G Steven

Etymology of NICE

NICE is a funny word etymologically and a true testament to the ever-changing nature of language. This particular word made its way into the English language c. 1300, coming from the Latin nescius meaning “ignorant” or literally ne – “not”, and the root word scire-“to know”.

Etymology of GIRL

The precise origins of GIRL have been a somewhat puzzling mystery for etymologists in both English and other European languages. We can hypothesize that our modern-day GIRL ventures back to the c. 1300 gyrle, meaning a young person or child of either sex.

Milkman

Milkman is the long winded tale of a young girl who walks while reading – or at least that is how it all begins. Unintentionally, and to girl-who-reads-while-walking’s great disappointment, this socially abhorrent behavior catches the predatory attention of the Milkman, not the real milkman, but a man pretending to be a milkman while actually being a well feared renouncer in this young ladies district. This attention – fueled by not touching and anti-orgasms – comes to impede upon every aspect of life for girl-who-reads-while-walking – slowly evolving into an inescapable surveillance that pervades the entire community.

Earthsea

“At this point, realism is perhaps the least adequate means of understanding or portraying the incredible realities of our existence.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Language of the Night: Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction

When I became aware of Ursula’s passing in January of 2018, I couldn’t help but feel immensely grateful that we had been given time with her at all; time with her uncompromising imagination and literary accomplishment – that she would go on molding minds with words.