That, you have to pay for.
But seriously, you know I’m not a big product pusher on this site – but this one, I couldn’t resist because:
- It’s a NOOK, for Pete’s sake, and therefore, worthy of a giveaway.
- I get one too.
- I love you people and I’m happy to get you free stuff.
- It’s a great opportunity for me to make you do what I say (via my giveaway/contest rules)…and I simply love bossing people around.
If you don’t know, the nook is Barnes & Noble’s eBook reader. It’s pretty awesome:
- It’s not backlit, so it’s easy on the eyes
- Obviously, you can download books instantly (and I’ve been known not to order a book online purely because it was going to take 3 days to get to me – and for some reason I’d rather not have it at all than wait 3 days, I know, I know)
- It’s wifi-connected so you have access to newspapers and magazines (which could give me a reason to read them again!)
- You can share books with friends (and I love sharing books – and clothes)
- And, the coolest part, I think, is that you can make notes for yourself on whatever you’re reading (I’m guessing that I like this function so much because I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut, and the nook isn’t asking me to) right on the digital page…
- More coolness, features and functionality can be found here (including a comparison to the Kindle)
So here’s the deal:
I recently found my very favorite English teacher, Dr. Puhr, on Facebook. I’d been looking for awhile. She’s absolutely one of the reasons I’m here. She taught A.P. American Lit my junior year in high school…and we read the best books ever: The Color Purple, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Catch 22, Catcher in the Rye, Song of Solomon, Emerson & Thoreau…. And she did cool things, like having us listen to Billy Joel’s haunting Goodnigh Saigon when we were talking about Vietnam and the 60’s and reading Waiting for Godot.
I was already hooked on reading (via my grandparents huge library of fat books like The Thornbirds that I started reading when I was 9ish), analyzing the hell out of it…and, of course, writing. But Dr. Puhr came right at the moment that I started to really think about things – about life and how expansive it really was. It was during those prime teenager angst years, you know? And she fed my hunger for knowing. She encouraged my thinking, my learning, my writing. She opened my eyes.
She encouraged me to be me. And that has had an invaluable impact on my writing and my life.
So, do you want this NOOK or what? Tell me your story in the comments below: who influenced your writing, your obsession with words and/or your love of reading?
I’ve chosen three judges to pick the best story…which was hard, because everyone wants a Nook – but I did it anyway. So there. Because picking my favorite story would be like picking my favorite kid and you just aren’t supposed to do that – I love you all equally. (These judges aren’t even web savvy, so it’s not worth me telling you who they are or giving you their urls because they don’t have any…also, I promised to protect them from the masses). I’ll announce the winner on Friday (March 19th – the same day The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo opens. Go. See. It.)
found you through business 2 bloggers and am so glad i did.
i was never much of a writer but during a very difficult time in my life, my best friend encouraged me to start blogging. i did and kept it private for a very long time. eventually i let her read it, then slowly a few more, and now i just put it all out there for the world to see. according to some, i put more out there than i should but it’s who i am. it’s my life. i write for me and only me. no one HAS to read it. (but i love it when they do)
.-= clairemontgomerymd´s last blog ..tmi thursday: dear tampax =-.
I feel there were so many people who contributed to my development as a person and a writer, but I’ll choose Miss Pierce as being the most influential. Miss Pierce taught my seventh and eighth grade honors english classes.
The very first day of my seventh grade year I was petrified. I was in a brand new school and I was twelve. New people, new classes, new teachers and a new pre-teen obsession with self made me feel like I was under a microscope and I was afraid to do anything to set me apart from others. All I wanted was to fit in.
Thankfully, Miss Pierce was not going to let that happen. The moment I walked into her classroom I felt like I was at home. The chairs and desks were set up in a big oval. Poems, prose aned pictures of authors hung on the wall. At one end of the oval sat Miss Pierce, all dressed in black, at her desk covered in books. The first words Miss Pierce spoke after the bell rang have stayed with me all of these years. She said, “I only have one rule in my room. You must be yourself. I will not tolerate less from any of you.”
Suddenly, my tense mouth cracked into a smile. I felt the weight of the eyes of my peers lift from my body as my backpack fell to the floor. I felt safe and calm and I didn’t ever want to leave her class.
Over the two years I was fortunate enough to have her as a teacher, Miss Pierce taught me to write from that inner place I was afraid to acknowlede even existed previously. Some of the best moments in my childhood were reading books from her reading list. She introduced me to Faulkner, elliot and Thoreau. I learned how to construct a sentence and how to dissect a plot. Above all of this, Miss Pierce taught me the most important thing about character development was developing my character.
I will be forever grateful to Miss Pierce for opening me up to literature, writing and to myself. Thank you for allowing me to remember her tonight.
Congratulations, Katy. Your submission was excellent and I loved the imagery. Enjoy the nook!