Our Blog

A good poem, they say, trips off the tongue. What they don't say is what kind of shoes it's wearing to do so.

NEVER FEAR: in honor of National Poetry Month, we're playing Cinderella and pairing up the rhythmic units of meter with their appropriate poetic footwear. Every poetic foot (for example, the iamb, of Shakespearean pentameter fame: duh DUH) has its own stylistic flavor, and now it's got a stylish shoe to match.

Image via Tumblr

With April finally here, and the sun (slightly) starting to make a re-appearance, the winter season may finally be behind us. Great news, right? Totally. Except when you remember that warm weather = no more bulky coats and sweaters = time to drag all your shorts and swimsuits out of the closet.

If the thought of having to go anywhere near a pool within the next few months makes you wish for snow again, fear not. With help from The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Life, we have solutions for all your gym worries so you can hit up the exercise machines with confidence and be ready for the beaches that await you.

Disclaimer: this article may also serve to make all of your excuses for not going to the gym irrelevant, so read on with caution.

Via Inn at the Crossroads

Game of Thrones is baaaaaack! Season 4 premiered on Sunday and we’re all atwitter. Winter is coming, guys.

If you’ve read the books, you already know that some crazy stuff is gonna go down this season. Gather your friends (you’ll need emotional support handy in case your favorite character dies), scrounge up some edibles, and make a party of it! Because the only things better than watching GoT is eating while watching GoT.

When it comes to making Game of Thrones-inspired treats, the snack dragon has three heads. Choose your preferred approach to being a Westeros chef.

Poems can invoke the deepest of emotions, the most beautiful of sentiments, but they can also pack a huge, insulting punch. There’s something about the form—maybe the lilt, the rhythm—that lends itself perfectly to derision and condescension. Need to tell someone that they’re beneath you? A short story won’t do. Want to skewer your professional rival? Veiled allusions in your novel aren’t going to cut it. What you need is a good meter to set your scorn to.

Since April is National Poetry Month, let’s explore the poems that expertly take their targets’ ego and grind it under their perfectly cadenced heel.

Why hello there, Quirk readers. 

Please, allow me a moment to introduce myself. My name is Quirk E. Newsletter. I'm a monocle wearing cat who enjoys the finer things in life. Wide-brimmed top hats, leather-bound books, bronze monocles, and newsletters that are sent out monthly via an electronic mailing service.

My my, we live in such exciting times. An era where a cat such as I can enjoy the pleasures of reading books and sending out finely curated pieces of electronic mail. 

In my monthly letters you'll read about exciting news at the offices of Quirk Books. Readers will also be treated to exclusive giveaways, details about upcoming events, and lists of our best online literary entries, which I'm now being told are known as blogs, that month. Blog. A curious word. 

So please, go forth and sign up! There's a button you can press below, and one on the right hand side of this online website. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to figure out what tweeting is, and where the delicious birds are that do it. 

Yours,

Quirk E. Newsletter

* the E stands for Exuberant

Stop biting yourself! Stop biting yourself! Mooooom!

Like it or not, you can't choose the family you're related to by blood. It just… happens. And most of the time, it turns out pretty good.

But some families are so poisonous that it isn't just bad to be a part of the clan. It's also bad to be associated with them in any way, even from the outside. Below is a list of families that I wouldn't want to be a part of, but equally as importantly, wouldn't want my circles to intersect with in any way. They're that bad.