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Gwen Williams's Documents
The Banquet Captain's Duty : a short story
One banquet captain's Saturday night at work dealing with some unexpected events. A short story.
Category:Short StoriesReads:461Uploaded:02 / 18 / 2011ShareAdd to collectionSlight of Hand : a short story
It was a typical Minnesota summer day—June, the season of mosquitoes and lake temperatures exceeding 60 degrees—when the chinaware salesman approached the thirty-seventh ranch home on Kumquat Street. The salesman yawned as he rang the doorbell. Had he known that the interior buzzer had been clogged with grease and grime and no longer worked, he probably would have lugged his case of wares and payment plan schedules to the ranch next-door.
Category:Short StoriesReads:124Uploaded:02 / 18 / 2011ShareAdd to collectionThe Contest : a short story
Every day until his ninth year, from the end of harvest to the start of planting season, Andrew walked just shy of a mile to school across gravel roads, fields dotted with the gray remains of dandelions and milkweeds, and the vacant plot of land that during the summer served as Mrs. Ostertag’s cucumber patch. As Andrew walked, alone in solitude, he watched the toes of his boots stepping on stone and dirt and grass and stray vines, the smell of biscuits and cold bacon trailing from his backpack. The rhythm of his feet on the ground enchanted him. He only broke out of his cadence when his toe would happen across animal turds or the occasional skeleton of a bird or when garter snakes wound through the grass. Other than such rare interruptions to the rhythm of his enchantment, Andrew’s path between home and school was a beeline to the beat of his boot toes. It was the rhythm of watching his feet walking that provided Andrew with the endurance necessary to arrive at school.
Category:Short StoriesReads:149Uploaded:02 / 17 / 2011ShareAdd to collectionTies Undone : a short story
As she looked out the window, wondering about things that she didn’t need to know, she fiddled with her apron. She untied and retied her apron several times. Then she inspected her necktie for stains even though she knew it was as clean as the day it came off the rack. Then she untucked and retucked and untucked the linen napkin in the back of her pants. She untucked and retucked her tail. A tail was what they called it. Every shift, prior to receiving permission to serve the community, prior to receiving permission to become for a few frantic, mind-dulling hours a server, they checked to see if the server had a tail. The store issued linen napkin tail. And that wasn’t all. There was also the check for the regulation black shoes, black socks, blacks pants creased, black belt, white crisp pressed oxford with buttoned-down collar, a tie—your choice, get creative—snugged properly in place around the neck, the store issued apron, the store issued name tag, and a smile.
Category:Short StoriesReads:171Uploaded:02 / 17 / 2011ShareAdd to collectionAsian Fiction Reading List: What Shall I Read Next?
Selected reading list of English language novels and short stories, grouped by place and language. Categories: Fiction by Chinese American writers, Japanese American writers, Korean American writers, Vietnamese American writers, Southeast Asian writers, South Asian diaspora writers, and Asian writers; and English fiction about Asia, Asian fiction translated into English. Broadly speaking, this reading list--a reader's advisory resource--relates to Asia Pacific (minus Australia and New Zealand) plus South Asia.
Category:Books - FictionReads:846Uploaded:07 / 26 / 2010ShareAdd to collectionIntroduction to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary)
Written for college students as an introduction to library subscription databases and online research. Storage space. Paper and electronic dictionaries. Originally published as a webpage on my college course website.
Category:EssaysReads:632Uploaded:05 / 03 / 2010ShareAdd to collectionThoughts on Practicing the Art of Conversation
How does one develop fluency in a second language? Essay written for my library patrons who attended my English Cafe programs, intermediate conversational English practice, for 2 1/2 years. We spoke, listened, and learned language together.
Category:EssaysReads:320Uploaded:05 / 03 / 2010ShareAdd to collectionTo Irene, From Gwen: Thoughts on Grammar and Language
What is the best way to master English as a second language? Study grammar, or practice conversing? Letter to an intermediate level English language learner in response to her question about the best way to develop fluency in a second language.
Category:EssaysReads:189Uploaded:04 / 27 / 2010ShareAdd to collectionOpening Remarks to a Website Talk on American Memory
Website talks are compared to book talks. Librarianship: current practices and program planning. Digital libraries and e-government.
Category:SpeechesReads:379Uploaded:04 / 27 / 2010ShareAdd to collectionUniversity Institutional Repositories and a Library's Mission
Institutional repositories. Stewardship. DSpace. Libraries, librarianship. Information architecture. Features of institutional repositories and traditional libraries are compared. Research paper for a Technical Services course, Spring 2004, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Category:Internet & TechnologyReads:693Uploaded:04 / 27 / 2010ShareAdd to collection
