Today, one of my savvy colleagues told me about the Paris Literary Prize, a novella contest run by the renowned Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company (”Shakespeare and Company” is actually French for “the place where dreams are born,” in case you didn’t know). First prize is ten thousand British pounds, a weekend trip to Paris, and a chance to give a reading at the bookstore.
I hesitated when I saw the hefty entry fee–fifty pounds–but nevertheless, I’m tempted. Paris, books, a reading, fifteen minutes of literary fame, a concrete reason to start (and finish) a new project, and a cash prize? The remotest possibility of any of it coming true is enough to send me typing furiously on my laptop.
This is a funny post from the blog Hyperbole and a Half. If, when writing, you mean many, spell it a lot. If you spell it alot… well… you clearly are referring to something else. Hilarious.
The new school year is officially one week old, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one. I love the first few days of school: meeting new kids, seeing students from previous years, talking shop with colleagues. I love the chance to start fresh.
Nothing symbolizes this attitude more than the state of my office desk. At the end of the 2009-2010 school year, it looked like this:
Papers, folders, coffee, books… the insanity that is the end of a school year. Now, my desk looks like this:
A new school year means new potential and infinite possibilities. Happy New Year!
