Last minute madness before the trip to France

betty ming liu Art, Travel 11 Comments

I spent the morning packing, which means I am currently in full-bloom panic. I have about 40 pounds of art supplies; doesn’t leave much room for nice clothes. Oh, well! Can hardly believe that the 10-day painting trip to France is about to begin. Monet’s garden is calling to me… Going into pre-departure mom mode has me especially frantic. I …

#Ferguson. Hear the black man’s cry. Our cry.

betty ming liu Relationships, Writing how-to's 12 Comments

If we’re going to talk about the national outrage called Ferguson, we must include certain key facts — information that isn’t getting enough play in the news media. The race-and-politics numbers are depressing Two-thirds of Ferguson’s residents are black. The mayor is white. Five out of six City Council members who run Ferguson are white. The city has 53 police …

How to write a bio about yourself or someone else

betty ming liu Money, Writing how-to's 13 Comments

When I talk to my students about how to write a bio, they groan. Everyone hates writing bios. But if you’re going somewhere in your life, at some point, you will need that bio. Really, you can do this. Even though folks find the process intimidating, my basic how-to’s can help you out. In my writing classes, the first assignment …

How my students talk to me with Twitter

betty ming liu Relationships, Writing how-to's 14 Comments

Oh, those crazy kids! Twitter is taking off with my college students in surprising ways. They feel it’s fly to tweet. They have no twouble being coherent in 140-characters or less.  I truly believe tweeting is a twerrific 21st century skill, and not just for journalists. There’s something for everyone here. One summer, my daughter’s plane was late and I …