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Hi! I have this protest sign but I cannot read Palestinian Arabic. I can get a rough translation from Google Translate, but I was hoping a fluent speaker could give me an accurate translation, as well as confirming whether what’s written is grammatically correct or not. Thanks so much!
posted by churl at 1:07 PM - 2 answers

Is it just me or are more and more people using the word "absolutely" as a standard affirmative response (in the place of "sure" or "no problem")? This feels especially noticeable in podcasts, but I also hear the word frequently in bricks and mortar retail and coffee shops etc. Is this a podcast thing? A 2020s thing? [more inside]
posted by spamandkimchi at 2:45 PM - 20 answers

We're taking a family trip to Quebec Province, what novels should I read? [more inside]
posted by vunder at 12:34 PM - 17 answers

I love books that might be described as "mystery plus." That is, they work as clever, well-constructed, and fair mysteries... but they have a distinctive additional attraction on top of the mystery. For example, The Tuesday Murder Club is a mystery + unusually charming characters and humor. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is mystery + {SPOILER REDACTED}. Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone and West Heart Kill are mystery + narrative self awareness. Can you recommend other examples? [more inside]
posted by yankeefog at 5:48 AM - 37 answers

Please help identify the subject of this portrait. I’m reasonably sure they’re an Irish literary figure (because it was hanging amongst portraits of several other Irish writers). Here’s the painting.
posted by nfg at 2:39 AM - 5 answers

You may be aware of the Hilux, a Toyota small truck line dating back to the '60s. Perhaps you also know of the hyrax, a small furry animal native to Africa. Is the first named after the second? Apparently not! But help me change history. [more inside]
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 4:16 PM - 9 answers

This is mainly for creative, non-professional, non-deadline writers, maybe? You decide! 1) What external triggers do you use, when you sit down to write, that help to signal to your brain 'you are in writer mode now.' 2) How do you balance/schedule/manage projects in different genres & tone? [more inside]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:03 AM - 13 answers

I see SO MANY biographies out there about this dude and can't decide! Looking for the most well-written and comprehensive biography of Frederick Law Olmsted (basically in the style of The Power Broker). [more inside]
posted by knownassociate at 2:07 PM - 6 answers

What European (and maybe Middle-Eastern) fairy tales / folk stories are there about someone who feels an obsessive love. particularly if it drives them to a bad end. The Little Mermaid is already on the list. [more inside]
posted by Lorc at 5:59 AM - 6 answers

I’m looking for an online Japanese tutor for weekly sessions improving my comprehension and speaking. I’ve done a couple of units of Pimsleur Japanese and can hold a simple conversation. Which online tutoring service (or other online options) should I choose?
posted by Atrahasis at 4:09 PM - 5 answers

Many years ago I came across a small verse in an English translation of Beowulf. For whatever reason it has stuck with me, but despite searching a lot of translations since then I have been unable to locate it again. [more inside]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 7:30 AM - 5 answers

You are woman, you get on your motorcycle and ride. Tell me everything .. How do you feel? Where are you going (physically and emotionally)?
posted by falsedmitri at 6:51 AM - 4 answers

I met a hispanic gentleman from the old word named, phonetically, DEE-dee-ay. What can you tell me about this name? [more inside]
posted by falsedmitri at 6:37 AM - 8 answers

A US-American friend here in Europe is having difficulty discovering books that suit her adorable little kid. So many books here are in UK English, and her baby needs cookies. A lot of quite specific details inside if you are up to the challenge! [more inside]
posted by Iteki at 3:13 AM - 21 answers

Around the time of my birth, relatives of my mother's lived in Pittsburgh. A maternal uncle was born in Squirrel Hill. They referred to the city, when speaking, as "pgh pa" (pronounced pug paw, roughly). I'm trying to determine if this was genuine Pittsburghese. [more inside]
posted by pullayup at 5:03 PM - 10 answers

For my husband's birthday I'd like to gift him time to write while we're visiting my parents on Vancouver Island. As opposed to just booking him a remote hotel away from us and the kids I'd like to find him an actual writer's retreat. But what exactly happens at a writer's retreat that's different than staying at a hotel? [more inside]
posted by gillianr at 10:24 AM - 3 answers

I found a number of letters from my grandmother to her brother who had moved away, encouraging him to "send money for his society" home to his mom. What does it mean? [more inside]
posted by knownassociate at 10:46 AM - 5 answers

I'm looking for a short story written in the last year or so, about a team of story generators (?) writing a YA novel in the latest iteration of AI, and is now so good would replace the last department with actual human writers. There was some weird sex or relationships. This was published in a literary magazine. Please help! [more inside]
posted by moiraine at 9:52 AM - 3 answers

In this text from 1966, Robert Smithson quotes Roland Barthes as saying the “undifferentiated mass of organic sensation.” But I can’t find the origin of the quote. A skewed translation? or possibly just made up by Smithson? Any ideas where it might come from appreciated.
posted by 0bvious at 12:38 PM - 3 answers

Growing up in '80s Southern California, we often used the word "punchy" used to mean not just silly but specifically silly due to sleepiness. My friend from another part of the state also grew up using it this way. But it seems like this is not universal. Did anyone else have the punchy = sleepy usage, and if so, where in the USA? And where could this usage have come from?
posted by johngoren at 9:02 AM - 36 answers