When Dogs Could Talk: Among Words in a State of Grace, by N. Scott Momaday Essay [email protected] Mon, 01/29/2024 - 21:29 Illustration by Marla Johnson“When Dogs Could Talk“ appeared in WLT’s landmark 2007 issue devoted to endangered languages, guest-edited by Sydneyann Binion and David Shook, who were linguistics majors at the University of Oklahoma at the time. We reprint it here in Dr. Momaday’s memory. My friend, the late Vine Deloria Jr., once chided me for remarking too often a time when dogs could talk. I had to admit that he was probably right. I had discovered that Kiowa elders used this formula to indicate something that had happened far back in time. This or that happened a long time ago when dogs could talk. It seems to me a charming and appropriate expression. It is the kind of thing that reveals more and more of itself in the fullness of time. That, by the way, is a mystery which distinguishes the oral tradition, and it is a foundation of language itself. Language seems always to exceed itself, and certainly it exceeds our grasp of it. We know that a certain province of experience is ineffable, that there are limits to what language can express. But the fact is, we have no inkling of what those limits might be. Lewis Thomas has told us that we are at the beginning of language. I suspect that to be true. One evening some years ago, when my eldest daughter was two or three years old, she came to me and asked,... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2024-01-30 03:29:38 UTC ]
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When Edward Grinnan was hired in 1986 as an editor at Christian inspirational magazine and publisher 'Guideposts,' he was reluctant to write devotionals—highly personal 350-word stories that offer "glimpses of God in everyday life. Why he now says he can't imagine stopping. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The pros are here to remind us that racism persists in publishing. Plus: an adaptation from a queer icon and an MCU-style romance enterprise. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-08-15 15:15:00 UTC ]
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Before the great cartoonist released his classic series, Bone, he created its characters as part of Thorn, his “precocious college comic strip” penned for the Ohio State University paper. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A Dallas preacher sees the wreckage of chaos—the dragons of anxiety, deceit, selfishness and worse—in scripture and the promise of a savior. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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What do you think about these YA paperback cover redesigns? That, plus this week's YA book news. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-08-08 15:15:00 UTC ]
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State officials are funneling hundreds of millions to community health providers as the state begins its long-awaited Medicaid experiment, which will use the public health dollars in ways they haven’t been used before.Nine regional organizations, including three in the city, are set to receive... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2024-08-08 09:33:04 UTC ]
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The press will reportedly close at the end of the year after university officials decided to eliminate its $300,000 annual funding. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The prominent Arabic-language translator and current head of the American Literary Translators Association will succeed Karen M. Phillips as head of the literary arts organization and English-language magazine of translated literature on September 1. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Discussion about what books children should access has diminished on the national stage. But most rules pertaining to schools and libraries are made at the state and local level. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-07-29 09:01:03 UTC ]
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Whodunit? That's the question at the heart of these compelling and engaging 2024 YA mysteries. That, plus this week's YA book news. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-07-25 15:00:00 UTC ]
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Miéville and Reeves reflect on two writers whose influence can be felt in the duo's new collaboration, 'The Book of Elsewhere.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Too hot outside? Stay cool with these YA adaptations you can stream right now on Prime, Hulu, Disney Plus, and Netflix. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-07-18 15:30:00 UTC ]
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With the November elections drawing near, PW talks with the director of The Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union, who describes himself as a political scientist, a theologian, and a public intellectual about his latest book 'A Consistent Ethic of Life: Navigating Catholic Engagement... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A roundtable of Book Review editors discuss what surprised them, what delighted them, what will send them back to their own shelves. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-07-12 19:21:49 UTC ]
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Painter Julie Heffernan’s lush, surrealism-infused graphic memoir debut, Babe in the Woods: The Art of Getting Lost (Algonquin, Sept.), follows her winding path through fear and memory after taking the wrong turn on a hike with her infant son. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The British author brings her acclaimed middle grade fantasy series-starter, ‘Impossible Creatures,’ across the pond this fall. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Bullwinkel’s debut novel sheds light on the culture of youth women’s boxing through an ensemble cast of complicated characters. It packs a punch. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-06-28 20:00:57 UTC ]
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Two writers discuss the literary forebears who directly inspired their latest novels. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The author of 'Heavyweight,' which draws lines between the German genocide of the Herero and Nama peoples in South Africa and the Holocaust, hopes that memory and narrative can create a more inclusive culture—one with ample humor and creativity. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pentatonix singer and his husband say "How Lucky Am I?" parallels their own experiences as a married couple, including their dream of starting a family. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2024-06-20 16:24:07 UTC ]
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