Comments »Though sudden, it didn't feel traumatic when my father died a few years back. He was in his 80's and, well, it seemed about right. He went the way he wanted to go, puttering around in the yard. Then gone. ...
51 Great Bob Dylan Covers: A Chronological Guide
Friday, February 26th, 2010 Posted in Greatest Hits, Music | 10 Comments »I'm a sucker for cover tunes. I'm always curious to hear a fresh new take on a song, almost any song. It's like a conversation between two artists, a nod, a wink, a genuflection. Sometimes it's pure fun; other times, ...
Dear Teacher: An Author’s Take on School Visits
Monday, February 15th, 2010 Posted in Greatest Hits, In the Classroom, School Visits | 5 Comments »I have been enjoying school visits for the past 15 years. I've played a role in great successes and I've had visits that have felt flat and, for me at least, unrealized. Same guy. What was the difference? Which is another way ...
Overheard: Endlessly
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 Posted in Family, Greatest Hits | 4 Comments »It was one of those mornings when I clung to my cup of coffee, newspaper on my lap, and waited for consciousness to take hold. (Like that kitty above, but not as cute.) So, naturally, Gavin and Maggie were especially chatty. Maggie announced: ...
The Charles Chips Man
Sunday, November 15th, 2009 Posted in Family, Greatest Hits | 37 Comments »Does anybody remember Charles Chips? I do, or just did, recently, after not remembering it for years and years. Suddenly, once again, there it was: a specific object of memory newly recovered, pressing up against my skull. That big 16-ounce drum ...
And So It Goes: Rereading Vonnegut, and a quote on semicolons
Monday, November 2nd, 2009 Posted in Family, Greatest Hits, Interviews & Appreciations, Readings | No Comments »Listen: I've been on a little Vonnegut kick lately, and it's been a happy time. I just reread Breakfast of Champions, and I'm halfway into Cat's Cradle, after tearing through this one, published posthumously: While I've got you -- as my father ...