Annotated by the Author: Writing Reader Responses
In our “Annotated by the Author” series, we invite New York Times journalists and winners of our student contests to comment on their work to help demystify the writing and research process.Chances are, a teacher has asked you to write a response to a text at some point in your school career, whether it’s to…
Annotated by the Author: ‘The Cultural Canon Is Better Than Ever’
It also forced people to discover — or rediscover — Julie Dash’s film “Daughters of the Dust,” just in time for its 25th anniversary. A sweeping, nonlinear meditation on the Great Migration as seen through three generations of Gullah women, “Daughters” became the first feature film directed by a black woman to have a wide…
Annotated by the Author: ‘New York Penn Station: Incoherent Urban Calamity’
“New York Penn Station: Incoherent Urban Calamity” by Henry HsiaoCredit...Image courtesy of Henry HsiaoArriving today in New York’s Pennsylvania Station — as any commuter, tourist, or local may attest — is a degraded business. Previously, it was an awe-inspiring affair. Consider old Penn Station, a Beaux-Arts masterpiece of imposing grandeur and soaring arches that once…
Annotated by the Author: ‘Meet “Supergirl,” the World’s Strongest Teenager’
“In school plays, I get stage fright, but I don’t have stage fright in powerlifting, even if I’m in front of hundreds of people,” said Naomi, whose modern Orthodox Jewish family follows strict religious rules.It’s always tricky to select the best quotes. You try to pick ones that add something new to the story, not…
Annotated by the Author: ‘Review of “Dune”: A Hero in the Making, on Shifting...
That impulse to linger is understandable given the monumentality of Villeneuve’s world building (and its price tag). But the movie’s spectacular scale combined with Herbert’s complex mythmaking also creates a not entirely productive tension between stasis and movement. Not long after he lands on Dune, Paul is ushered into the new world of its tribal…
What Author Would You Most Like to Meet?
Has a book ever made such a big impression on you that you felt a deep connection with the author? Perhaps you found it to be extremely moving, or you thought it spoke directly to your experiences in life.Have you ever wished you could meet that writer and talk about that book and its significance…
