Tag Archives: writing

Literacy in the Myst Franchise: Part 5: End of Ages

Posted by Caleb Coy on

You might say that by the time we came to the fifth installment of the Myst saga (not counting Uru) that the franchise had been long worn out. That they should have stopped at either one, two, or three sequels. And maybe you’re right. But you can’t disagree that End of Ages really does wrap up the storyline in a way that any future installment would have to include none of the original characters and, besides the ancient dead city, none of the locations. Among other things, Myst 5 also brings around the full meaning of what reading and writing can do for people. Continue reading →

Literacy in Myst Games, Part 4.5: Ages Beyond Myst

Posted by Caleb Coy on

While quite possibly the least beloved installment of the Myst franchise (and technically a spinoff), the experimental Myst: Uru took the very mode of storytelling in a unique direction. It was much more you-centric, and community-centric, so much so that story was the background for personal exploration. Continue reading →

Literacy in the Myst Games, Part 4: Revelation

Posted by Caleb Coy on

So far in the Myst games we found a book, we delivered a book, and we saved a book. Something different happens in the fourth installment of the Myst franchise. Not only are we able to read journals, but we are able to use a necklace to read memories. Somehow, Yeesha’s special jewel she leaves behind allows us to experience or “see” powerful memories in certain places. Continue reading →

5 Funny Reads from Slackjaw This week

Posted by Caleb Coy on

If you don’t follow Slackjaw on Medium, you really ought to. Endless short humor pieces to help you get through your day.

Everyone can read 5 articles a month for free on Medium’s giant library, but if you subscribe for only 5 dollars a month (imagine paying a dollar for each one of those free ones, then the rest are free—hey, it’s cheaper than the newspaper), you get unlimited access to any article from any publication on Medium.

So to convince you, here are 5 great humor pieces from this week alone from Slackjaw, the premiere humor publication on Medium:

  1. How To Have “The Talk” With Your Child About Weinerville by Caleb Coy
    Yes, that’s me. It’s mine. But hey, I’m real proud of it. And my brother is real proud of it. Sooner or later, you might have to talk to your child about getting weinerized.
  2. Quiz: Are You At A 90 Minute Hot Power Yoga Class, Or A Medieval Public Execution? by Luke Strathmann
    “Everyone’s dehydrated, and sometimes there are goats.”
  3. Real Friends Never Say “Good-Bye.” They Say “I Should Really Let You Go” And Then Keep Talking by Lily Hirsch
    “If I said “good-bye,” you’d basically assume I’m dying. And a real friend would never make you deal with death when no one has actually died.”
  4. Introducing The Tragedy Flag: The First Ever Flag Made To Stay At Half-Staff by Adam Dietz
    “With The Tragedy Flag, you’ll never have to mournfully lower your flag again! And you’ll never have to raise it again either, not that you ever get a chance to on account of the daily gun violence.”
  5. The Philosophy Major’s Guide To Small Talk by Alex Baia
    “Need help finding anything?”
    “Not unless I have free will.”

Blacksburgia webisode 29: Culturally Naive Writing Teacher

Posted by Caleb Coy on

The Culturally Naive  Writing Teacher

Bridgette takes a writing course offered to the community, and her classmates are a diverse set of community immigrants and international students.  The teacher begins making good-intentioned but awkward comments about his classroom being like the UN and assumes he knows about other cultures, only for the students to give him blank stares like he’s an idiot.  He keeps apologizing for the English language being so complicated until an Indian student raises his hand and says “actually, English was very easy for me to learn,” and several students nod their heads.  The teacher, flustered, begins making the assignments harder to prove that English is so hard to learn.

“The arts are not a way to make a living” -Kurt Vonnegut

Posted by Caleb Coy on

“The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.” -Kurt Vonnegut