Category Archives: writing

Write your own song

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Anne Ku

Have you ever dreamed of writing your own song? Not a re-make of someone else’s, but your original lyrics set to music, your idea. Or a tune that’s been going around your head that you want to put into words… … Continue reading →

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20th anniversary analyticalQ

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Anne Ku

Was I tempting fate by launching my first website on the Ides of March twenty years ago today? Just two years prior, I composed “Ides of March” after experiencing driving through a flood in Houston. It was so horrific that … Continue reading →

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Ukulele: ticket to ride

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Anne Ku

Little did I know that buying my first ukulele and learning to play it would change the direction of my life.

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Nontraditional students and their struggles: the pursuit of degrees

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Anne Ku

In the UK, older students are called “mature students.” In the US, anyone over 25 studying for their first degree falls into the category of “nontraditional students”. In the Netherlands, it is uncommon to see a mature, nontraditional student at … Continue reading →

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Seated marathon of words

Posted on September 22, 2018 by Anne Ku

“Support my fundraiser! Come to my soiree on the 22nd!” He invited me to play the grand piano or bring my ukulele group for a singalong to fundraise for his half-marathon in Jordan. I can do neither. I am already … Continue reading →

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Remembering dad on Father’s Day

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Anne Ku

Today may be the first time I’m joining everyone else in cyberspace, to remember my dad on Father’s Day. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for father is “ba ba” which sounds like “eight eight” — thus the eighth day of … Continue reading →

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The freedom and friction of fiction writing

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Anne Ku

“Pick up a postcard on your table and write your address on it. Take what you’ve learned in this conference and write to your future self. Which words of encouragement would you impart?” Among the postcards of city scenes and … Continue reading →

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Anita Shreve, I never got to meet her

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Anne Ku

A pop-up window flashed “Anita Shreve dies at 71″ while I was on FaceTime. Suddenly, I felt a pang of regret. I’m attending a major writing conference in Boston next week. I’ve moved to New England, where Shreve had set … Continue reading →

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The validity of student evaluations

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Anne Ku

Whoa! A new Slate article entitled “Student Evaluations Can’t Be Used to Assess Professors” caught my attention today. Research shows that it’s biased in favor of white, cisgender, American-born men. This could explain why my ex-colleague, a white alpha male … Continue reading →

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The next essay

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Anne Ku

Since October 2017, I’ve been looking forward to writing an essay on “music and relationships” — a topic I’m not only intimately familiar with but also crave to research and write about. Yet, I procrastinate writing the first word. It’s … Continue reading →

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