The best way to learn any style manual is to use it conscientiously and repeatedly, but there are a few other ways you can begin to build your skill before busting out that red pen.
learning
Ooligan Press: Making Books, Designing Careers
By Scott Fortmann
My much-younger classmates at Ooligan are in a very different phase of life. They are exactly where I was thirty-five years ago: they are trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives and how they want to start their careers. Ooligan gives these students a hands-on, immersive experience in the publishing process.
Confessions of a Comma Splicer
By Melinda Crouchley
I’m here to confess to my comma-splicing crimes and help everyone else who’s guilty of comma splicing learn the error of their ways before it’s too late. Just kidding—it’s never too late to learn something new or relearn something old.
Experiential vs. Educational Learning
By Grace Hansen @thegracieve
My friends and family were naturally curious when I shared my plans to start a master’s program in book publishing. Many asked why I needed further education to enter the publishing industry. Is a bachelor’s degree in English literature just a fun way to spend four years and thousands of dollars? So I applied for internships before I dove headfirst into another educational commitment. Microcosm Publishing of Portland, Oregon, was gracious enough to offer me an internship, and my personal experiment began. Would this internship be sufficient to teach me everything I wanted to learn about the industry in order to eventually get a full-time job?
YA Programs & Libraries: Developing and Maintaining
By Sadie Verville @sadieverville
Growing up around this library program and watching it flourish over the years inspired me to take a deeper look at young adult programs in libraries for my thesis. How have they developed over the years? What makes them “successful,” and what defines success? How are librarians identifying and then meeting their communities’ needs?
Enactivism as a Goal in Digital Learning
By Kento Ikeda
Ask someone to close their eyes and place a ring in their hand, and they’ll move the object in their hand to get a sense of its shape. Forbid them from moving their hand, and they’ll have a very difficult time figuring out the shape from touch alone.
Image: Original photograph of a pair of Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons and a copy of 50 Hikes (I can do a version with Classroom Publishing or whatever if that makes more sense).