by Ashlie Harper, Intern

Inspirational and moving are words that just don’t cut it when talking about From the Plow to the Pulpit, a spiritual autobiography written by Tommie F. Harper, edited by Elizabeth Harper Neeld, and published by this press, Centerpoint. Tommie Harper, a country farm boy who finds God and love, speaks not only of obstacles, but the glory of God and the plentiful prayers that were answered in his life. The story follows a mean-spirited boy who ultimately turns into a devout preacher and who shares his story with readers hoping to gain faith and confidence in a higher power.

Honestly, the book surprised me. In the beginning, Harper started out by talking about the hard times on the farm while he was growing up. He didn’t have an easy life, and he definitely did not grow up in a religious home. He even called himself “mean” several times throughout the book and said he once almost hated God. When his mother would read him the Bible, the idea of death made him uneasy. But death sparked his interest in religion and “made a deep impression” in his mind. There was even a time in Harper’s life when a traveling itinerant preacher told his mom that “this one will be your preacher boy.” It wasn’t until after Tommie met his wife Rachel that the tone of his writing shifted and the way he lived his life started to change. It was as if someone shone a light in Harper’s life. His words began to change right in front of my eyes, and it was really interesting to see. He spoke about wanting to better himself for Rachel; and I think, with that way of thinking, he opened himself up to God. Read more »

by Ashlie Harper, Intern

Yesterday, I went to a seminar held by CareerTrack that spoke about grammar and proofreading. My parents and I thought it would be a great opportunity to expand my skills with the English language, especially since I hope to become an editor one day. I walked into the chilly conference room at 9:00 a.m. with high hopes. I was excited to learn more about the language, which I was so deeply in love with, and also to brush up on the grammar skills that I have slowly began to lose since freshman year of high school. What I didn’t expect was to walk out of the Ramada Hotel with a new understanding of literature and the importance of a simple sentence. So many people don’t think twice about writing an email and pushing send, trusting that spell-check caught all the wrong words. But do you ever think about the words spell-check corrected? Do we learn from our mistakes or do we rely on a computer to fix them, forgetting them in mere minutes? I think people should appreciate the language and the rules of English and notice what they’ve been missing this whole time.

I have a quick quiz for you. Stare at the next paragraph for eight seconds, and eight seconds only. Count how many times the letter “F” is used. Read more »

by Ashlie Harper, Intern

The world is changing quite rapidly. It seems as though cell phones are as permanent as limbs to most people, computers are no longer for the technically inclined professionals but rather anyone who can click a mouse, and books seem to be vanishing into thin air because of the powerful technology of a Kindle or iPad. ebooks, the text stored in one of these reading devices, are rapidly taking the place of a home library. Instead of buying an expensive hardcover, lugging it around everywhere you go, and eventually losing it in the shuffle of life, technology has now given us an option to buy a book online and store it in a place we will never forget. But what does this mean for the future of books and bookstores? Are people really ready to say goodbye to the crisp smell of fresh paper and say hello to an LCD screen?

For me, there is a perfect recipe for a great book. Get a big bowl and stir together a cup of great writing, a dash of well-written one-liners, a tablespoon of a big comfy chair and a quarter cup of a unique personal experience. Now bake it in the oven for 20 minutes and voila! You have the perfect book. But if you add a computer screen to the mix, are you left with an impersonal read? It doesn’t sound like many people mind, says Ken Auletta in his article Publish or Perish. ebook sales have soared in the last twelve months, and while only taking three to five percent of book sales in the last year, “their sales increased a hundred and seventy-seven per cent in 2009, and it was projected that they would eventually account for between twenty-five and fifty per cent of all books sold.” It’s a convenient, simple, and nicely priced way to read and an increasing number of people are getting on board with the idea. Just like the future of newspapers, books are going to be more easily accessible on a computer, especially with the on the go lifestyle of most people nowadays. A good friend of mine once asked me if I thought hotel rooms would replace the standard drawer Bible with a flash drive version. Is that too extreme to think? You decide.

So I ask myself, if I can buy a book for a nice price in the comfort of my own home, and in less than a minute have it conveniently downloaded onto a device for my reading pleasure, why would I want anything else? I guess my answer is simple. I want to grasp the text in my hand and wait for the ink to fade onto my fingertips, hoping that the brilliancy of the writing can one day fade onto me. I need to have the smell linger in my nose hours after I have finished reading so when I go on with my day, I can pretend I’m still inside that world. And lastly, I want to see a room in my house filled with the great classics and favorite poems so I can pass those down to the people who share my passion. We are putting too much importance on effectiveness and innovation, and less on tradition. I don’t want books just to be read on a screen, but rather felt with the hands and heart.