Horizontal Asymptotes

Back-to-School Special, Part I: Children’s Literature & Asymptotes

In my decade of teaching Children’s Literature at the university level, I’ve learned a lot.  But I never feel that I’ve learned quite enough to teach the grad class Critical Approaches to Children’s Literature.  I’m grateful that I’m teaching it now and not ten years ago, but it’s one of those courses that makes me

Mix: I Can Hear Music

When I began this blog, I thought I would post more of the many mixes I make.  I haven’t.  But here’s the first uptempo mix of 2011 – a happy way to begin the year, and (for those educators and students out there) the new semester. 1)    William Tell Overture Sixth Wave (2004)      1:07 The first

Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Offensiveness

Yes, you’ve all heard about NewSouth Press publishing Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer without the “n” word.  But a couple of important points are getting lost in all the uproar. As Natalia Cecire points out on her blog, the “political correctness” circus-goers are missing the point. I find it more noteworthy that such Bowdlerization is