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Month: August 2012

First-ever Atlanta Weekender continues through Sunday

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For those who want to mix in a little house music with their Dragon*Con and Black Gay Pride plans, consider the Atlanta Weekender. It officially kicked off yesterday.

Atlanta’s finest house and soul music DJs — Kemit, Kai Alce, Salah Ananse and Ramon Rawsoul — are the main attraction, although guests from out of town, including Baltimore’s Karizma who is spinning at Sound Table tonight, will represent as well.

The big event is Sunday’s House in the Park, which moves to Grant Park from Perkerson for the first time.

Here’s an excerpt from my buddy Carlton Hargro, who wrote about it for Creative Loafing.

By now, most dance enthusiasts are aware that Labor Day in Atlanta means it’s time for another installment of House in the Park. This annual outdoor celebration of music and fellowship … featuring the turntable powers of Ramon Rawsoul, DJ Kemit, Kai Alce and Salah Ananse has become a destination for house heads from all over the world for almost a decade.

Check out the full story, which includes a Q&A with Weekender founder Ananse here.

ChanteSez … Don’t say too much

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As a writer, you want to use words and phrases that reflect your voice, your personality.

But in most articles, there are phrases that could be edited out so that more of your authentic voice is heard.

Here are a few unnecessary phrases:

  • “In order to” should simply be “to.”
  • “As a matter of fact” … . Let the facts speak for themselves and get rid of this phrase. Same goes for “The fact that” or “The fact is.”
  • “In terms of” … what? Again, just get to the matter and edit these words out.
  • “Whether or not” can be cut to “whether.”
  • Are you really “begging the question”? Probably not. If you have to use a phrase like this one, it’s more accurate to say “raising” or “asking” the question.

ChanteSez … I.E. me, please

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Those who studied Latin have an advantage over us high-school Spanish and French students. They know the origin of the abbreviations “i.e.” and “e.g.”

Etymology aside, here’s what those abbreviations mean.

  • i.e. = that is. Remember the “i” here. That will be your clue for the word “is.”
  • e.g. = for example. Think of how “example” sounds — you could almost replace the “x” with a “g.” That’s your clue here.

Here are examples on how to use them.

  • The best time for me to relax is when I know I’ve finished all of my freelance work and household chores, i.e., Sunday afternoons.
  • I find it difficult to relate to people who are stuck in their ways, i.e., close-minded.
  • It always seems like there’s traffic when you’re in a rush, e.g., running late for a flight or on your way home from work for date night.
  • I like bright colors, e.g., orange, yellow and sky blue.

ChanteSez … Snap to it!

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One of the most common mistakes ChanteSeez (hee hee) is the contraction form of “it is” — it’s — used as a possessive pronoun (its).

Contractions take two words and make them one. Other contractions include “that’s” (that is), “we’re” (we are) and “what’s” (what is).

Consider the apostrophe a snap. Add an apostrophe whenever you want to “snap” two words together.

Even with this tip, the only way to truly avoid this mistake is to re-read your writing. Then ask yourself if you meant the “snap” version of “it is,” or its (see!) possessive pronoun sibling.

 

ChanteSez … Make a dash for it, part 3

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Last one on dashes — for now. Dashes are used for attribution. Typically, this isn’t the same kind of attribution you’d see in the middle of a sentence when someone is quoted. Those attributions are set off by commas.

Dashes are used with what ChanteSez are independent quotes. Often they are part of an introduction, like at the start of a chapter. Some examples:

  • “We like the cars, the cars that go boom!” — Tigra and Bunny of L’Trimm
  • If any man seeks for greatness, let him forget greatness and ask for truth, and he will find both.  — H. Mann
  • I wasted time, and now doth time waste me.  — Shakespeare