The poet Dylan Thomas held on to some of his school notebooks from his youth, and mined their contents for his adult work. For many years, only 4 notebooks were known of, but in 2014 a fifth came to light. John Goodby, the professor who edited it for publication, tells its story in an article … Continue reading A Dylan Thomas Notebook
Yet another reason why I’m dying to visit Japan! In Tokyo, a bar called Decameron opened recently, despite the fact that other bars in the neighborhood have been closing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In part due to concerns over the transmission of the virus through droplets spread while speaking, and in part due to … Continue reading Communicating By Notebook in a Tokyo Bar
I enjoyed this article from Nature by microbiology PhD student Adeline Williams. As a scientist, she keeps lab notebooks in both digital and paper form, and she also keeps a personal journal. She has some great observations about these different forms of journaling and their benefits. Since my school days, long before I started working … Continue reading Keeping Two Journals
While writing my recent posts about my collection of wirebound notebooks (see Part 1 and Part 2), I was looking for more information about the JoRedCo notebook brand. I have two in my collection, but hadn’t really heard much about the brand, other than a commenter having mentioned finding old stock for sale. Google provided … Continue reading JoRedCo Notebooks
Writers’ habits don’t just emerge. We cultivate them—they are first aspirational, and then superstitious. If something works once, we hope it will work again. Years ago, in graduate school, I noticed how certain poet friends would casually, but with intent, remove a small notebook from their jacket pocket or bag and jot something down. I … Continue reading Notebooking as a Writers’ Habit
How would you like to sit at this desk and do some writing in a notebook? That desk is on Hancock Hill, in Alpine, Texas. It’s been there for 40 years. At first, the guy whose idea it was to put the desk there just stashed a notebook in the drawer so he could record … Continue reading Notebooks from Hancock Hill
I loved this post from the “Writing at Large” blog, about tracking goals and resolutions in a notebook. The dense lists and checked-off boxes are very satisfying. My “resolutions†are, however, S.M.A.R.T. goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. I manage them using the least used notebook that I had lying around (a Baron Fig Confidant), … Continue reading Tracking Yearly Goals in a Notebook
Dan Currie is a stand-up comedian based in Lansing, MI. One of his favorite things is his notebook: My favorite thing is a notebook I acquired back in 2014. Over a four-year span, I’ve had it at hundreds of shows. My friend and fellow comedian Carl Johnson booked me and a group of other comics … Continue reading Dan Currie’s Comedy Notebook
During an interview with Tim Ferriss, Neil Gaiman talks about his love for Leuchtturm notebooks and the Pilot Falcon fountain pen, among other writing tools: Tim Ferriss: You mentioned distraction earlier and your dangerously adorable son, which I certainly agree with. I had read somewhere, actually, before I get to that, this might seem like a … Continue reading Neil Gaiman on Notebooks and Fountain Pens
Mark LaFlamme at the Lewiston Sun Journal isn’t so sure if he still needs notebooks, but you’ll find his musings on the topic quite hilarious! The humble reporter’s notebook, slim enough to slide into a back pocket, used to be my best friend. My partner in crime. My lover. OK, maybe not my lover. That … Continue reading “Who Needs a Ratty Old Notebook?”