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	<description>Literature reviews, interviews, and essays.</description>
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		<title>5 Ways to Encourage Motivation During Employee Meetings</title>
		<link>https://quarterlyconversation.com/5-ways-to-encourage-motivation-during-employee-meetings</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Sep 2019 20:24:21 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://quarterlyconversation.com/?p=11436</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Did you know that 85% of people say that they hate their jobs? Assuming that stat applies to your staff, motivating a room full of folks who don&#8217;t want to be in a meeting, or even at work, is next to impossible. That&#8217;s why you, as a business owner or team leader, have to find [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/folder.jpeg" alt="" title="folder" width="550" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11437" srcset="https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/folder.jpeg 940w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/folder-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px" /></p>
<p>Did you know that <a href="https://returntonow.net/2017/09/22/85-people-hate-jobs-gallup-poll-says/">85% of people</a> say that they hate their jobs? Assuming that stat applies to your staff, motivating a room full of folks who don&#8217;t want to be in a meeting, or even at work, is next to impossible.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s why you, as a business owner or team leader, have to find ways to motivate your staff both inside of the meeting room and out.</p>
<p>But how do you get your team to not only want to come to work every day but show up to and engage in routine employee meetings? And can you really make work that much more fun for your staff while still maintaining productivity?</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re asking yourself these kinds of questions, wonder no longer, because we&#8217;re here to help! In this article, we&#8217;ll discuss 5 ways to motivate your staff inside the meeting room, including a few ideas you might not have thought of!</p>
<p>Now then, let&#8217;s get started!</p>
<h2>1. Bring Food and Drinks</h2>
<p>Around <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/31-million-americans-skip_n_1005076">31 million Americans</a> skip breakfast each day, which is never a good thing. So if there&#8217;s one thing that can put your staff in a good mood before they even start their day (and your meeting), it&#8217;s feeding them.</p>
<p>A good rule of thumb is to start off every business meeting with food and drinks. Give everyone time to settle in and get comfortable while enjoying a bite to eat. They&#8217;ll be much more receptive to what it is you have to say in the meeting, which is the overall goal here.</p>
<p>You don&#8217;t have to bring in a full course meal each time, either. Snacks and drinks work just as well.</p>
<h2>2. Set and Define Your Goals</h2>
<p>It&#8217;s much easy to motivate your team to achieve company goals when everyone has a clear idea of what exactly those goals are. That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s important to not only set goals but to clearly define what each of them entails.</p>
<p>That way everyone on your team knows what it is you&#8217;re trying to accomplish together, and you can preach that message more effectively.</p>
<p>If you have a designated meeting space in your office, cover the walls of that space with large posters that have those goals written on them. That way you can literally point to the wall during each meeting and go over what it is you expect out of your staff every day.</p>
<h2>3. Encourage Communication</h2>
<p>One of the biggest reasons why people don&#8217;t enjoy their work environment, or their job, is because they don&#8217;t feel a sense of purpose. It&#8217;s next to impossible to motivate people who don&#8217;t want to be there, which is why you have to go out of your way to make everyone feel important.</p>
<p>One of the best ways to do that is to encourage communication amongst everyone on the team. Give everyone a chance to express their thoughts or ideas, even the staff members who are lowest on the totem pole.</p>
<p>On top of making everyone feel important, and like their voice matters, this is a great way to find leaders, too. You&#8217;re going to need those leaders to help motivate your staff, especially when you&#8217;re not around.</p>
<h2>4. Celebrate Every Single Win</h2>
<p>Another reason why employees don&#8217;t feel motivated to go to work every day is that they feel that their day to day tasks don&#8217;t matter, or that their good work isn&#8217;t recognized. A good way to make everyone feel that they&#8217;re getting the recognition they deserve? Celebrate every single win, regardless of how small that win is.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, simply acknowledging when someone is doing good work goes a long way in building team morale, which is important, especially when trying to motivate that team.</p>
<p>The meeting room is the perfect place to celebrate these wins. So have fun, let your employees know you care and succeed together as a team!</p>
<h2>5. Make Success a Game</h2>
<p>To piggyback on that last point, it&#8217;s important to encourage your staff to have fun with their jobs. And the meeting room, of course, is a great place to get everyone together a few times a week and do just that.</p>
<p>One of the best ways to have a little fun in the meeting room is to have competitions amongst your staff. This can be something as simple as giving out challenge coins to people who are succeeding <a href="https://www.challengecoins4less.com/blog/corporate-challenge-coins-improve-morale-at-the-workplace">in the workplace</a> and then tracking who has the most coins over a period of time. Maybe you can even give a bonus to the person with the most coins at the end of that time period, to make it even more of a big deal to your team.</p>
<p>Seriously, your employees will run wild with this. In fact, they&#8217;ll even look forward to coming into the meeting room each day to see who&#8217;s in the lead, which is all you can ask for. </p>
<h2>Motivating Your Staff During Employee Meetings</h2>
<p>Well, there you have it! Those are just a few ways you can motivate your staff during employee meetings!</p>
<p>Remember, you don&#8217;t have to make things complicated. Simply encouraging them, and letting them know you notice their hard work, can go a long way. Also, it doesn&#8217;t hurt to bring breakfast to the table once in a while.</p>
<p>Make success within the company a game. Encourage everyone on your staff, regardless of their position, to participate in the conversation. Celebrate every single win, regardless of how small it is, and most importantly, have fun!</p>
<p>Looking for more tips and tricks on how to run your business? Check out our blog!</p>
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		<title>How to Get Free Books: 5 of the Best Ways</title>
		<link>https://quarterlyconversation.com/how-to-get-free-books-5-of-the-best-ways</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2019 21:27:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://quarterlyconversation.com/?p=11432</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[There&#8217;s nothing better than a good book. Regardless of the time of year, settling in for a long afternoon of reading is truly hard to beat. Readers around the world spend billions of dollars each year on thousands of titles, including both fiction and nonfiction, as well as a wealth of different genres. And yet, [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bookpages.jpeg" alt="" title="bookpages" width="550" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11433" srcset="https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bookpages.jpeg 2000w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bookpages-300x199.jpg 300w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bookpages-1024x680.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
<p>There&#8217;s nothing better than a <a href="https://thegreatestbooks.org">good book</a>. Regardless of the time of year, settling in for a long afternoon of reading is truly hard to beat.</p>
<p>Readers around the world spend billions of dollars each year on thousands of titles, including both fiction and nonfiction, as well as a wealth of different genres.</p>
<p>And yet, believe it or not, you actually don&#8217;t have to spend a dime for a great book. This article takes a look at how to get free books anytime you want. Keep&#8230;well&#8230;reading, to learn the inside scoop. </p>
<h2>1. The Public Library</h2>
<p>Believe it or not, public libraries remain a great source for books. Most libraries offer free membership for citizens who live within the city limits, and you can typically check out a stack of books each visit.</p>
<p>Most libraries carry current bestsellers, as well as a wide variety of titles featuring a multiple of subjects.</p>
<p>You can read free hardcover books, magazines, newspapers, listen to audiobooks, and even check out movies on both DVD, all at no cost.</p>
<h2>2. Free ebooks</h2>
<p>Devices such as the Amazon Kindle have made it possible to carry around an entire library of books in your purse or backpack. There are literally millions of books published in digital format online, including <a href="https://www.justkindlebooks.com/find-free-kindle-books/">free Amazon books</a> available for download from the Kindle store.</p>
<h2>3. Publisher Review Copies</h2>
<p>Before books are published, many publishers will send advanced copies to newspapers, magazines, and other media outlets hoping for reviews that will help generate reader interest in those forthcoming titles.</p>
<p>Many of those books end up being passed around from friend to friend, and often eventually be found in used book stores, flea markets, or available for free through various sources.</p>
<p>This provides eager readers the chance to read new books for free even before they&#8217;ve reached bookstore shelves. </p>
<h2>4. Swap With Friends</h2>
<p>Swapping with friends is another excellent way to get your hands on popular book titles without parting with cash. Friends who are readers often love to share books they&#8217;ve discovered, helping to spread the word about a hot new writer on the literary scene.</p>
<p>Sharing with friends gives you the chance to discuss books you love over coffee while reducing the ever-increasing cost of new titles from major authors.</p>
<h2>5. Craigslist</h2>
<p>Don&#8217;t forget about Craigslist. Believe it or not, many people use this online resource to unload book collections or to simply give away books they&#8217;ve read and no longer have a use for.
</p>
<p>Scouring Craigslist is an ideal way to snag great books for little or nothing, and you can often trade an item of your own in exchange for a mountain of great reading.</p>
<h2>Top Tips for How to Get Free Books</h2>
<p>If you&#8217;re wondering how to get free books, the tips contained in this article can help. Take advantage of all the amazing stories that are waiting to be read and enjoyed.</p>
<p>If you found this article informative, please check out our website for more insight into your favorite books and authors.</p>
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		<title>Live the Freelance Life: 9 Tips for Becoming a Writer</title>
		<link>https://quarterlyconversation.com/live-the-freelance-life-9-tips-for-becoming-a-writer</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2019 21:23:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://quarterlyconversation.com/?p=11429</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Did you know that half of all people freelance at least part-time? Freelancing is a lot of fun, but it&#8217;s also a lot of hard work. You&#8217;ll need to learn how to manage your time, resources, and money. Not sure where to start? Don&#8217;t worry, these nine tips to becoming a writer will clear things [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/pinecone.jpeg" alt="" title="pinecone" width="550" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11430" srcset="https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/pinecone.jpeg 2000w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/pinecone-300x200.jpg 300w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/pinecone-1024x683.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
<p>Did you know that <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/10981/freelancers-in-america/">half of all people</a> freelance at least part-time?</p>
<p>Freelancing is a lot of fun, but it&#8217;s also a lot of hard work. You&#8217;ll need to learn how to manage your time, resources, and money.</p>
<p>Not sure where to start? Don&#8217;t worry, these nine tips to becoming a writer will clear things up.</p>
<h2>1. Write Everyday</h2>
<p>It&#8217;s impossible to improve your writing without actually writing.</p>
<p>Think of it like playing an instrument. You wouldn&#8217;t expect to get a chair with the London Philharmonic after picking up the flute for the first time. Writing is no different.</p>
<p>Write every single day — even if you don&#8217;t feel like it.</p>
<h2>2. Make Time for Reading</h2>
<p>Stephen King <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-king-on-how-to-write-2014-8">famously said</a> that the two steps to becoming a writer are to read a lot and write a</p>
<p>lot.</p>
<p>Reading enhances your vocabulary, provides inspiration, and stimulates the mind. Make an effort to get at least an hour of reading in each day.</p>
<h2>3. Set Goals</h2>
<p>Freelancing is largely a self-directed profession. If you don&#8217;t have the discipline to set and smash goals, you&#8217;ll have a hard time finding success.</p>
<p>Challenge yourself to set small, achievable goals like writing 1,000 words per day or outlining a certain number of chapters. These may seem like small objectives, but over time they&#8217;ll add up.</p>
<h2>4. Treat Writing Like an Office Job</h2>
<p>Since your success or failure as a freelancer is in your own hands, you&#8217;ll need to take your new career path seriously.</p>
<p>Create a comfortable working space and set a schedule for yourself.</p>
<p>Though taking a regimented approach might seem antithetical to freelancing, routines have a positive effect on productivity. Once you&#8217;re in the habit of something, it becomes easier to do.
</p>
<h2>5. Build a Portfolio</h2>
<p>Most companies and publications will request writing samples along with your pitch or application. The easiest way to keep all of your samples organized is to digitize them and upload them.</p>
<p>Create a small portfolio site for yourself. It&#8217;s easier than you might think and a well-designed portfolio makes a great first impression.</p>
<h2>6. Learn to Value Feedback</h2>
<p>Criticism is to writers what kryptonite is to Superman.</p>
<p>No one likes hearing that they&#8217;re wrong. But that&#8217;s not the point of good feedback.</p>
<p>Keep an open mind when it comes to critique and find a few people who aren&#8217;t afraid to tell you what&#8217;s good&#8230;and what might need another draft.</p>
<h2>7. Keep up with Expenses</h2>
<p>Freelancing might seem like it&#8217;s all about coffee shops, sleeping in late, and living your best life, but if you&#8217;re not careful, that dream can be a nightmare. Especially when it comes to taxes.
</p>
<p>Make a note of all business expenses you incur.</p>
<p>That includes work materials like your laptop and Internet access, travel expenses, and more. And to make keeping track of your payments easier, <a href="https://www.paystubcreator.net/create-stub/company-information">create a paystub</a> alongside each invoice.</p>
<p>Keep up with these! You&#8217;ll thank us when it&#8217;s tax time.</p>
<h2>8. Practice the Perfect Pitch</h2>
<p>Pitching is tough. It&#8217;s also an art form.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/pitching-articles-5-tips-for-successful-freelance-journalism-pitches">Keep it quick</a>, to the point, and specific. The more attention-grabbing and well-formatted, the better.</p>
<h2>9. Never Give Up</h2>
<p>The downside to pitching is that you&#8217;ll get a lot of rejection letters. Don&#8217;t let that get you down.</p>
<p>Keep your head up and persevere, even when it becomes difficult.</p>
<h2>Make Your Dream of Becoming a Writer a Reality</h2>
<p>There you have it, our nine tips on becoming a writer and mastering the freelance market. Freelancing is a lot of hard work, but if you&#8217;re up to the task, you&#8217;ll do fine.</p>
<p>In the meantime, don&#8217;t forget to check out our blog for more great content.</p>
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		<title>5 Awesome Car Books for Automotive Enthusiasts</title>
		<link>https://quarterlyconversation.com/5-awesome-car-books-for-automotive-enthusiasts</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2019 21:09:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://quarterlyconversation.com/?p=11426</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Is there an automobile lover in your life? There are some people out there who are crazy about cars. They have a love for the style, mechanics, and history of four-wheeled vehicles. You can make the day of a car enthusiast with the right gift. We&#8217;re not talking getting them a vintage Ferrari (they&#8217;d be [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dodge.jpeg" alt="" title="dodge" width="550" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11427" srcset="https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dodge.jpeg 2000w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dodge-300x193.jpg 300w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dodge-1024x660.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
<p>Is there an automobile lover in your life? There are some people out there who are crazy about cars. They have a love for the style, mechanics, and history of four-wheeled vehicles.</p>
<p>You can make the day of a car enthusiast with the right gift. We&#8217;re not talking getting them a vintage Ferrari (they&#8217;d be thrilled!), but we are talking about sending them a few great car books. </p>
<p>There are many amazing and informative car books out there that are fun to read and double as great coffee table decorations. If you&#8217;re looking for the best car book to buy the car lover in your life, which one should you get? Read on, and we&#8217;ll walk you through a few amazing options that are available now. </p>
<h2>1. How To Build A Car </h2>
<p>This book is an amazing gift to any degree of car enthusiast. <em>How To Build A Car</em> is by Adrian Newey, who became famous as one of Britain&#8217;s greatest engineers. This book functions as a memoir of sorts, exploring Newey&#8217;s time working in the Formula One racing circuit.</p>
<p>The book goes into great detail recounting the cars that Newey designed, the drivers he worked with, and the different races he experienced. These stories are vividly remembered and rich in detail.</p>
<p>While many of these anecdotes are incredible, the real treat of the book is some of the never before seen illustrations. There are blueprints and drawings that break down some of Newey&#8217;s greatest creations, a real treat for those who love the nuts and bolts of racing cars. </p>
<h2>2. The Art Of The Automobile</h2>
<p>If you&#8217;re looking for the king of coffee table books, there&#8217;s no better than <em>The Art Of The Automobile, </em>which counts through a list of the 100 greatest cars of all time. </p>
<p>This is a large book that contains beautiful color photos and is a joy to flip through casually or dive into the details of. It&#8217;s written by Dennis Adler, a highly respected historian and author. The book covers a wide range of vehicles, starting with some of the earliest 1800&#8217;s cars and running up the more modern models. </p>
<p>If you&#8217;re loved one is a frequent listmaker, Adler&#8217;s Top 10 lists in the book will likely tickle their fancy and provoke hours of discussion.</p>
<p>Adler combines these lists and photos with essential information on each automobile and why they&#8217;ve earned a place in history. He also draws lines between automobiles and explains how the innovations of one led to another. </p>
<h2>3. JEEP</h2>
<p>Sometimes the car lover in your life might have a specific affinity for one type of vehicle in particular. It can be a great idea to get them a book that covers that type of automobile.</p>
<p>For example, what about the Jeep? Jeep: The History Of America&#8217;s Greatest Vehicle is an in-depth look at the classic car model by Patrick Foster. If you know someone who loves off-roading, or who owns a jeep themselves, they might want to learn more about the history of this vehicle.</p>
<p>The book covers the history of the jeep, from its <a href="https://www.jeep.com/history/1940s.html">origins in WWII</a> through its corporate transition and into the modern iconography of today. This is another book that pairs its information with hundreds of beautiful full-color photos throughout its pages.</p>
<p>After reading, you or your loved one will never look at the jeep the same way again.</p>
<h2>4. Million Dollar Classics</h2>
<p>If you think your loved one might appreciate an exploration of the high-class world, the book <em>Million Dollar Classics</em> might be the right choice for this upcoming holiday season. </p>
<p>The book, by authors Martin Derrick and Simon Clay, covers some of the most expensive cars of all time. As the title implies, these are vehicles that cost a million dollars each. These cars are not the kind of automobile you might think of buying, but definitely ones that you might want to read about.</p>
<p>The book features brilliant color photography by Simon Clay and breaks down each car, it&#8217;s sale price, and why it managed to take in so much dough. It&#8217;s easy to drool over these expensive vehicles, but it&#8217;s even more engaging to learn how value is created and increased in the automobile world. </p>
<h2>5. How Cars Work</h2>
<p>If your loved one is more of an aspiring car enthusiast, it might be worth getting them this book by Tom Newton. <em>How Cars Work</em> doesn&#8217;t delve too far into the specifics but gives an amazing overview of automobiles for a novice audience. </p>
<p>The book carefully works through each part of a vehicle, providing basic vocabulary and terminology. The book has a one-topic-per-page format, which makes thing easy to follow and allows easy reference. The book is so adept at teaching car basics, many car mechanics keep it on hand to <a href="https://www.rbbattery.com/japanese-battery-model-new-old-model-name">reference</a>. It is often used to help customers help understand their car repair suggestions. </p>
<p>If your loved one has just started getting interested in automobiles, there&#8217;s likely no more valuable of a book to give. </p>
<h2>The Best Car Books For Automobile Lovers</h2>
<p>If there&#8217;s an automobile lover in your life, getting them a book that can help inform and entertain them can be a great gift. The above car books are some of the best titles currently out there for car lovers. They can make a great gift or read for that special person in your life.</p>
<p>Need help finding more great books? Check out some of our books reviews for more great recommendations. </p></p>
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		<title>Ship Books Cheaply: How Indie Authors Can Save on Book Shipping</title>
		<link>https://quarterlyconversation.com/ship-books-cheaply-how-indie-authors-can-save-on-book-shipping</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Sep 2019 18:29:17 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://quarterlyconversation.com/?p=11422</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[As a book nears completion, it is all too easy for an author to get caught up in the euphoria of finally finishing a long-awaited project. But it is important to remember that the work does not end with the book. After all, what good is a book with no one to read it? So [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/computer-package.jpeg" alt="" title="startup small business entrepreneur with laptop, a freelance man working a box, Young Asian business owner at home office, online marketing packaging box and delivery, technology SME  delivery concept" width="550" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11423" srcset="https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/computer-package.jpeg 2000w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/computer-package-300x199.jpg 300w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/computer-package-1024x682.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
<p>As a book nears completion, it is all too easy for an author to get caught up in the euphoria of finally finishing a long-awaited project. But it is important to remember that the work does not end with the book.</p>
<p>After all, what good is a book with no one to read it?</p>
<p>So with your final revisions complete and a first edition coming back from the printers, now is the time to start looking at distribution.</p>
<p>Shipping costs have <a href="https://www.stamps.com/usps/postage-rate-increase/">gone up again</a> this year, and we can expect them to continue to do so as time goes by. So for indie authors, getting books into readers&#8217; hands while breaking even is harder than ever.</p>
<p>If you want to make a living as a working author, figuring out how to ship books cheaply will need to be a priority. </p>
<h2>How Indie Authors Can Ship Books Cheaply</h2>
<p>In shipping your books, the name of the game is maximizing the return on your investment. First-time authors just trying to move a few copies here and there won&#8217;t have the same needs as a more seasoned author with an extensive mailing list.</p>
<p>So how you go about distributing your book will depend on your unique situation.</p>
<h2>Fulfilling Small Orders</h2>
<p>Independent authors who are selling directly to readers will do most of their business through the post. Usually, this entails setting up a website and providing a shopping cart button for customers to order from you directly.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s pretty standard internet retail. But once orders start coming in, you need to actually start shipping in a timely and cost-efficient manner. If you&#8217;re shipping single copies to individuals, then more than likely that means you&#8217;ll be using media mail.</p>
<p>Offered through the United States Postal Service, media mail is the standard for shipping parcels like books, DVD&#8217;s, and the like.</p>
<p>It requires that you provide your own envelopes. Padded mailers are recommended for this. You&#8217;ll also need to either go to the post office in person to have your postage labels printed or subscribe to a service that will handle it for you.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s worth noting that media mail is considered a fourth-rate shipping option, meaning that your parcels will take longer to reach their destinations. Among customers spoiled by Amazon&#8217;s next-day shipping, that can prove an inconvenience. But it is usually the cheapest option, making it the best choice for our purposes.</p>
<p>The main exception would be if you&#8217;re shipping multiple books to the same address. In this case, a flat-rate box might prove more cost-effective.</p>
<p>Media mail is fine for shipping single books, but if you ever start selling in substantial quantities you may find yourself a victim of your own success.</p>
<h2>Fulfilling Larger Orders</h2>
<p>If you&#8217;re lucky, you may find yourself in a situation where brick and mortar booksellers want to stock your book.</p>
<p>While large chains have been struggling to compete with the likes of Amazon, independent booksellers have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/23/business/independent-bookstores.html">having a surprise resurgence</a>. Part of the strategy of many of these stores is spotlighting independent authors who would get lost in the shuffle of larger retailers. It helps them to carve out a niche in the market.</p>
<p>But while these stores can provide rare opportunities for indie authors, they also come with a unique challenge. Namely, how to get your books onto their shelves.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re local and have the means, you could deliver them personally, of course. But otherwise, the quantities they request will usually be too great to make the regular post a feasible option. But they&#8217;re unlikely to be large enough to justify large freight options. It&#8217;s an unenviable middle ground.</p>
<p>One solution is what&#8217;s called less-than-truckload, or LTL, shipping. As the name implies, LTL shipping is for when you need to ship a freight order that won&#8217;t fill an entire truck on its own.
</p>
<p>Essentially, multiple shippers share the truck, making the deal more cost-efficient for all parties. It&#8217;s the perfect middle-ground between a dedicated freight order and mailing individual copies through the post office.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re in a position where you need to ship more copies than you can stuff into individual envelopes, <a href="https://www.unishippers.com/freight-shipping/ltl-freight-shipping/ltl-quote/">finding LTL shipping prices</a> in your area is at least worth a try.</p>
<h2>Getting Your Book Ready to Ship</h2>
<p>But regardless of whether your shipping a dozen copies or a thousand, there are a few items that you should check off your to-do list before you even worry about shipping.</p>
<p>Some items that your sales page should feature include:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Your Book Cover</strong> – Ideally this is something you will have already worked out by this stage in the publication process. An eye-catching cover is a must. It&#8217;s the first thing prospective readers will see, and many will decide whether or not to look into your book based on the cover alone.</li>
<li><strong>Sales Copy</strong> – A sales copy is a basic rundown of what your book is and why anyone would want to read it. Think of it as pitching the concept to your audience.</li>
<li><strong>Author Bio</strong> – An author bio isn&#8217;t necessarily essential, but they are kind of expected. Readers are accustomed to having at least a short blurb on who the author is, so the presence of a bio helps make your book look more professional.</li>
<li><strong>Testimonials</strong> – Testimonials have become a common feature in pitching a book to potential readers. It&#8217;s is a good idea to make pre-publication copies available to select readers or other writers in your genre for this reason. </li>
<li><strong>Writing Sample</strong> – The purpose of a sales page is to generate interest in your book. You&#8217;ll have a much easier time doing that is you give readers a taste of your work in the form of a sample excerpt.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Write It, Print It, Ship It</h2>
<p>At this stage, you&#8217;ve already done the hard work of writing, revising, and printing your book. Getting the finished product into stores is just the final mile of the marathon.</p>
<p>Finding ways to ship books cheaply is simply a matter of figuring out the most efficient choice to meet your demand. Having done that, you can focus on what a writer should be doing: planning out your next book.</p>
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		<title>5 Reasons Why You Need to Have a Blog Content Calendar</title>
		<link>https://quarterlyconversation.com/5-reasons-why-you-need-to-have-a-blog-content-calendar</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Aug 2019 17:19:31 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://quarterlyconversation.com/?p=11418</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Brands that publish over 16 blog posts per month get 3.5 times more traffic than those that publish 4 or fewer. You can rely on your creativity to create each of these posts a few hours before you publish them. But let&#8217;s be real, will this method allow you to always create well-written, relevant pieces [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/blog-image.jpeg" alt="" title="blogging blog word coder coding using laptop" width="550" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11420" srcset="https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/blog-image.jpeg 2000w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/blog-image-300x199.jpg 300w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/blog-image-1024x682.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
<p>Brands that publish over 16 blog posts per month get <a href="https://quoracreative.com/article/blogging-statistics-and-trends#How-Frequently-Should-We-publish?">3.5 times</a> more traffic than those that publish 4 or fewer.</p>
<p>You can rely on your creativity to create each of these posts a few hours before you publish them. But let&#8217;s be real, will this method allow you to always create well-written, relevant pieces of content? </p>
<p>Thankfully, there&#8217;s no need for you to write posts with such short notice.</p>
<p>All you need is a blog content calendar and that&#8217;ll allow you to make sure that you&#8217;re always on top of your game and that you know exactly what&#8217;s happening with your blog. </p>
<p>It seems like an obvious strategy to adopt when you start a blog, but the truth is that only <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lilachbullock/2019/02/20/5-steps-to-build-a-powerful-editorial-calendar-for-your-business/#386a04c9796e">30% of businesses</a> keep their content documented. If you&#8217;re not a part of this statistic, keep reading to find out 5 reasons why you need to start a content calendar.</p>
<h2>1. You Can Be More Strategic</h2>
<p>When you don&#8217;t have a content calendar, your biggest worry is to just put content out there and meet the schedule.</p>
<p>But you can take your blog to the next level if you leave some time out to actually establish a content strategy: what you post, when you post it, which visuals you include and more.</p>
<p>Moreover, you can start leveraging your blog and social media strategies and boost your whole digital presence.</p>
<h2>2. It&#8217;ll Make Content Marketing Less Stressful</h2>
<p>As creative as you are and as much as you love to write, having to come up with topics and to create full pieces almost on the spot can be stressful. Especially when your readers start to expect new posts to come up with a certain frequency.</p>
<p>With a blog content plan, this becomes easier to manage.</p>
<p>Of course, you won&#8217;t be able to predict when there&#8217;s going to be an update in your industry or when something unexpected will happen, but those will be the only occasions when you&#8217;ll have to create content on the go.</p>
<h2>3. You&#8217;ll Save You Time</h2>
<p>Knowing what you want to post about ahead of time allows you to create the pieces in advance.</p>
<p>Not only will you be saving time by being organized, but many times you&#8217;ll also be able to schedule your posts to be published at a certain day and time. It&#8217;ll be one less thing to think about!</p>
<h2>4. It Makes It Easier to Get into a Routine</h2>
<p>How many times have you stopped what you were doing because you realized&#8230; &#8220;Shoot, I need to post today!&#8221;</p>
<p>If this happens to you on the regular, what you&#8217;re missing is a posting routine. Having a calendar and planning it with time will make it easier for you to post consistently.</p>
<h2>5. You Can More Easily Track Your Content</h2>
<p>Content <a href="https://spark.adobe.com/templates/calendars/">calendars</a> aren&#8217;t only useful for your future posts, but also to check your past ones.</p>
<p>Think about it: if you have every single article you publish all compiled in one single document you can easily add tracking metrics to each and have a better visual of what&#8217;s working and what&#8217;s not.</p>
<p>From there, you can decide which direction you should take with your blog in order for it to become even more successful.</p>
<h2>Start Your Blog Content Calendar Today</h2>
<p>After reading about these 5 reasons, we&#8217;re sure you&#8217;re convinced about how editorial calendars really are. But in case you&#8217;re not there just yet, this statistic will do it: <a href="https://99firms.com/blog/content-marketing-statistics/">96% of content marketing leaders</a> use a blog content calendar.</p>
<p>When it comes to having a successful blog, you can&#8217;t just wing it.</p>
<p>You need to be organized, to think about the content you want to put out and to create pieces ahead of time so that you have time to perfect them before you publish them.</p>
<p>So, what are you waiting for? Start yours today!</p>
<p>If you need any more tips on writing, keep exploring the rest of our blog.</p>
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		<title>Top 8 Best Books on How to Overcome Anxiety</title>
		<link>https://quarterlyconversation.com/top-8-best-books-on-how-to-overcome-anxiety</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Jun 2019 01:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://quarterlyconversation.com/?p=11413</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Did you know that anxiety is the most common mental illness in the US? And, that 40 million Americans currently suffer from anxiety? Yet, even though anxiety disorders are highly prevalent, they are also highly treatable. Most people overcome anxiety through medication, counseling, and a variety of other personal methods. For example, some people turn [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/book-stack.jpeg" alt="" title="Open book, hardback books on wooden table. Education background. Back to school. Copy space for text." width="550" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11416" srcset="https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/book-stack.jpeg 2000w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/book-stack-300x199.jpg 300w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/book-stack-1024x682.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></p>
<p>Did you know that anxiety is the most common mental illness in the US?</p>
<p>And, that <a href="https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics">40 million Americans</a> currently suffer from anxiety?</p>
<p>Yet, even though anxiety disorders are highly prevalent, they are also highly treatable.</p>
<p>Most people overcome anxiety through medication, counseling, and a variety of other personal methods. For example, some people turn to exercise, while others turn to meditation.</p>
<p>But, if you&#8217;re new to anxiety, then you are probably feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the treatment options available.</p>
<p>There are dozens and dozens of medications you can take to overcome your anxiety, and there are a variety of different therapeutic techniques to treat it as well.</p>
<p>And, the thing is, everyone responds to these various treatment methods differently. Some people absolutely swear by meditation, while others don&#8217;t know where they&#8217;d be without their daily medication.</p>
<p>So, how do you figure out which method is right for you?</p>
<p>It comes down to a lot of trial and error. But, one of the best things you can do is read up on anxiety to figure out which method is best for you.</p>
<p>Below, we&#8217;ll discuss the best books to read on overcoming anxiety. Let&#8217;s dive in.</p>
<h2>1. <em>My Age of Anxiety</em> By Scott Stossel</h2>
<p><em>My Age of Anxiety</em> by Scott Stossel is one of the best books to start with if you are new to the world of anxiety and still don&#8217;t fully understand what the diagnosis means.</p>
<p>In this book, Stossel takes both a very personal yet deeply educational approach to the world of anxiety.</p>
<p>The book pours over decades and decades of research as well as a number of scientific interventions which were eventually considered as treatment options.</p>
<p>And, while Stossel is very compassionate and empathetic towards anxiety suffers (as he is one himself), he also manages to make it funny. Humor can be found in nearly every situation, and Stossel manages to find the humor in anxiety in both a graceful and truthful manner.</p>
<p>For those who want to know about the background of anxiety, as well as its cultural implications, then Scott Stossel&#8217;s book is a must-read.</p>
<h2>2. <em> First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety</em> By Sarah Wilson</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/mar/30/sarah-wilson-on-living-with-anxiety-theres-no-sugarcoating-mental-illness">Sarah Wilson</a>, the author of <em>I Quit Sugar</em>, has already helped millions of people better their lives.</p>
<p>And in her new book about anxiety, she helps even more.</p>
<p>In this book, written as a memoir, Wilson discusses her lifelong journey of understanding her own anxiety.</p>
<p>But, the book is much more than just a personal story. She also discusses triggers and treatment options and discusses what has and hasn&#8217;t worked for her, therefore offering the reader some insight as to what might work for them.</p>
<p>In addition to her own story, Wilson also interviews those who have suffered from anxiety, mental health professionals, researchers, and philosophers, and, even the Dalai Lama himself.</p>
<p>She puts together everything she&#8217;s learned from these individuals and relates them to her own experience.</p>
<p>This book is great for anyone who feels like they need to do a better job of embracing their own anxiety as well as explore new possibilities for living a better life.</p>
<h2>3. <em>Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy</em> by David D. Burns</h2>
<p>Oftentimes, anxiety is intertwined with feelings of pessimism, guilt and low self-esteem.</p>
<p>And, when we let these negative emotions get the better of us (as we so often do), then it can make our anxiety all the worse.</p>
<p>In Burns&#8217; book, he discusses many ways in which one can overcome the negative emotions that come with anxiety.</p>
<p>He discusses:</p>
<ul>
<li>How to handle negative emotions</li>
<li>Techniques for building self-esteem</li>
<li>Easy ways to feel good on a daily basis and how to keep that feeling going</li>
<li>How to handle hostility and criticism</li>
<li>What causes mood swings, and how to deal with them</li>
<li>How to deal with guilt</li>
</ul>
<p>Burns, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-therapy/200901/seven-questions-david-d-burns">a world-renowned psychiatrist</a>, packs his book with useful and easy-to-implement examples of how to deal with all these emotions.</p>
<p>This book is great for anyone who feels like they want to face their negative emotions head-on but isn&#8217;t sure where to start.</p>
<h2>4. <em>Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety</em> By Robert Duff, PhD</h2>
<p>If you&#8217;re a fan of blunt, to-the-point talk, then this book is for you. If not, then keep reading.</p>
<p>Duff&#8217;s book offers honest, plain-spoken advice on how to overcome anxiety, mixed in with a lot of colorful language.</p>
<p>And, even though Duff does have his Ph.D., he writes the book more from the perspective of a friend than a lecturer. And, even more importantly, Duff constantly emphasizes throughout the book the need to reduce the stigma of anxiety.</p>
<p>While Duff doesn&#8217;t necessarily offer any information that hasn&#8217;t been offered before, the strength of the book comes in its delivery. It&#8217;s easygoing, light in scientific jargon, and gets straight to the point in terms of what you need to do to overcome your anxiety.</p>
<h2>5. <em>The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques: Understanding How Your Brain Makes You Anxious and What You Can Do to Change It </em>by Margaret Wehrenberg</h2>
<p>The title of this book might be long, but the information it provides is simple in straightforward.</p>
<p>In this book, Wehrenberg discusses the fact that if you want to fix a problem in the brain, then you need to start by understanding the brain.</p>
<p>She gives easy-to-understand scientific explanations of the causes of anxiety, and she then offers ten brain techniques that actually work in order to overcome them.</p>
<p>In fact, many people have found these tried and true techniques work in place of medication.</p>
<p>This book is full of practical tips that can help one overcome anxiety, and being that it&#8217;s set up in a workbook format, it makes everything feel doable as well.</p>
<h2>6. <em>Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks</em>by Barry McDonagh</h2>
<p>This book is a must-read for anyone whose anxiety also comes with panic attacks.</p>
<p>Panic attacks are often the scariest part of having anxiety, yet few know what to do about them.</p>
<p>In his book, McDonagh offers examples, tools, and in-depth explanations on how to deal with anxiety and panic attacks. Plus, his writing has a particular way of inspiring you to actually go out and put his advice into action.</p>
<p>Based on endless amounts of research as well as 10 years of personal experience with anxiety, McDonagh provides step-by-step guides on how to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Face situations that you know will make you anxious (public speaking, flying, etc)</li>
<li>Put anxious thoughts to rest</li>
<li>Take supplements that can help relieve anxiety</li>
<li>Get a good night&#8217;s sleep</li>
<li>Decrease general feelings of anxiety</li>
<li>Increase self-esteem and confidence</li>
<li>Stop panic attacks</li>
</ul>
<p>If you suffer from panic attacks, you may find this book to be your saving grace.</p>
<h2>7. <em>Don&#8217;t Leave Me! Step-by-Step Help for Your Dog&#8217;s Separation Anxiety</em> By Nicole Wilde</h2>
<p>So, maybe you&#8217;re not looking for a book that helps you deal with your own anxiety, but rather, your pet&#8217;s anxiety.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t worry, Nicole Wilde has you covered on that end.</p>
<p>In this book, Wilde discusses how separation can be an extremely challenging issue for both pets and their owners.</p>
<p>In this comprehensive guide, Wilde offers advice on how to help your dog lower their own stress levels, as well as lower your own.</p>
<p>The book is chock full of tips, ideas, and step-by-step guides, even suggesting that <a href="https://www.innovetpet.com/products/purcbd">CBD oil for dogs with anxiety</a> is a great option.</p>
<p>After reading this book, both you and your pet will be in a much better place about having to spend time apart.</p>
<h2>8. <em>The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook</em>by Edmund Bourne</h2>
<p>This is one of the most classic books on the subject of anxiety.</p>
<p>Yet, this book has definitely stood the test of time, and the advice Bourne offers applies just as much as today as it did when it was first written.</p>
<p>In fact, this is one of the first books that many psychologists recommend to their patients about overcoming anxiety.</p>
<p>In this book, Bourne offers clear and concise information on what causes anxiety. He also shares information and his own personal thoughts about the many treatment options available for anxiety sufferers.</p>
<p>Also, Bourne definitely recognizes that there are different levels of anxiety out there, and he addresses this in his book.</p>
<p>In this book, you&#8217;ll discover a wide range of proven methods for overcoming anxiety. You&#8217;ll learn how to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Control negative self talk</li>
<li>Understand your mistaken beliefs</li>
<li>The importance of committing to therapy</li>
<li>How to prevent as well as cope with panic attacks</li>
<li>Breathing and relaxation techniques</li>
<li>Exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle changes that can improve your anxiety</li>
</ul>
<p>For those looking for a simple breakdown on how to overcome their anxiety, this book is a great place to start.</p>
<h2>Are You Ready to Overcome Anxiety?</h2>
<p>As you can see, there are many resources out there that can help you overcome anxiety.</p>
<p>All you need to do is jump online, order one of these books, and then get ready for a better life.</p>
<p>Which of these books on anxiety are you most excited to read? Let us know in the comments below!</p>
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		<title>Top 7 Best Books About Technology You Should Read Now</title>
		<link>https://quarterlyconversation.com/top-7-best-books-about-technology-you-should-read-now</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2019 16:32:56 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://quarterlyconversation.com/?p=11409</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[You probably see the New York Times Bestseller list all the time. And lists of the year&#8217;s best historical fictions or best celebrity autobiographies. But how often do you see a list of the best books about technology? If you love technology, gadgets, apps, machines, and business, then you need to check out these fantastic [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/book-reading.jpeg" alt="" title="book-reading" width="550" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11410" srcset="https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/book-reading.jpeg 940w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/book-reading-300x187.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px" /></p>
<p>You probably see the New York Times Bestseller list all the time. And lists of the year&#8217;s best historical fictions or best celebrity autobiographies.</p>
<p>But how often do you see a list of the best books about technology? If you love technology, gadgets, apps, machines, and business, then you need to check out these fantastic books ASAP!</p>
<p>Keep reading to discover the top seven best books about technology that you should get your hands on. As a tech lover, you won&#8217;t regret it!</p>
<h2>1. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future</h2>
<p>Every tech junkie knows the name Elon Musk, right? It may even excite you just hearing it, and for good reason.<br />
Elon Musk is at the forefront of technological advancement right now. Whether it be cars or space travel!</p>
<p>Did you know he even invented PayPal? This guy does it all. Every tech nerd will appreciate this book about his life and work.</p>
<p>With <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25541028-elon-musk">4.23 stars on Goodreads</a>, the book boasts a behind-the-scenes look at Musk&#8217;s upbringing, his immigration, and his journey to the forefront of innovation. This biography also works to capture Musk&#8217;s uniqueness, in that he puts his time and money toward bettering the country and world in general.</p>
<p>Author: Ashlee Vance</p>
<h2>2. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products</h2>
<p>Ever wondered why some apps are so widely-used and some are not? Why apps like Instagram are significant parts of people&#8217;s every day (sometimes even every hour!) lives but other apps are only opened when they&#8217;re needed?</p>
<p>Wonder no more, check out this book that reveals the secrets behind &#8220;habit-forming products.&#8221; We&#8217;re not talking about nicotine. We&#8217;re talking about <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44640959">addictive <em>products</em></a>.</p>
<p>The habit-forming nature of modern apps and products is what&#8217;s so genius about them. Tech lovers will find this book fascinating and eye-opening.</p>
<p>Especially if you&#8217;re in the tech business! What will make customers buy your product and keep them coming back for more? Find out in Hooked.</p>
<p>Author: Nir Eyal</p>
<h2>3. How Google Works</h2>
<p>We finally have it: the secret to Google from the Google executives themselves! The two Google executives wrote this book about the company&#8217;s fascinating history, their unique business strategy, and their world-famous workplace environment.</p>
<p>Haven&#8217;t we all heard that the Google headquarters is the coolest place to work ever? We all hear the tales of food, rec rooms, showers, everything you could ever want. Well they&#8217;re all true!</p>
<p>Most tech junkies appreciate and look up to Google. To learn why and how Google is so different, so pioneering, and so successful, get your hands on this insider book.</p>
<p>Technology isn&#8217;t just for developers and businesses, it serves all job fields. If you&#8217;re a writer, there&#8217;s innovative technology available for you. Check out all the great <a href="https://www.ultius.com/ultius-blog/entry/the-top-20-tech-tools-for-modern-writers.html">technology for writers</a> out there.</p>
<p>Authors: Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg</p>
<h2>4. Originals: How Non-Conformists Shape the World</h2>
<p>The concept behind this book fits perfectly into the idea shaped by modern technology: <em>new thinking</em> is what changes the world and moves it forward. Haven&#8217;t you noticed that the most successful tech products (like apps) right now are those that ignored &#8220;tradition&#8221;?</p>
<p>Facebook was the world&#8217;s leading&#8211;and, largely, only&#8211;social media. Instagram could have conformed to that idea but it didn&#8217;t. Now Instagram is flourishing, considered the much more young, cool, and lasting of the two.</p>
<p>And one day something will come along that dethrones Instagram. It&#8217;ll think totally new, it&#8217;ll refuse to conform to current norms. That&#8217;s technological progress!</p>
<p>Read this book for information on how to think outside the box. How to think originally, both in business ideas and business practices, strategies, and methods.</p>
<p>Author: Adam Grant</p>
<h2>5. The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future</h2>
<p>Can we know the future? In a way we can. This book argues that the technological trends set in motion now are shaping our future as we speak.</p>
<p>This is the perfect read for tech nerds who want to know the not-so-distant future of everyday technology! The author talks about artificial intelligence (every tech nerd&#8217;s favorite topic), virtual reality, and an &#8220;on-demand economy.&#8221;</p>
<p>Read it and see if you agree with its claims about the tech future. Are his claims insightful or run of the mill? Check it out and decide for yourself!</p>
<p>If anything you&#8217;ll learn that certain types of technology are more influential than you thought. With four stars on Goodreads and more than 800 reviews, you can&#8217;t go wrong.</p>
<p>Author: Kevin Kelly</p>
<h2>6. Architects of Intelligence: The Truth About AI From the People Building It</h2>
<p>Speaking of artificial intelligence, any good list of the best tech books should include at least one all about AI. For years everyday AI was a thing of sci-fi movies, but the time is actually here!</p>
<p>This books aims to speak the unspoken plans for AI in the common sector. If you think AI will never be widely-used for the layman, you <em>really</em> need to read this book!</p>
<p>According to the author&#8217;s research with AI builders, AI will impact all of our futures. The question is whether you&#8217;re aware of it. The future is here!</p>
<p>Author: Martin Ford</p>
<h2>7. How Smart Machines Think</h2>
<p>Have you ever watched a machine do its thing then think to yourself, &#8220;How did it do that?&#8221; You&#8217;re not alone!</p>
<p>There may not be a person alive who hasn&#8217;t hooked up to wifi then wondered this question to themselves. How does it all work??</p>
<p>The idea behind this book is creative. It compares the &#8220;thinking&#8221; process of these smart machines to our own thinking processes. How can we make ourselves &#8220;smarter&#8221; like these machines&#8211;expedited, intuitive, forward-thinking, and reliable?</p>
<p>Author: Sean Gerrish</p>
<h2>These Books About Technology Can Change Your Life!</h2>
<p>Really good books about technology are hard to come by. And who wants to waste time reading a boring one when you could be reading one that&#8217;ll change your life?</p>
<p>Stick to this list of the top seven best technology books right now. They&#8217;ll teach you, inspire you, and open your mind. As tech lovers know, technology is the present and especially the future!</p>
<p>While you&#8217;re at it, check out our other entries about informative, inspiring books. You won&#8217;t be disappointed!</p>
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		<title>The 8 Best Books About Divorce</title>
		<link>https://quarterlyconversation.com/the-8-best-books-about-divorce</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2019 17:11:37 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://quarterlyconversation.com/?p=11405</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Although it is unfortunate, about 40 to 50 percent of marriages in the United States end in divorce. Going through a divorce is difficult for both spouses and the children involved. However, there are people willing to help during these difficult times. In this article, we will share some of the best books about divorce. [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11406" title="divorce" src="http://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/divorce.jpeg" alt="" width="550" srcset="https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/divorce.jpeg 940w, https://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/divorce-300x201.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px" /></p>
<p>Although it is unfortunate, about <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/">40 to 50 percent</a> of marriages in the United States end in divorce.</p>
<p>Going through a divorce is difficult for both spouses and the children involved. However, there are people willing to help during these difficult times.</p>
<p>In this article, we will share some of the best books about divorce. Read on to get started.</p>
<h2>1. Reconcilable Differences</h2>
<p>Although many expect divorced couples do not get along after a grueling and long divorce, many couples choose to still make their families work.</p>
<p>In her book, Reconcilable Differences, Cate Cochran examines ten unique divorces her divorce included.</p>
<p>These divorces are what she calls “successfully failed marriages.” In said divorces, couples found peace and a way to move forward with their lives without resorting to bitter feelings and damaged children.</p>
<p>This book is helpful to any couple going through a divorce who want to end in amicable terms and move on with their lives.</p>
<p>Cochran says, &#8220;When our marriage failed, my ex-husband and I tried an unusual arrangement to keep our family together. We share a house. He lives upstairs, I live downstairs, and our young children and dog float between us.”</p>
<p>This system might not be ideal for every couple, but at least they know it can be done.</p>
<h2>2. On Your Own Again</h2>
<p>Even when some marriages become difficult, spouses are still used to their routine and each other. After the separation and divorce, it can be quite difficult to get used to a life on your own.</p>
<p>In his book, On Your Own Again, Keith Anderson offers some insight to couples who are ready to move forward. He wants people to not only put the pieces back together but also build a stronger happy life.</p>
<p>This is a step-by-step guide anyone can relate to no matter their gender, sexual orientation or age.</p>
<h2>3. A Parent&#8217;s Guide to Divorce</h2>
<p>After a divorce, many parents worry about what the effect will be on their kids.<br />
In this book, A Parent&#8217;s Guide to Divorce: How to Raise Happy, Resilient Kids Through Turbulent Times, Karen Becker want to assure parents it will all be okay.</p>
<p>She addresses conflict and coaches parents on how to make the best out of a bad situation and create strong family bonds as they embrace their new normal.</p>
<h2>4. If You&#8217;re in My Office, It&#8217;s Already Too Late</h2>
<p>As a successful <a href="https://www.holmesdiggs.com/practice-areas/divorce/fault-grounds-in-divorce/">divorce lawyer</a>, James J. Sexton has seen it all. In his book, If You’re in My Office, It’s Already Too Late, Sexton tries to help couples who are considering divorce determine if their marriage can survive.</p>
<p>He has helped thousands of couples go through a divorce and has learned a thing or two about when it’s too late for a marriage. This book is a guide for couples who want to figure out if their marriage has or hasn’t reached the point of no return.</p>
<p>According to Sexton a lot of problems in the marriage start when couples fail to have honest communication. If you think there’s still hope to save your marriage, this book is worth a read.</p>
<h2>5. A Man, A Can, A Plan</h2>
<p>Despite the fact that some marriages divide the responsibilities 50/50, there are still some people that have no clue how to do the things their former spouse used to take care of.</p>
<p>Some people used to let their spouse take care of the cooking, grocery shopping and even picking up the dry-cleaning. Meanwhile, they took care of taking the trash out and making house repairs.</p>
<p>Although the title suggests otherwise, this book is for any person that doesn’t know how to cook or effectively shop at a grocery store.</p>
<p>David Joachim offers 50 easy-to-follow recipes for those who need to learn to cook after their divorce and want to avoid eating takeout every night.</p>
<p>The book offers 4 breakfast, 8 sandwiches, and 25 dinner recipes among others.</p>
<h2>6. This Isn&#8217;t the Life I Ordered</h2>
<p>What a better way to start moving on from a divorce than to read about someone who has already been through it.</p>
<p>In her book, This Isn&#8217;t the Life I Ordered, Jennifer Weigel provides a first-person narration of her experience going through a divorce.</p>
<p>This book is half a memoir and has a manual for how to get over a divorce. By using her great sense of humor, she assures readers everything will be okay.</p>
<h2>7. Talking to Children About Divorce</h2>
<p>As a family and marriage therapist, Jean McBride has helped thousands of families deal with the aftermath of divorce.</p>
<p>In her book, Talking to Children About Divorce: A Parent&#8217;s Guide to Healthy Communication at Each Stage of Divorce: Expert Advice for Kids&#8217; Emotional Recovery, she guides families on how to openly discuss divorce with their children.</p>
<p>She offers tips and tools so everyone in the family can have open and honest conversations.</p>
<h2>8. Getting Back Out There</h2>
<p>No matter how long you were married for, dating is a difficult step you have to take sooner or later.</p>
<p>For many, going back into the dating scene is terrifying, to say the least.</p>
<p>In her book, Getting Back Out There: Secrets to Successful Dating and Finding Real Love after the Big Breakup, Susan Elliot offers her readers an eye-opening approach to dating.</p>
<p>Not only does she want you to be ready for what’s next, but she also wants you to realize what you might have done wrong before.  According to Elliot, learning how to catch someone’s eye and flirt won’t create a new lasting relationship.</p>
<p>In fact, unless people are aware of their past mistakes and patterns, they will do it over again.</p>
<p>This book can help people identify red flags, keep their standards high, develop healthy boundaries, and more.</p>
<h2>Get These Helpful Books About Divorce</h2>
<p>These helpful books about divorce can help you navigate through the difficult times ahead.</p>
<p>The books on this list either help you learn how to talk to your children about divorce, provide tips to date again, and even teach you to cook.</p>
<p>Check out some of our book reviews.</p>
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		<title>A Translator&#8217;s Diary: A Year in the Life of Emma Ramadan Part IV</title>
		<link>https://quarterlyconversation.com/a-translators-diary-a-year-in-the-life-of-emma-ramadan-part-iv</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Dec 2018 23:11:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[issue54]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://quarterlyconversation.com/?p=11141</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I started this translator diary almost a year ago. A year later, and the bookstore bar I opened with my then-fiancé, now-husband Tom is about to celebrate its one-year anniversary. I imagined that by this time, I would be working at Riffraff half-time and translating half-time. This is not the case. A year later, Tom and I are still working enough hours to feel worn thin. A year later and I am still unable to find the time to prepare healthy meals, to have anything resembling a work-life balance. A year later and I’ve grown to fear the under-eye circles staring back at me in the mirror are permanent.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2><a href="http://quarterlyconversation.com/issue-54">Published in Issue 54</a></h2>
<p>I&#8217;ve been dancing around this final diary because I&#8217;ve been trying to take myself out of it. But translation doesn&#8217;t just happen. It&#8217;s a ball getting tossed from person to person, it&#8217;s breathed on, dropped, stabbed, reinflated, pushed aside, rubbed in the sand. Why shouldn&#8217;t we know about the translators who put words on the pages of the books we love?</p>
<p>I started this translator diary almost a year ago. A year later, and the bookstore bar I opened with my then-fianc&#233;, now-husband Tom is about to celebrate its one-year anniversary. I imagined that by this time, I would be working at Riffraff half-time and translating half-time. This is not the case. A year later, Tom and I are still working enough hours to feel worn thin. A year later and I am still unable to find the time to prepare healthy meals, to have anything resembling a work-life balance. A year later and I&#8217;ve grown to fear the under-eye circles staring back at me in the mirror are permanent.</p>
<p>A year later and we have regular customers! Customers whose presence immediately puts a smile on my face, lets me breathe a sigh of relief. Customers who ask questions that are far too personal, but I answer anyway because as the owner I think I&#8217;m always supposed to be polite. A customer who buys the small press book of translated poetry from Syria that I thought would never sell, but that I insisted on keeping on the shelves because it deserved to be there. Customers who now feel like friends. Customers I hang out with at the dog park. Customers who&#8217;ve met our parents. Customers who&#8217;ve been in our home. Customers who bring us honey or limes when the bar runs out on a busy night.</p>
<p>A year later and Tom and I finally have nights off together, so we can actually see each other outside of the store. Most nights we are too exhausted to do anything but watch the Great British Baking Show, but in the past year we&#8217;ve managed to go on a few dates. A few weeks ago I convinced Tom to go to a bowling alley that serves specialty, syrupy cocktails. I ordered one blended with whipped cream, it was a sour yellow color. He drank beer.</p>
<p>A year ago I was sneaking translation work in between customers, managing to translate entire chapters, entire books, in the accumulated quiet hours just after the store opened. A year later and I&#8217;m too exhausted to translate at the store. I can edit, I can identify problem areas, but I can&#8217;t translate. I can tell that I don&#8217;t have the brainpower, and that if I were to try, I would produce a first draft so lacking in feeling that the translation wouldn&#8217;t be able to recover. Now I translate on my mornings off, after the dog has had sufficient exercise. Sometimes I spend my time at the dog park thinking about how I should be translating. But then my dog comes bounding over to say hello with what I believe is a smile on her face.</p>
<p>A year later, I&#8217;ve switched from feeling like a translator who also owns a bookstore bar to feeling like a dishwasher who translates in her free time. A year later, I still feel like I should be doing more. I still clean the bathroom every night I close.</p>
<p>As a grad student, I wanted to write a paper on Translation and the Body. Eventually I was forced to abandon the topic because not enough other people had written about it. I had very little to pull from, and was supposed to base this paper on research; it was not meant to be a creative writing project. I was surprised to learn that more translators hadn&#8217;t written about their bodies&#8217; role in their process. We use our bodies to write, to type, to think, to read aloud, to listen, to gauge by our gut whether or not a sentence is right. Why is it that theory tends to be so far removed from our physical form? At best we get a phrase here about translation as erotic, a line there about translation as cannibalistic. In a brief translator&#8217;s note at the end of Hilda Hilst&#8217;s <em>Fluxo-Floema</em>, Alexandra Joy Forman writes, wonderfully, &#8220;I became the 6th star in HH&#8217;s perfect pentagram, and she ate me up. Such was translating the master.&#8221;</p>
<p>When a sentence isn&#8217;t right, I feel it immediately in my back. I&#8217;ve said this before. Sometimes I can&#8217;t type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts and a specific word disappears from my train of thought forever. Sometimes my body has enough energy to take me to a translation workshop at a friend&#8217;s home and my translation is changed for it. Sometimes my body is tired from my day job and I work half as quickly as I used to. Sometimes my body catches cold and my brain muddles words on the page. Once I had a translation deadline to meet but I had just had my tonsils removed and could barely make out the page through the muck of medication. I realized shortly after that I had wound up with something that was half truth and half lie.</p>
<p>At Riffraff, we host an event to discuss my translation of Virginie Despentes&#8217;s <em>Pretty Things</em>. I am in conversation with a local trans woman and activist, who quite fairly makes the point that while Despentes&#8217;s book has been lauded as a feminist critique of the ways in which the beauty industry corrodes our confidence and distorts our sense of self-worth, what is left out of this book and its surrounding discussion is that this lens of feminism is not universal. The beauty industry is a literal survival toolkit for many trans women. A necessary component of their ability to navigate and survive an often intolerant world. The book was written in a time period when trans activism was not at the forefront of the conversation the way it is for today&#8217;s readers in America at the end of 2018. But this is what happens when it takes a book twenty years to be translated into English. In this vein, I&#8217;ve been asked several times why, in my translator&#8217;s note to Anne Garr&#233;ta&#8217;s <em>Sphinx</em>, I refer to the characters whose genders and sexes are not identified as &#8220;he or she&#8221; rather than using &#8220;they&#8221; to allow for the characters to be gender nonconforming. The answer is that when the book was written in 1986, Garr&#233;ta was not tackling the question of gender fluidity. Garr&#233;ta&#8217;s aim was to dismantle the binary between the male and female sex, to put on display the inanity of the idea of &#8220;difference&#8221; between the two sexes. But for many American readers today, that particular argument leaves a lot of people out of the conversation. Following the Despentes event at Riffraff, I wrestle with feeling that I&#8217;ve somehow betrayed the book by letting the conversation touch on its shortcomings. But why shouldn&#8217;t we be able to revel in a book, celebrate its strengths, while simultaneously acknowledging that because of its context and when it was written, there are ways in which it might fall short for today&#8217;s readership? I strive to always feel comfortable with and encourage this kind of critique, a critique which is specific to the process of translation, with books often coming out in English many years after they were first published in their original country.</p>
<p>A year later and I wish critiques of translations across the board more closely resembled this sort of discussion, rather than narrowly focusing on, for example, a translator&#8217;s specific word choices or mistakes. What translators have been arguing for years is that the kind of critique that focuses solely on a few word choices the reviewer thinks they would have translated in a superior way is simply unproductive and does not amount to a quality review. No one knows the book better than the translator. Perhaps what looks like an odd word choice was a decision arrived at after much back-and-forth between the translator and the author. I recently read a review of a translation in which the reviewer questioned a translator&#8217;s choice for a character&#8217;s nickname&#8212;seemingly unaware that the translator had written quite a bit in their translator&#8217;s note about how they had come to that specific decision.</p>
<p>In the last year, there&#8217;s been a renewal of the age-old debate over accuracy in translations, featuring a few incendiary claims that translators do not value accuracy as much as they should. If you find errors in a translation, that doesn&#8217;t mean there&#8217;s been a lack of striving for accuracy. Just imagine how hard it is to be perfectly right in every instance, for all of the many thousands of words a translator shapes into a book. Would any translator, critic, or author be willing to bet their life that there&#8217;s not a single mistake in any of their published work?&#160;The idea that there is any translation in the world that does not contain a single mistake seems ludicrous to me. We&#8217;re only human, and when editors can&#8217;t speak the language of the original text, inaccuracies are that much less likely to be caught during the publisher&#8217;s editing process.</p>
<p>As translators who take pride in our work, we grasp the value and necessity of accuracy in translation.&#160;As I understand it,&#160;the translation community is rightly upset over the tendency to point out one or two small mistakes a translator might have made, because this does not add anything to the critical conversation and in fact often distracts from it.&#160;In such cases, it would seem that it&#8217;s more about the critic feeling superior than any critical rationale that engages with the book itself. Of course it&#8217;s fine to make such a critique if a translator has made so many mistakes that it has changed the essence of the book, but if that is not the case, honestly, what exactly is the point of bringing up those mistakes?</p>
<p>I first began to see the resurgence of this idea that translators do not value accuracy a few months ago when translators pushed back against a review that grossly mischaracterized a book about translation. The book in question sought to explore the nuances of a translator&#8217;s work that had helped turn an author into a worldwide bestseller, in spite of inaccuracies that were later discovered. (I should note that this exploration made up only a small portion of the book in question, but the review did not engage with anything other than this portion.)</p>
<p>When some in the translation community cried foul, we were told that we couldn&#8217;t stand to see anything bad said about a translator or a book on translation, that we were policing criticism about translations. I was personally told this more than once by men who openly admitted to not having read the book in question. Our words and ideas have been so insistently distorted that these rebuttals are beginning to feel a bit like gaslighting.</p>
<p>When I was asked a few weeks ago to start thinking about writing this final diary, I was on my way to a talk by &#201;douard Louis at Brown University. His talk was called &#8220;Against Useless Literature: What Can Literature Really Do?&#8221; It focused on the idea that writers should start by asking the question, &#8220;Who is not here?&#8221; Who is not being represented? Writers must fight the state of absence. Louis&#8217;s own autobiographical books were written to drag the real bodies around him, the real bodies of his family members, those who have suffered the things his family has suffered, out of absence. He asks, How dare we write about anything else? How can we write about anything else without shame? Shame should precede every word written, he says, so that we might build a better world. Shame should constitute the invisible foundations of literature. We must use literature to spread shame over the world, to destabilize the world, to undo the social order. And as readers of this kind of literature, we will then be forced to confront an important question: What do I do? Now that I&#8217;ve discovered these bodies and what is done to them, what do I do about it? We all have the choice to do something or to do nothing. To write about those absent, or to write about what&#8217;s already been written. Rather than books as an escape from reality, reality should be shoved in our faces.</p>
<p>Listening to &#201;douard Louis&#8217;s talk is the closest I&#8217;ve ever come to understanding why I translate. There are so many absent bodies, absent books, absent stories. We desperately need those bodies, books, and stories in English, in the U.S. I believe that. This is why I translate. I feel shame on behalf of others when I hear about a book that does nothing but elevate the status quo. As a translator, I am trying to ask who is not being represented, what kind of literature is not being represented, and then I try to fight that absence. As a bookstore owner, too, I try to fill our shelves with the stories of underrepresented people.</p>
<p>A year ago when I wrote the first installment of this diary, I had five published translations. Now I have ten. I am working toward tipping the scale between &#8220;emerging translator&#8221; and &#8220;established translator.&#8221; I am solidly in between. I am trying to work for more houses and for more pay. I am trying to hone my skill and narrow my focus. I am trying to learn what kind of book makes me the happiest to translate, what I&#8217;m best at translating, and which books tick both boxes. I am trying to learn how to translate while also being good to my other job and to my husband and to my cats and to my dog. And to myself. And to my body, which allows me to translate.</p>
<p>One very exciting thing about the past year was seeing how many adventurous and exciting books have been written about the act of translation. For instance: <em>This Little Art</em> by Kate Briggs (Fitzcarraldo Editions), <em>Transgressive Circulation</em> by Johannes G&#246;ransson (Noemi Press), Mark Polizzotti&#8217;s <em>Sympathy for the Traitor: A Translation Manifesto </em>(The MIT Press), Karen Emmerich&#8217;s <em>Literary Translation and the Making of Originals </em>(Bloomsbury), and <em>Translation as Transhumance</em> by Mireille Gansel and translated by Ros Schwartz (The Feminist Press)<em>.</em> It&#8217;s wonderful to know that translators are being given more space to write freely about their craft in forms that can be brought into the classroom, balancing the strictly academic theoretical texts I was assigned as a student. And there have also been articles in mainstream publications in which translators have explored their work in utterly personal (even bodily!) ways&#8212;I greatly enjoyed Lara Vergnaud&#8217;s <a href="https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/08/10/translation-in-sickness-and-in-health/">piece</a> for <em>The Paris Review </em>on translating Ahmed Bouanani&#8217;s <em>The Hospital</em>, detailing how her own body started to mimic Bouanani&#8217;s body as she translated his work.</p>
<p>Clearly I&#8217;ve been thinking a lot about bodies in translation this year. Right now I&#8217;m translating a book in which one of the characters has a sex change. In the aftermath of the surgery, she is lying in bed, wondering why she isn&#8217;t feeling better following this long dreamed-about change. She is engaging in a conversation with her former self, the young boy she used to be. In French, because adjectives and verbs take on agreement with the gender of the person they apply to, this portion of the book has a lot of play with language as this character struggles internally with how to identify. As she addresses her former self, she asks at one point, <em>Tu es s&#233;rieux ?</em> Are you serious (masculine)? The boy replies, &#8216;<em>S&#233;rieuse,&#8217; tu veux dire</em>. <em>Je suis toi&#8212;tu l&#8217;as oubli&#233; ?</em> Serious (feminine), you mean. I am you, or did you forget? There is a confusion of agreement to mirror the confusion of identification. It&#8217;s masterfully done, and something I&#8217;m not able to replicate with the English language. I categorically refuse to do something like, Are you serious, man? Serious <em>ma&#8217;am</em>, you mean. That feels cheap and inelegant. And I want English readers to see, to access, this aspect of the French language. To see what French can do, how language can reflect, or fail to reflect, someone&#8217;s reality. How language can evoke an internal panic, a destabilizing effect on a person&#8217;s psyche, a specific kind of violence. I have left this part of the dialogue in French. I am not opposed to the idea of leaving foreign text in a translation. As Johannes G&#246;ransson says in <em>Transgressive Circulation</em>, &#8220;While there is a desire to maintain boundaries, there is also a great pleasure in flooding borders, troubling boundaries, contaminating systems.&#8221;</p>
<p>In the same book, one of the characters who has long lived in Paris insists she feels French, although she has no French passport. No one can take that away from her. I find myself in the opposite situation: I am a French citizen, and yet to claim to be French would be ridiculous. I&#8217;ve lived in France for an extended period, I speak the language and know a great deal about the culture. But I am not French, except by official document. I have no right to call it my own.</p>
<p>So what am I then? My father is Lebanese, and I look Lebanese, but I&#8217;ve never been to Lebanon. My mother is English, I&#8217;ve spent a lot of time in England, adopting many of my mother&#8217;s British habits. But I don&#8217;t feel English either. Growing up in Southern California, my parents stood out. I stood out. I knew that as soon as I turned eighteen and went to college I would leave California behind, and then after college I knew I wanted to leave the U.S. I&#8217;ve never really felt American. I&#8217;ve always been somewhere in-between. And maybe that&#8217;s why I&#8217;ve been so drawn to translation for so long. Floating between books and countries and bodies and worlds. Who am I when I am absenting myself through translation? Where do I go, what do I become?</p>
<p>When I translate, my self is suspended. I am trying to inhabit the voice of a character within the voice of an author. I am twice, sometimes more than twice, removed from myself. I am switching between people who are not me, between books that do not tell my own story. And it&#8217;s a somewhat electric feeling&#8212;who I could be if I were to translate myself into oblivion, if I were to fade myself away, come out the other side. I think I&#8217;m trying to get closer to something, but to what? <em>Folie &#224; deux</em> as a hallucination passed back and forth between me and myself.</p>
<p>In one of the best books I&#8217;ve read in the last year, <em>Paradise Rot</em> by Jenny Hval and translated by Marjam Idriss, Johanna, a foreign exchange student from Norway living in an English-speaking country, says: &#8220;In short spurts I told them my name and where I was from, but every pause was too long and the syllables too short. The language grated on my throat&#8230; When I finished, I was almost certain that I had said something else, a different name, something wrong. I suddenly knew nothing about myself, nothing seemed right in English, nothing was true.&#8221; How to be true in translation? How to be ourselves in translation? How to find ourselves through translation when sometimes it feels as though we are doing our best to be erased? Joanna again: &#8220;Maybe it wasn&#8217;t the house, but me that was porous, I thought. Maybe I had to grow a thicker skin in this town.&#8221;</p>
<p class="bio">Emma Ramadan is a literary translator based in Providence, RI, where she is the co-owner of Riffraff bookstore and bar. She is the recipient of an NEA translation fellowship, a PEN/Heim grant, and a Fulbright scholarship to Morocco. Her translations include <em>Pretty Things</em> by Virginie Despentes, <em>The Shutters</em> by Ahmed Bouanani, and <em>Revenge of the Translator</em> by Brice Matthieussent.</p>
<h2><a href="http://quarterlyconversation.com/issue-54">Published in Issue 54</a></h2>
<p>Image by © Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3153928</p>
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