The Katherine Spivey

Federal gov employee. Former co-chair of Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN). Trainer/web editor. Snarker. Tweets are my own.

[A.Word.A.Day @awad]

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Anyone who wishes to become a good writer should endeavour, before he allows himself to be tempted by the more showy qualities, to be direct, simple, brief, vigorous, and lucid.
-H.W. Fowler, lexicographer (10 Mar 1858-1933)

[Riversdale Historical Society @Riversdale1801]

Today is National Mulled Wine Day. Check out this recipe from Mount Vernon, complete with a modern recipe you can try!

https://t.co/miHcdG3uMD

#mulledwine #historicrecipes #historicfoodways

[Michael Strong @flowidealism]

A student in one of my seminars read the word "conventions" in a Katherine Mansfield story and assumed it meant parties. Several other students agreed. The shy girl in the corner raised her hand and said she thought it meant social norms. She was right. The confident students had guessed and moved on. She had admitted she was unsure and looked more carefully.

I see this pattern constantly. The students who have been rewarded for appearing smart are often the worst at Socratic Practice in the first month. They guess, project confidence, and resist being questioned. The quiet students, the ones who know they do not know, often learn faster. There are important contexts in which intellectual honesty beats intellectual capacity.

[Riversdale Historical Society @Riversdale1801]

For #WomensHistoryMonth, we are highlighting the Calvert's daughters. Today, let's learn about their oldest child/daughter Caroline Maria Calvert Morris. Here, she's pictured at about age 4 with her mother in an 1804 Gilbert Stuart painting. Alt text for more!

#calvertfamily

[Riversdale Historical Society @Riversdale1801]

REMINDER: The Riversdale Historical Site and Museum has a job opening for an Outreach Coordinator. Apply now!

Closing date: 3/5/2026

Follow link for job requirements and details:
https://t.co/nzAHPqN4yj

#jobopportunites #nowhiring #jobpost #jointheteam #historicsite

[Simon Schama @simon_schama]

yes! this will never be bettered!

[Riversdale Historical Society @Riversdale1801]

The Riversdale Historical Site and Museum has a job opening for an Outreach Coordinator!

Closing date: 3/5/2026

Follow link for job requirements and details:
https://t.co/nzAHPqMwIL

#jobopportunites #nowhiring #jobpost #jointheteam #historicsite

[Center for Plain Language @plain_language]

Plain language helps people understand their rights, benefits, and responsibilities. That’s why the Federal Plain Language Guidelines matter. Our recent blog post shares the history of the Guidelines, and how our community can keep the work going. https://t.co/E8uJwPBLOb

[Center for Plain Language @plain_language]

Stop the Scroll: Why Government Social Media Needs Plain Language – Shuly Babitzhttps://centerforplainlanguage.org/stop-the-scroll-why-government-social-media-needs-plain-language-shuly-babitz/

[APStylebook @APStylebook]

When you're writing your out-of-office message, AP Stylebook Online's Ask the Editor says to hyphenate out-of-office as a compound modifier.

[Riversdale Historical Society @Riversdale1801]

Do you have "Jingle Bells" (written in 1850 by James Lord Pierpont) stuck in your head? Check out the Alt Text to hear about Rosalie Calvert's sleigh ride in 1804.

#housemuseum #holidayseason #WinterTime #jinglebells #sleighride

[WordRake @WordRake]

“The most accomplished legal writers, including many federal appellate judges, embrace short sentences.” So don’t feel you need long, rambling sentences to make your point. Prof Mark Cooney lays out tips for clearer briefs in this blog post: https://t.co/3ExX8OhNAY

[Riversdale Historical Society @Riversdale1801]

Today is National Jewel Day. One of the only times that jewels or jewelry are mentioned in Mrs. Calvert’s letters she is replying to her father who had offered to send Caroline Calvert diamonds if/when she became engaged.

#jewels #nationaljewelday #historichouse #practicalgifts

[The Katherine Spivey @katherinespivey]

@SketchesbyBoze She had a great series recently on BBC radio, whether extra or FM.

[Center for Plain Language @plain_language]

Good News: The deadline for the ClearMark 2025 Awards has been extended to Feb 14!

Perfect your submission and compete for a ClearMark award and a new “Best In” award!

https://t.co/dFhiW4m1L5

#PlainLanguage #Awards2025 # ClearMark2025

[Arsen Ostrovsky @Ostrov_A]

I watch this video every Holocaust Remembrance Day. And I cry every time, because it revives my hope in humanity!

This is Nicholas Winton, who rescued 669 (mostly Jewish) children from Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust & brought them to Britain in the Kindertransport.

[Amtrak @Amtrak]

leaving the mile-high city for mile-high mountains 🏔⛷

[Little Free Library® @LtlFreeLibrary]

Did you know there are Little Free Library book-sharing boxes on all seven continents? That's right! There's a Little Free Library at the South Pole! https://t.co/vx3UFUnLpX

[Kevin Ambrose @dcstormchaser]

Pancake ice swirling on the Potomac River near Great Falls this morning.

These circular slabs of ice formed in eddies below the falls and have raised edges from collisions with one another. They resemble lily pads. @capitalweather