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My name is Ann Henry. I am a native Mississippian, a graduate of Ole Miss, and a writer and editor of both fiction and nonfiction. I have spent 17 years of my life overseas—mainly in the British West Indies, the South Pacific, and Mexico—and have lived in all four corners of the contiguous United States: Pacific Northwest, Southwest, South Florida, and New England.

Language is my love, and though I am fascinated by all languages and cultures, I am, alas, fluent in only one. My Spanish is sporadic, my French frankly poor, my German generally forgotten, my Italian too long ignored, and my Polynesian languages painfully all but non-existent now. And so it is that this website is devoted to the prose of the only language that has endured in my memory over the years: English. I hope that you will join me in exploring and analyzing this diverse and ever-changing language and share with me your thoughts on its usage and development.

Welcome to ProseAct!

At the desk of Robert Lewis Stevenson, Villa Vailima, Apia, Samoa. — At the desk of Robert Louis Stevenson, Villa Vailima, Apia, Samoa.

A WORD ABOUT PROSE

The word prose has been defined as spoken or written language that, unlike poetry, lacks meter and rhythm and is composed of sentences grouped into paragraphs. In other words, “if it ain’t poetry, it’s prose.”

I prefer the definition that describes prose as a literary medium that is different from poetry in that prose has a more varied rhythm and is usually expressed in more ordinary, everyday language. This is what I sometimes term literary prose, the prose of essays, memoirs, short stories, and novels. And it is this type of prose that I address in ProseAct.

Why a website dedicated to prose? Because I love good literary language. Not just sumptuous metaphors scattered here and there like cherries atop a torte or the intensely rich dialogue that flows between the layers but the entire cake itself, the prose narrative that forms the very basis for the story.

Can’t you just eat it up? And the great thing about doing so is that you will gain only knowledge, insight, and wisdom without gaining inches or pounds! Who can resist? Certainly not I. And thus a website smorgasbord devoted to prose.

Bon appétit!