Laura Bazal

“The word literature enters the room with its nose in the air. But get it in a corner, ask the right questions, and it will reluctantly fess up to its humble origins. It hails from the Latin litterae, you whisper in your date’s ear. It puts on a big act, but it literally just means “things made of letters.”
― Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal

“Apparently the rules are that a sentence can’t come right out and tell its writer what it is or wants to be, so the sentence gives the writer little clues, charade-style. The writer just keeps churning/blurting things out, groping at the answer, trying out every possible assemblage. It’s a sentence about a man! It’s a sentence about a woman! About a house? It’s a long sentence. It’s a short sentence? It’s a sentence connected to another sentence by an ellipsis! Three syllables, first syllable starts with L. Um . . . luminous! Oh, second syllable starts with an L. Alacrity? The sentence is elegant and light! The sentence has something to do with a pear? Forget it, I have no idea. Start over.”
― Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal

“III. I am looking at that photo of the three of us. a. Just a few hours after delivery i. we are so ruddy-skinned ii. right out of the gate iii. blank slates b. Jason is holding the baby c. Our expressions seem to say i. Here he is! ii. Our first baby! iii. The world’s first baby! iv. All the other babies who exist are rumors, vague versions of a baby! v. Ours is the only real baby! d. This photo was taken two decades ago i. This was when I still had to look up the pediatrician’s phone number ii. This was when, filling out forms, I’d catch myself writing Ann, my own mom’s name, in the space for mother. IV. I’d like to be deliberate about what you might associate me with. a. Some already associate me with a yellow umbrella i. That’s fine by me ii. I like that b. I’m going to toss out another everyday item that also feels good: a doorknob c. Doorknob = i. small ii. give me your hand iii. come on in.”
― Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal

“It can neither be concealed nor overstated: These types of things genuinely interest and delight me. One small wordplay discovery—say, figuring out that an anagram for maker is me, AKR—will make my whole day.”
― Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal