Are you ready to switch off your screens and ponder or discuss another writing/conversation prompt from my friend Tyrean Martinson’s book? Here’s my take on it. Scorpions belong to the kind of creatures I’d rather encounter with a thick wall of glass in between the two of us. That’s actually the only kind of meeting […]
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Across the Fence: Sauerkraut
One German food item has made it into each and every American supermarket, and it has kept its German name as well as its German spelling: Sauerkraut. Although Germans pronounce it with a “z”, and their “r” sounds different as well. As a matter of fact, though, it’s very questionable whether Sauerkraut originated in Germany […]
Let’s Talk! – Corn Fields in All Directions
Are you ready to switch off your screens and ponder or discuss another writing/conversation prompt from my friend Tyrean Martinson’s book? Here’s my take on it. I grew up in a Southwestern German city-suburb with a decidedly rural vibe. The village of barely 6,000 inhabitants was surrounded by agricultural land. One of my classmates in […]
Across the Fence: Katzenjammer
It’s quite astonishing what kind of Germanisms have made it into the English language – and what change of meaning they sometimes undergo in the process. Today’s term I want to dissect is Katzenjammer (pronounce: ‘cut-sen-yum-muh, i.e. cats wailing or cat lament). Now, if you have some awful sounds in mind, that pretty much nails […]
Let’s Talk! – Closing a Door
Are you ready to switch off your screens and ponder or discuss another writing/conversation prompt from my friend Tyrean Martinson’s book? Here’s my take on it. We are standing on the threshold of another new year. Looking back at 2024, it was a turbulent year in so many ways out there in the world. Maybe […]
Across the Fence: Verstehen
Today, I have chosen a Germanism in the English Language that touches on psychology as well as sociology. It is called Verstehen (pronounce: fair-shtay-enn, meaning understanding). Very obviously, it goes beyond the mere hearing of what somebody else is saying. It is not a physical event but a motivated psychological one. Now, what does that […]
Let’s Talk! – It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Are you ready to switch off your screens and ponder or discuss another writing/conversation prompt from my friend Tyrean Martinson’s book? Here’s my take on it. Can you hear this waltz faintly playing at the background of whatever you are currently thinking? Because it is such an earworm? It’s the most wonderful time of the […]
Across the Fence: Heiligenschein
Do you remember when you were drawing pictures as a kid? Maybe you drew nativity scenes around Christmas, too? I had no idea that Mary was always drawn with a blue coat in the canon of art history. Of course, Joseph had a beard. And though both parents were dark-haired, my Jesus, although a new-born, […]
In the Book Nook with … Jay Larkin
Author Jay Larkin from a suburb of London, England, is currently retired, but worked as a chemical engineer, later became a guidance counsellor in a college, and ended up as an art facilitator for young people with behavioral problems. She has been writing for about ten years. Her first book – under a pen name, […]