• "There is no way of writing well and also of writing easily."
  -- Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers
  

  "When I am king, they shall not have bread and shelter only, but also teachings out of books; for a full belly is little worth where the mind is starved . . . "
  -- Mark Twain, The Prince and the Pauper
  

  "You must fear the monkey!"
  -- Bucky Katt, Get Fuzzy
  

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  american literature aroostook county batman cats christopher moore essay fiction george haiku movies newswriting poetry shakespeare short story Writing

Three chipmunks and a mouse walk into a dryer vent.

It sounds like a joke, right? Like a Henny Youngman or Rodney Dangerfield politically incorrect tale that will make you laugh, but also cringe. This story is definitely cringe-worthy. Read more

I have to admit, despite the positive buzz surrounding Tropic Thunder, I didn’t have high expectations. Read more

Rattle, rattle.

Frank twitched.

Rattle, rattle. Click.

He cracked an eyelid and noted with great annoyance that the sun had moved. That would explain the rattling at the door, however. Betsy was home from work. His roommate bustled into the compact, four-room apartment, far too cheerful for someone who had spent the day chained to a cubicle desk (as she was so fond of whining). Read more

It’s been out for more than a month, I know, but — wow. Still, the first word that comes to mind is — wow. Read more

I like to read books. I like to watch movies (and some TV, but there’s little on these days that garners my loyal following). Here’s where I’ll tell you what I think of what I read and watch.

By Kristine A. Harger

Special to The Star-Herald

PRESQUE ISLE - The SAD 1 board of directors approved bids for fuel and refuse collection at its Aug. 6 meeting.

Only one bid for each type of fuel was received. Read more

by Kristine A. Harger
Special to The Star-Herald

PRESQUE ISLE - The SAD 1 and SAD 32 boards of directors have approved submission of a reorganization plan to the state commissioner of education, but that doesn’t mean the boards approve of the plan.

“This is not a good law, (but) … we have responded as we have to respond,” said Charlie Anderson, SAD 1 business manager. Read more

What makes an Aroostook County festival? That is, what do you “need”?

My friend Ben and I discussed this in jest one summer, at the end of what we semi-lovingly called “festival season.” Read more

Two days from the end of the Fall 2007 semester, I tried something new in my junior/senior English class. I had been teaching Macbeth, trying to get my college-bound students to grasp the universal themes in the play. We’d been trudging along and they - and I - needed a break. It was Friday, and I needed to conduct an exam review on Monday. What could I do this day that was still academic? Read more

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• Links

  • Central Connecticut State University
  • Dictionary.com
  • Dubbah Design
  • Get Fuzzy
  • National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
  • National Writing Project
  • New Britain Herald
  • New Britain High School
  • New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
  • Pearls Before Swine
  • Spark Notes
  • The Hartford Courant
  • Web English Teacher

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