For the first time, I came across the German term “Leitmotiv” (spelled with a “v”, pronounced ‘light-mo-teef, meaning leading theme) in music when I was in fifth grade, my very first year in grammar school. We had a music teacher who was simply amazing when it came to explaining the difference between rhythm and meter […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: Edelweiss
Think of one of the flowers you associate with German-speaking countries – and you might come up with Edelweiss. In German it is spelled with an “ß“, Edelweiß, but pronounced the same as in English; the name means simply “noble white”. There are other Germanic nicknames, and different languages call it different names – but […]
In the Book Nook with … Linda Jordan
Author Linda Jordan lives in Tulalip, Washington, and writes for a living. She started writing in her late 20s and had her first novel published in 2011. Linda belongs to the Writers Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest. “Most other groups I avoid because I’m introverting.” When Linda isn’t writing, she likes gardening and what she […]
Across the Fence: Nix
It seems that, in order to stress an expression, we often use foreign terms for emphasis. Think of a word like voilà, which sounds so much more sophisticated than a mere “here you are” or, even worse, a triumphant “ta-dah!” The German term “nix” – same pronunciation as in English – is an even more […]
In the Book Nook with … Denise Frisino
Author Denise Frisino has been spending most of her life in and around her native Seattle area. For over six decades she has been working as an actress, writer, director, producer, and teacher. Her first novel, “Whiskey Cove”, a murder mystery set during Prohibition in Washington’s San Juan Islands, was published in 2012; the story […]
Across the Fence: Fest
Summer – no season lends itself for fests like this. Fest is actually an English Germanism. And the German word Fest (the noun, not the adjective with an entirely different meaning) is actually a borrowed word from Latin festum. How is that?! Well, remember Roman emperor Julius Cesar and all that? He had his military […]
In the Book Nook with … Kit and Drew Coons
Authors Kit and Drew Coons retired from careers as humorous speakers on strengthening and maintaining relationships. Since2020, they have been living in Port Orchard, Washington. The Coonses have written non-fiction for decades, have been published in twelve periodicals, and had a million readers in 2021. They completed their first novel, “Challenge for Two,” in 2018 […]
Across the Fence: Neanderthal
The most curious coincidences create lasting impressions and terminology. In 1856, in a German valley between the towns of Erkrath and Mettmann, Italian lime miners excavated bones that looked as if belonging to a human skeleton. The valley’s name was Neandertal – back then written as Neanderthal –, pronounced nay-‘under-tul, which means valley of Neander. […]
Lakewood Author Susanne Bacon publishes Short Fiction Book
“I only needed to make it credible enough. I had no clue I’d become one of the most notorious, mysterious criminals in American history.Being a nobody made it so easy.Being a nobody made it happen.” This is the beginning of my very first short story in the book I recently published under the title “A […]