"Books are my refuge, but I had to overcome dyslexia to write the stories I was bursting to tell." — Natasha Solomons Natasha is a lifelong storyteller, but it took a lot of persistence and resilience to get those stories out. As a child, she listened to...
Literature for Dyslexics [Premium]
“What can students learn from literature they cannot learn elsewhere? Why should they bother?” — Gary Morson At the same time that Brock and I have been reviewing the research literature for our update for Dyslexic Advantage, I also came across an article by Russian Literature professor Gary Morson on Why College Kids are Avoiding the Study of Literature. As it turns out, some of the problems and solutions he identifies has direct implications for dyslexic readers. THE CHALLENGES The challenges facing dyslexic readers and complex literature are many – there is so much of it, for instance, the sheer quantity may be impossible for younger readers even if they are able to listen-read through audiobooks; great literature may also have complex grammar […]
Master Storyteller and Teacher Caldecott Winner Jerry Pinkney
"I truly believe dyslexia made me the achiever I am in my art, and it made me who I am as a person..." - Jerry Pinkney It is with great sadness that we learned that Jerry Pinkney, one of the greats of children illustration passed away in October at the age of...
Dr Roxanne Varzi: Creative Anthropologist
I recently had the chance to talk to Dr Roxanne Varzi, a writer, anthropologist, and filmmaker who was also the first Fulbright Awardee since the Islamic Revolution for research in Iran. She's doing such interesting work that is creative on many levels that I...
Writing: Elaboration [Premium]
If you were to compare dyslexic and non-dyslexic university students in writing, it’s usually the case, that on average, dyslexic students write fewer words and fewer words that are polysyllabic. The reasons are several; slowness with word retrieval, writing, and spelling, organizational challenges, and working memory overload are likely contributors. Because multisyllabic words are more challenging phonemically, not only are they harder to recognize and remember while reading, but also they are harder to spell. THE BIG PICTURE OF ELABORATION The big picture of elaboration is that you want writers to fall in love with words, whether it’s a beautiful passage evoking imagery, or funny turn of phrase, or incisive argument. Students who are the easiest to cultivate as great writers are those who […]
Literary Analysis: Great Dyslexic Book Reviewers [Premium]
I’m always on the look out for dyslexic strengths and advantages presented in new ways and I couldn’t help notice these two popular dyslexic book reviewers on YouTube. It’s beautiful seeing what they’re doing and there’s definitely a lot of complicated strengths that are showcased in their entertaining videos. The first example here is Merphy Napier’s literary analysis of the complicated character of Severus Snape. What an example of going deep into literary analysis and theory of mind! No wonder it’s so hard for many book-loving dyslexics (yes, they exist) to answer short answer questions. They are thinking and processing about so much. I wonder if it makes many dyslexic writers novelists rather than short prose writers. There are many paradoxes about the dyslexic mind […]
Legendary Sea Explorer Dr. Robert Ballard
"I grew up wanting to be Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea..." "I wish everyone recognized that dyslexia has its advantages." - Robert Ballard It's not just Bob's accomplishments that make his autobiography so compelling, but his focus, resilience,...
Breakthrough Books: Getting Hooked On Books
Do you remember the book or books that got you hooked on reading? It's not always what you might expect. Academy Award winning actress Octavia Spencer says the only reason why she's able to read today is that she got hooked on Encyclopedia Brown books. Those books...
Shakespeare and Dyslexia – Making Words Physical [Premium]
Today is National Shakespeare Day, and dyslexia and Shakespeare have been on our minds. We recently mentioned that Lloyd Everitt (yes, he’s dyslexic) is the youngest actor to play Othello at Shakespeare’s own Globe Theater. But we’ve also been thinking about Shakespeare recently because, on our trip down to California, we had the pleasure of stopping by the Oregon Shakespeare Company’s Rebecca Carey, the head of Voice and Text. Rebecca has an accomplished career that includes acting herself as well as teaching and consultant roles with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Oxford School of Drama, Broadway, and American Repertory Theatre. Rebecca is also co-author (with her husband, David Carey) of The Shakespeare Workbook and Video, a brilliant practical course for actors that includes such topics […]