The associate editor and lexicographer at Merriam-Webster, and acclaimed author of the book Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, Kory Stamper, paid me a visit to talk about being a celebrity word nerd, how she manages her time between the dictionary and her own writing, and the pending “pencil apocalypse.”
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Start getting more from your site today! In addition to writing and editing for the oldest dictionary in the U.S., Kory gained notoriety when she appeared in Merriam-Webster’s popular “Ask the Editor” video series, short video blogs that tackle topics of “lexical contempt” like irregardless.
Her non-fiction debut is titled Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, and it “… cracks open the complex, obsessive world of lexicography, from the agonizing decisions about what to define and how to do it, to the knotty questions of usage in an ever-changing language.”
Publishers Weekly called it a “… witty, sly, occasionally profane behind-the-scenes tour aimed at deposing the notion of real and proper English.” The New Yorker called it “illuminating,” and “An unlikely page-turner.”
Kory also blogs about language and “defining the words that define us” on her own website, and her writing has appeared in The Guardian and The New York Times, and on Slate.com.
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In Part One of this file Kory Stamper and I discuss:
How a want ad in a print newspaper led to her writing career
The viral video blog that catapulted her into the spotlight
Why your high school English teacher lied to you
How Kory’s book will make you feel better about your frustrations with usage
Why writing a book is also a full-time job
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How Merriam-Webster Lexicographer and Author Kory Stamper Writes: Part Two
Kory’s blog – KoryStamper.wordpress.com
Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries – Kory Stamper
Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster’s “Ask the Editor” video series on YouTube
Kory Stamper on npr’s Fresh Air
The Case Against the Grammar Scolds – The Atlantic
Kory Stamper on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
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How Merriam-Webster Lexicographer and Author Kory Stamper Writes: Part One | The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
