By Mesut Şenol Fatma Hanım, one of the officials in charge of authors at Nilüfer Municipality, welcomed me at the Bursa Bus Terminal and brought me to Gölyazı. Before arriving at the Writers’ House (Yazıevi) Guest House, she took me on a short tour of Gölyazı, showing me the Weeping Plane Tree (Ağlayan Çınar), the
“WELCOME, MY AUTHOR!” Read More »
Lucia Cupertino I recently became acquainted with the work of Ayumi Shibata, a Japanese-born artist who builds macrocosms and microcosms using the ancient washi paper craft. I was dazzled by this artwork, because she employs such a fragile material to build cities, landscapes, scenery that gradually come to inhabit space in a powerful and
Literature as a Washi Paper Shaped by Writers Read More »
Author: Mesut Şenol The Writer’s Process of Self-Construction Literature, in its simplest definition, is the human effort to understand humanity and the universe. However, this endeavor is neither an abstract mental exercise conducted alone in an ivory tower, nor is it a didactic tool put directly at the command of society. The existence of the
A Journey from Inner Voice to Social Sensitivity Read More »
“Mehmet, come inside!” called out the Mukhtar. “Yes sir, Mukhtar, I’m coming!” Guard Mehmet was wearing a custom outfit made of brown felt, resembling the uniforms of neighborhood night watchmen. The Mukhtar’s eyes locked onto Guard Mehmet. “Mehmet, as you know, our village hasn’t had a midwife for many years. Every time I go to
VILLAGE GUARD MEHMET Read More »
The children of the school principal, Teacher Süleyman—Alper and Buket—were enjoying their holiday. As darkness fell, Alper, Buket, Mehmet, Ayşe, İsmail, Fatma, and İmdat sat together in a far corner of the schoolyard, chatting and gazing up at the stars in the sky. While the children were carrying on a pleasant conversation among themselves, sudden
THE THIEVES OF THE NEIGHBORING VILLAGE Read More »
I could never get enough of looking at the partridges Grocer Uncle Ahmet kept in reed cages inside his shop. Black rings adorned their gray and beige bodies. Their red beaks resembled human lips. I was always looking forward to being sent to the grocery store. It was early May. In the afternoon, my classmates
“Alper, look who came! Serpil! She brought us figs!” My sister Buket was calling out to me from next to Serpil, who was standing at the door with a basket of fresh figs. Serpil was the tallest and thinnest student in our class. When school started, we would take our places together with Serpil in
STICK GIRL AND THE BEAR IN THE FOREST Read More »
All children dream. They see their dreams mostly in their sleep, sometimes while awake, and at the most unexpected times. “What on earth happened to this child? Reading books has turned him into a shut-in! He is sleepwalking in broad daylight!” “Don’t mind him, my dear. It is normal for children to dream. After all,
THE FLYING PURPLE CAPE Read More »
The Most Common Element in Music and Poetry Poetry and music have always been intimately related. Music for example can help children develop rhythmic intelligence and notice rhythm in poetry and in a broader sense in language, which are important skills in learning how to read and developing fluency as readers. Since poetry on the
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Lera Boroditsky is a cognitive scientist and professor in the fields of language and cognition. She is one of the main contributors to the theory of linguistic relativity. She is a Searle Scholar, a McDonnell Scholar, recipient of a National Science Foundation Career award, and an American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientist.
ON LANGUAGE, THOUGHT, AND CULTURE Read More »
