Swet Columns
July 23, 2014
A Sugar-Coated Guide to Grammar
Reviewed by Susan Schmidt (April 15, 2007)
Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies, by June Casagrande. New York: Penguin Books, 2006. 212 pages. Paperback. ISBN-13 798-0143036838; ISBN-10 0143036831. $14.00.
Subtitled A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite, this slim volume promises to be a treat for the word maven: a sugar-coated guide to grammar and usage that will entertain while it informs.... more
July 21, 2014
A Grammar Book with Personality and Pizzazz
Reviewed by Jay Revelle It was the best of sentences, it was the worst of sentences, by June Casagrande. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2010. 207 pages. ISBN: 978-1-58008-740-7.
“Great writing isn’t born, it’s built—sentence by sentence.” Thus begins grammar maven June Casagrande’s wonderfully witty and practical writer’s guide to the good writing of that most basic structural element: the sentence. After... more
April 7, 2014
A Delectable Assortment: Translators Showcase Advice, Writing Skills
By Rachael Ragalye
Translator Perspectives (Hon’yakusha no mesen). Tokyo: Japan Association of Translators, 2013. 97 pages. ISBN 978-4-906408-09-2.
Of all the things I expected to see in a volume titled Translator Perspectives, advice about what makes for a good udon noodle shop was not one of them. In his essay Oishii kake-udon o mezashite, Kunieda Shirō tells us that the true test... more
February 12, 2014
An Afternoon with Amy Chavez
By Ted Taylor
Amy Chavez spoke to SWET Kansai about her life as a writer and the challenges of the profession, especially with the publishing of her latest book, Running the Shikoku Pilgrimage: 900 Miles to Enlightenment. (See also Japan Funny Side Up.) Chavez came to Japan in 1993 on an exchange program to fulfill her requirements... more
May 14, 2013
Hi-ho! Silver Linings
Tales of Old Japanese, by Hugh Ashton, with illustrations by Nikki McBroom. Published by Inknbeans Press 2012. E-book version in different formats from Smashwords, Kindle Store, Kobo, etc. Printed version from Amazon, etc. 79pp, ISBN 978-1-524-3028-7
Reviewed by Mark Smith
Hugh Ashton is well known to SWET members as a successful technical writer and author.... more
February 24, 2013
Editing for an NGO: Eric Johnston’s Advice
by Stuart Ayre
What does it take to be a successful editor for a non-governmental organization (NGO)? And within an NGO, what is explicitly and implicitly expected of contributors? People have a tendency to blithely take on NGO work, editing and otherwise, without properly considering what is really being asked. Whatever altruistic intentions a person may have, what should be... more