Laura J. Snyder

And happy new year!

Just saw this—thanks for the kind mention. I appreciate it! 🗃️

It would be easier for him bc Spanish & Italian have seem so similar but it actually was more difficult at first, bc the Italian word/grammar would come out automatically. But he got through that! I wish I had that talent &/or had started studying another language before high school.

Oh my gosh, how many languages can you speak!?!? My son was raised bilingual (his dad is Italian) & now he’s becoming fluent in Spanish. I’m quite envious of that. When he started studying Spanish seriously in middle school (there were also Spanish lessons in his primary school) we all thought +

I’ll have to tell that one to my son the future judge. 😂

I don’t want to laugh at this but…I can’t help myself. Sad laughter.

Ha! You can *definitely* know me! ❤️🏠🌴

Both, to be honest! We did an encore! 😎

Love Shack. That’s how I (and some grad students) embarrassed myself in front of tenured colleagues after, let us say, one too many martinis. Okay, maybe two too many.

It was a lot easier this way 😊

I’ve always wanted to use the word littoral literally, and in the chapter I’m revising today I just did. We all have to get our pleasures when we can, especially in these terrible times, eh? 🗃️✍🏻

We Anglo-Americans are so obnoxious in not learning other languages so by default English becomes the new Latin. It’s wonderful that you have the ability to be so fluent in English. But still, I always feel it’s rather unfair.

Oh my gosh, please don’t let this make you nervous about language in any way. I never would have guessed you were not a native speaker of English. I’m constantly in awe of people who can write and converse in 2nd or 3rd languages. Often they know English grammar much better than I!

Thanks! Me too! I shall report back when it happens.

Oh my gosh, that is horrific. People should NOT be teachers or professors if they hate/disrespect kids/young adults so much. I send my condolences to your family. 💔

I know you know how it feels! Sometimes it’s the best part. Like dessert.

You know, I probably should! But for now I’ll save all my luck for the book!! Don’t want to run out of it too soon.

So my apologies. I did not mean to suggest that. We all know it’s hard work plus the occasional bit of serendipity and hopefully some fairy glitter that makes a project come together!! 🧚‍♂️

No, *I’m* sorry that I’m my hasty/excited reply I suggested you said something “off”There WAS a ton of luck involved, especially that I tried “1 more time” to find him, & THIS time I could only bc he had published a poem in an online Journal in Feb ‘23–long after my last attempt. I was VERY lucky🍀

I have hit *so* many jackpots doing research for the book. I might have to write a book just about those! Of course none of this would be possible without the Internet, but, as my son says, I’m like “Jessica Fletcher” with my detective instincts, so that helps 😂

I know, right? I mean since I have millions upon millions of words in #OliverSacks’ archive and plenty of important “usual suspects” to interview that should be enough for me but nope, THIS is the fun part—finding the few people still left who knew him at 13–a pivotal time in his life. 🗃️

Thanks! It’s time-consuming but I have to admit that I’m as much detective as historian/writer! 🕵️‍♀️

I once had a student so worried about missing the final that she came in for it when she was (it seemed) minutes away from going into labor, even though I had told her *in advance* I’d give her a make-up after the summer. I took one look at her & said go home right now, REST, & get in touch in Aug.

Agreed. I’m “not allowed” to say more but faculty were not treated any better either.

No, but that was not the university’s goal.

I know! Definitely luck, but also a heck of a lot of detective work (I can tell you which ship took him from Southampton to Western Australia in 1963) The luck part was using a different spelling of his name & seeing a recent contribution of his to an Australian poetry journal w/his email address! 🗃️

One of my former colleagues at my ex-“Catholic University” used to ask students for a copy of THE DEATH CERTIFICATE. I mean, WTAF???

I just *found* the one friend of #OliverSacks from his school days whom no one has ever interviewed bc “he just disappeared”—and he emailed me immediately, offered to transcribe or scan the letters he has from Sacks (that are not in Sacks’ archive) & is willing to Zoom w/me. PS he’s 90 years old! 🗃️✍🏻

Congratulations! 🎉🎉🎉

By the way it’s fantastic the MET book is now freely downloadable. When I needed it it wasn’t, and I paid a couple of hundred dollars to get one. Worth it, though!