The Last Word

A nice mix this week, to keep LWON readers properly entertained and educated while weary crickets and long shadows announce summer’s closing act. In our Redux for the week, some excellent late-summer advice from Christie:  Sit down in those underused deck chairs and breathe. Erik shares a powerful immigration story, with a twist. In the Yukon River, Craig meets bear and […]

The Last Word

June 13-17, 2016 Christie thought she was from nowhere–until an internet quiz put her in her place. The novel Frankenstein, Michelle writes, “can be read a warning of the perils of human hubris and a brilliantly imaginative response to a global disaster.” Will we take its lessons and inspiration to heart in the face of our own monstrous creation, climate change? J-Shame: “It hits when your […]

The Last Word

April 18 – 22, 2016 Guest Veronique Greenwood starts the week with the first in a three-part series of posts about learning Chinese. (Look for the next installment on Monday.) Erik doesn’t like parenting books, except when he does. And he really likes The Informed Parent. (But he still doesn’t know how to set up […]

The Last Word

March 21 – 25, 2016 It’s Outmoded Diseases Week at LWON, those diseases that we once read about but we never hear about anyone getting anymore. (Not that we don’t still worry about them during late-night WebMD searches.) On Monday, Ann kicked things off with neurasthenia, which “occurs in intellectuals with refined nervous systems and […]

The Last Word

  It’s a new year and most of the LWONers aren’t the least bit repentant – plowing on with the same kinds of storytelling in 2016 that we did in 2015. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it and if it is broke – blame it on the dog. On Monday, Ann and author/journalist Michael […]

The Last Word

                This holiday week was filled with good cheer! Oh, wait, this is LWON. But don’t worry, it wasn’t all fit for a Scrooge. First, we gave you a terrific list of things to watch with our traditional TV/Movie binge list. Don’t blame us if you’re still on […]

The Last Word

  November 9-13 This week, guest poster Soren Wheeler shares why the chaos and failure inherent in science should be embraced in science education. In a dispatch from China, I offer a glimpse into the fieldwork that, despite the roaches, makes my heart go pitter-pat. Craig Childs exposes a secret of the cracked and desolate Atacama Desert: It comes, gloriously, to life. During this week of Veteran’s […]

The Last Word

  October 12-15, 2015 Jennifer kicks off the week with a post devoted to sternutation. Bless you. No, really. On Tuesday, I return to a 2012 post about children’s imaginary worlds, where the learning is real. Craig can’t stay away from the artistry of flood water. Rose has a few pointers for all writers covering disability from her unexpected […]