Interruptions

A woman's  mother's poet's artist's editor's person's life can have many interruptions, and so can the Internet. Yesterday I interrupted my usual blog content (which is--? unusual?) with a Blog Blackout to help raise awareness of Internet censorship and piracy issues, and to give myself and others a chance to learn a bit more by way of a few fun links.

And to join Wikipedia, the people's encyclopedia, in solidarity!

Since my first job was an as encyclopedia editor and staff writer, back in the days of print, I am also aware of the complexities of a people-written information source, believe you me! I know the Facts-On-File fact-checking we did as a staff to keep information accurate, objective, and up-to-date, and we hired experts in the field to write the appropriate in-depth articles. And as a college teacher, I required students to use regular and scholarly sources like journals and databases, where the information is reviewed and double-checked, and also to "know your source" or the slant of the particular journal or writer, as needed. Etc.! But I do love Wikipedia as a quick, fun, and easy place to get an overview, crucial details, and links to other sources, a starting place to see what you're going to have to find out and confirm. It's also a wonderful collaboration of information-sharing people. Thank you, Wikipeople!

Speaking of collaboration--and interruption--I refer you today to Collaboruptions (made up word), a mini-review of Interruptions, collaborative poems by Jessy Randall and Daniel M. Shapiro, an article I posted yesterday in the Escape Into Life blog. It is a fun and funny book that demonstrates poets interrupting each other as a way of writing, and, yes, collaborating with the mysteries of the universe in surprisingly accessible language. Or vice versa.

Eh? Speaking of...I don't know what--mysteries of the universe!--, are any of you having trouble commenting on the blog these days, or even seeing the comments of others? Hmm, how would you let me know? I ask because my friend Kim J. Kimmel is having such trouble, and I don't know 1) the reason or 2) how to solve it. I see that the new "Reply" function creates a text box that requires you to scroll down to find the place to type in the verification word if you want to comment, and I had to click around a bit to figure out how to comment on someone else's blog, so I suggest 1) patience and 2) clicking around until Blogger figures out...a fix.