Do You Want Me to Read This Regular, or with Expression?

I started reading at the age of three, which I attribute in large part to having a mom who was an avid reader and often read books aloud to me. As a result, I was reading well above my grade level once I started school, and I was frequently asked to read aloud, whether to my classmates or to my neighborhood friends.

On one occasion, my neighborhood friends, a brother-sister pair I adored, asked me to read one of their favorite books out loud. Before I began, I asked them, “Do you want me to read this regular, or with expression?” Somehow I’d gotten the idea that “regular” reading was done with a flat and unmodulated voice - not that anyone had ever done that for me. My mom always talked about “reading with expression”, which involved changes in pitch and volume based on the content. When six-year-old me demonstrated the difference to my friends, they chose “with expression” every time.

Here you’ll find my writings, which you can read to yourself or aloud, with or without expression. There will be long-form content, random online scribblings, and thoughts on everything from pop culture to my personal experiences. Friday Bitch and Brag is a weekly roundup-style post with the good, bad, and downright ugly.

Enjoy!

Corinne