CilaWarncke

Welcome to ‘Between the Lines’ – interviews with teachers, writers and writing teachers on aspects of their craft. This week, a conversation with lauded paranormal and contemporary romance writer Rosanna Leo that explores the intricacies of world building. All images courtesy Rosanna Leo In magical realms It is Sunday afternoon. Outside Rosanna Leo’s home (not far from Toronto, Ontario) the…

The upcoming release of Lee, Kate Winslet’s film about photographer Lee Miller, got me thinking about how much has changed for women in the past century. And how little. Lee Miller was one of four women photojournalists accredited by the United States armed forces in World War II. Among the many striking images she created, Miller photographed the liberation of Buchenwald and Dachau: indelible…

Grab a pen and paper and hone your word skills through play! Photo by Calum MacAulay on Unsplash Native English speakers only need to learn around 9,000 words to read proficiently (Nation, 2014; Qian & Lin, 2019). This, out of a lexis of over 170,00 words (and growing!) Hence most of us walk, eat and talk on a daily basis rather than shuffle, feast or murmur. We’re creatures of habit. The…

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash Life never ceases to be difficult, to paraphrase Rilke. Amidst its slings and arrows, there is often little to comfort and guide. Without generous writers, there would be almost nothing. Among recent difficulties faced by myself, or someone I love: bereavement, major surgery, significant medical diagnoses, divorce, conflict with parents, conflict with children,…

Photo by Tran Mau Tri Tam ✪ on Unsplash As a professional writer for over 20 years, and a full-time educator for seven, I’ve witnessed the transformative power of writing — and the barriers many students face to accessing this power. Every individual has the right to success. Education should empower young people to pursue their dreams and achieve their goals. Unfortunately, learning is often…

Artificial intelligence promises to augment our collective processing capacity. But on an individual level it is a neurotoxin that promises learners only artificial ignorance. We are all familiar with the fact that unused muscles weaken, then atrophy. If one were to permit a developmentally normal, able-bodied child to rely on mobility scooter for transport they would, over time, develop…

One of the things that has been (is) vital to my success as a writer and educator is the fact that, from a freakishly young age, I’ve read everything. Nutritional information. Ancient magazines in waiting rooms. Bumper stickers. Barbara Tuchman. The Lord of the Rings. Gossip magazines. Feminist blogs. Not-so-feminist blogs. James Baldwin. Germaine Greer. Cormac McCarthy. Joan Didion (again and…

Celebrating an extraordinary band -- and the joy of letting their creativity spark my own.

Writing is integral to my teaching process and practice. When I publish, it is a privilege to share. Pennyblackmusic.co.uk runs a regular feature called Discography Hagiography. In which, as the name suggests, music nerds get to publicly worship bands they love. Imagine my delight when editor John Clarkson gave me the nod to write about Suede on the occasion of the band’s 30th anniversary and…

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash Over the summer, I took two online courses: they were instructive in unexpected ways. Both were premium-priced ($500+), both were heavily marketed, both were on topics I was keen to learn. By the second session of Course 1, I was wandering the house, headphones draped around my neck, miming boredom to my husband. By the second session of Course 2, I…

Things students have said to me: ‘I asked my teacher how long the essay needed to be and he said, “how long is a piece of string?”‘ ‘Wait! You can start a sentence with ‘but’?’ ‘What is the process for answering an essay question?’ These students attend good schools. They are above-average smart and capable. Yet somehow, despite towers of assignments and torrents of instruction, they lack…

Welcome to ‘Between the Lines’ – interviews with teachers, writers and writing teachers on specific aspects of their craft. This interview was split into two posts to do justice to Madenski’s generous sharing of time and wisdom. Part 1 covered her biography and writer’s origin story. Part 2 focuses on craft and teaching. How does one identify the seed of a piece of writing? Surprise. My…

Welcome to ‘Between the Lines’ – interviews with teachers, writers and writing teachers on specific aspects of their craft. This interview will be split into two posts to do justice to Madenski’s generous sharing of time and wisdom. Part 1 covers her biography and writer’s origin story. Part 2 will focus on craft and teaching. Full disclosure: Melissa and I have known of each other since I was a…

‘What’s happening?’ Two weeks ago, I signed the papers to buy my first house. One week ago, Le Sallay called, said they couldn’t afford two literature teachers, and that I was not it. This week, I’m moving my cats to their new home. Let’s just say none of this was foreseen. But it has reminded me to hold fast to what Michael Downs remarked: “The unexpected doesn’t have to be dread inducing.…

Joan Didion said it was a good idea to stay acquainted with the people you used to be, even if you don’t much like them anymore. It’s good advice. In 2016, life was changing so fast my head spun. I met my now-husband in December 2015 and the next year was spent jumping on planes to get to him, culminating in a move from Ibiza to Memphis, Tennessee. Small wonder it was a year of comfort-reading…

Welcome to ‘Between the Lines’ – interviews with teachers, writers and writing teachers on specific aspects of their craft. Photo courtesy Anise Eden. Copyright OC Photography Five years ago, author Anise Eden traded the hectic, emotionally demanding life of a mental health social worker in Baltimore, MD for a slower-paced existence in Mallow, County Cork. “The lifestyle here suits me,” she…

Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash Among the notable words I learned in 2022 was hyperlexia. Burrowing into articles about autism, the term popped up. Hyper = excessive, lexia = related to words. That rung a bell, personally and professionally. Defining hyperlexia In 1997, Aram described hyperlexia as, “the developmental disorder in which children decode words early but have significant…

Welcome to ‘Between the Lines’ – interviews with teachers, writers and writing teachers on specific aspects of their craft. All photos courtesy Michael Downs Light filters into Michael Downs‘ basement office, as if it were underwater. Twin decorative dragonflies, backlit on a windowsill, and a red goose-neck lamp stretched into a honk, heighten the effect of a numinous natural space. It is, he…