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300 Arguments: Essays Paperback – February 7, 2017

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“Jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin….A sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.”―Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere There will come a time when people decide you’ve had enough of your grief, and they’ll try to take it away from you. Bad art is from no one to no one. Am I happy? Damned if I know, but give me a few minutes and I’ll tell you whether you are. Thank heaven I don’t have my friends’ problems. But sometimes I notice an expression on one of their faces that I recognize as secret gratitude. I read sad stories to inoculate myself against grief. I watch action movies to identify with the quick-witted heroes. Both the same fantasy: I’ll escape the worst of it. ―from 300 Arguments A “Proustian minimalist on the order of Lydia Davis” ( Kirkus Reviews ), Sarah Manguso is one of the finest literary artists at work today. To read her work is to witness acrobatic acts of compression in the service of extraordinary psychological and spiritual insight. 300 Arguments , a foray into the frontier of contemporary nonfiction writing, is at first glance a group of unrelated aphorisms. But, as in the work of David Markson, the pieces reveal themselves as a masterful arrangement that steadily gathers power. Manguso’s arguments about desire, ambition, relationships, and failure are pithy, unsentimental, and defiant, and they add up to an unexpected and renegade wisdom literature.

• Print length 104 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Graywolf Press
• Publication date February 7, 2017
• Dimensions 5.07 x 0.3 x 6.97 inches
• ISBN-10 1555977642
• ISBN-13 978-1555977641
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

“This collection transcends any category to be something totally its own. . . . Manguso's captured the argumentative voice of a mindsifting through a problem, circling it, animated by sorting it out. . . . If this is poetry, it's the poems of quarrel. And if it's nonfiction, it's not the nonfiction of fact. Instead, it's the nonfiction which maps us to our own thinking. We enter Manguso's mind - her puzzle,pleased to be puzzled, too.” ―NPR “All Things Considered” “[ 300 Arguments ] reads like you've jumped into someone's mind.” ―NPR “Weekend Edition” “ 300 Arguments is a delectation, a book whose great precision and honesty constitute an irresistible incitement to think.” ― San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments is] inimitably Manguso, but, suddenly, wonderfully, universally, ours.” ― Washington Independent Review of Books “This tiny gem of a book is jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin. It’s an intimate portrait of a woman at work, and a sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.” ― Omnivoracious “[Manguso’s arguments] are pithy and wry, with a melancholy undercurrent that takes a beat to set in―like a vaccine whose pinch gives rise to a muscular ache.” ― The Nation “Sarah Manguso paints a mostly opaque, but at times penetratingly clear, self-portrait of a female writer at work. . . . The narrator’stemper is mercurial; economical sentences range in tone from pithy and sardonic to tender and deeply empathetic. . . . But by theflip of a page, this wise and compassionate narrator descends into punchy one-liners that are darkly funny and sharper around theedges.” ― Hazlitt “ 300 Arguments is the book of aphorisms that I’ve been waiting for: trenchant, witty, and sometimes absurd. . . . Perhaps that’s whyI’m so drawn to it: each nugget of wisdom is something I’m tempted to share on social media or email to a friend. Sometimesbrevity is exactly what we need to make sense of the complicated world we live in.” ―Michele Filgate, Literary Hub “Perspective-altering. . . . The accumulation of these entries has a certain difficult-to-deny power. . . . I wanted to gift it to everyone Iknow, read it aloud to strangers on the bus, and transcribe it by hand in its entirety like a holy text.” ―Joshua James Amberson, Portland Mercury “Manguso’s prose is as succinct and revelatory as ever in this collection of aphorisms that quickly gathers momentum, becoming the self-portrait of a writer whose wisdom leaves one dazzled.” ―Booksmith recommendation, San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments ] beckons the reader to return, to read a sentence, and put it down again. . . . Her arguments . . . are crystallineand often walloping. . . . There is ambition leaking out of every page.” ― New Republic “Manguso resuscitates the aphorism from its descent into maxim, bringing it back as a spur to thought. . . . Manguso’s unsettlingarguments deliver the world back to the reader at 300 different, jarring angles.” ― Literary Hub “Manguso’s experience of life, in the little prose sachets that open and blossom page by page, are fragrant with undisclosed potentials. . . . Cosmos bloom and fold back up again, such that the work’s insights pulse line by line, and begin to hum. . . . The inherent volition of one epigram glides you into the next, transports you. . . . The Arguments has that rarer bird among the specimens: poignancy.” ― Third Coast Review “This remarkable work of art is a masterpiece of compression, each section its own unique piece to a larger puzzle that eventually builds an entire universe, with lines that streak like comets through the space breaks, such as: ‘Bad art is from no one to no one’ and ‘Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.’” ―Hannah Tinti, BookPage “Manguso’s arguments speak to mortality, anxiety, depression, heartbreak, and motherhood. Her blatant truth-telling is addictive; readers will find it difficult not to devour these 90 pages filled with wisdom, witticisms, and humor in one sitting.” ― City Pages (Minneapolis) “[ 300 Arguments ] merits a wide audience. . . . Manguso writes powerfully about desire, [and]. . . offers a master class in a specific strain of desire: envy. . . . My field test for writing is like this: Does it produce a rueful inner smile or shudder of recognition? Manguso’s arguments do so many times.” ― Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “ 300 Arguments is a minimalist’s handbook: wisdom delivered in tiny doses.” ― San Jose Mercury News “Part memoir, part advice, part laughter, and all unflinching honesty. . . . This is life experience and real wisdom distilled onto a few short pages.” ― Rain Taxi Review of Books “A writer's life, solitary and complex, broken apart―not into shards but puzzle pieces. . . . A slim, poetic self-portrait that opens up as you read it and stays in the mind.” ― Kirkus Reviews “Inventive. . . . All of life’s great subjects are here―love, relationships, happiness, desire, and vulnerability on the personal side; effort, luck, envy, and success vs. failure on the professional side―in one- and two-sentence nuggets of compressed insight. . . . It will require multiple rereadings to absorb the book’s rewarding wisdom.” ― Publishers Weekly “Alternately insightful, humorous and thought-provoking, [Manguso’s] 300 Arguments offers enough variety, depth and substance torange from the deeply personal to the universally relatable. . . . 300 Arguments paints a vivid, intimately nuanced portrait of itsauthor in the way few long-form essays manage. . . . [It] should be required reading for all those experiencing crises of confidenceand the otherwise deleterious effects of the human condition.” ― Spectrum Culture “ 300 Arguments shook me. It’s dark, but the darkness comes from a refusal to look away. Its humor is wounded but present. Is it possibly a sort of novel? The writer says somewhere, ‘This book is the good sentences from the novel I didn’t write.’ The idea holds up when applied, and the attentive reader will intuit an encompassing narrative. Sarah Manguso deserves many such readers.” ―John Jeremiah Sullivan “A new book by Sarah Manguso is always a cause for celebration. She is a poet-philosopher of the highest order who combines a laser-sharp intellect with a lyric gift and a capacious, generous heart. She is one of my favorite writers, and with 300 Arguments she deepens her inquiry into the very essence of what it is to be human.” ―Dani Shapiro “If there were a literary equivalent of the debate as to who is the best pound-for-pound boxer currently fighting, then word for word, Sarah Manguso’s 300 Arguments ―weighing in at a mere ninety pages―would surely emerge as one of the smartest and most stimulating books of recent years.” ―Geoff Dyer “It’s sometimes less important to know what we need to know than how we need to know it. 300 Arguments is an uncommon commonplace book of the everyday―a glittering reference book for life.” ―Joanna Walsh, author of Break.Up “Every era has its wise aphorist. Sarah Manguso is ours and joins Marcus Aurelius, Thomas à Kempis, Montaigne.” ―Edmund White “Aphorism has always given me a mixture of intense pleasure and pain. At its best―and Manguso’s work is, without doubt, at the pinnacle―it’s like someone looking you in the eye and seeing you for exactly who and what you are. The simultaneous fear and relief is dizzying. Every perfectly crafted sentence is replete with insight, self-knowledge, and―even in anger or self-accusation―a deep compassion which will have me re-reading her for the rest of my life.” ―Luke Kennard, author of Transit

About the Author

Product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Graywolf Press (February 7, 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 104 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1555977642
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1555977641
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.3 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.07 x 0.3 x 6.97 inches
• #533 in Essays (Books)
• #653 in Author Biographies
• #5,201 in Memoirs (Books)

About the author

Sarah manguso.

Sarah Manguso is the author of nine books, most recently the novel Very Cold People. Her next novel, Liars, is forthcoming in 2024. Her other books include a story collection, two poetry collections, and four acclaimed works of nonfiction: 300 Arguments, Ongoingness, The Guardians, and The Two Kinds of Decay. Her work has been recognized by an American Academy of Arts and Letters Literature Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Hodder Fellowship, and the Rome Prize. Her writing has been translated into a dozen languages.

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300 Arguments: Essays Paperback – 7 February 2017

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“Jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin….A sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.”―Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere

There will come a time when people decide you’ve had enough of your grief, and they’ll try to take it away from you. Bad art is from no one to no one. Am I happy? Damned if I know, but give me a few minutes and I’ll tell you whether you are. Thank heaven I don’t have my friends’ problems. But sometimes I notice an expression on one of their faces that I recognize as secret gratitude. I read sad stories to inoculate myself against grief. I watch action movies to identify with the quick-witted heroes. Both the same fantasy: I’ll escape the worst of it.

―from 300 Arguments

A “Proustian minimalist on the order of Lydia Davis” ( Kirkus Reviews ), Sarah Manguso is one of the finest literary artists at work today. To read her work is to witness acrobatic acts of compression in the service of extraordinary psychological and spiritual insight.

300 Arguments , a foray into the frontier of contemporary nonfiction writing, is at first glance a group of unrelated aphorisms. But, as in the work of David Markson, the pieces reveal themselves as a masterful arrangement that steadily gathers power. Manguso’s arguments about desire, ambition, relationships, and failure are pithy, unsentimental, and defiant, and they add up to an unexpected and renegade wisdom literature.

• Print length 104 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Graywolf Press
• Publication date 7 February 2017
• Dimensions 12.88 x 0.76 x 17.7 cm
• ISBN-10 1555977642
• ISBN-13 978-1555977641
• See all details

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Product description

“This collection transcends any category to be something totally its own. . . . Manguso's captured the argumentative voice of a mindsifting through a problem, circling it, animated by sorting it out. . . . If this is poetry, it's the poems of quarrel. And if it's nonfiction, it's not the nonfiction of fact. Instead, it's the nonfiction which maps us to our own thinking. We enter Manguso's mind - her puzzle,pleased to be puzzled, too.” ―NPR “All Things Considered”

“[ 300 Arguments ] reads like you've jumped into someone's mind.” ―NPR “Weekend Edition”

“ 300 Arguments is a delectation, a book whose great precision and honesty constitute an irresistible incitement to think.” ― San Francisco Chronicle

“[ 300 Arguments is] inimitably Manguso, but, suddenly, wonderfully, universally, ours.” ― Washington Independent Review of Books

“This tiny gem of a book is jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin. It’s an intimate portrait of a woman at work, and a sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.” ― Omnivoracious

“[Manguso’s arguments] are pithy and wry, with a melancholy undercurrent that takes a beat to set in―like a vaccine whose pinch gives rise to a muscular ache.” ― The Nation

“Sarah Manguso paints a mostly opaque, but at times penetratingly clear, self-portrait of a female writer at work. . . . The narrator’stemper is mercurial; economical sentences range in tone from pithy and sardonic to tender and deeply empathetic. . . . But by theflip of a page, this wise and compassionate narrator descends into punchy one-liners that are darkly funny and sharper around theedges.” ― Hazlitt

“ 300 Arguments is the book of aphorisms that I’ve been waiting for: trenchant, witty, and sometimes absurd. . . . Perhaps that’s whyI’m so drawn to it: each nugget of wisdom is something I’m tempted to share on social media or email to a friend. Sometimesbrevity is exactly what we need to make sense of the complicated world we live in.” ―Michele Filgate, Literary Hub

“Perspective-altering. . . . The accumulation of these entries has a certain difficult-to-deny power. . . . I wanted to gift it to everyone Iknow, read it aloud to strangers on the bus, and transcribe it by hand in its entirety like a holy text.” ―Joshua James Amberson, Portland Mercury “Manguso’s prose is as succinct and revelatory as ever in this collection of aphorisms that quickly gathers momentum, becoming the self-portrait of a writer whose wisdom leaves one dazzled.” ―Booksmith recommendation, San Francisco Chronicle

“[ 300 Arguments ] beckons the reader to return, to read a sentence, and put it down again. . . . Her arguments . . . are crystallineand often walloping. . . . There is ambition leaking out of every page.” ― New Republic

“Manguso resuscitates the aphorism from its descent into maxim, bringing it back as a spur to thought. . . . Manguso’s unsettlingarguments deliver the world back to the reader at 300 different, jarring angles.” ― Literary Hub

“Manguso’s experience of life, in the little prose sachets that open and blossom page by page, are fragrant with undisclosed potentials. . . . Cosmos bloom and fold back up again, such that the work’s insights pulse line by line, and begin to hum. . . . The inherent volition of one epigram glides you into the next, transports you. . . . The Arguments has that rarer bird among the specimens: poignancy.” ― Third Coast Review

“This remarkable work of art is a masterpiece of compression, each section its own unique piece to a larger puzzle that eventually builds an entire universe, with lines that streak like comets through the space breaks, such as: ‘Bad art is from no one to no one’ and ‘Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.’” ―Hannah Tinti, BookPage

“Manguso’s arguments speak to mortality, anxiety, depression, heartbreak, and motherhood. Her blatant truth-telling is addictive; readers will find it difficult not to devour these 90 pages filled with wisdom, witticisms, and humor in one sitting.” ― City Pages (Minneapolis)

“[ 300 Arguments ] merits a wide audience. . . . Manguso writes powerfully about desire, [and]. . . offers a master class in a specific strain of desire: envy. . . . My field test for writing is like this: Does it produce a rueful inner smile or shudder of recognition? Manguso’s arguments do so many times.” ― Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“ 300 Arguments is a minimalist’s handbook: wisdom delivered in tiny doses.” ― San Jose Mercury News

“Part memoir, part advice, part laughter, and all unflinching honesty. . . . This is life experience and real wisdom distilled onto a few short pages.” ― Rain Taxi Review of Books

“A writer's life, solitary and complex, broken apart―not into shards but puzzle pieces. . . . A slim, poetic self-portrait that opens up as you read it and stays in the mind.” ― Kirkus Reviews

“Inventive. . . . All of life’s great subjects are here―love, relationships, happiness, desire, and vulnerability on the personal side; effort, luck, envy, and success vs. failure on the professional side―in one- and two-sentence nuggets of compressed insight. . . . It will require multiple rereadings to absorb the book’s rewarding wisdom.” ― Publishers Weekly “Alternately insightful, humorous and thought-provoking, [Manguso’s] 300 Arguments offers enough variety, depth and substance torange from the deeply personal to the universally relatable. . . . 300 Arguments paints a vivid, intimately nuanced portrait of itsauthor in the way few long-form essays manage. . . . [It] should be required reading for all those experiencing crises of confidenceand the otherwise deleterious effects of the human condition.” ― Spectrum Culture

“ 300 Arguments shook me. It’s dark, but the darkness comes from a refusal to look away. Its humor is wounded but present. Is it possibly a sort of novel? The writer says somewhere, ‘This book is the good sentences from the novel I didn’t write.’ The idea holds up when applied, and the attentive reader will intuit an encompassing narrative. Sarah Manguso deserves many such readers.” ―John Jeremiah Sullivan

“A new book by Sarah Manguso is always a cause for celebration. She is a poet-philosopher of the highest order who combines a laser-sharp intellect with a lyric gift and a capacious, generous heart. She is one of my favorite writers, and with 300 Arguments she deepens her inquiry into the very essence of what it is to be human.” ―Dani Shapiro “If there were a literary equivalent of the debate as to who is the best pound-for-pound boxer currently fighting, then word for word, Sarah Manguso’s 300 Arguments ―weighing in at a mere ninety pages―would surely emerge as one of the smartest and most stimulating books of recent years.” ―Geoff Dyer “It’s sometimes less important to know what we need to know than how we need to know it. 300 Arguments is an uncommon commonplace book of the everyday―a glittering reference book for life.” ―Joanna Walsh, author of Break.Up

“Every era has its wise aphorist. Sarah Manguso is ours and joins Marcus Aurelius, Thomas à Kempis, Montaigne.” ―Edmund White “Aphorism has always given me a mixture of intense pleasure and pain. At its best―and Manguso’s work is, without doubt, at the pinnacle―it’s like someone looking you in the eye and seeing you for exactly who and what you are. The simultaneous fear and relief is dizzying. Every perfectly crafted sentence is replete with insight, self-knowledge, and―even in anger or self-accusation―a deep compassion which will have me re-reading her for the rest of my life.” ―Luke Kennard, author of Transit

About the Author

Product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Graywolf Press (7 February 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 104 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1555977642
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1555977641
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 122 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.88 x 0.76 x 17.7 cm
• #4,144 in Essays (Books)
• #29,441 in Biographies & Autobiographies (Books)

About the author

Sarah manguso.

Sarah Manguso is the author of nine books, most recently the novel Very Cold People. Her next novel, Liars, is forthcoming in 2024. Her other books include a story collection, two poetry collections, and four acclaimed works of nonfiction: 300 Arguments, Ongoingness, The Guardians, and The Two Kinds of Decay. Her work has been recognized by an American Academy of Arts and Letters Literature Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Hodder Fellowship, and the Rome Prize. Her writing has been translated into a dozen languages.

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Trident booksellers & cafe, you are here, 300 arguments: essays (paperback).

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Description.

“Jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin….A sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.”—Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere There will come a time when people decide you’ve had enough of your grief, and they’ll try to take it away from you. Bad art is from no one to no one. Am I happy? Damned if I know, but give me a few minutes and I’ll tell you whether you are. Thank heaven I don’t have my friends’ problems. But sometimes I notice an expression on one of their faces that I recognize as secret gratitude. I read sad stories to inoculate myself against grief. I watch action movies to identify with the quick-witted heroes. Both the same fantasy: I’ll escape the worst of it. —from 300 Arguments A “Proustian minimalist on the order of Lydia Davis” ( Kirkus Reviews ), Sarah Manguso is one of the finest literary artists at work today. To read her work is to witness acrobatic acts of compression in the service of extraordinary psychological and spiritual insight. 300 Arguments , a foray into the frontier of contemporary nonfiction writing, is at first glance a group of unrelated aphorisms. But, as in the work of David Markson, the pieces reveal themselves as a masterful arrangement that steadily gathers power. Manguso’s arguments about desire, ambition, relationships, and failure are pithy, unsentimental, and defiant, and they add up to an unexpected and renegade wisdom literature.

About the Author

Praise for….

“This collection transcends any category to be something totally its own. . . . Manguso's captured the argumentative voice of a mindsifting through a problem, circling it, animated by sorting it out. . . . If this is poetry, it's the poems of quarrel. And if it's nonfiction, it's not the nonfiction of fact. Instead, it's the nonfiction which maps us to our own thinking. We enter Manguso's mind - her puzzle,pleased to be puzzled, too.” —NPR “All Things Considered” “[ 300 Arguments ] reads like you've jumped into someone's mind.” —NPR “Weekend Edition” “ 300 Arguments is a delectation, a book whose great precision and honesty constitute an irresistible incitement to think.” — San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments is] inimitably Manguso, but, suddenly, wonderfully, universally, ours.” — Washington Independent Review of Books “This tiny gem of a book is jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin. It’s an intimate portrait of a woman at work, and a sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.” — Omnivoracious “[Manguso’s arguments] are pithy and wry, with a melancholy undercurrent that takes a beat to set in—like a vaccine whose pinch gives rise to a muscular ache.” — The Nation “Sarah Manguso paints a mostly opaque, but at times penetratingly clear, self-portrait of a female writer at work. . . . The narrator’stemper is mercurial; economical sentences range in tone from pithy and sardonic to tender and deeply empathetic. . . . But by theflip of a page, this wise and compassionate narrator descends into punchy one-liners that are darkly funny and sharper around theedges.” — Hazlitt “ 300 Arguments is the book of aphorisms that I’ve been waiting for: trenchant, witty, and sometimes absurd. . . . Perhaps that’s whyI’m so drawn to it: each nugget of wisdom is something I’m tempted to share on social media or email to a friend. Sometimesbrevity is exactly what we need to make sense of the complicated world we live in.” —Michele Filgate, Literary Hub “Perspective-altering. . . . The accumulation of these entries has a certain difficult-to-deny power. . . . I wanted to gift it to everyone Iknow, read it aloud to strangers on the bus, and transcribe it by hand in its entirety like a holy text.” —Joshua James Amberson, Portland Mercury “Manguso’s prose is as succinct and revelatory as ever in this collection of aphorisms that quickly gathers momentum, becoming the self-portrait of a writer whose wisdom leaves one dazzled.” —Booksmith recommendation, San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments ] beckons the reader to return, to read a sentence, and put it down again. . . . Her arguments . . . are crystallineand often walloping. . . . There is ambition leaking out of every page.” — New Republic “Manguso resuscitates the aphorism from its descent into maxim, bringing it back as a spur to thought. . . . Manguso’s unsettlingarguments deliver the world back to the reader at 300 different, jarring angles.” — Literary Hub “Manguso’s experience of life, in the little prose sachets that open and blossom page by page, are fragrant with undisclosed potentials. . . . Cosmos bloom and fold back up again, such that the work’s insights pulse line by line, and begin to hum. . . . The inherent volition of one epigram glides you into the next, transports you. . . . The Arguments has that rarer bird among the specimens: poignancy.” — Third Coast Review “This remarkable work of art is a masterpiece of compression, each section its own unique piece to a larger puzzle that eventually builds an entire universe, with lines that streak like comets through the space breaks, such as: ‘Bad art is from no one to no one’ and ‘Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.’” —Hannah Tinti, BookPage “Manguso’s arguments speak to mortality, anxiety, depression, heartbreak, and motherhood. Her blatant truth-telling is addictive; readers will find it difficult not to devour these 90 pages filled with wisdom, witticisms, and humor in one sitting.” — City Pages (Minneapolis) “[ 300 Arguments ] merits a wide audience. . . . Manguso writes powerfully about desire, [and]. . . offers a master class in a specific strain of desire: envy. . . . My field test for writing is like this: Does it produce a rueful inner smile or shudder of recognition? Manguso’s arguments do so many times.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “ 300 Arguments is a minimalist’s handbook: wisdom delivered in tiny doses.” — San Jose Mercury News “Part memoir, part advice, part laughter, and all unflinching honesty. . . . This is life experience and real wisdom distilled onto a few short pages.” — Rain Taxi Review of Books “A writer's life, solitary and complex, broken apart—not into shards but puzzle pieces. . . . A slim, poetic self-portrait that opens up as you read it and stays in the mind.” — Kirkus Reviews “Inventive. . . . All of life’s great subjects are here—love, relationships, happiness, desire, and vulnerability on the personal side; effort, luck, envy, and success vs. failure on the professional side—in one- and two-sentence nuggets of compressed insight. . . . It will require multiple rereadings to absorb the book’s rewarding wisdom.” — Publishers Weekly “Alternately insightful, humorous and thought-provoking, [Manguso’s] 300 Arguments offers enough variety, depth and substance torange from the deeply personal to the universally relatable. . . . 300 Arguments paints a vivid, intimately nuanced portrait of itsauthor in the way few long-form essays manage. . . . [It] should be required reading for all those experiencing crises of confidenceand the otherwise deleterious effects of the human condition.” — Spectrum Culture “ 300 Arguments shook me. It’s dark, but the darkness comes from a refusal to look away. Its humor is wounded but present. Is it possibly a sort of novel? The writer says somewhere, ‘This book is the good sentences from the novel I didn’t write.’ The idea holds up when applied, and the attentive reader will intuit an encompassing narrative. Sarah Manguso deserves many such readers.” —John Jeremiah Sullivan “A new book by Sarah Manguso is always a cause for celebration. She is a poet-philosopher of the highest order who combines a laser-sharp intellect with a lyric gift and a capacious, generous heart. She is one of my favorite writers, and with 300 Arguments she deepens her inquiry into the very essence of what it is to be human.” —Dani Shapiro “If there were a literary equivalent of the debate as to who is the best pound-for-pound boxer currently fighting, then word for word, Sarah Manguso’s 300 Arguments —weighing in at a mere ninety pages—would surely emerge as one of the smartest and most stimulating books of recent years.” —Geoff Dyer “It’s sometimes less important to know what we need to know than how we need to know it. 300 Arguments is an uncommon commonplace book of the everyday—a glittering reference book for life.” —Joanna Walsh, author of Break.Up “Every era has its wise aphorist. Sarah Manguso is ours and joins Marcus Aurelius, Thomas à Kempis, Montaigne.” —Edmund White “Aphorism has always given me a mixture of intense pleasure and pain. At its best—and Manguso’s work is, without doubt, at the pinnacle—it’s like someone looking you in the eye and seeing you for exactly who and what you are. The simultaneous fear and relief is dizzying. Every perfectly crafted sentence is replete with insight, self-knowledge, and—even in anger or self-accusation—a deep compassion which will have me re-reading her for the rest of my life.” —Luke Kennard, author of Transit

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300 Arguments: Essays (Paperback)

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Description.

“Jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin….A sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.”—Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere There will come a time when people decide you’ve had enough of your grief, and they’ll try to take it away from you. Bad art is from no one to no one. Am I happy? Damned if I know, but give me a few minutes and I’ll tell you whether you are. Thank heaven I don’t have my friends’ problems. But sometimes I notice an expression on one of their faces that I recognize as secret gratitude. I read sad stories to inoculate myself against grief. I watch action movies to identify with the quick-witted heroes. Both the same fantasy: I’ll escape the worst of it. —from 300 Arguments A “Proustian minimalist on the order of Lydia Davis” ( Kirkus Reviews ), Sarah Manguso is one of the finest literary artists at work today. To read her work is to witness acrobatic acts of compression in the service of extraordinary psychological and spiritual insight. 300 Arguments , a foray into the frontier of contemporary nonfiction writing, is at first glance a group of unrelated aphorisms. But, as in the work of David Markson, the pieces reveal themselves as a masterful arrangement that steadily gathers power. Manguso’s arguments about desire, ambition, relationships, and failure are pithy, unsentimental, and defiant, and they add up to an unexpected and renegade wisdom literature.

About the Author

Praise for….

“This collection transcends any category to be something totally its own. . . . Manguso's captured the argumentative voice of a mindsifting through a problem, circling it, animated by sorting it out. . . . If this is poetry, it's the poems of quarrel. And if it's nonfiction, it's not the nonfiction of fact. Instead, it's the nonfiction which maps us to our own thinking. We enter Manguso's mind - her puzzle,pleased to be puzzled, too.” —NPR “All Things Considered” “[ 300 Arguments ] reads like you've jumped into someone's mind.” —NPR “Weekend Edition” “ 300 Arguments is a delectation, a book whose great precision and honesty constitute an irresistible incitement to think.” — San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments is] inimitably Manguso, but, suddenly, wonderfully, universally, ours.” — Washington Independent Review of Books “This tiny gem of a book is jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin. It’s an intimate portrait of a woman at work, and a sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.” — Omnivoracious “[Manguso’s arguments] are pithy and wry, with a melancholy undercurrent that takes a beat to set in—like a vaccine whose pinch gives rise to a muscular ache.” — The Nation “Sarah Manguso paints a mostly opaque, but at times penetratingly clear, self-portrait of a female writer at work. . . . The narrator’stemper is mercurial; economical sentences range in tone from pithy and sardonic to tender and deeply empathetic. . . . But by theflip of a page, this wise and compassionate narrator descends into punchy one-liners that are darkly funny and sharper around theedges.” — Hazlitt “ 300 Arguments is the book of aphorisms that I’ve been waiting for: trenchant, witty, and sometimes absurd. . . . Perhaps that’s whyI’m so drawn to it: each nugget of wisdom is something I’m tempted to share on social media or email to a friend. Sometimesbrevity is exactly what we need to make sense of the complicated world we live in.” —Michele Filgate, Literary Hub “Perspective-altering. . . . The accumulation of these entries has a certain difficult-to-deny power. . . . I wanted to gift it to everyone Iknow, read it aloud to strangers on the bus, and transcribe it by hand in its entirety like a holy text.” —Joshua James Amberson, Portland Mercury “Manguso’s prose is as succinct and revelatory as ever in this collection of aphorisms that quickly gathers momentum, becoming the self-portrait of a writer whose wisdom leaves one dazzled.” —Booksmith recommendation, San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments ] beckons the reader to return, to read a sentence, and put it down again. . . . Her arguments . . . are crystallineand often walloping. . . . There is ambition leaking out of every page.” — New Republic “Manguso resuscitates the aphorism from its descent into maxim, bringing it back as a spur to thought. . . . Manguso’s unsettlingarguments deliver the world back to the reader at 300 different, jarring angles.” — Literary Hub “Manguso’s experience of life, in the little prose sachets that open and blossom page by page, are fragrant with undisclosed potentials. . . . Cosmos bloom and fold back up again, such that the work’s insights pulse line by line, and begin to hum. . . . The inherent volition of one epigram glides you into the next, transports you. . . . The Arguments has that rarer bird among the specimens: poignancy.” — Third Coast Review “This remarkable work of art is a masterpiece of compression, each section its own unique piece to a larger puzzle that eventually builds an entire universe, with lines that streak like comets through the space breaks, such as: ‘Bad art is from no one to no one’ and ‘Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.’” —Hannah Tinti, BookPage “Manguso’s arguments speak to mortality, anxiety, depression, heartbreak, and motherhood. Her blatant truth-telling is addictive; readers will find it difficult not to devour these 90 pages filled with wisdom, witticisms, and humor in one sitting.” — City Pages (Minneapolis) “[ 300 Arguments ] merits a wide audience. . . . Manguso writes powerfully about desire, [and]. . . offers a master class in a specific strain of desire: envy. . . . My field test for writing is like this: Does it produce a rueful inner smile or shudder of recognition? Manguso’s arguments do so many times.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “ 300 Arguments is a minimalist’s handbook: wisdom delivered in tiny doses.” — San Jose Mercury News “Part memoir, part advice, part laughter, and all unflinching honesty. . . . This is life experience and real wisdom distilled onto a few short pages.” — Rain Taxi Review of Books “A writer's life, solitary and complex, broken apart—not into shards but puzzle pieces. . . . A slim, poetic self-portrait that opens up as you read it and stays in the mind.” — Kirkus Reviews “Inventive. . . . All of life’s great subjects are here—love, relationships, happiness, desire, and vulnerability on the personal side; effort, luck, envy, and success vs. failure on the professional side—in one- and two-sentence nuggets of compressed insight. . . . It will require multiple rereadings to absorb the book’s rewarding wisdom.” — Publishers Weekly “Alternately insightful, humorous and thought-provoking, [Manguso’s] 300 Arguments offers enough variety, depth and substance torange from the deeply personal to the universally relatable. . . . 300 Arguments paints a vivid, intimately nuanced portrait of itsauthor in the way few long-form essays manage. . . . [It] should be required reading for all those experiencing crises of confidenceand the otherwise deleterious effects of the human condition.” — Spectrum Culture “ 300 Arguments shook me. It’s dark, but the darkness comes from a refusal to look away. Its humor is wounded but present. Is it possibly a sort of novel? The writer says somewhere, ‘This book is the good sentences from the novel I didn’t write.’ The idea holds up when applied, and the attentive reader will intuit an encompassing narrative. Sarah Manguso deserves many such readers.” —John Jeremiah Sullivan “A new book by Sarah Manguso is always a cause for celebration. She is a poet-philosopher of the highest order who combines a laser-sharp intellect with a lyric gift and a capacious, generous heart. She is one of my favorite writers, and with 300 Arguments she deepens her inquiry into the very essence of what it is to be human.” —Dani Shapiro “If there were a literary equivalent of the debate as to who is the best pound-for-pound boxer currently fighting, then word for word, Sarah Manguso’s 300 Arguments —weighing in at a mere ninety pages—would surely emerge as one of the smartest and most stimulating books of recent years.” —Geoff Dyer “It’s sometimes less important to know what we need to know than how we need to know it. 300 Arguments is an uncommon commonplace book of the everyday—a glittering reference book for life.” —Joanna Walsh, author of Break.Up “Every era has its wise aphorist. Sarah Manguso is ours and joins Marcus Aurelius, Thomas à Kempis, Montaigne.” —Edmund White “Aphorism has always given me a mixture of intense pleasure and pain. At its best—and Manguso’s work is, without doubt, at the pinnacle—it’s like someone looking you in the eye and seeing you for exactly who and what you are. The simultaneous fear and relief is dizzying. Every perfectly crafted sentence is replete with insight, self-knowledge, and—even in anger or self-accusation—a deep compassion which will have me re-reading her for the rest of my life.” —Luke Kennard, author of Transit

• Literary Collections / Essays

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Product Identifiers

• Publisher Graywolf Press
• ISBN-10 1555977642
• ISBN-13 9781555977641
• eBay Product ID (ePID) 221900072

Product Key Features

• Book Title 300 Arguments : Essays
• Author Sarah Manguso
• Format Trade Paperback
• Language English
• Topic Essays
• Publication Year 2017
• Genre Literary Collections
• Number of Pages 104 Pages
• Item Length 6.3in
• Item Height 0.3in
• Item Width 4.8in
• Item Weight 3.2 Oz

Additional Product Features

• Lc Classification Number Ps3613.A54a62 2017
• Reviews "A writer's life, solitary and complex, broken apart--not into shards but puzzle pieces. . . . A slim, poetic self-portrait that opens up as you read it and stays in the mind." -- Kirkus Reviews "Inventive. . . . All of life's great subjects are here--love, relationships, happiness, desire, and vulnerability on the personal side; effort, luck, envy, and success vs. failure on the professional side--in one- and two-sentence nuggets of compressed insight. . . . It will require multiple rereadings to absorb the book's rewarding wisdom." -- Publishers Weekly " 300 Arguments shook me. It's dark, but the darkness comes from a refusal to look away. Its humor is wounded but present. Is it possibly a sort of novel? The writer says somewhere, 'This book is the good sentences from the novel I didn't write.' The idea holds up when applied, and the attentive reader will intuit an encompassing narrative. Sarah Manguso deserves many such readers." --John Jeremiah Sullivan "A new book by Sarah Manguso is always a cause for celebration. She is a poet-philosopher of the highest order who combines a laser-sharp intellect with a lyric gift and a capacious, generous heart. She is one of my favorite writers, and with 300 Arguments she deepens her inquiry into the very essence of what it is to be human." --Dani Shapiro, " 300 Arguments is the book of aphorisms that I've been waiting for: trenchant, witty, and sometimes absurd. . . . Perhaps that's whyI'm so drawn to it: each nugget of wisdom is something I'm tempted to share on social media or email to a friend. Sometimesbrevity is exactly what we need to make sense of the complicated world we live in." --Michele Filgate, Literary Hub "Perspective-altering. . . . The accumulation of these entries has a certain difficult-to-deny power. . . . I wanted to gift it to everyone Iknow, read it aloud to strangers on the bus, and transcribe it by hand in its entirety like a holy text." --Joshua James Amberson, Portland Mercury "A writer's life, solitary and complex, broken apart--not into shards but puzzle pieces. . . . A slim, poetic self-portrait that opens up as you read it and stays in the mind." -- Kirkus Reviews "Inventive. . . . All of life's great subjects are here--love, relationships, happiness, desire, and vulnerability on the personal side; effort, luck, envy, and success vs. failure on the professional side--in one- and two-sentence nuggets of compressed insight. . . . It will require multiple rereadings to absorb the book's rewarding wisdom." -- Publishers Weekly "Alternately insightful, humorous and thought-provoking, [Manguso's] 300 Arguments offers enough variety, depth and substance torange from the deeply personal to the universally relatable. . . . 300 Arguments paints a vivid, intimately nuanced portrait of itsauthor in the way few long-form essays manage. . . . [It] should be required reading for all those experiencing crises of confidenceand the otherwise deleterious effects of the human condition." -- Spectrum Culture " 300 Arguments shook me. It's dark, but the darkness comes from a refusal to look away. Its humor is wounded but present. Is it possibly a sort of novel? The writer says somewhere, 'This book is the good sentences from the novel I didn't write.' The idea holds up when applied, and the attentive reader will intuit an encompassing narrative. Sarah Manguso deserves many such readers." --John Jeremiah Sullivan "A new book by Sarah Manguso is always a cause for celebration. She is a poet-philosopher of the highest order who combines a laser-sharp intellect with a lyric gift and a capacious, generous heart. She is one of my favorite writers, and with 300 Arguments she deepens her inquiry into the very essence of what it is to be human." --Dani Shapiro, "This collection transcends any category to be something totally its own. . . . Manguso''s captured the argumentative voice of a mindsifting through a problem, circling it, animated by sorting it out. . . . If this is poetry, it''s the poems of quarrel. And if it''s nonfiction, it''s not the nonfiction of fact. Instead, it''s the nonfiction which maps us to our own thinking. We enter Manguso''s mind - her puzzle,pleased to be puzzled, too." --NPR "All Things Considered" "[300 Arguments] reads like you''ve jumped into someone''s mind." --NPR "Weekend Edition" "Sarah Manguso paints a mostly opaque, but at times penetratingly clear, self-portrait of a female writer at work. . . . The narrator''stemper is mercurial; economical sentences range in tone from pithy and sardonic to tender and deeply empathetic. . . . But by theflip of a page, this wise and compassionate narrator descends into punchy one-liners that are darkly funny and sharper around theedges." -- Hazlitt " 300 Arguments is the book of aphorisms that I''ve been waiting for: trenchant, witty, and sometimes absurd. . . . Perhaps that''s whyI''m so drawn to it: each nugget of wisdom is something I''m tempted to share on social media or email to a friend. Sometimesbrevity is exactly what we need to make sense of the complicated world we live in." --Michele Filgate, Literary Hub "Perspective-altering. . . . The accumulation of these entries has a certain difficult-to-deny power. . . . I wanted to gift it to everyone Iknow, read it aloud to strangers on the bus, and transcribe it by hand in its entirety like a holy text." --Joshua James Amberson, Portland Mercury "[ 300 Arguments ] beckons the reader to return, to read a sentence, and put it down again. . . . Her arguments . . . are crystallineand often walloping. . . . There is ambition leaking out of every page." -- New Republic "Manguso resuscitates the aphorism from its descent into maxim, bringing it back as a spur to thought. . . . Manguso''s unsettlingarguments deliver the world back to the reader at 300 different, jarring angles." -- Literary Hub "A writer''s life, solitary and complex, broken apart--not into shards but puzzle pieces. . . . A slim, poetic self-portrait that opens up as you read it and stays in the mind." -- Kirkus Reviews "Inventive. . . . All of life''s great subjects are here--love, relationships, happiness, desire, and vulnerability on the personal side; effort, luck, envy, and success vs. failure on the professional side--in one- and two-sentence nuggets of compressed insight. . . . It will require multiple rereadings to absorb the book''s rewarding wisdom." -- Publishers Weekly "Alternately insightful, humorous and thought-provoking, [Manguso''s] 300 Arguments offers enough variety, depth and substance torange from the deeply personal to the universally relatable. . . . 300 Arguments paints a vivid, intimately nuanced portrait of itsauthor in the way few long-form essays manage. . . . [It] should be required reading for all those experiencing crises of confidenceand the otherwise deleterious effects of the human condition." -- Spectrum Culture " 300 Arguments shook me. It''s dark, but the darkness comes from a refusal to look away. Its humor is wounded but present. Is it possibly a sort of novel? The writer says somewhere, ''This book is the good sentences from the novel I didn''t write.'' The idea holds up when applied, and the attentive reader will intuit an encompassing narrative. Sarah Manguso deserves many such readers." --John Jeremiah Sullivan "A new book by Sarah Manguso is always a cause for celebration. She is a poet-philosopher of the highest order who combines a laser-sharp intellect with a lyric gift and a capacious, generous heart. She is one of my favorite writers, and with 300 Arguments she deepens her inquiry into the very essence of what it is to be human." --Dani Shapiro, Praise for Sarah Manguso "I can't think of a writer who is at once so experimentally daring and so rigorously uncompromising." -Miranda July "The memoir form is shaken up and reinvented in this brilliant meditation on time and record-keeping . . . Manguso covers vast territory with immense subtlety and enviable wit." -Jenny Offill
• Copyright Date 2017
• Target Audience Trade
• Lccn 2016-937638

Sarah Bakewell Nonfiction Paperbacks Books

Sarah wilson nonfiction paperbacks books, trade paperbacks, trade paperbacks books, essays & speeches vintage paperback antiquarian & collectible books, trade paperbacks books in english.

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The 10 Best Essay Collections of the Decade

Ever tried. ever failed. no matter..

Friends, it’s true: the end of the decade approaches. It’s been a difficult, anxiety-provoking, morally compromised decade, but at least it’s been populated by some damn fine literature. We’ll take our silver linings where we can.

So, as is our hallowed duty as a literary and culture website—though with full awareness of the potentially fruitless and endlessly contestable nature of the task—in the coming weeks, we’ll be taking a look at the best and most important (these being not always the same) books of the decade that was. We will do this, of course, by means of a variety of lists. We began with the best debut novels , the best short story collections , the best poetry collections , and the best memoirs of the decade , and we have now reached the fifth list in our series: the best essay collections published in English between 2010 and 2019.

The following books were chosen after much debate (and several rounds of voting) by the Literary Hub staff. Tears were spilled, feelings were hurt, books were re-read. And as you’ll shortly see, we had a hard time choosing just ten—so we’ve also included a list of dissenting opinions, and an even longer list of also-rans. As ever, free to add any of your own favorites that we’ve missed in the comments below.

The Top Ten

Oliver sacks, the mind’s eye (2010).

Toward the end of his life, maybe suspecting or sensing that it was coming to a close, Dr. Oliver Sacks tended to focus his efforts on sweeping intellectual projects like On the Move (a memoir), The River of Consciousness (a hybrid intellectual history), and Hallucinations (a book-length meditation on, what else, hallucinations). But in 2010, he gave us one more classic in the style that first made him famous, a form he revolutionized and brought into the contemporary literary canon: the medical case study as essay. In The Mind’s Eye , Sacks focuses on vision, expanding the notion to embrace not only how we see the world, but also how we map that world onto our brains when our eyes are closed and we’re communing with the deeper recesses of consciousness. Relaying histories of patients and public figures, as well as his own history of ocular cancer (the condition that would eventually spread and contribute to his death), Sacks uses vision as a lens through which to see all of what makes us human, what binds us together, and what keeps us painfully apart. The essays that make up this collection are quintessential Sacks: sensitive, searching, with an expertise that conveys scientific information and experimentation in terms we can not only comprehend, but which also expand how we see life carrying on around us. The case studies of “Stereo Sue,” of the concert pianist Lillian Kalir, and of Howard, the mystery novelist who can no longer read, are highlights of the collection, but each essay is a kind of gem, mined and polished by one of the great storytellers of our era.  –Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads Managing Editor

John Jeremiah Sullivan, Pulphead (2011)

The American essay was having a moment at the beginning of the decade, and Pulphead was smack in the middle. Without any hard data, I can tell you that this collection of John Jeremiah Sullivan’s magazine features—published primarily in GQ , but also in The Paris Review , and Harper’s —was the only full book of essays most of my literary friends had read since Slouching Towards Bethlehem , and probably one of the only full books of essays they had even heard of.

Well, we all picked a good one. Every essay in Pulphead is brilliant and entertaining, and illuminates some small corner of the American experience—even if it’s just one house, with Sullivan and an aging writer inside (“Mr. Lytle” is in fact a standout in a collection with no filler; fittingly, it won a National Magazine Award and a Pushcart Prize). But what are they about? Oh, Axl Rose, Christian Rock festivals, living around the filming of One Tree Hill , the Tea Party movement, Michael Jackson, Bunny Wailer, the influence of animals, and by god, the Miz (of Real World/Road Rules Challenge fame).

But as Dan Kois has pointed out , what connects these essays, apart from their general tone and excellence, is “their author’s essential curiosity about the world, his eye for the perfect detail, and his great good humor in revealing both his subjects’ and his own foibles.” They are also extremely well written, drawing much from fictional techniques and sentence craft, their literary pleasures so acute and remarkable that James Wood began his review of the collection in The New Yorker with a quiz: “Are the following sentences the beginnings of essays or of short stories?” (It was not a hard quiz, considering the context.)

It’s hard not to feel, reading this collection, like someone reached into your brain, took out the half-baked stuff you talk about with your friends, researched it, lived it, and represented it to you smarter and better and more thoroughly than you ever could. So read it in awe if you must, but read it.  –Emily Temple, Senior Editor

Aleksandar Hemon, The Book of My Lives (2013)

Such is the sentence-level virtuosity of Aleksandar Hemon—the Bosnian-American writer, essayist, and critic—that throughout his career he has frequently been compared to the granddaddy of borrowed language prose stylists: Vladimir Nabokov. While it is, of course, objectively remarkable that anyone could write so beautifully in a language they learned in their twenties, what I admire most about Hemon’s work is the way in which he infuses every essay and story and novel with both a deep humanity and a controlled (but never subdued) fury. He can also be damn funny. Hemon grew up in Sarajevo and left in 1992 to study in Chicago, where he almost immediately found himself stranded, forced to watch from afar as his beloved home city was subjected to a relentless four-year bombardment, the longest siege of a capital in the history of modern warfare. This extraordinary memoir-in-essays is many things: it’s a love letter to both the family that raised him and the family he built in exile; it’s a rich, joyous, and complex portrait of a place the 90s made synonymous with war and devastation; and it’s an elegy for the wrenching loss of precious things. There’s an essay about coming of age in Sarajevo and another about why he can’t bring himself to leave Chicago. There are stories about relationships forged and maintained on the soccer pitch or over the chessboard, and stories about neighbors and mentors turned monstrous by ethnic prejudice. As a chorus they sing with insight, wry humor, and unimaginable sorrow. I am not exaggerating when I say that the collection’s devastating final piece, “The Aquarium”—which details his infant daughter’s brain tumor and the agonizing months which led up to her death—remains the most painful essay I have ever read.  –Dan Sheehan, Book Marks Editor

Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass (2013)

Of every essay in my relentlessly earmarked copy of Braiding Sweetgrass , Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s gorgeously rendered argument for why and how we should keep going, there’s one that especially hits home: her account of professor-turned-forester Franz Dolp. When Dolp, several decades ago, revisited the farm that he had once shared with his ex-wife, he found a scene of destruction: The farm’s new owners had razed the land where he had tried to build a life. “I sat among the stumps and the swirling red dust and I cried,” he wrote in his journal.

So many in my generation (and younger) feel this kind of helplessness–and considerable rage–at finding ourselves newly adult in a world where those in power seem determined to abandon or destroy everything that human bodies have always needed to survive: air, water, land. Asking any single book to speak to this helplessness feels unfair, somehow; yet, Braiding Sweetgrass does, by weaving descriptions of indigenous tradition with the environmental sciences in order to show what survival has looked like over the course of many millennia. Kimmerer’s essays describe her personal experience as a Potawotami woman, plant ecologist, and teacher alongside stories of the many ways that humans have lived in relationship to other species. Whether describing Dolp’s work–he left the stumps for a life of forest restoration on the Oregon coast–or the work of others in maple sugar harvesting, creating black ash baskets, or planting a Three Sisters garden of corn, beans, and squash, she brings hope. “In ripe ears and swelling fruit, they counsel us that all gifts are multiplied in relationship,” she writes of the Three Sisters, which all sustain one another as they grow. “This is how the world keeps going.”  –Corinne Segal, Senior Editor

Hilton Als, White Girls (2013)

In a world where we are so often reduced to one essential self, Hilton Als’ breathtaking book of critical essays, White Girls , which meditates on the ways he and other subjects read, project and absorb parts of white femininity, is a radically liberating book. It’s one of the only works of critical thinking that doesn’t ask the reader, its author or anyone he writes about to stoop before the doorframe of complete legibility before entering. Something he also permitted the subjects and readers of his first book, the glorious book-length essay, The Women , a series of riffs and psychological portraits of Dorothy Dean, Owen Dodson, and the author’s own mother, among others. One of the shifts of that book, uncommon at the time, was how it acknowledges the way we inhabit bodies made up of variously gendered influences. To read White Girls now is to experience the utter freedom of this gift and to marvel at Als’ tremendous versatility and intelligence.

He is easily the most diversely talented American critic alive. He can write into genres like pop music and film where being part of an audience is a fantasy happening in the dark. He’s also wired enough to know how the art world builds reputations on the nod of rich white patrons, a significant collision in a time when Jean-Michel Basquiat is America’s most expensive modern artist. Als’ swerving and always moving grip on performance means he’s especially good on describing the effect of art which is volatile and unstable and built on the mingling of made-up concepts and the hard fact of their effect on behavior, such as race. Writing on Flannery O’Connor for instance he alone puts a finger on her “uneasy and unavoidable union between black and white, the sacred and the profane, the shit and the stars.” From Eminem to Richard Pryor, André Leon Talley to Michael Jackson, Als enters the life and work of numerous artists here who turn the fascinations of race and with whiteness into fury and song and describes the complexity of their beauty like his life depended upon it. There are also brief memoirs here that will stop your heart. This is an essential work to understanding American culture.  –John Freeman, Executive Editor

Eula Biss, On Immunity (2014)

We move through the world as if we can protect ourselves from its myriad dangers, exercising what little agency we have in an effort to keep at bay those fears that gather at the edges of any given life: of loss, illness, disaster, death. It is these fears—amplified by the birth of her first child—that Eula Biss confronts in her essential 2014 essay collection, On Immunity . As any great essayist does, Biss moves outward in concentric circles from her own very private view of the world to reveal wider truths, discovering as she does a culture consumed by anxiety at the pervasive toxicity of contemporary life. As Biss interrogates this culture—of privilege, of whiteness—she interrogates herself, questioning the flimsy ways in which we arm ourselves with science or superstition against the impurities of daily existence.

Five years on from its publication, it is dismaying that On Immunity feels as urgent (and necessary) a defense of basic science as ever. Vaccination, we learn, is derived from vacca —for cow—after the 17th-century discovery that a small application of cowpox was often enough to inoculate against the scourge of smallpox, an etymological digression that belies modern conspiratorial fears of Big Pharma and its vaccination agenda. But Biss never scolds or belittles the fears of others, and in her generosity and openness pulls off a neat (and important) trick: insofar as we are of the very world we fear, she seems to be suggesting, we ourselves are impure, have always been so, permeable, vulnerable, yet so much stronger than we think.  –Jonny Diamond, Editor-in-Chief 

Rebecca Solnit, The Mother of All Questions (2016)

When Rebecca Solnit’s essay, “Men Explain Things to Me,” was published in 2008, it quickly became a cultural phenomenon unlike almost any other in recent memory, assigning language to a behavior that almost every woman has witnessed—mansplaining—and, in the course of identifying that behavior, spurring a movement, online and offline, to share the ways in which patriarchal arrogance has intersected all our lives. (It would also come to be the titular essay in her collection published in 2014.) The Mother of All Questions follows up on that work and takes it further in order to examine the nature of self-expression—who is afforded it and denied it, what institutions have been put in place to limit it, and what happens when it is employed by women. Solnit has a singular gift for describing and decoding the misogynistic dynamics that govern the world so universally that they can seem invisible and the gendered violence that is so common as to seem unremarkable; this naming is powerful, and it opens space for sharing the stories that shape our lives.

The Mother of All Questions, comprised of essays written between 2014 and 2016, in many ways armed us with some of the tools necessary to survive the gaslighting of the Trump years, in which many of us—and especially women—have continued to hear from those in power that the things we see and hear do not exist and never existed. Solnit also acknowledges that labels like “woman,” and other gendered labels, are identities that are fluid in reality; in reviewing the book for The New Yorker , Moira Donegan suggested that, “One useful working definition of a woman might be ‘someone who experiences misogyny.'” Whichever words we use, Solnit writes in the introduction to the book that “when words break through unspeakability, what was tolerated by a society sometimes becomes intolerable.” This storytelling work has always been vital; it continues to be vital, and in this book, it is brilliantly done.  –Corinne Segal, Senior Editor

Valeria Luiselli, Tell Me How It Ends (2017)

The newly minted MacArthur fellow Valeria Luiselli’s four-part (but really six-part) essay  Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions  was inspired by her time spent volunteering at the federal immigration court in New York City, working as an interpreter for undocumented, unaccompanied migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. Written concurrently with her novel  Lost Children Archive  (a fictional exploration of the same topic), Luiselli’s essay offers a fascinating conceit, the fashioning of an argument from the questions on the government intake form given to these children to process their arrivals. (Aside from the fact that this essay is a heartbreaking masterpiece, this is such a  good  conceit—transforming a cold, reproducible administrative document into highly personal literature.) Luiselli interweaves a grounded discussion of the questionnaire with a narrative of the road trip Luiselli takes with her husband and family, across America, while they (both Mexican citizens) wait for their own Green Card applications to be processed. It is on this trip when Luiselli reflects on the thousands of migrant children mysteriously traveling across the border by themselves. But the real point of the essay is to actually delve into the real stories of some of these children, which are agonizing, as well as to gravely, clearly expose what literally happens, procedural, when they do arrive—from forms to courts, as they’re swallowed by a bureaucratic vortex. Amid all of this, Luiselli also takes on more, exploring the larger contextual relationship between the United States of America and Mexico (as well as other countries in Central America, more broadly) as it has evolved to our current, adverse moment.  Tell Me How It Ends  is so small, but it is so passionate and vigorous: it desperately accomplishes in its less-than-100-pages-of-prose what centuries and miles and endless records of federal bureaucracy have never been able, and have never cared, to do: reverse the dehumanization of Latin American immigrants that occurs once they set foot in this country.  –Olivia Rutigliano, CrimeReads Editorial Fellow

Zadie Smith, Feel Free (2018)

In the essay “Meet Justin Bieber!” in Feel Free , Zadie Smith writes that her interest in Justin Bieber is not an interest in the interiority of the singer himself, but in “the idea of the love object”. This essay—in which Smith imagines a meeting between Bieber and the late philosopher Martin Buber (“Bieber and Buber are alternative spellings of the same German surname,” she explains in one of many winning footnotes. “Who am I to ignore these hints from the universe?”). Smith allows that this premise is a bit premise -y: “I know, I know.” Still, the resulting essay is a very funny, very smart, and un-tricky exploration of individuality and true “meeting,” with a dash of late capitalism thrown in for good measure. The melding of high and low culture is the bread and butter of pretty much every prestige publication on the internet these days (and certainly of the Twitter feeds of all “public intellectuals”), but the essays in Smith’s collection don’t feel familiar—perhaps because hers is, as we’ve long known, an uncommon skill. Though I believe Smith could probably write compellingly about anything, she chooses her subjects wisely. She writes with as much electricity about Brexit as the aforementioned Beliebers—and each essay is utterly engrossing. “She contains multitudes, but her point is we all do,” writes Hermione Hoby in her review of the collection in The New Republic . “At the same time, we are, in our endless difference, nobody but ourselves.”  –Jessie Gaynor, Social Media Editor

Tressie McMillan Cottom, Thick: And Other Essays (2019)

Tressie McMillan Cottom is an academic who has transcended the ivory tower to become the sort of public intellectual who can easily appear on radio or television talk shows to discuss race, gender, and capitalism. Her collection of essays reflects this duality, blending scholarly work with memoir to create a collection on the black female experience in postmodern America that’s “intersectional analysis with a side of pop culture.” The essays range from an analysis of sexual violence, to populist politics, to social media, but in centering her own experiences throughout, the collection becomes something unlike other pieces of criticism of contemporary culture. In explaining the title, she reflects on what an editor had said about her work: “I was too readable to be academic, too deep to be popular, too country black to be literary, and too naïve to show the rigor of my thinking in the complexity of my prose. I had wanted to create something meaningful that sounded not only like me, but like all of me. It was too thick.” One of the most powerful essays in the book is “Dying to be Competent” which begins with her unpacking the idiocy of LinkedIn (and the myth of meritocracy) and ends with a description of her miscarriage, the mishandling of black woman’s pain, and a condemnation of healthcare bureaucracy. A finalist for the 2019 National Book Award for Nonfiction, Thick confirms McMillan Cottom as one of our most fearless public intellectuals and one of the most vital.  –Emily Firetog, Deputy Editor

Dissenting Opinions

The following books were just barely nudged out of the top ten, but we (or at least one of us) couldn’t let them pass without comment.

Elif Batuman, The Possessed (2010)

In The Possessed Elif Batuman indulges her love of Russian literature and the result is hilarious and remarkable. Each essay of the collection chronicles some adventure or other that she had while in graduate school for Comparative Literature and each is more unpredictable than the next. There’s the time a “well-known 20th-centuryist” gave a graduate student the finger; and the time when Batuman ended up living in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for a summer; and the time that she convinced herself Tolstoy was murdered and spent the length of the Tolstoy Conference in Yasnaya Polyana considering clues and motives. Rich in historic detail about Russian authors and literature and thoughtfully constructed, each essay is an amalgam of critical analysis, cultural criticism, and serious contemplation of big ideas like that of identity, intellectual legacy, and authorship. With wit and a serpentine-like shape to her narratives, Batuman adopts a form reminiscent of a Socratic discourse, setting up questions at the beginning of her essays and then following digressions that more or less entreat the reader to synthesize the answer for herself. The digressions are always amusing and arguably the backbone of the collection, relaying absurd anecdotes with foreign scholars or awkward, surreal encounters with Eastern European strangers. Central also to the collection are Batuman’s intellectual asides where she entertains a theory—like the “problem of the person”: the inability to ever wholly capture one’s character—that ultimately layer the book’s themes. “You are certainly my most entertaining student,” a professor said to Batuman. But she is also curious and enthusiastic and reflective and so knowledgeable that she might even convince you (she has me!) that you too love Russian literature as much as she does. –Eleni Theodoropoulos, Editorial Fellow

Roxane Gay, Bad Feminist (2014)

Roxane Gay’s now-classic essay collection is a book that will make you laugh, think, cry, and then wonder, how can cultural criticism be this fun? My favorite essays in the book include Gay’s musings on competitive Scrabble, her stranded-in-academia dispatches, and her joyous film and television criticism, but given the breadth of topics Roxane Gay can discuss in an entertaining manner, there’s something for everyone in this one. This book is accessible because feminism itself should be accessible – Roxane Gay is as likely to draw inspiration from YA novels, or middle-brow shows about friendship, as she is to introduce concepts from the academic world, and if there’s anyone I trust to bridge the gap between high culture, low culture, and pop culture, it’s the Goddess of Twitter. I used to host a book club dedicated to radical reads, and this was one of the first picks for the club; a week after the book club met, I spied a few of the attendees meeting in the café of the bookstore, and found out that they had bonded so much over discussing  Bad Feminist  that they couldn’t wait for the next meeting of the book club to keep discussing politics and intersectionality, and that, in a nutshell, is the power of Roxane. –Molly Odintz, CrimeReads Associate Editor

Rivka Galchen, Little Labors (2016)

Generally, I find stories about the trials and tribulations of child-having to be of limited appeal—useful, maybe, insofar as they offer validation that other people have also endured the bizarre realities of living with a tiny human, but otherwise liable to drift into the musings of parents thrilled at the simple fact of their own fecundity, as if they were the first ones to figure the process out (or not). But Little Labors is not simply an essay collection about motherhood, perhaps because Galchen initially “didn’t want to write about” her new baby—mostly, she writes, “because I had never been interested in babies, or mothers; in fact, those subjects had seemed perfectly not interesting to me.” Like many new mothers, though, Galchen soon discovered her baby—which she refers to sometimes as “the puma”—to be a preoccupying thought, demanding to be written about. Galchen’s interest isn’t just in her own progeny, but in babies in literature (“Literature has more dogs than babies, and also more abortions”), The Pillow Book , the eleventh-century collection of musings by Sei Shōnagon, and writers who are mothers. There are sections that made me laugh out loud, like when Galchen continually finds herself in an elevator with a neighbor who never fails to remark on the puma’s size. There are also deeper, darker musings, like the realization that the baby means “that it’s not permissible to die. There are days when this does not feel good.” It is a slim collection that I happened to read at the perfect time, and it remains one of my favorites of the decade. –Emily Firetog, Deputy Editor

Charlie Fox, This Young Monster (2017)

On social media as in his writing, British art critic Charlie Fox rejects lucidity for allusion and doesn’t quite answer the Twitter textbox’s persistent question: “What’s happening?” These days, it’s hard to tell.  This Young Monster  (2017), Fox’s first book,was published a few months after Donald Trump’s election, and at one point Fox takes a swipe at a man he judges “direct from a nightmare and just a repulsive fucking goon.” Fox doesn’t linger on politics, though, since most of the monsters he looks at “embody otherness and make it into art, ripping any conventional idea of beauty to shreds and replacing it with something weird and troubling of their own invention.”

If clichés are loathed because they conform to what philosopher Georges Bataille called “the common measure,” then monsters are rebellious non-sequiturs, comedic or horrific derailments from a classical ideal. Perverts in the most literal sense, monsters have gone astray from some “proper” course. The book’s nine chapters, which are about a specific monster or type of monster, are full of callbacks to familiar and lesser-known media. Fox cites visual art, film, songs, and books with the screwy buoyancy of a savant. Take one of his essays, “Spook House,” framed as a stage play with two principal characters, Klaus (“an intoxicated young skinhead vampire”) and Hermione (“a teen sorceress with green skin and jet-black hair” who looks more like The Wicked Witch than her namesake). The chorus is a troupe of trick-or-treaters. Using the filmmaker Cameron Jamie as a starting point, the rest is free association on gothic decadence and Detroit and L.A. as cities of the dead. All the while, Klaus quotes from  Artforum ,  Dazed & Confused , and  Time Out. It’s a technical feat that makes fictionalized dialogue a conveyor belt for cultural criticism.

In Fox’s imagination, David Bowie and the Hydra coexist alongside Peter Pan, Dennis Hopper, and the maenads. Fox’s book reaches for the monster’s mask, not really to peel it off but to feel and smell the rubber schnoz, to know how it’s made before making sure it’s still snugly set. With a stylistic blend of arthouse suavity and B-movie chic,  This Young Monster considers how monsters in culture are made. Aren’t the scariest things made in post-production? Isn’t the creature just duplicity, like a looping choir or a dubbed scream? –Aaron Robertson, Assistant Editor

Elena Passarello, Animals Strike Curious Poses (2017)

Elena Passarello’s collection of essays Animals Strike Curious Poses picks out infamous animals and grants them the voice, narrative, and history they deserve. Not only is a collection like this relevant during the sixth extinction but it is an ambitious historical and anthropological undertaking, which Passarello has tackled with thorough research and a playful tone that rather than compromise her subject, complicates and humanizes it. Passarello’s intention is to investigate the role of animals across the span of human civilization and in doing so, to construct a timeline of humanity as told through people’s interactions with said animals. “Of all the images that make our world, animal images are particularly buried inside us,” Passarello writes in her first essay, to introduce us to the object of the book and also to the oldest of her chosen characters: Yuka, a 39,000-year-old mummified woolly mammoth discovered in the Siberian permafrost in 2010. It was an occasion so remarkable and so unfathomable given the span of human civilization that Passarello says of Yuka: “Since language is epically younger than both thought and experience, ‘woolly mammoth’ means, to a human brain, something more like time.” The essay ends with a character placing a hand on a cave drawing of a woolly mammoth, accompanied by a phrase which encapsulates the author’s vision for the book: “And he becomes the mammoth so he can envision the mammoth.” In Passarello’s hands the imagined boundaries between the animal, natural, and human world disintegrate and what emerges is a cohesive if baffling integrated history of life. With the accuracy and tenacity of a journalist and the spirit of a storyteller, Elena Passarello has assembled a modern bestiary worthy of contemplation and awe. –Eleni Theodoropoulos, Editorial Fellow

Esmé Weijun Wang, The Collected Schizophrenias (2019)

Esmé Weijun Wang’s collection of essays is a kaleidoscopic look at mental health and the lives affected by the schizophrenias. Each essay takes on a different aspect of the topic, but you’ll want to read them together for a holistic perspective. Esmé Weijun Wang generously begins The Collected Schizophrenias by acknowledging the stereotype, “Schizophrenia terrifies. It is the archetypal disorder of lunacy.” From there, she walks us through the technical language, breaks down the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual ( DSM-5 )’s clinical definition. And then she gets very personal, telling us about how she came to her own diagnosis and the way it’s touched her daily life (her relationships, her ideas about motherhood). Esmé Weijun Wang is uniquely situated to write about this topic. As a former lab researcher at Stanford, she turns a precise, analytical eye to her experience while simultaneously unfolding everything with great patience for her reader. Throughout, she brilliantly dissects the language around mental health. (On saying “a person living with bipolar disorder” instead of using “bipolar” as the sole subject: “…we are not our diseases. We are instead individuals with disorders and malfunctions. Our conditions lie over us like smallpox blankets; we are one thing and the illness is another.”) She pinpoints the ways she arms herself against anticipated reactions to the schizophrenias: high fashion, having attended an Ivy League institution. In a particularly piercing essay, she traces mental illness back through her family tree. She also places her story within more mainstream cultural contexts, calling on groundbreaking exposés about the dangerous of institutionalization and depictions of mental illness in television and film (like the infamous Slender Man case, in which two young girls stab their best friend because an invented Internet figure told them to). At once intimate and far-reaching, The Collected Schizophrenias is an informative and important (and let’s not forget artful) work. I’ve never read a collection quite so beautifully-written and laid-bare as this. –Katie Yee, Book Marks Assistant Editor

Ross Gay, The Book of Delights (2019)

When Ross Gay began writing what would become The Book of Delights, he envisioned it as a project of daily essays, each focused on a moment or point of delight in his day. This plan quickly disintegrated; on day four, he skipped his self-imposed assignment and decided to “in honor and love, delight in blowing it off.” (Clearly, “blowing it off” is a relative term here, as he still produced the book.) Ross Gay is a generous teacher of how to live, and this moment of reveling in self-compassion is one lesson among many in The Book of Delights , which wanders from moments of connection with strangers to a shade of “red I don’t think I actually have words for,” a text from a friend reading “I love you breadfruit,” and “the sun like a guiding hand on my back, saying everything is possible. Everything .”

Gay does not linger on any one subject for long, creating the sense that delight is a product not of extenuating circumstances, but of our attention; his attunement to the possibilities of a single day, and awareness of all the small moments that produce delight, are a model for life amid the warring factions of the attention economy. These small moments range from the physical–hugging a stranger, transplanting fig cuttings–to the spiritual and philosophical, giving the impression of sitting beside Gay in his garden as he thinks out loud in real time. It’s a privilege to listen. –Corinne Segal, Senior Editor

Honorable Mentions

A selection of other books that we seriously considered for both lists—just to be extra about it (and because decisions are hard).

Terry Castle, The Professor and Other Writings (2010) · Joyce Carol Oates, In Rough Country (2010) · Geoff Dyer, Otherwise Known as the Human Condition (2011) · Christopher Hitchens, Arguably (2011) ·  Roberto Bolaño, tr. Natasha Wimmer, Between Parentheses (2011) · Dubravka Ugresic, tr. David Williams, Karaoke Culture (2011) · Tom Bissell, Magic Hours (2012)  · Kevin Young, The Grey Album (2012) · William H. Gass, Life Sentences: Literary Judgments and Accounts (2012) · Mary Ruefle, Madness, Rack, and Honey (2012) · Herta Müller, tr. Geoffrey Mulligan, Cristina and Her Double (2013) · Leslie Jamison, The Empathy Exams (2014)  · Meghan Daum, The Unspeakable (2014)  · Daphne Merkin, The Fame Lunches (2014)  · Charles D’Ambrosio, Loitering (2015) · Wendy Walters, Multiply/Divide (2015) · Colm Tóibín, On Elizabeth Bishop (2015) ·  Renee Gladman, Calamities (2016)  · Jesmyn Ward, ed. The Fire This Time (2016)  · Lindy West, Shrill (2016)  · Mary Oliver, Upstream (2016)  · Emily Witt, Future Sex (2016)  · Olivia Laing, The Lonely City (2016)  · Mark Greif, Against Everything (2016)  · Durga Chew-Bose, Too Much and Not the Mood (2017)  · Sarah Gerard, Sunshine State (2017)  · Jim Harrison, A Really Big Lunch (2017)  · J.M. Coetzee, Late Essays: 2006-2017 (2017) · Melissa Febos, Abandon Me (2017)  · Louise Glück, American Originality (2017)  · Joan Didion, South and West (2017)  · Tom McCarthy, Typewriters, Bombs, Jellyfish (2017)  · Hanif Abdurraqib, They Can’t Kill Us Until they Kill Us (2017)  · Ta-Nehisi Coates, We Were Eight Years in Power (2017)  ·  Samantha Irby, We Are Never Meeting in Real Life (2017)  · Alexander Chee, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel (2018)  · Alice Bolin, Dead Girls (2018)  · Marilynne Robinson, What Are We Doing Here? (2018)  · Lorrie Moore, See What Can Be Done (2018)  · Maggie O’Farrell, I Am I Am I Am (2018)  · Ijeoma Oluo, So You Want to Talk About Race (2018)  · Rachel Cusk, Coventry (2019)  · Jia Tolentino, Trick Mirror (2019)  · Emily Bernard, Black is the Body (2019)  · Toni Morrison, The Source of Self-Regard (2019)  · Margaret Renkl, Late Migrations (2019)  ·  Rachel Munroe, Savage Appetites (2019)  · Robert A. Caro,  Working  (2019) · Arundhati Roy, My Seditious Heart (2019).

Emily Temple

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Essay Papers Writing Online

Learn the best techniques for writing a concise and impactful 300-word essay effortlessly.

Effective communication is the cornerstone of any successful endeavor, and the ability to express oneself concisely is an invaluable skill. In a world constantly bombarded with information, being able to convey your thoughts and ideas in a concise, yet impactful manner is more important than ever. Whether you are a student faced with the challenge of writing a 300-word essay or a professional looking to sharpen your writing skills, this comprehensive guide will equip you with the tools and strategies necessary to craft a powerful piece.

While the thought of condensing your thoughts into a mere 300 words may seem daunting, fear not. With a well-defined plan and some clever strategies, you will be able to make every word count and leave a lasting impression on your readers. In this guide, we will explore a variety of techniques that will help streamline your writing process and ensure that your essay is both concise and compelling.

One of the most important aspects of writing a 300-word essay is selecting a strong topic. Your topic should be specific enough to allow for depth and analysis within the limited word count, but broad enough to captivate your audience. The key is to choose a topic that genuinely interests you, as this will make the writing process more enjoyable and ultimately result in a stronger essay.

Understand the Prompt

When embarking on the journey of writing a 300-word essay, it is crucial to fully grasp the prompt given to you. In order to effectively address the topic at hand, it is essential to understand its requirements and objectives.

The prompt serves as a guide that directs your thoughts and ideas, shaping the entire essay. It outlines the main theme or question that needs to be explored, allowing you to focus your efforts and convey a clear message to your readers. Therefore, taking the time to carefully analyze and comprehend the prompt is of utmost importance.

To comprehend the prompt, one must carefully read and identify key terms or phrases. These terms provide clues as to what the essay should encompass, such as analyzing, contrasting, or evaluating a specific concept or topic.

Furthermore, it is crucial to consider the context in which the prompt is presented. Is it asking for your personal opinion, an analysis of a given text, or an exploration of a specific event or idea? By understanding the context, you can tailor your writing style accordingly and ensure that your essay remains relevant to the prompt.

Another important aspect of understanding the prompt is identifying any limitations or guidelines provided. This may include word count restrictions, specific formatting requirements, or even the inclusion of certain sources or references. By taking note of these instructions, you can ensure that your essay meets all the necessary criteria set forth by the prompt.

Finally, once you have a clear understanding of the prompt, it is recommended to brainstorm and create an outline of your essay. This will allow you to organize your thoughts and ensure a logical flow of ideas within your 300-word limit.

In conclusion, understanding the prompt is the foundational step towards writing a successful 300-word essay. By comprehending the requirements, identifying key terms, considering the context, and noting any limitations, you can effectively shape your essay and communicate your ideas in a concise and coherent manner.

Plan Your Essay

Before you start writing your 300-word essay, it’s crucial to create a solid plan. Planning your essay helps you organize your thoughts and ensures that you cover all the necessary points in a coherent and structured manner.

1. Define your topic:

First and foremost, clearly define the topic or question that your essay will address. This will give you a clear focus and prevent your essay from becoming too broad or unfocused.

2. Conduct research:

Once you have a clear topic, conduct thorough research to gather relevant information and supporting evidence. This will enable you to present a well-informed and well-rounded argument in your essay.

3. Create an outline:

An outline serves as a roadmap for your essay, helping you structure your thoughts and ensure a logical flow of information. Divide your essay into sections and subheadings, and outline the main points you will cover in each.

4. Develop a thesis statement:

Your thesis statement should clearly state the main argument or point you will be making in your essay. It should be concise, specific, and thought-provoking, acting as a guide for the rest of your writing.

5. Organize your ideas:

Once you have a clear thesis statement and outline, organize your ideas in a logical order. Start with a strong introduction, followed by body paragraphs that support your thesis, and end with a conclusion that summarizes your main points.

6. Consider word count:

Since you are writing a 300-word essay, it’s important to be mindful of your word count. Ensure that each paragraph and sentence contributes to the overall argument and removes any unnecessary information or repetition.

7. Revise and edit:

Finally, before submitting your essay, take the time to revise and edit your work. Check for grammar and spelling errors, ensure that your ideas are clear and concise, and make any necessary changes to improve the overall flow and coherence of your essay.

By following these planning tips and taking the time to organize your thoughts, you will be well-equipped to write a strong and concise 300-word essay that effectively communicates your ideas. Remember, a well-structured and coherent essay is more likely to leave a lasting impression on your readers.

Focus on the Main Idea

When writing a 300-word essay, it is crucial to focus on the main idea. This means that you need to clearly identify the central theme or argument that you want to convey to your readers. By honing in on the main idea, you can ensure that your essay remains focused and coherent.

One way to identify the main idea is by brainstorming and organizing your thoughts before you begin writing. Consider what you want to say and the key points that support your argument. This will help you create a clear outline for your essay, allowing you to stay on track and avoid straying off topic.

Once you have identified the main idea, it is important to make sure that all the information you include in your essay directly supports and reinforces this central theme. Each paragraph should have a clear connection to the main idea, and any irrelevant or unnecessary information should be eliminated. This will keep your essay concise and focused.

In order to effectively convey the main idea, it is also important to use language and vocabulary that is precise and specific. This will help you articulate your thoughts clearly and avoid any ambiguity or confusion. Additionally, using examples and evidence to support your main idea can strengthen your argument and make it more convincing to your readers.

By focusing on the main idea, you can ensure that your 300-word essay is concise, coherent, and effective. Remember to identify the central theme, organize your thoughts, and use precise language to convey your argument. With these strategies, you will be able to write a compelling essay that keeps your readers engaged from beginning to end.

Keep Sentences Short and Simple

In order to effectively convey your ideas in a 300-word essay, it is crucial to keep your sentences short and simple. By utilizing concise sentence structures and avoiding unnecessary complexity, you can ensure that your message is clear and easily understood by the reader.

Long and convoluted sentences can easily confuse the reader and make it difficult for them to follow your line of thought. Instead, opt for shorter sentences that express a single idea or concept. This will not only enhance the readability of your essay but also make it more engaging for the reader.

Simplicity is key when it comes to writing a concise essay. Avoid using overly technical language or jargon that may alienate your audience. Instead, strive for clarity and precision in your choice of words. Use clear and straightforward language that is accessible to a wide range of readers.

Additionally, it is important to avoid unnecessary repetition or redundancy in your sentences. Each sentence should contribute new information or expand upon the previous point. Aim to eliminate any unnecessary words or phrases that do not add value to your essay.

To ensure that your sentences remain short and simple, it can be helpful to read your essay aloud. This will allow you to identify any lengthy or complex sentences that may need to be revised. Additionally, seeking feedback from others can provide valuable insight into the clarity and coherence of your writing.

In conclusion, keeping sentences short and simple is essential in writing a successful 300-word essay. By using concise sentence structures, avoiding unnecessary complexity, and utilizing clear and straightforward language, you can effectively convey your ideas to the reader. Remember to eliminate any redundancy or repetition in your sentences and seek feedback to ensure the clarity of your writing.

Use Transitional Words and Phrases

One of the key elements in writing a 300-word essay is the use of transitional words and phrases. These linguistic tools play a crucial role in connecting ideas and making the essay flow smoothly.

Transitional words and phrases act as bridges between different paragraphs, sentences, and thoughts, allowing the reader to follow the writer’s logic easily. They provide a sense of coherence and help to create a well-structured and organized essay.

When used effectively, transitional words and phrases can enhance the clarity and readability of your essay. They can help you express your thoughts more precisely, establish relationships between different ideas, and guide the reader through your arguments and supporting evidence.

Examples of transitional words and phrases include “however,” “therefore,” “nevertheless,” “furthermore,” “in addition,” “similarly,” “on the other hand,” and “consequently.” These words and phrases signal shifts in thought or provide connections between different concepts and arguments.

To maximize the impact of transitional words and phrases in your essay, consider the specific context in which they are used. Choose words and phrases that accurately convey the intended meaning and create a seamless flow between sentences and paragraphs.

However, it is important to use transitional words and phrases judiciously. Overusing them can make your essay sound repetitive or formulaic. Instead, focus on using them strategically to strengthen your arguments and improve the overall coherence of your writing.

In conclusion, incorporating transitional words and phrases into your 300-word essay is an essential aspect of effective writing. By using these linguistic tools correctly, you can create a well-structured essay that guides the reader through your ideas and arguments with clarity and coherence.

Revise and Edit

Improving your essay is an essential step towards achieving a polished and cohesive final piece of writing. After finishing your initial draft, it is crucial to dedicate time to revise and edit your work. This process allows you to identify and correct any errors or inconsistencies, enhance the clarity and coherence of your ideas, and ensure that your essay meets the desired word count. Here are some strategies to help you effectively revise and edit your 300-word essay:

1. Review for Clarity and Flow:

Read through your essay carefully to ensure that your arguments and ideas are presented clearly and logically. Look for any unclear sentences or ideas that may confuse the reader. Consider whether your paragraphs flow smoothly from one to another and if necessary, make revisions to improve the overall organization and coherence of your essay.

2. Check for Grammar and Spelling:

Proofread your essay to eliminate any grammar or spelling errors. Use spell-check tools, but also be mindful of common mistakes that may not be detected by these utilities. Pay attention to subject-verb agreement, verb tense consistency, punctuation, and capitalization. Correct any errors to ensure that your essay reads professionally.

3. Trim Excess Words:

Review your essay to identify any unnecessary or redundant words or phrases. Look for opportunities to replace wordy expressions with more concise alternatives. By eliminating unnecessary words, you can improve the overall clarity and conciseness of your essay.

4. Seek Feedback:

Share your essay with others and ask for their honest feedback. They can provide valuable insights and suggestions for improvement. Consider their perspectives and critique to refine your essay further. Incorporate their suggestions into your revision process to enhance the overall quality of your writing.

5. Proofread Again:

After implementing revisions based on feedback, take the time to proofread your essay once more. This final step ensures that you have addressed all the required changes and that your essay is error-free and ready to be submitted.

By revising and editing your 300-word essay, you can refine your writing, eliminate errors, and enhance the overall quality of your work. Dedicate sufficient time to this process to ensure that your final essay is well-crafted and impactful.

Proofread Your Essay

Once you have finished writing your 300-word essay, it is essential to carefully review and proofread your work. This final step ensures that your essay is free from errors, inconsistencies, and typos that can negatively impact its overall quality and clarity.

Proofreading allows you to identify and correct any grammatical mistakes, spelling errors, or punctuation issues that may have slipped through during the writing process. It also gives you an opportunity to refine your writing style, ensuring that your ideas are communicated effectively and concisely.

When proofreading your essay, it is helpful to take a break after finishing the initial draft. This break will allow you to approach your work with a fresh perspective and a critical eye. During the proofreading process, carefully read each sentence and consider whether there are any improvements you can make to enhance the overall coherence and flow of your essay.

In addition to checking for errors and improving the clarity of your writing, proofreading also gives you a chance to evaluate the overall structure and organization of your essay. Ensure that your ideas are presented in a logical and coherent manner, with each paragraph supporting a central theme or argument.

It can also be beneficial to read your essay aloud during the proofreading process. This technique can help you identify any awkward or confusing sentences that may need revision. Additionally, listening to your essay being read aloud can help you gauge the overall tone and voice of your writing, ensuring that it aligns with the intended message or purpose of your essay.

In conclusion, proofreading your 300-word essay is a crucial step in the writing process. It allows you to identify and correct errors, improve clarity and coherence, and refine your overall writing style. By taking the time to carefully review your essay, you can enhance its quality and ensure that your ideas are effectively conveyed to your readers.

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How to Write a 300 Words Essay (+ Examples for Students)

What is a 300-word essay?

It’s an academic paper students write in school or college. The goal is to express an idea, state an argument, or analyze a topic. The only problem with such essays is their concise format.

Your task is to meet the required length but convey information in the logical manner. How is it possible with such restrictions? How to format such a short essay?

In this article, you’ll find a few  samples of 300-word essays. Also, you’ll learn the rules of structuring and formatting such papers right.

Example of 300 Words Essay

Let’s begin with examples (1). A 300-word essay looks like this:

Who am I essay: 300 words sample

A “Who am I?” Essay is a part of the application process for those entering college or university. You get a prompt to describe yourself and tell your goals and motivations. In other words, it’s a personal essay telling admission officers why you want to be their student.

Here’s the sample of such papers:

Bonus: Who Am I Essay: 500 Words Sample

How to Write a 300-Word Essay

Writing a 300-word essay in education is about being brief yet informative. Such tasks check your ability to build arguments and communicate points. Structure it to cover all essay parts and follow the assigned citation style.

300-word essays have a standard structure: an intro, a core, and a conclusion. The body is for organizing and representing the main points. Below you’ll find five techniques to do that.

5 methods of structuring a 300-word paper

• Essence. Write everything that comes to your mind about the topic. Then, re-read it and point out three main ideas to cover in your essay. Describe them one by one when writing a paper’s body. 
• Three points. Make a list of sub-topics related to your essay’s theme. Then, expand each sub-topic with three more points. Finally, choose three sub-topics with most relevant points to support your thesis. Take them to describe in an essay’s body. 
• 3+1. It involves four steps: State a thesis, introduce it, expand on it, and finish your essay. The last step is the “+1” in the technique’s name. The trick is to write a conclusion first and then continue with other essay parts.
• Divide. Write each part of your essay separately. Re-read each paragraph once you have it to revise if something looks wrong. When ready, move to another essay part.
• Simple. Introduce a topic with 12 distinct points, grouping them into 3 blocks with 4 sentences each.

What does a 300-word essay look like?

Use this template to structure your 300-word paper. Here’s what to include in each part:

A 300-word essay introduction:

• Start with introducing your topic.
• State your thesis (the main idea of your essay).
• List the main supporting ideas you’ll discuss to prove it.

How to structure body paragraphs:

As a rule, you write three body paragraphs in an essay. Given the restricted length, each should be short and up-to-pont. Please avoid too many transitional words, long descriptions, or complex sentence structures.

Structure essay body paragraphs like this:

• Write a lead sentence introducing the paragraph’s idea.
• Explain it: 1-3 sentences.
• Provide 1-2 examples.

Concluding your 300-word essay:

Restate all the points you covered in an essay. (You can take them from the introduction and paraphrase.) Finish with the food for thought for readers: a statement, a question, etc.

300-word essay format

Final tips on writing short essays:

• Be concise; no fluff. Cut all sentences that sound too generic or look unnecessary.
• Focus on a catchy beginning and a strong conclusion.
• Write as you speak; then revise each sentence for language patterns and clarity.
• What is 300 words in an essay?

300 words in an essay is the length of a standard academic paper you write in school or college. Depending on formatting, it takes 0.6 pages (single-spaced) or 1.2 pages (double-spaced). This short writing piece is best to share ideas or analyze assigned topics briefly.

• How many paragraphs is a 300 words essay?

A 300 words essay follows a 5-paragraph structure. The first paragraph goes for an introduction, three — for a body, and the final one — for a conclusion. This rule isn’t strict: Your essay body can be one or two, not three, paragraphs (2). Check the prompt’s guidelines before writing.

• How many pages is a 300-word essay?

It’s around 1-1.5 pages, depending on the formatting. Font size and spacing may differ from one prompt to another. In general, a 300-word essay is about 0.6 pages if single-spaced and 1.2 pages if double-spaced.

References:

• https://www.academia.edu/6009297/300_word_essay  
• https://www.csusm.edu/writingcenter/cougarswrite/thisibelieve/index.html
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300 Arguments: Essays (Paperback)

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Description.

“Jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin….A sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.”—Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere There will come a time when people decide you’ve had enough of your grief, and they’ll try to take it away from you. Bad art is from no one to no one. Am I happy? Damned if I know, but give me a few minutes and I’ll tell you whether you are. Thank heaven I don’t have my friends’ problems. But sometimes I notice an expression on one of their faces that I recognize as secret gratitude. I read sad stories to inoculate myself against grief. I watch action movies to identify with the quick-witted heroes. Both the same fantasy: I’ll escape the worst of it. —from 300 Arguments A “Proustian minimalist on the order of Lydia Davis” ( Kirkus Reviews ), Sarah Manguso is one of the finest literary artists at work today. To read her work is to witness acrobatic acts of compression in the service of extraordinary psychological and spiritual insight. 300 Arguments , a foray into the frontier of contemporary nonfiction writing, is at first glance a group of unrelated aphorisms. But, as in the work of David Markson, the pieces reveal themselves as a masterful arrangement that steadily gathers power. Manguso’s arguments about desire, ambition, relationships, and failure are pithy, unsentimental, and defiant, and they add up to an unexpected and renegade wisdom literature.

About the Author

Praise for….

“This collection transcends any category to be something totally its own. . . . Manguso's captured the argumentative voice of a mindsifting through a problem, circling it, animated by sorting it out. . . . If this is poetry, it's the poems of quarrel. And if it's nonfiction, it's not the nonfiction of fact. Instead, it's the nonfiction which maps us to our own thinking. We enter Manguso's mind - her puzzle,pleased to be puzzled, too.” —NPR “All Things Considered” “[ 300 Arguments ] reads like you've jumped into someone's mind.” —NPR “Weekend Edition” “ 300 Arguments is a delectation, a book whose great precision and honesty constitute an irresistible incitement to think.” — San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments is] inimitably Manguso, but, suddenly, wonderfully, universally, ours.” — Washington Independent Review of Books “This tiny gem of a book is jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin. It’s an intimate portrait of a woman at work, and a sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.” — Omnivoracious “[Manguso’s arguments] are pithy and wry, with a melancholy undercurrent that takes a beat to set in—like a vaccine whose pinch gives rise to a muscular ache.” — The Nation “Sarah Manguso paints a mostly opaque, but at times penetratingly clear, self-portrait of a female writer at work. . . . The narrator’stemper is mercurial; economical sentences range in tone from pithy and sardonic to tender and deeply empathetic. . . . But by theflip of a page, this wise and compassionate narrator descends into punchy one-liners that are darkly funny and sharper around theedges.” — Hazlitt “ 300 Arguments is the book of aphorisms that I’ve been waiting for: trenchant, witty, and sometimes absurd. . . . Perhaps that’s whyI’m so drawn to it: each nugget of wisdom is something I’m tempted to share on social media or email to a friend. Sometimesbrevity is exactly what we need to make sense of the complicated world we live in.” —Michele Filgate, Literary Hub “Perspective-altering. . . . The accumulation of these entries has a certain difficult-to-deny power. . . . I wanted to gift it to everyone Iknow, read it aloud to strangers on the bus, and transcribe it by hand in its entirety like a holy text.” —Joshua James Amberson, Portland Mercury “Manguso’s prose is as succinct and revelatory as ever in this collection of aphorisms that quickly gathers momentum, becoming the self-portrait of a writer whose wisdom leaves one dazzled.” —Booksmith recommendation, San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments ] beckons the reader to return, to read a sentence, and put it down again. . . . Her arguments . . . are crystallineand often walloping. . . . There is ambition leaking out of every page.” — New Republic “Manguso resuscitates the aphorism from its descent into maxim, bringing it back as a spur to thought. . . . Manguso’s unsettlingarguments deliver the world back to the reader at 300 different, jarring angles.” — Literary Hub “Manguso’s experience of life, in the little prose sachets that open and blossom page by page, are fragrant with undisclosed potentials. . . . Cosmos bloom and fold back up again, such that the work’s insights pulse line by line, and begin to hum. . . . The inherent volition of one epigram glides you into the next, transports you. . . . The Arguments has that rarer bird among the specimens: poignancy.” — Third Coast Review “This remarkable work of art is a masterpiece of compression, each section its own unique piece to a larger puzzle that eventually builds an entire universe, with lines that streak like comets through the space breaks, such as: ‘Bad art is from no one to no one’ and ‘Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.’” —Hannah Tinti, BookPage “Manguso’s arguments speak to mortality, anxiety, depression, heartbreak, and motherhood. Her blatant truth-telling is addictive; readers will find it difficult not to devour these 90 pages filled with wisdom, witticisms, and humor in one sitting.” — City Pages (Minneapolis) “[ 300 Arguments ] merits a wide audience. . . . Manguso writes powerfully about desire, [and]. . . offers a master class in a specific strain of desire: envy. . . . My field test for writing is like this: Does it produce a rueful inner smile or shudder of recognition? Manguso’s arguments do so many times.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “ 300 Arguments is a minimalist’s handbook: wisdom delivered in tiny doses.” — San Jose Mercury News “Part memoir, part advice, part laughter, and all unflinching honesty. . . . This is life experience and real wisdom distilled onto a few short pages.” — Rain Taxi Review of Books “A writer's life, solitary and complex, broken apart—not into shards but puzzle pieces. . . . A slim, poetic self-portrait that opens up as you read it and stays in the mind.” — Kirkus Reviews “Inventive. . . . All of life’s great subjects are here—love, relationships, happiness, desire, and vulnerability on the personal side; effort, luck, envy, and success vs. failure on the professional side—in one- and two-sentence nuggets of compressed insight. . . . It will require multiple rereadings to absorb the book’s rewarding wisdom.” — Publishers Weekly “Alternately insightful, humorous and thought-provoking, [Manguso’s] 300 Arguments offers enough variety, depth and substance torange from the deeply personal to the universally relatable. . . . 300 Arguments paints a vivid, intimately nuanced portrait of itsauthor in the way few long-form essays manage. . . . [It] should be required reading for all those experiencing crises of confidenceand the otherwise deleterious effects of the human condition.” — Spectrum Culture “ 300 Arguments shook me. It’s dark, but the darkness comes from a refusal to look away. Its humor is wounded but present. Is it possibly a sort of novel? The writer says somewhere, ‘This book is the good sentences from the novel I didn’t write.’ The idea holds up when applied, and the attentive reader will intuit an encompassing narrative. Sarah Manguso deserves many such readers.” —John Jeremiah Sullivan “A new book by Sarah Manguso is always a cause for celebration. She is a poet-philosopher of the highest order who combines a laser-sharp intellect with a lyric gift and a capacious, generous heart. She is one of my favorite writers, and with 300 Arguments she deepens her inquiry into the very essence of what it is to be human.” —Dani Shapiro “If there were a literary equivalent of the debate as to who is the best pound-for-pound boxer currently fighting, then word for word, Sarah Manguso’s 300 Arguments —weighing in at a mere ninety pages—would surely emerge as one of the smartest and most stimulating books of recent years.” —Geoff Dyer “It’s sometimes less important to know what we need to know than how we need to know it. 300 Arguments is an uncommon commonplace book of the everyday—a glittering reference book for life.” —Joanna Walsh, author of Break.Up “Every era has its wise aphorist. Sarah Manguso is ours and joins Marcus Aurelius, Thomas à Kempis, Montaigne.” —Edmund White “Aphorism has always given me a mixture of intense pleasure and pain. At its best—and Manguso’s work is, without doubt, at the pinnacle—it’s like someone looking you in the eye and seeing you for exactly who and what you are. The simultaneous fear and relief is dizzying. Every perfectly crafted sentence is replete with insight, self-knowledge, and—even in anger or self-accusation—a deep compassion which will have me re-reading her for the rest of my life.” —Luke Kennard, author of Transit

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BINC Foundation

Editors' note, binc : meeting the need, bookselling news, binc's most challenging year ever.

First, on behalf of the book and comic industries, we must thank the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation for all it has done to help stores and store staff in need, especially since March 2020.

With the help of three volunteers, Binc created an online application to further ease the process. Other volunteers pitched in as well, and Binc essentially brought on anyone who had the skills French and her team knew they needed. They also relied on a public health emergency policy that Binc had formulated in the past. As a result of all this, Binc was able to send out the first checks to individual applicants on March 17. At this time, Binc was receiving a new request for assistance every 15 minutes, all day every day.

"It's humbling to know that what we have been working towards for the past eight years, all of the advocacy we did and conversations we had, it paid off," French says. "Folks found us when the need was highest."

(For a full account of how Binc responded in the first few months to the pandemic, see  this  Shelf Awareness  article  from May 2020.)

300 Word Essay Examples & Topic Ideas

You might think that writing a 300-word essay is not that challenging. However, due to its length, you must write concisely and carefully select what information to cover. A 300-word format is commonly used for discussion board posts, position papers, or book reports and takes around 1 double-spaced or 0.5 single-spaced pages.

This article will instruct you on how to write a 300-word essay, discuss critical aspects of its structure and content, and provide valuable tips for creating a short but informative piece of writing. You will also find 300-word essay topics and writing prompts that you can use for your papers. And if you need more inspiration, you can always check our free essay samples !

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✍️ How to Write a 300-Word Essay

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🔝 Trending 300 Word Essay Examples

• Traditional Medicine vs. Modern Medicine In the modern society, traditional medicine is considered the most appropriate way to treat sick people. This would let the doctors to dispense medicine in the best possible way to satisfy each cultural group.
• Effects of Globalization The second positive effect of globalization is that it promotes international trade and growth of wealth as a result of economic integration and free trade among countries.
• Causes and Effects of Climate Changes Climate change is the transformation in the distribution patterns of weather or changes in average weather conditions of a place or the whole world over long periods.
• How Childhood Experiences Affect Adulthood Physical and emotional experiences Thirdly, a child who experienced physically and emotionally understanding relationship with parents and other siblings can express out his/her feelings in a relaxed and positive.
• Justice in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by King The main topic of the letter is the discussion of the issue of justice and injustice.Dr. In the discussion of just and unjust laws, Dr.
• Linguistic Determinism and Linguistic Relativity As provided by one of the authors of this hypothesis, Edward Sapir, language shapes the speaker’s reality not simply reflects it, that is why people who speak and think in different languages have different perceptions […]
• A Good Teacher: Teaching Is More Than Just Lecturing A good teacher ought to be interactive with his/her students as teaching is far more than just standing in class and giving a series of lectures.
• Internalization and Knickerbocker FDI Theories The theory suggested by Buckley and Casson is regarded as the internationalization theory since it focuses on the creation of multinational companies.
• Self-Improvement in Education The vast amount of information in the libraries, online and books purchased outside of educational institutions create a helpful tool to determine the future career choices and goals of an individual.
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Personal Life and Poetry To begin with, he was one of the eleven children in the family of a church rector. He frequently had royal family members as visitors in his house on the Isle of Wight.

📕 Narrative Essay 300 Words: Interesting Prompts

• A life-changing experience essay — 300 words. You can describe the situation that has significantly influenced your outlook and explain why it has played a crucial role in your life. For example, that could be moving to another city, falling in love, your parents divorcing, etc.
• Myself as a counselor essay — 300 words. Share your experience working as a counselor, or write a story of what it would be like to have such a job. You can also focus your writing on the qualities of a good counselor .
• Practice makes perfect essay — 300 words. Maybe you had a negative first experience of playing piano, riding a bike, or learning a foreign language. Write about how you have achieved your goal by regularly practicing and putting time and effort into a new activity.
• My autobiography: 300 words. In this paper, you can tell the readers about your hobbies, life philosophy, or challenges you have faced. Also, you can reflect on the most significant events in your life or share the stories from your childhood.
• An incident that changed my life: essay 300 words. Think of the most traumatizing experience you have had in your life: a near-death incident, the loss of the person you loved, or the day you spent at the shelter. Then, focus your essay on the emotions you had at that moment and the life lessons you learned.
• 300-word essay on why I want to be a nurse. You can start your essay by explaining why and when the desire to be a nurse first came to your mind. Also, you can describe a plan of action for making your dream come true.

🏈 Sports and Culture Essay 300 Words: Examples

• Culture and Health Correlation People’s culture influences the type of food they purchase and the way they prepare it, which is a vital determinant of health.
• The Kenyan Ogiek Tribe: Rites of Passage The main objective of these rituals is to establish the transition of a person from one stage of life to another and the transformation of their roles, duties, ways of thinking.
• Traditional and Nontraditional Cultures of the USA The essay compares the traditional and nontraditional cultures of the United States. Therefore, the traditional culture and nontraditional cultures of the United States have distinct differences.
• The Importance of Understanding National Culture These days when more and more organizations strive to operate globally, it is essential that managers understand the specificities of each country their company sells to or establishes a brunch in.
• The Problem with Sex Testing in Sports In a video about the problem of gender testing in sports, the author highlighted several assumptions about gender that need to be confronted.
• The Advantages of Transgender Women Are a Barrier to Women’s Sports The main counterargument of proponents of transpeople participation in women’s sports is that there is no proven link between biology and endurance.
• Parental Differences in Eastern and Western Cultures The main finding of this study was that children of Chinese families were better equipped for school, when the family employed greater parental involvement combined with high authoritative parenting style.
• Influence of African-American Culture on Rock n Roll Music Rock and Roll were introduced to the mainstream in the 1950s by white musicians such as Elvis Presley. Rock and Roll was a distinct amalgamation of different genres of African-American music such as jazz, blues, […]
• The Discovery of the Cultures of the Minoans and Mycenaeans The discovery of the Minoans and Mycenaeans’ cultures changed the Classical Greeks’ understanding because the Greeks based their religion, politics, trade, and war on the tradition of Minoans and Mycenaeans.
• Individualism and Collaborative Culture It leads to the derivative nature of society, which does not have an independent existence outside the totality of individual actions and is a consequence of interactions between people.
• 20th Century Dress and Culture – Punk Fashion This firm has a large share market in the current fashion industry providing trendy products in clothes and shoes. Culture in fashion is essential in enhancing the social grievances of a discriminated group of population.
• Comparison of 20th and 21st-Century Dress and Culture Essentially, the comparison of fashion in the 1960s and 2020s will provide evidence of how dress and culture arts have evolved. The Mary Quant design formed a significant fashion trend in the early 60s.
• Esports in the Olympics One argument that is evident throughout the publication is the lack of muscle and morale involvement to accomplish the goal in e-sports.
• Elderly Care Across Cultures The first reason for the matter is that older adults in India are considered an honorable class, and families feel their duty to protect them.
• Gender Roles and Family Systems in Hispanic Culture In the Hispanic culture, amarianismo’ and amachismo’ are the terms used to determine the various behavioral expectations among the family members.

📝 Argumentative Essay 300 Words: Writing Prompts

• Online classes vs traditional classes: essay 300 words. Evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of online courses and traditional classroom ones. You can compare these two learning forms based on factors like quality of social interactions, motivation, discipline, flexibility, and effectiveness.
• Democracy is the best form of government: essay 300 words. You can define democracy and describe its key ideas: respect for human rights, separation of powers , the need for resolving conflicts, etc. Then, explain why these ideas are crucial in the modern political life.
• Facebook should be banned: essay 300 words. Examine the cons and pros of the massive social media platform Facebook and discuss if there are good reasons for it to be banned. You can consider Facebook’s influence on self-esteem, the effectiveness of communication on this platform, the rise of social media addiction, etc.
• Vegetarian food is good for health: essay 300 words. You can start your essay with shocking statistics or recent study results confirming the benefits of a vegetarian diet . Also, you can share your or a friend’s experience of being vegetarian to support the opinion that vegetarian food positively affects well-being.
• Can money buy happiness: essay 300 words. Investigate the link between money and happiness, determining if financial success leads to happiness or if there is something more hiding behind it. It would also be a good idea to provide a story from your life that will help you support your point of view.
• The best things in life are free: essay 300 words. Discuss how love, friendship, and hope can be more precious than material things. Prove your point with the fact that these values are based on shared experiences, trust, and compassion rather than on financial matters.
• Computer — a blessing or curse: essay 300 words. You can compare the benefits of computers, such as technical developments and access to information, with their drawbacks, such as privacy problems and environmental impact. At the end of your essay, make the final decision whether computers have more positive or negative aspects.

A 300-word essay is an excellent opportunity for college professors to evaluate students’ comprehension of the lecture and writing skills. That’s why a paper like this needs to be carefully structured and planned.

In the following paragraphs, we will discuss how to write an engaging 300-word essay in detail!

300-Word Essay Structure

A 300-word essay has a standard structure: an introduction with a strong thesis statement, the main body, and a conclusion. It usually has 3-4 paragraphs, each containing 3-5 sentences or 75-125 words. Each body paragraph should be written using the PEE principle (point, evidence, explanation).

If you need help with structuring your 300-350-words essay, you can try our free outline generator .

300-Word Essay Introduction

The introduction is essential to any essay since it sets the tone for the whole paper. It contains around 75-100 words or 3-4 sentences and has the following structure:

• Attention-grabbing hook. You can engage your reader’s interest by starting your essay with a surprising fact, statistic, or rhetorical question.
• Background information. Include some additional information to make your topic clearer to the reader.
• Thesis statement. Write a solid thesis statement to summarize your essay’s central point.

Try our research introduction maker , essay hook generator , and thesis generator to write a solid introduction for your essay in the nick of time!

300-Word Essay Conclusion

The conclusion is a core part of your essay since it gives the reader a sense of closure while reminding them of the paper’s significance. In a 300-word text, the conclusion usually takes around 75-100 words or 3-4 sentences.

There are several elements a conclusion should have:

• Restated thesis
• Summary of central points
• Effective concluding sentence

Our closing sentence generator will help you finish the last part of your essay with an effective concluding statement!

How Many References Should a 300-Word Text Have?

The quantity of references might vary depending on the type of work and the professor’s demands. For example, a 300-word book report requires only one source — the analyzed work, while a personal essay of the same word count requires no sources at all. Yet, if you don’t have specific instructions, you can follow the golden rule: 1 source per page. So, for a 300-word article, you should provide one reference.

Try our works cited generator to create a list of references for your paper quickly and effectively.

🌾 GMO Essay 300 Words: Best Examples

• Genetically Modified Organisms: Views on GMOs For the reason that I was interested in GMOs and did my research before, the article did not change my perception of it much since I have already known what GMOs are and that they […]
• Genetically Modified Organisms: Benefit or Harm? In other words, scientists may choose the DNA of the foods that some individuals may be allergic to, which can be harmful if they eat GMO crops.
• Genetically Modified Organisms: Ethical Perspective Of course, some use the deontological approach and state that it is simply wrong to interfere with genetic codes as it is the divine domain.
• Genetically Modified Food: Health Risks The main research question of the future study for me as a person with 1st Degree in Food and Nutrition will be the question of the harm of eating genetically modified foods and the possible […]
• Understanding Genetically Modified Foods by Howard et al. One of the major points made in the article is the belief that GMOs can be used to create items that are rich in certain nutrients, which is essential for developing countries.
• Genetically Modified Salmon Labeling Issues: Biotechnology, Religious Beliefs, and Eating Preferences It seems that GM salmon labeling should be implemented to clearly indicate that this food was modified. In this connection, transparency is to be proposed as the top priority for GM food manufacturers as customers […]

➡️ Cause and Effect 300 Word Essay Prompts

• Impact of social media on youth: essay 300 words. Analyze the benefits and harms of social media platforms, considering their impact on young people’s behavior, mental health, self-esteem, and online interactions.
• The impact of social media on social relationships: essay 300 words. You can include both positive and negative consequences of building relationships on social media. Include factors such as instant feedback and connectedness, as well as social isolation and cyberbullying.
• Impact of technology essay — 300 words. You can discuss the positive consequences of using modern technology, such as improved communication, access to information, medical advancements, etc.
• Impact of media on society: essay 300 words. Analyze how different forms of media, such as advertising, newspapers, and TV, affect people’s attitudes, beliefs, and values.
• Hitler essay — 300 words. Investigate the causes and consequences of Hitler’s rise to power, such as World War II, antisemitism , and the Holocaust. Also, you can analyze the lessons that the world has learned from Hitler’s actions.

🌪️ Natural Disasters Essay 300 Words: Samples

• How to Survive When a Disaster Outbreaks? Tornados are common for some of the US states and it is but natural that people should be aware of the ways to survive during these disasters.
• Earthquake in Haiti 2010: Nursing Interventions During natural disasters, such as the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti in 2010, nursing interventions aim to reduce the level of injury and provide the conditions for the fast recovery of its victims.
• Disaster Preparedness and Nursing: A Scenario of an Earthquake In a scenario of an earthquake, nursing staff must be aware of the stages of disaster management and disaster preparedness in particular.
• Poor Communication During the Emergency of Hurricane Katrina Although federal, state, and local agencies provided the ways and communication strategies to deal with disasters, the plans or assets were inadequate to respond effectively to the calamity.
• Natural vs. Moral Evil: Earthquakes vs. Murder This problem demonstrates that such justifications for the problem of evil, such as the fact that suffering exists to improve the moral qualities of a person and thus serve the greater good, are unconvincing.
• The National Incident Management System and Hurricane Katrina Finally, ongoing management and maintenance pertains to the establishment of a supervisory center to continually refine the system and perform routine reviews ).
• Natural Disaster Aftermath: Spirituality and Health Care Second, healthcare providers should improve their staff’s cultural sensitivity and awareness of various spiritual practices and denominations in order to develop a flexible blueprint of communication with patients and proper intervention.
• Risk vs. Cost in Natural Disaster Insurance Floods are more predictable, and it is possible to create a map for each flood-prone area that would allow insurance companies to calculate the exact cost of premiums.
• Responding to Natural Disasters Considering Homeless Individuals In particular, I would ask them to pay attention to how culturally appropriate it is to put homeless people of different genders together to be compliant with Standard 11, which requires service providers to be […]
• Local Hazard Mitigation: Floods While the federal government has been actively trying to reduce the scope of the problem for years, in the past decades, economic losses from floods have been growing. Overall, in the past years, NFIP initiatives […]
• The Huaxian Earthquake: China’s Deadliest Disaster The main reason for the terrible earthquakes consequences was in the absence of a plan for the emergency case. After visiting China later in 1556, he wrote that the given disaster was likely to be […]
• Nursing: Emergency Preparedness for Natural Disasters To effectively respond to accidents, it is extremely important to learn more about the reasons for natural disasters and the way the staff makes emergency decisions.

🔐 Prompts for Problem Solution Essays of 300 Words

• Teenage pregnancy essay 300 words. You can discuss effective methods of solving the problem of adolescent pregnancy, such as sex education, the use of contraceptives, the creation of teen support organizations, etc.
• Hunger essay 300 words. Analyze the actions people should take to break the cycle of hunger . Examples include creating food banks, providing food security, helping rural farmers connect to markets, etc.
• Gender-based violence essay 300 words. Discuss the potential effectiveness of stricter laws, women’s economic empowerment, and women’s rights support organizations in preventing gender-based violence.
• Animal abuse essay 300 words. Provide some valuable tips on how to reduce animal abuse cases. Examples include enacting stricter laws for the protection of animals and reporting animal cruelty.
• Ways to relieve stress: essay 300 words. Start with estimating the issue of stress in the modern world. Then, provide some practical strategies on how to cope with it. You can recommend mindfulness practices, yoga, podcasts, or books.

👨‍💼 300 Words Essay about Entrepreneurship: Examples

• Entrepreneurship: Making a Business Plan The description of the business processes is merely a part of it. A business plan is a document that performs the operational and managerial functions of the venture.
• Entrepreneurship vs. Working as an Employee Some employees find self-employment particularly enticing because it allows them to choose their hours, pick their workspace, and decide what they do and when. Self-employed people are responsible for their and the employer’s taxes.
• Entrepreneurship, Intrapreneurship, and Formulated Marketing Growth and development of contemporary business, production, and organization hang on entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, and formulated marketing. Entrepreneurs are investors who start their businesses and have the speculative ability to identify business niches and value.
• Amazon and Tesco: Corporate Entrepreneurship One of the key elements that contribute to the success of the business is the ability to offer a product or a service that is superior to the existing alternatives.
• Japan’s Economic Development and Entrepreneurship Global entrepreneurship education, through travel and creativity, will help boost the nation’s economy since, in the current world, it is easy to travel around the globe.
• E-Commerce Barrier in Entrepreneurship Many e-commerce firms confront a number of challenges, one of the most significant of which is the high cost of Internet access in many countries.
• Corporate Entrepreneurship in Real-World Examples Corporate entrepreneurship is the process by which groups inside an existing corporation build, foster, promote, and administer a new business distinct from the parent organization. This process is consistent with the firm’s existing approaches, with […]
• Social Entrepreneurship Definition Such a point of view allows social entrepreneurs to take more active control of the problem, especially if the effect of entrepreneurs trying to solve the problem is more detrimental than its absence.
• Social Entrepreneurship: Al Radda Program for Prisoners The Al Radda program focuses on improving the welfare of prisoners and former prisoners by equipping them with valuable skills and resources that help them to engage in different economic activities.
• Dunbar High School’s Entrepreneurship in Education The school’s history had many high and low points; nevertheless, due to the input of the principal and his strategy for innovation, the school has managed to adapt to the fast-changing external environment and promote […]
• Entrepreneurship Discussion: Boosting the Performance It is necessary for the firm to look at how it can boost its profile in the market by identifying new revenue streams to help it grow its income. This has made it possible for […]

📌 300 Word Essay: Answers to the Most Pressing Questions

📌 300 word essay is how many pages.

How many pages is a 300-word essay? It depends on the line spacing. A paper of this length will take one page (single-spaced) or 2 pages (double-spaced). The exact length of your 300 words will depend on the citation style used, the footnotes, and the bibliography.

📌 How Many Paragraphs Is 300 Words?

How many paragraphs is a 300-word essay? Since a typical paragraph in academic writing contains 50-100 words, an essay of 300 words will consist of 3 to 5 paragraphs.

📌 How Many Sentences Is 300 Words?

How many sentences is a 300-word essay? A typical sentence in academic writing consists of 15-20 words. So, 300 words are not less than 15-18 sentences.

📌 How to Outline a 300-Word Essay?

A 300-word essay outline usually follows a standard five-paragraph structure. Start your paper with a short introduction that includes an attention-grabber, some background information, and a thesis. Then add three body paragraphs that focus on your arguments. Finish your 300-word paper with a conclusion that contains a restated thesis and a summary of your ideas.

📌 How Long Does It Take to Write 300 Words?

How long does it take to write a 300-word essay? It will take you 6-12 minutes to type 300 words on your keyboard (the total time will depend on your typing speed). Writing an academic paper will take more time because you’ll have to research, make an outline, write, format, and edit your text. It would be best if you planned to spend not less than one hour for a 300-word paper.

📌 How Long Should an Introduction Be in a 300 Word Essay?

A typical introduction in a 300 words essay contains about 45 words. However, it might be a good idea to ask your professor to provide you with the exact requirements.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Home — Free Essays — 300 Words — 300

300-Word Essay Examples

Importance of materialism: balancing positive and negative impacts.

Materialism is a philosophy that places a high value on material possessions and physical comfort. In today’s society, materialism is often seen as a negative trait, associated with greed and selfishness. However, there are also arguments to be made for the importance of materialism in…

Comparing Mayan and Aztec Civilizations: Similarities and Differences

The ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations were two of the most influential and complex cultures in the history of the Americas. Although they share many similarities, such as their religion, social structure, and architecture, they were distinct societies with their own unique traditions and ways…

The Essence of Africa: Maya Angelou’s Poetic Tribute

Maya Angelou’s poem, “Africa,” is a powerful and thought-provoking piece of writing that encapsulates the essence of the African continent. With vivid imagery and evocative language, Angelou captures the beauty and complexity of Africa, while also acknowledging the challenges that the continent faces. The Beauty…

Alexander the Great: A Hero or Villain?

When it comes to discussing Alexander the Great, opinions are often divided. Some see him as a great leader, a military strategist, and a man who left an indelible mark on history. Others view him as a ruthless conqueror, driven by ego and ambition, whose…

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How Does Odysseus Show Strength

In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, the protagonist Odysseus is depicted as a hero with a combination of physical, mental, and emotional strength. Throughout his challenging journey, he showcases his strength in various ways, from his cleverness and cunning to his resilience, determination, and leadership…

How Did Nile Shape Ancient Egypt

The Nile River is a crucial element in the history of ancient Egypt, shaping the civilization in numerous ways. The annual flooding of the Nile was predictable and beneficial, depositing nutrient-rich silt onto the surrounding land. This allowed the ancient Egyptians to grow abundant crops…

Importance Of Trust Essay

Trust is the foundation of personal relationships, providing a sense of security and support. When trust is present, individuals feel safe to be vulnerable, share openly, and rely on each other for emotional support. This allows couples to build a strong and lasting bond, friends…

Mama’s Dream In A Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry

Mama’s dream of owning a house represents her desire for stability, security, and a better future for her family. As an African American woman living in a segregated society, Mama has faced discrimination, poverty, and limited opportunities. Owning a house symbolizes her belief in the…

Character Foils In Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet

Character foils are a common literary device used by authors to highlight and contrast the traits of different characters in a story. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the use of character foils is particularly prevalent and effective. Shakespeare pairs characters with contrasting qualities to…

The Jefferson Case: An Unprecedented Legal Benchmark

Video Description The essay in the video will delve into the Jefferson case, a pivotal moment in American jurisprudence that tackled complex legal and ethical issues. It will explore how this case challenged existing norms on property rights, human dignity, and slavery, sparking debates on…

Overcoming Ignorance and Prejudices in Raymond Carver’s Cathedral

In Raymond Carver’s short story “Cathedral,” the author effectively uses an unlikely scenario – a casual interaction between the narrator and a blind man – to comment on racial discrimination, prejudices, and stereotypes. The story conveys important themes about racism and racial prejudices, suggesting that…

The Passion for Entrepreneurship: Opening a Cozy Coffee Shop

As a college student, I have always been drawn to the idea of starting my own business and making my mark on the world. While it may be a daunting task, the thought of creating something from scratch and seeing it flourish is incredibly exciting….

Conflicts in Relationships

Conflicts are a common occurrence in various relationships, whether it be between friends, family members, colleagues, or even strangers. Some conflicts require resolution, while others are best to be avoided altogether. I have personally experienced both outcomes – a broken friendship due to conflicting interests,…

Humanities Influence on Culture

The humanities have played a crucial role in the development of societies throughout history. This essay aims to explore the influence of humanities on culture and its significance in shaping societal values, beliefs, and identity. Definition of Humanities The humanities encompass a wide range of…

Literary Analysis of “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston

Introduction Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent African-American author, folklorist, and anthropologist of the Harlem Renaissance. Her literary career is marked by an exploration of the African-American experience, particularly the lives of women in the South. One of her notable works, “Sweat,” centers around themes…

Emily Grierson in a Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner is a captivating short story that delves into the life of the mysterious Emily Grierson. Faulkner uses the character of Emily Grierson to explore themes of tradition, isolation, and the effects of time on one’s mental state. Emily…

Manifestations, Impacts, and Strategies: Combating Sexism

Sexism is a pervasive issue that continues to affect individuals and society at large. This essay aims to explore the various manifestations of sexism and their impacts on individuals and society, as well as propose strategies for combating sexism. Definition and Manifestation of Sexism Sexism…

Gun Control Background Check

Gun control has been amongst the most disputable arguments in the news as of late. Some contend that guns ought to be prohibited to reduce the loss of lives, while others think it is their entitlement to remain battle ready. …should not be handled by…

Exploration and Innovation: Competition or Cooperation

Introduction The space race between the United States and the Soviet Union was a competition between two global superpowers, marked by a series of significant achievements such as the first satellite, the first man in orbit, and landing men on the moon. This competition began…

The Grapes of Wrath: Critical Analysis

Introduction The Grapes of Wrath is a novel and movie written by Jon Steinbeck in 1939. Steinbeck aimed to criticize those responsible for the poverty of the American people in the 1930s, telling the story of the Joad family’s migration from Oklahoma to California. Despite…

How Is a 300-Word Essay Look Like?

A 300-word essay is a relatively short piece of writing that consists of approximately 300 words. It is often used to express an idea, argument, or provide a brief analysis on a specific topic within a concise format.

How Long Is a 300-Word Essay?

A 300-word essay typically spans around 1 to 1.5 pages, depending on factors such as font size, spacing, and formatting. It is important to adhere to any specific formatting guidelines provided by your instructor or institution to determine the exact page count.

How Should You Write a 300-word Essay?

A typical structure for a 300-word essay includes an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction should provide a brief overview of the topic and present a thesis statement. The body paragraphs should present supporting evidence or arguments, and the conclusion should summarize the main points and provide a closing thought.

How to Write a 300-Word Story Essay?

Remember, a 300-word story essay requires you to be concise and selective with your storytelling. Focus on creating a vivid and engaging narrative that captures the reader's attention within the limited word count. Also, try to introduce the setting and characters, as well as try to conclude your story by resolving the situation or adressing the central theme.

How to Write a 300-Word Article Essay?

Writing a 300-word article essay involves conveying information or expressing an opinion on a specific topic in a concise and informative manner. Select a topic that interests you and aligns with the purpose of your essay. Identify the main points or subtopics you want to cover and the order in which they will be presented. This will help you maintain a logical flow and structure in your article. Remember to cite any sources used and follow the appropriate citation style if required by your instructor or the publication guidelines.

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Author Amy Tan spends hours in her backyard, watching and drawing birds go about their business. Her new book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles , is full of essays and illustrations about her connection to these small creatures. In today's episode, she speaks with NPR's Leila Fadel about how an overwhelming sense of gloom from racism and political division in 2016 forced her to find a way to immerse herself in nature, and how her obsessive hobby led to a pretty high bird food budget – and mealworms in her fridge.

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New book explores gay, queer and feminist community at the heart of early advances in computer science

Feeling a bit lost during the summer after her first year in grad school, Patricia Fancher spent a few weeks couch surfing in New York City. One afternoon in a museum, she was struck by an exhibit by the Danish collage and sculpture artist Henrik Olesen,  “Some Illustrations to the Life of Alan Turing.” Oleson’s work would plant the seed for Fancher’s dissertation, which later served as the launching point for a deeper take on Turing and his colleagues — one that would blend her interests in media and tech with feminist and queer theory. Fancher’s debut book was born.

“ Queer Techné: Bodies, Rhetorics, and Desire in the History of Computing ” (NCTE Publications 2024) covers the depth of technical and scientific writing of Turing, who is credited as a foundational inventor of computing, while placing his achievements in the context of his close network of women and queer collaborators.

“The great breakthroughs that Turing contributed to computing — such as his work on digital computers and his innovative thinking on artificial intelligence — all emerged in and through communities.”

“I knew I wanted to study something that allowed me to think about queer sexuality, embodiment and technology, but I wasn’t sure how to tie together all the different ideas I cared about,” said Fancher , a lecturer in the UC Santa Barbara Writing Program. “Olesen’s work helped me see how Turing’s life as a gay man and his theories about machine intelligence could be interesting. As I learned more, I began thinking of the complex ways that Turing’s life reflected important points of overlap between performance and authenticity, creativity and science, body and mind, human and machine.” 

Along the way, Fancher discovered that Turing was not an isolated genius. His work, she found, was “sustained through community, namely a network of queer friends who were all mathematicians and computer scientists.”

“In the book, I use Turing as a thread that helped me to connect to his larger social network, and I also incorporated the community of women computer scientists and engineers whose labor was so important for the invention of computers,” she added. “The great breakthroughs that Turing contributed to computing — such as his work on digital computers and his innovative thinking on artificial intelligence — all emerged in and through communities.”

This broader community of collaborators and contemporaries included software engineer Cicely Popplewell, who, Fancher writes, was hired as an assistant to Turing but she had a long career and deep expertise especially with early computer programming. There’s also gay men, such as Christopher Strachey, whose excitement for gaming, artificial intelligence and how computers may someday express emotion kept him up at night.

“For scholars who study technical writing and the history of computers, my book adds an element of intimacy and care,” said Fancher, who has a PhD in rhetoric from Clemson University and has been teaching writing at UCSB since 2014. “For my feminist and queer theory colleagues, I hope my book will open up new directions for research — queer feminist communities are located in some unexpected places, including STEM fields that we associate with being very male-dominated and heteronormative.” 

Fancher will share research methods and highlights and field questions about the book on Friday, May 3; t he event is free and open to the public.

Keith Hamm Social Sciences, Humanities & Fine Arts Writer [email protected]

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“Jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin….A sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.”—Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere There will come a time when people decide you’ve had enough of your grief, and they’ll try to take it away from you. Bad art is from no one to no one. Am I happy? Damned if I know, but give me a few minutes and I’ll tell you whether you are. Thank heaven I don’t have my friends’ problems. But sometimes I notice an expression on one of their faces that I recognize as secret gratitude. I read sad stories to inoculate myself against grief. I watch action movies to identify with the quick-witted heroes. Both the same fantasy: I’ll escape the worst of it. —from 300 Arguments A “Proustian minimalist on the order of Lydia Davis” ( Kirkus Reviews ), Sarah Manguso is one of the finest literary artists at work today. To read her work is to witness acrobatic acts of compression in the service of extraordinary psychological and spiritual insight. 300 Arguments , a foray into the frontier of contemporary nonfiction writing, is at first glance a group of unrelated aphorisms. But, as in the work of David Markson, the pieces reveal themselves as a masterful arrangement that steadily gathers power. Manguso’s arguments about desire, ambition, relationships, and failure are pithy, unsentimental, and defiant, and they add up to an unexpected and renegade wisdom literature.

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Praise for….

“This collection transcends any category to be something totally its own. . . . Manguso's captured the argumentative voice of a mindsifting through a problem, circling it, animated by sorting it out. . . . If this is poetry, it's the poems of quarrel. And if it's nonfiction, it's not the nonfiction of fact. Instead, it's the nonfiction which maps us to our own thinking. We enter Manguso's mind - her puzzle,pleased to be puzzled, too.” —NPR “All Things Considered” “[ 300 Arguments ] reads like you've jumped into someone's mind.” —NPR “Weekend Edition” “ 300 Arguments is a delectation, a book whose great precision and honesty constitute an irresistible incitement to think.” — San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments is] inimitably Manguso, but, suddenly, wonderfully, universally, ours.” — Washington Independent Review of Books “This tiny gem of a book is jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin. It’s an intimate portrait of a woman at work, and a sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.” — Omnivoracious “[Manguso’s arguments] are pithy and wry, with a melancholy undercurrent that takes a beat to set in—like a vaccine whose pinch gives rise to a muscular ache.” — The Nation “Sarah Manguso paints a mostly opaque, but at times penetratingly clear, self-portrait of a female writer at work. . . . The narrator’stemper is mercurial; economical sentences range in tone from pithy and sardonic to tender and deeply empathetic. . . . But by theflip of a page, this wise and compassionate narrator descends into punchy one-liners that are darkly funny and sharper around theedges.” — Hazlitt “ 300 Arguments is the book of aphorisms that I’ve been waiting for: trenchant, witty, and sometimes absurd. . . . Perhaps that’s whyI’m so drawn to it: each nugget of wisdom is something I’m tempted to share on social media or email to a friend. Sometimesbrevity is exactly what we need to make sense of the complicated world we live in.” —Michele Filgate, Literary Hub “Perspective-altering. . . . The accumulation of these entries has a certain difficult-to-deny power. . . . I wanted to gift it to everyone Iknow, read it aloud to strangers on the bus, and transcribe it by hand in its entirety like a holy text.” —Joshua James Amberson, Portland Mercury “Manguso’s prose is as succinct and revelatory as ever in this collection of aphorisms that quickly gathers momentum, becoming the self-portrait of a writer whose wisdom leaves one dazzled.” —Booksmith recommendation, San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments ] beckons the reader to return, to read a sentence, and put it down again. . . . Her arguments . . . are crystallineand often walloping. . . . There is ambition leaking out of every page.” — New Republic “Manguso resuscitates the aphorism from its descent into maxim, bringing it back as a spur to thought. . . . Manguso’s unsettlingarguments deliver the world back to the reader at 300 different, jarring angles.” — Literary Hub “Manguso’s experience of life, in the little prose sachets that open and blossom page by page, are fragrant with undisclosed potentials. . . . Cosmos bloom and fold back up again, such that the work’s insights pulse line by line, and begin to hum. . . . The inherent volition of one epigram glides you into the next, transports you. . . . The Arguments has that rarer bird among the specimens: poignancy.” — Third Coast Review “This remarkable work of art is a masterpiece of compression, each section its own unique piece to a larger puzzle that eventually builds an entire universe, with lines that streak like comets through the space breaks, such as: ‘Bad art is from no one to no one’ and ‘Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.’” —Hannah Tinti, BookPage “Manguso’s arguments speak to mortality, anxiety, depression, heartbreak, and motherhood. Her blatant truth-telling is addictive; readers will find it difficult not to devour these 90 pages filled with wisdom, witticisms, and humor in one sitting.” — City Pages (Minneapolis) “[ 300 Arguments ] merits a wide audience. . . . Manguso writes powerfully about desire, [and]. . . offers a master class in a specific strain of desire: envy. . . . My field test for writing is like this: Does it produce a rueful inner smile or shudder of recognition? Manguso’s arguments do so many times.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “ 300 Arguments is a minimalist’s handbook: wisdom delivered in tiny doses.” — San Jose Mercury News “Part memoir, part advice, part laughter, and all unflinching honesty. . . . This is life experience and real wisdom distilled onto a few short pages.” — Rain Taxi Review of Books “A writer's life, solitary and complex, broken apart—not into shards but puzzle pieces. . . . A slim, poetic self-portrait that opens up as you read it and stays in the mind.” — Kirkus Reviews “Inventive. . . . All of life’s great subjects are here—love, relationships, happiness, desire, and vulnerability on the personal side; effort, luck, envy, and success vs. failure on the professional side—in one- and two-sentence nuggets of compressed insight. . . . It will require multiple rereadings to absorb the book’s rewarding wisdom.” — Publishers Weekly “Alternately insightful, humorous and thought-provoking, [Manguso’s] 300 Arguments offers enough variety, depth and substance torange from the deeply personal to the universally relatable. . . . 300 Arguments paints a vivid, intimately nuanced portrait of itsauthor in the way few long-form essays manage. . . . [It] should be required reading for all those experiencing crises of confidenceand the otherwise deleterious effects of the human condition.” — Spectrum Culture “ 300 Arguments shook me. It’s dark, but the darkness comes from a refusal to look away. Its humor is wounded but present. Is it possibly a sort of novel? The writer says somewhere, ‘This book is the good sentences from the novel I didn’t write.’ The idea holds up when applied, and the attentive reader will intuit an encompassing narrative. Sarah Manguso deserves many such readers.” —John Jeremiah Sullivan “A new book by Sarah Manguso is always a cause for celebration. She is a poet-philosopher of the highest order who combines a laser-sharp intellect with a lyric gift and a capacious, generous heart. She is one of my favorite writers, and with 300 Arguments she deepens her inquiry into the very essence of what it is to be human.” —Dani Shapiro “If there were a literary equivalent of the debate as to who is the best pound-for-pound boxer currently fighting, then word for word, Sarah Manguso’s 300 Arguments —weighing in at a mere ninety pages—would surely emerge as one of the smartest and most stimulating books of recent years.” —Geoff Dyer “It’s sometimes less important to know what we need to know than how we need to know it. 300 Arguments is an uncommon commonplace book of the everyday—a glittering reference book for life.” —Joanna Walsh, author of Break.Up “Every era has its wise aphorist. Sarah Manguso is ours and joins Marcus Aurelius, Thomas à Kempis, Montaigne.” —Edmund White “Aphorism has always given me a mixture of intense pleasure and pain. At its best—and Manguso’s work is, without doubt, at the pinnacle—it’s like someone looking you in the eye and seeing you for exactly who and what you are. The simultaneous fear and relief is dizzying. Every perfectly crafted sentence is replete with insight, self-knowledge, and—even in anger or self-accusation—a deep compassion which will have me re-reading her for the rest of my life.” —Luke Kennard, author of Transit

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300 Arguments: Essays (Paperback)

February 2017 Indie Next List

Winter 2019 Reading Group Indie Next List

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• About the Author
• Reviews & Media

“Jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin….A sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.”—Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere There will come a time when people decide you’ve had enough of your grief, and they’ll try to take it away from you. Bad art is from no one to no one. Am I happy? Damned if I know, but give me a few minutes and I’ll tell you whether you are. Thank heaven I don’t have my friends’ problems. But sometimes I notice an expression on one of their faces that I recognize as secret gratitude. I read sad stories to inoculate myself against grief. I watch action movies to identify with the quick-witted heroes. Both the same fantasy: I’ll escape the worst of it. —from 300 Arguments A “Proustian minimalist on the order of Lydia Davis” ( Kirkus Reviews ), Sarah Manguso is one of the finest literary artists at work today. To read her work is to witness acrobatic acts of compression in the service of extraordinary psychological and spiritual insight. 300 Arguments , a foray into the frontier of contemporary nonfiction writing, is at first glance a group of unrelated aphorisms. But, as in the work of David Markson, the pieces reveal themselves as a masterful arrangement that steadily gathers power. Manguso’s arguments about desire, ambition, relationships, and failure are pithy, unsentimental, and defiant, and they add up to an unexpected and renegade wisdom literature.

• Literary Collections / Essays
• Kobo eBook (February 7th, 2017): $9.99

“This collection transcends any category to be something totally its own. . . . Manguso's captured the argumentative voice of a mindsifting through a problem, circling it, animated by sorting it out. . . . If this is poetry, it's the poems of quarrel. And if it's nonfiction, it's not the nonfiction of fact. Instead, it's the nonfiction which maps us to our own thinking. We enter Manguso's mind - her puzzle,pleased to be puzzled, too.” —NPR “All Things Considered” “[ 300 Arguments ] reads like you've jumped into someone's mind.” —NPR “Weekend Edition” “ 300 Arguments is a delectation, a book whose great precision and honesty constitute an irresistible incitement to think.” — San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments is] inimitably Manguso, but, suddenly, wonderfully, universally, ours.” — Washington Independent Review of Books “This tiny gem of a book is jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin. It’s an intimate portrait of a woman at work, and a sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.” — Omnivoracious “[Manguso’s arguments] are pithy and wry, with a melancholy undercurrent that takes a beat to set in—like a vaccine whose pinch gives rise to a muscular ache.” — The Nation “Sarah Manguso paints a mostly opaque, but at times penetratingly clear, self-portrait of a female writer at work. . . . The narrator’stemper is mercurial; economical sentences range in tone from pithy and sardonic to tender and deeply empathetic. . . . But by theflip of a page, this wise and compassionate narrator descends into punchy one-liners that are darkly funny and sharper around theedges.” — Hazlitt “ 300 Arguments is the book of aphorisms that I’ve been waiting for: trenchant, witty, and sometimes absurd. . . . Perhaps that’s whyI’m so drawn to it: each nugget of wisdom is something I’m tempted to share on social media or email to a friend. Sometimesbrevity is exactly what we need to make sense of the complicated world we live in.” —Michele Filgate, Literary Hub “Perspective-altering. . . . The accumulation of these entries has a certain difficult-to-deny power. . . . I wanted to gift it to everyone Iknow, read it aloud to strangers on the bus, and transcribe it by hand in its entirety like a holy text.” —Joshua James Amberson, Portland Mercury “Manguso’s prose is as succinct and revelatory as ever in this collection of aphorisms that quickly gathers momentum, becoming the self-portrait of a writer whose wisdom leaves one dazzled.” —Booksmith recommendation, San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments ] beckons the reader to return, to read a sentence, and put it down again. . . . Her arguments . . . are crystallineand often walloping. . . . There is ambition leaking out of every page.” — New Republic “Manguso resuscitates the aphorism from its descent into maxim, bringing it back as a spur to thought. . . . Manguso’s unsettlingarguments deliver the world back to the reader at 300 different, jarring angles.” — Literary Hub “Manguso’s experience of life, in the little prose sachets that open and blossom page by page, are fragrant with undisclosed potentials. . . . Cosmos bloom and fold back up again, such that the work’s insights pulse line by line, and begin to hum. . . . The inherent volition of one epigram glides you into the next, transports you. . . . The Arguments has that rarer bird among the specimens: poignancy.” — Third Coast Review “This remarkable work of art is a masterpiece of compression, each section its own unique piece to a larger puzzle that eventually builds an entire universe, with lines that streak like comets through the space breaks, such as: ‘Bad art is from no one to no one’ and ‘Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.’” —Hannah Tinti, BookPage “Manguso’s arguments speak to mortality, anxiety, depression, heartbreak, and motherhood. Her blatant truth-telling is addictive; readers will find it difficult not to devour these 90 pages filled with wisdom, witticisms, and humor in one sitting.” — City Pages (Minneapolis) “[ 300 Arguments ] merits a wide audience. . . . Manguso writes powerfully about desire, [and]. . . offers a master class in a specific strain of desire: envy. . . . My field test for writing is like this: Does it produce a rueful inner smile or shudder of recognition? Manguso’s arguments do so many times.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “ 300 Arguments is a minimalist’s handbook: wisdom delivered in tiny doses.” — San Jose Mercury News “Part memoir, part advice, part laughter, and all unflinching honesty. . . . This is life experience and real wisdom distilled onto a few short pages.” — Rain Taxi Review of Books “A writer's life, solitary and complex, broken apart—not into shards but puzzle pieces. . . . A slim, poetic self-portrait that opens up as you read it and stays in the mind.” — Kirkus Reviews “Inventive. . . . All of life’s great subjects are here—love, relationships, happiness, desire, and vulnerability on the personal side; effort, luck, envy, and success vs. failure on the professional side—in one- and two-sentence nuggets of compressed insight. . . . It will require multiple rereadings to absorb the book’s rewarding wisdom.” — Publishers Weekly “Alternately insightful, humorous and thought-provoking, [Manguso’s] 300 Arguments offers enough variety, depth and substance torange from the deeply personal to the universally relatable. . . . 300 Arguments paints a vivid, intimately nuanced portrait of itsauthor in the way few long-form essays manage. . . . [It] should be required reading for all those experiencing crises of confidenceand the otherwise deleterious effects of the human condition.” — Spectrum Culture “ 300 Arguments shook me. It’s dark, but the darkness comes from a refusal to look away. Its humor is wounded but present. Is it possibly a sort of novel? The writer says somewhere, ‘This book is the good sentences from the novel I didn’t write.’ The idea holds up when applied, and the attentive reader will intuit an encompassing narrative. Sarah Manguso deserves many such readers.” —John Jeremiah Sullivan “A new book by Sarah Manguso is always a cause for celebration. She is a poet-philosopher of the highest order who combines a laser-sharp intellect with a lyric gift and a capacious, generous heart. She is one of my favorite writers, and with 300 Arguments she deepens her inquiry into the very essence of what it is to be human.” —Dani Shapiro “If there were a literary equivalent of the debate as to who is the best pound-for-pound boxer currently fighting, then word for word, Sarah Manguso’s 300 Arguments —weighing in at a mere ninety pages—would surely emerge as one of the smartest and most stimulating books of recent years.” —Geoff Dyer “It’s sometimes less important to know what we need to know than how we need to know it. 300 Arguments is an uncommon commonplace book of the everyday—a glittering reference book for life.” —Joanna Walsh, author of Break.Up “Every era has its wise aphorist. Sarah Manguso is ours and joins Marcus Aurelius, Thomas à Kempis, Montaigne.” —Edmund White “Aphorism has always given me a mixture of intense pleasure and pain. At its best—and Manguso’s work is, without doubt, at the pinnacle—it’s like someone looking you in the eye and seeing you for exactly who and what you are. The simultaneous fear and relief is dizzying. Every perfectly crafted sentence is replete with insight, self-knowledge, and—even in anger or self-accusation—a deep compassion which will have me re-reading her for the rest of my life.” —Luke Kennard, author of Transit

Lord Byron Was Hard to Pin Down. That’s What Made Him Great.

Two hundred years after his death, this Romantic poet is still worth reading.

“Who would write, who had anything better to do?” Byron once said. Credit... Musée Fabre/Hulton Fine Art Collection, via Getty Images

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By Benjamin Markovits

Benjamin Markovits is the author of a trilogy of novels about Lord Byron, “Imposture,” “A Quiet Adjustment” and “Childish Loves.”

• April 19, 2024

This week is the 200th anniversary of Lord Byron’s death. The most famous poet of his age (an odd phrase now) died fighting for Greek independence in the marshes of Missolonghi. “Who would write, who had anything better to do?” he once said. There was a strange contest over his body and memory: The lungs and larynx remained in Greece but friends carried the rest back to England, where huge crowds followed the funeral procession. A month after his death, his former editor burned his memoirs, worried they would damage the reputation of a superstar read around the world.

Does anyone read Byron now? He’s one of those unusual figures who have become better known for the lives they led than the books they wrote. Even some of his fans admire the letters more than the poems. It isn’t totally clear what it means to say that Byron is your favorite poet. Of the so-called Big Six Romantics, he’s the hardest to place. The hikers and the introverts read Wordsworth, the hippies love Blake, Keats is for the purists, Shelley for the political dreamers … and Byron? In spite of his fame, he lacks brand recognition. That’s partly because, halfway through his career, he decided to change the brand. “If I am sincere with myself,” he once wrote, “(but I fear one lies more to one’s self than to any one else), every page should confute, refute and utterly abjure its predecessor.”

All of which makes him a complicated sell. Academics trying to revive his reputation sometimes claim him as the anti-Romantic, a satirist who made fun of the movement’s clichés. Which is true. But he also wrote wonderful love poems, including two of his best-known lyrics, “ She Walks in Beauty ” and “ So We’ll Go No More a Roving .” Both are cleareyed about their own sentimentality, but more sad than satirical.

There are other ways of reclaiming him: as the first celebrity writer, as an early adopter of autofiction, for his sexual fluidity. He fell in love with both men and women, and slept with almost everybody, including his half sister, Augusta — which explains why his old editor, John Murray, decided to burn the memoirs.

Writers usually get famous because they touch a chord, and then keep playing it. And even if, as their work matures, they find ways to deepen the tone, it’s still recognizable; readers know what to expect from the product. And Byron touched a chord very young. His breakthrough poem — another odd phrase — was published when he was 24. “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage,” about a moody young nobleman who travels through war-torn Europe chased by some secret sorrow, made him a household name. Fan mail flowed in; women offered themselves in assignations. (Philip Roth joked in “The Ghost Writer” that for an author to get laid in New York you need only publish a couplet.) “Childe Harold” eventually stretched to four volumes.

Movie versions of Byron’s life tend to take the Childe Harold angle, presenting him as the beautiful young nobleman and exaggerating his Gothic or camp tendencies. He’s been played by Rupert Everett and Hugh Grant. You can find those elements in his writing, too, especially in the early verse, but then a few things changed. He got married, and the marriage went badly; he left England in 1816 and didn’t return; his fame hardened, and as it hardened, he began to realize that it didn’t really fit him.

People who met Byron for the first time expected him to be someone he wasn’t. This bugged him, not just as a human being but as a writer. He asked his friend Tom Moore to tell a well-known literary critic “that I was not, and, indeed, am not even now , the misanthropical and gloomy gentleman he takes me for, but a facetious companion, well to do with those with whom I am intimate, and as loquacious and laughing as if I were a much cleverer fellow.”

Byron was writing this from Venice after his separation from his wife. It was in many ways an unhappy couple of years. Still recovering from the trauma of his marriage, he overindulged himself, sexually and otherwise. The beautiful young nobleman was growing middle-aged. “Lord Byron could not have been more than 30,” one visitor remarked, “but he looked 40. His face had become pale, bloated and sallow. He had grown very fat, his shoulders broad and round, and the knuckles of his hands were lost in fat.” Some of Byron’s reputation for scandalous living dates to his stay in Venice. But he also made another literary breakthrough, finishing one long poem, “ Beppo ,” and starting his masterpiece, written “in the same style and manner” — “ Don Juan .”

“Don Juan” would occupy him for the rest of his short life. It cost him his relationship with Murray, who disapproved of the new tone in Byron’s writing. “You have so many ‘ divine ’ poems,” Byron told him. “Is it nothing to have written a Human one?” Around the time that Shelley was writing “ To a Skylark ” (“Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!”) and Keats was working on “ Ode to a Nightingale ” (“Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!”), Byron in “Beppo” was advising visitors who come to Venice for the Carnival to bring ketchup or soy with them, because Venetians give up sauce for Lent. But he was making a broader point, too. Poetical truths, about birds, about nature, don’t always rank high on the list of what matters. Poets should spend more time talking about things like money and food.

Part of what his early success taught him was to be suspicious of it, which meant being suspicious of writers — of the ways they lie to themselves and their readers. Keats, for example, was guilty of “a sort of mental masturbation,” Byron said. “I don’t mean that he is indecent but viciously soliciting his own ideas into a state which is neither poetry nor anything else.” The work of Leigh Hunt was “disfigured only by a strange style. His answer was that his style was a system … and, when a man talks of system, his case is hopeless.” Experience, Byron believed, was the real source of literary value. “Could any man have written it,” he said of “Don Juan,” “who has not lived in the world?”

But experience relies on the honesty of the writer, and honesty, as Byron knew, is not a simple virtue. His own style became increasingly hard to pin down and hard to imitate — there is nobody who writes quite like him. Sometimes he lays on the devices pretty thick (“He rushed into the field, and, foremost fighting, fell”), the way you might scatter salt over a meal to add all-purpose flavor. But he can also write poetry that is unabashedly prosy: “There might be one more motive, which makes two.” What he’s particularly good at is achieving vividness without metaphor or adjective: “I have imbibed such a love for money that I keep some Sequins in a drawer to count, & cry over them once a week.” This is classic Byron, self-mocking and sincere at the same time.

The overall effect is like someone pitching knuckle balls. He seems to be just tossing lines at you, almost carelessly or without effort, but they’re always moving unpredictably, and when you try to do it yourself, you realize how hard it is to throw without spin. Two centuries later, this still seems a talent worth celebrating.

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Taylor Swift’s 'The Tortured Poets Department' album breaks Spotify streaming record

Taylor Swift is writing her way into the Spotify history books (her version) with "The Tortured Poets Department."

On Friday, Swift released her new album which became the first album in the streaming platform's history to garner over 300 million streams in a single day. The album also became the most-streamed album in a single day in 2024, according to a rep for Spotify.

The album's lead single “Fortnight," featuring rapper and genre-bending singer Post Malone , also made history and became the most-streamed song in a day. Swift also claims the top three albums most streamed albums in Spotify history with 2023's "Midnights" and " 1989 (Taylor's Version)."

Swift is also now the most-streamed artist in a single day in Spotify history after the release of "The Tortured Poets Department" and its extended version "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology," a 31-song collection of songs about coming of age, heartbreak, and the private pitfalls and peaks of her public life.

'Tortured Poets' release live updates: Taylor Swift drops 15 extra songs at 2 a.m.

What is Taylor Swift's new 'The Tortured Poets Department' album about?

The Eras Tour singer also makes reference to romance with current partner, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce , in and her longtime ex-boyfriend, the British actor Joe Alwyn . On "Tortured Poets," Swift continues to point her songwriting pen at rapper Kanye West, who is now known as Ye , and his ex-wife, reality TV star Kim Kardashian .

"I don't think you've changed much  and so I changed your name and any real defining clues ; And one day, your kid comes home singin' a song that only us two is gonna know is about you," Swift sings in "thanK you aIMee," which features Kim Kardashian's name spelled out in capital letters while the rest are lowercase.

Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Ye feud: VMAs to 'The Tortured Poets Department'

The song is an apparent reference to the daughter of Kardashian and Ye (formerly  Kanye West ), North West. Early last year, North West  posted a TikTok  featuring Kardashian, with the two dancing to "Shake It Off," from 2014's "1989."

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FTC Expands Patent Listing Challenges, Targeting More Than 300 Junk Listings for Diabetes, Weight Loss, Asthma and COPD Drugs

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Today, the Federal Trade Commission expanded its campaign against pharmaceutical manufacturers’ improper or inaccurate listing of patents in the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Orange Book, disputing junk patent listings for diabetes, weight loss, asthma, and COPD drugs, including Novo Nordisk Inc.’s blockbuster weight-loss drug, Ozempic.

The Commission sent warning letters to 10 companies and notified the FDA that it disputes the accuracy or relevance of more than 300 Orange Book patent listings across 20 different brand name products. These patent listings are currently listed in the FDA’s publication of “Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations,” commonly known as the Orange Book, which lists drug products approved by the FDA as safe and effective.

To promote competition, the FTC said it is disputing these patent listings as improper or inaccurate. Improper Orange Book patent listings can delay cheaper generic alternatives from entering the market, keeping brand name drug prices artificially high.

“By filing bogus patent listings, pharma companies block competition and inflate the cost of prescription drugs, forcing Americans to pay sky-high prices for medicines they rely on,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “By challenging junk patent filings, the FTC is fighting these illegal tactics and making sure that Americans can get timely access to innovative and affordable versions of the medicines they need.”

The warning letters were sent to:

• AstraZeneca and Novo Nordisk for obesity and type-2 diabetes injectable drugs
• Boehringer Ingelheim, Covis Pharma, Glaxo-Smith Kline, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and some of their subsidiaries for asthma and COPD inhalers
• Amphastar Pharmaceuticals Inc. for a glucagon nasal spray to treat severe hypoglycemia in type-1 diabetics

When the listing of a patent is disputed under FDA regulations, as the FTC has done here, the FDA will send the dispute to the branded drug manufacturer who will then have 30 days to withdraw or amend the listing, or certify under penalty of perjury that the listing complies with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

“It is the responsibility of branded drug manufacturers to ensure that Orange Book submissions contain information only on the types of patents for which information should be submitted to FDA,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “The FDA will continue to engage with the FTC to identify and address potential efforts to impede competition so that consumers can get access to the medicines they need.” 

The FTC’s latest patent listing dispute filings come after the Commission  challenged over 100 patent listings in November for medications specific to asthma and other inhaler devices, Restasis multidose bottles, and epinephrine autoinjectors. The Commission’s November challenges led to Kaleo Inc., Impax Labs, GlaxoSmithKline, and Glaxo Group delisting patents in response to the FTC’s warning letters. Subsequently, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, and GlaxoSmithKline all announced commitments to cap inhaler out-of-pocket costs at $35.

In September 2023, the FTC issued a  policy statement that warned that the agency would be scrutinizing the improper submission of patents for listing in the Orange Book. According to the policy statement, costs associated with challenging improperly listed patents can disincentivize investments in developing generic drugs, which risks delaying or thwarting competitive generic alternatives. 

The Federal Trade Commission develops policy initiatives on issues that affect competition, consumers, and the U.S. economy. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize. Follow the  FTC on social media , read  consumer alerts  and the  business blog , and  sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts .

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Victoria Graham Office of Public Affairs 415-848-5121

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300 arguments: essays (paperback).

February 2017 Indie Next List

Winter 2019 Reading Group Indie Next List

Description.

“Jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin….A sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.”—Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere There will come a time when people decide you’ve had enough of your grief, and they’ll try to take it away from you. Bad art is from no one to no one. Am I happy? Damned if I know, but give me a few minutes and I’ll tell you whether you are. Thank heaven I don’t have my friends’ problems. But sometimes I notice an expression on one of their faces that I recognize as secret gratitude. I read sad stories to inoculate myself against grief. I watch action movies to identify with the quick-witted heroes. Both the same fantasy: I’ll escape the worst of it. —from 300 Arguments A “Proustian minimalist on the order of Lydia Davis” ( Kirkus Reviews ), Sarah Manguso is one of the finest literary artists at work today. To read her work is to witness acrobatic acts of compression in the service of extraordinary psychological and spiritual insight. 300 Arguments , a foray into the frontier of contemporary nonfiction writing, is at first glance a group of unrelated aphorisms. But, as in the work of David Markson, the pieces reveal themselves as a masterful arrangement that steadily gathers power. Manguso’s arguments about desire, ambition, relationships, and failure are pithy, unsentimental, and defiant, and they add up to an unexpected and renegade wisdom literature.

About the Author

Praise for….

“This collection transcends any category to be something totally its own. . . . Manguso's captured the argumentative voice of a mindsifting through a problem, circling it, animated by sorting it out. . . . If this is poetry, it's the poems of quarrel. And if it's nonfiction, it's not the nonfiction of fact. Instead, it's the nonfiction which maps us to our own thinking. We enter Manguso's mind - her puzzle,pleased to be puzzled, too.” —NPR “All Things Considered” “[ 300 Arguments ] reads like you've jumped into someone's mind.” —NPR “Weekend Edition” “ 300 Arguments is a delectation, a book whose great precision and honesty constitute an irresistible incitement to think.” — San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments is] inimitably Manguso, but, suddenly, wonderfully, universally, ours.” — Washington Independent Review of Books “This tiny gem of a book is jam-packed with insights you’ll want to both text to your friends and tattoo on your skin. It’s an intimate portrait of a woman at work, and a sweeping view of a human mind trying to make order of the world around us.” — Omnivoracious “[Manguso’s arguments] are pithy and wry, with a melancholy undercurrent that takes a beat to set in—like a vaccine whose pinch gives rise to a muscular ache.” — The Nation “Sarah Manguso paints a mostly opaque, but at times penetratingly clear, self-portrait of a female writer at work. . . . The narrator’stemper is mercurial; economical sentences range in tone from pithy and sardonic to tender and deeply empathetic. . . . But by theflip of a page, this wise and compassionate narrator descends into punchy one-liners that are darkly funny and sharper around theedges.” — Hazlitt “ 300 Arguments is the book of aphorisms that I’ve been waiting for: trenchant, witty, and sometimes absurd. . . . Perhaps that’s whyI’m so drawn to it: each nugget of wisdom is something I’m tempted to share on social media or email to a friend. Sometimesbrevity is exactly what we need to make sense of the complicated world we live in.” —Michele Filgate, Literary Hub “Perspective-altering. . . . The accumulation of these entries has a certain difficult-to-deny power. . . . I wanted to gift it to everyone Iknow, read it aloud to strangers on the bus, and transcribe it by hand in its entirety like a holy text.” —Joshua James Amberson, Portland Mercury “Manguso’s prose is as succinct and revelatory as ever in this collection of aphorisms that quickly gathers momentum, becoming the self-portrait of a writer whose wisdom leaves one dazzled.” —Booksmith recommendation, San Francisco Chronicle “[ 300 Arguments ] beckons the reader to return, to read a sentence, and put it down again. . . . Her arguments . . . are crystallineand often walloping. . . . There is ambition leaking out of every page.” — New Republic “Manguso resuscitates the aphorism from its descent into maxim, bringing it back as a spur to thought. . . . Manguso’s unsettlingarguments deliver the world back to the reader at 300 different, jarring angles.” — Literary Hub “Manguso’s experience of life, in the little prose sachets that open and blossom page by page, are fragrant with undisclosed potentials. . . . Cosmos bloom and fold back up again, such that the work’s insights pulse line by line, and begin to hum. . . . The inherent volition of one epigram glides you into the next, transports you. . . . The Arguments has that rarer bird among the specimens: poignancy.” — Third Coast Review “This remarkable work of art is a masterpiece of compression, each section its own unique piece to a larger puzzle that eventually builds an entire universe, with lines that streak like comets through the space breaks, such as: ‘Bad art is from no one to no one’ and ‘Happiness begins to deteriorate once it is named.’” —Hannah Tinti, BookPage “Manguso’s arguments speak to mortality, anxiety, depression, heartbreak, and motherhood. Her blatant truth-telling is addictive; readers will find it difficult not to devour these 90 pages filled with wisdom, witticisms, and humor in one sitting.” — City Pages (Minneapolis) “[ 300 Arguments ] merits a wide audience. . . . Manguso writes powerfully about desire, [and]. . . offers a master class in a specific strain of desire: envy. . . . My field test for writing is like this: Does it produce a rueful inner smile or shudder of recognition? Manguso’s arguments do so many times.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “ 300 Arguments is a minimalist’s handbook: wisdom delivered in tiny doses.” — San Jose Mercury News “Part memoir, part advice, part laughter, and all unflinching honesty. . . . This is life experience and real wisdom distilled onto a few short pages.” — Rain Taxi Review of Books “A writer's life, solitary and complex, broken apart—not into shards but puzzle pieces. . . . A slim, poetic self-portrait that opens up as you read it and stays in the mind.” — Kirkus Reviews “Inventive. . . . All of life’s great subjects are here—love, relationships, happiness, desire, and vulnerability on the personal side; effort, luck, envy, and success vs. failure on the professional side—in one- and two-sentence nuggets of compressed insight. . . . It will require multiple rereadings to absorb the book’s rewarding wisdom.” — Publishers Weekly “Alternately insightful, humorous and thought-provoking, [Manguso’s] 300 Arguments offers enough variety, depth and substance torange from the deeply personal to the universally relatable. . . . 300 Arguments paints a vivid, intimately nuanced portrait of itsauthor in the way few long-form essays manage. . . . [It] should be required reading for all those experiencing crises of confidenceand the otherwise deleterious effects of the human condition.” — Spectrum Culture “ 300 Arguments shook me. It’s dark, but the darkness comes from a refusal to look away. Its humor is wounded but present. Is it possibly a sort of novel? The writer says somewhere, ‘This book is the good sentences from the novel I didn’t write.’ The idea holds up when applied, and the attentive reader will intuit an encompassing narrative. Sarah Manguso deserves many such readers.” —John Jeremiah Sullivan “A new book by Sarah Manguso is always a cause for celebration. She is a poet-philosopher of the highest order who combines a laser-sharp intellect with a lyric gift and a capacious, generous heart. She is one of my favorite writers, and with 300 Arguments she deepens her inquiry into the very essence of what it is to be human.” —Dani Shapiro “If there were a literary equivalent of the debate as to who is the best pound-for-pound boxer currently fighting, then word for word, Sarah Manguso’s 300 Arguments —weighing in at a mere ninety pages—would surely emerge as one of the smartest and most stimulating books of recent years.” —Geoff Dyer “It’s sometimes less important to know what we need to know than how we need to know it. 300 Arguments is an uncommon commonplace book of the everyday—a glittering reference book for life.” —Joanna Walsh, author of Break.Up “Every era has its wise aphorist. Sarah Manguso is ours and joins Marcus Aurelius, Thomas à Kempis, Montaigne.” —Edmund White “Aphorism has always given me a mixture of intense pleasure and pain. At its best—and Manguso’s work is, without doubt, at the pinnacle—it’s like someone looking you in the eye and seeing you for exactly who and what you are. The simultaneous fear and relief is dizzying. Every perfectly crafted sentence is replete with insight, self-knowledge, and—even in anger or self-accusation—a deep compassion which will have me re-reading her for the rest of my life.” —Luke Kennard, author of Transit

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