{"product_id":"writing-is-hard-a-collection-of-over-100-essays-paperback","title":"Writing Is Hard: A Collection of Over 100 Essays - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJim Labate\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eT\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eo Writers Everywhere: \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHave you ever read a writing and grammar textbook? Most likely, you haven't. Or if you have, you probably read it only because some teacher forced you. With that in mind, I wrote the following essays in an attempt to teach writing and grammar in a nontraditional and nonthreatening way.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese essays appeared initially in \u003cem\u003eThe Hudsonian, \u003c\/em\u003ethe student newspaper at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. As one of the writing specialists in The Writing and Research Center at HVCC, I have observed that many students are intimidated by formal textbooks that attempt to explain the entire writing process or to address all areas of punctuation, grammar, and usage. Thus, I tried to make these essays somewhat informal, and I purposely focused on only a small portion of the writing process or on one small part of the mechanics of writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy hope was that students might take a few moments to read the student newspaper, find the essay, and learn something that would stay with them for years. After publication in the newspaper, I reformatted the essays, and now, I use them as supplemental handouts for students who are struggling with commas or fragments or term papers or any other aspect of writing. As you read through the essays, I sure hope you find them a bit more interesting than your grammar textbook.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eSince January of 2000, Jim LaBate has worked as a writing specialist in The Writing Center at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York. Originally from Amsterdam, New York, Jim graduated from Saint Mary's Institute and Bishop Scully High School. He earned his bachelor's degree in English from Siena College in Loudonville, New York, and his master's degree, also in English, from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. Jim has spent his entire career as either a teacher or a writer. He taught physical education as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Golfito, Costa Rica, for two years. He taught high-school English for ten years (one year at Vincentian Institute in Albany, New York, and nine years at Keveny Memorial Academy in Cohoes, New York). Then, he worked for ten years as a writer for Newkirk Products in Albany, New York. Jim lives in Clifton Park, New York, with his wife, Barbara; they have two daughters: Maria and Katrina.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 232\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.49 x 11.02 x 8.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 05, 2018\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42129582030983,"sku":"9780966210033","price":26.93,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/1cf6f2fea323239bf1068c4e886fa207.webp?v=1732604091","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/writing-is-hard-a-collection-of-over-100-essays-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}