Preeti Malani talks about her career in journalism, medicine, and . . . journalism
CMOS: How did medical school happen after you seemed set for a career in journalism? Was it your intention all along to combine the two?
CMOS takes a break with John Perry and The Art of Procrastination
John Perry is emeritus professor of philosophy at Stanford University and the author of The Art of Procrastination: A Guide to Effective Dawding, Lollygaggy and Postponing. In it, he points out that many successful people are actually “structured” procrastinators—those who get a lot done by not doing other things. In it, he points out . . .
Jack Lyon talks about better word processing
CMOS: When it comes to word processing, CMOS users probably represent every level of expertise (or nonexpertise), but regardless of skill level, we all experience frustration at times when we don’t know how to accomplish a task on our computers. Often we do something the way we’ve always done it—the slow way—because it just seems too difficult or scary to try to automate it. Is there a cure?
Stephanie Anderson talks about publishing chapbooks
CMOS: You teach classes on chapbooks/small presses at the University of Chicago. How do you convey to your students what a chapbook is and why it’s important? SA: Chapbooks are incredibly variable and various, so we begin by . . .
Patricia Aufderheide talks about copyright and fair use
CMOS: “When people borrow copyrighted material without permission for casual, nonprofit use, such as in a blog post or lecture or slide show, are they doing something illegal?” Aufderheide: “Not necessarily . . .”
Mary Norris, the New Yorker’s “Comma Queen,” talks about styles, tolerance, and her new book
Mary Norris is a copy editor at the New Yorker, where she has worked since 1978. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, she attended Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and earned a master’s in English from the University of Vermont. Her book Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen was published by W. W. Norton on April 6.
Andrew Abbott on brute-force research, the future of libraries, and what makes good research good
Andrew Abbott, the Gustavus F. and Ann M. Swift Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, edits the American Journal of Sociology. Abbott has twice chaired the University of Chicago’s Library Board and played a central role in planning the university’s Joe and Rika Mansueto Library. His latest book is Digital Paper . . .
Wordnik founder Erin McKean talks about her ideal dictionary
Erin McKean is the founder and CEO of Wordnik. Before Wordnik, she was the editor in chief of American dictionaries for Oxford University Press. She has stated that her life goal is “to make sure every word in English has a place in the dictionary.” In her “free” time, she has written half a dozen…
High school teacher Nathan Fulcher talks about teaching English to teens
Nathan Fulcher teaches African American literature, English, and English composition at Santa Monica High School in California. He is currently pursuing a master’s in educational technology at California State University–Fullerton.
Russell Harper on revising The Chicago Manual of Style
If you have ever submitted a question to our Chicago Manual of Style Q&A (and we encourage you to do so here), Russell Harper may have been one of the editors considering your question. Russell is especially qualified to answer CMOS questions thanks to his role as the principal reviser for the sixteenth edition. This means . . .
