Guide to Language Arts and Writing
From The Observatory
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Editor: Danica Tomber
Associate Editor: Madeline VanArsdale
Source: The Observatory
Humans have long used language, writing, and storytelling to make sense of the world—and to shape how it is understood. Writing takes many forms, extending from literature and journalism to scholarship, personal reflection, and everyday communication. Together, language and writing help develop our critical thinking, awareness, and curiosity.
The Observatory Guide to Language Arts and Writing explores how language and storytelling shape the human mind, foster empathy, and serve as tools for understanding ourselves, connecting with others, imagining new possibilities, solving problems, and questioning the status quo. Drawing on literature, history, psychology, neuroscience, and the social sciences, the guide highlights how writing and narrative shape not only expression, but perception, meaning, and action.1
The written word is expressed in many different ways—through journaling, essay writing, reporting, creative composing, note-taking, blogging, and more. It is a shapeshifter that, in turn, shapes the way we think. Ellen Feld and Reynard Loki elucidate the power that writing has in strengthening our critical thinking skills. In the same way that the writing process involves brainstorming, drafting, organizing, analyzing, and revising, it simultaneously provides a mirrored space for cognitive development. Writing is the act of working through the seeds and weeds of an idea, from its conception to its more fully formed realization.
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Revision is a vital part of the writing process, whether you're writing for the classroom, the workplace, publication, or everyday life. Ellen Feld and Reynard Loki expand on the idea of writing as thinking by exploring the role of revision: rewording, rearranging, rethinking, refocusing, and reshaping. Once we reframe our approach to revision, we free ourselves from the pitfalls of perfectionism, self-judgment, and emotional attachment. We can then focus on the true work of bringing our ideas into clearer alignment with our readers' understanding.
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By Christine Jacobson | From Public Domain Review
Typewriters are now viewed as vintage novelties, but they revolutionized literary production in the not-so-distant past. After gaining popularity in the late 1800s, their use over roughly a century was largely sustained by women typists. Christine Jacobson illuminates these often-overlooked roles, which extended far beyond transcription to include research, editing, indexing, contract negotiation, and advisory work.
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By Birgitta Vaivai-Soderberg | From The Observatory
Caregivers come in many forms, from health professionals to family and friends. While some aspects of this support can be rewarding, its providers, particularly informal caregivers, are confronted with stress, grief, burnout, financial demands, skill gaps, and more. Birgitta Vaivai-Soderberg offers a way through this challenging time via the power of creativity, exploring three types of creative writing: expressive, memoir, and fiction. Creative writing can not only be healing but also empowering.
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By April M. Short | From Local Peace Economy Project
In a world where we are met with a seemingly constant onslaught of news coverage on tragedies occurring around the globe—or living those experiences directly—hope, love, healing, and understanding can seem part of a distant reality. The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which began in 2023, is a stark example of human cruelty; alongside mass protests and calls for a ceasefire, poetry has emerged as another form of political response. April M. Short interviews Poet Laureate Devorah Major, shedding light on how poetry can help us navigate the complexities of our world, uncover its truths, and engage with our humanity.
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By Katherine Dolan | From The Observatory
We use storytelling for many reasons: to entertain, teach, and persuade. At a fundamental level, stories organize and transmit information from one brain to another. But what, exactly, do our brains do with stories? Katherine Dolan draws on research in psychology and neuroscience to explore the answer. Far more than a means of sharing information, stories foster empathy, strengthen social cognition, and even help calm our nervous systems. Storytelling is fundamental to how we learn, connect, and thrive as individuals and as communities.
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By Katherine Dolan | From Earth Food Life Project
When we view literature not as a form of escapism but as a means of making sense of our realities, we see how narrative is imperative. The science fiction genre is a powerful literary tool for examining societal possibilities and warning of consequences. Its sub-genre, climate fiction, or “cli-fi,” frames this discourse within the context of environmentalism. Katherine Dolan emphasizes the importance of storytelling as a means of encouraging climate action amid climate crises that are too often conveyed only through neutral measures, such as statistics and abstract reports, leaving many wondering what we can do to inspire change. Cli-fi can help us move from anxiety, or even apathy, about the climate crisis to hope and agency.
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By Isabelle Métivier | From The Observatory
Nonprofits are essential lifelines for the communities they serve, but securing funding through grants and donations is no easy endeavor. As Isabelle Métivier illustrates, this means transitioning from inspiration to impact, a skillful approach that combines narrative, which contextualizes the need and garners interest, with data, which demonstrates effectiveness. This step-by-step guide outlines the process of identifying stories, organizing data, and customizing messages for potential funders. Given the challenges and complexities that nonprofits face in staying afloat, data-driven storytelling is an invaluable skill.
