Emily Dickinson

Poems and animals, poetry galore. Read the first and you’ll want more

If Pets Wrote Poems: A Parody Collection by Susan Johnston Taylor and Sandie Sonke

April 15, 2026 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Reading poetry used to be a fun pastime for me. However, recently, I have not been able to find a poet or collection that speaks to me. Things feel overly complicated, too lofty, too trying to be “deep and meaningful” with great subjects, but fall flat in the understanding of what the heck is being talked about. Sometimes I just need Red Fish, Blue Fish, or “Crowded Tub” by Shel Silverstein. Sometimes I like rhymes like that, but other times I just want a nice, […]

Don’t know your ABCs? That’s okay! You can still create a poem

Emily Writes: Emily Dickinson and Her Poetic Beginnings by Jane Yolen

October 30, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

When you read a book that you have wanted to for awhile and it is not what you expected, that can be a bit disappointing. Sometimes it can make it even better than expected. And sometimes it is a combination. Emily Writes: Emily Dickinson and Her Poetic Beginnings is one of those books that was a combination. Jane Yolen is a writer. She knows how to spin a tale and makes Dickinson come to life. However, due to lack of information about Dickinson as a […]

Sudo read this comic if you don’t already

XKCD Volume 0 by Randall Munroe

June 13, 2020 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

Since starting to work from home full time in March, I have gotten a little out of the habit of checking the XKCD web-comic regularly. I’ve forgotten how I first found it; I suspect my brother forwarded me one he thought I’d like and the rest, as they say,… Anyways, I realized that I had XKCD: Volume 0 on my shelf, and I don’t think I’ve ever read it through until very recently. The tagline on the webcomic is “A web-comic of romance, sarcasm, math, […]

If Your Nerdiest English Professor Wrote A Cookbook

MLA Members Cook by Modern Language Association

January 5, 2019 by CoffeeShopReader 1 Comment

There are two ways to think about this: what’s the nerdiest thing you can think of OR what’s the most in-jokey vanity project you can think of? Either way, the answer is MLA Members Cook! This is a cookbook supposedly created by collecting recipes from members of the MLA; yes that MLA, as in the formatting and citation style your English teachers and professors made you use. I said ‘supposedly’ created because based on what this supposed book is presented as, a cookbook by members […]

The Woman Upstairs. You wouldn’t like her when she’s angry.

January 7, 2014 by ElCicco

This novel appeared on several 2013 “best novels” lists and it seems to fit into a genre that’s very popular these days, featuring a narrator whose truthfulness and mental well being are unclear. As I read, I was reminded of novels like The Other Typist and The Dinner, but The Woman Upstairs carves out its own place. The narrator comes across as abrasive yet sympathetic, a flawed human deserving compassion and yet somewhat self-involved, too. This contradiction compelled me to stay with the story and find out […]

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