Tag Archives: william shakespeare

The Urchin Travel Wish List

‘Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark’ Don’t mind if I do! As long as you don’t go by Shakespeare’s depiction of Denmark, the Scandinavian country is supposed to be … Continue reading

Posted in Collaborative, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mr. Marineau, I Regret to Inform You That You Didn’t Ruin My Life, or: If I Taught High School English

By Geo Ong I used to hate reading. In high school, I had a string of English teachers that did quite a job of having their students hate reading forever. My 10th grade Language Arts teacher Mr. Marineau was the … Continue reading

Posted in Geo, Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

High Noon Urchins

Have you reckoned a thousand acres much? Have you reckoned the earth much? Have you practiced so long to learn to read? Have you felt so proud to get at the meaning of poems? —from Leaves of Grass by Walt … Continue reading

Posted in Collaborative, Examples in Urchinism, High Noon Urchins, Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Learning by the Book: Why Picture Books Are Important (Despite What They May Say)

By Geo Ong The New York Times recently published an article titled ‘Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children’, where the article’s author Julie Bosman explores the recent decline in popularity of children’s picture books. Though there may be … Continue reading

Posted in Geo, Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Adventures in Bookselling

By Geo Ong As a bookseller for an independent bookshoppe, I work a lot of book events: author signings, book release parties, things like that. Some of these are fun. I’ve meet a lot of authors, and most of them … Continue reading

Posted in Art & Money, Geo, Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Play on My Words: Theatre-Going and Its Effects on an Urchin

By Geo Ong Ah, the thee-ay-tah! A few months back, I watched a production of Love’s Labour’s Lost by William Shakespeare (heard of him?) at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. I was actually there as a bookseller – Diesel had some … Continue reading

Posted in Examples in Urchinism, Geo, Literature, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

You Know You’re an Urchin When…

…you make up words knowing one day they’ll be added to the dictionary. Just like Shakespeare. …your idea of a great Hallowe’en costume is one that involves a lengthy explanation. …a party ain’t a party unless it’s themed. …you recycle recycled … Continue reading

Posted in Collaborative, Examples in Urchinism, You Know You're an Urchin When... | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Urchin Survival Guide, Part One

By Margaret Hedderman An urchin is a complex creature of the phylum book-annelida. Upon initial observation, an urchin may appear ill adapted to their environment: elitist, highbrowed, snobbish, eggheaded, sentimental, fluffy, or even… ‘smart.’  Gasp! Regardless of whether the above are … Continue reading

Posted in Examples in Urchinism, Margaret | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment