Join us on Tuesday, March 10th, as we welcome Jess Zafarris, content creator and author of Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds. As holders of curious minds ourselves, we are thrilled to have Jess in our store talking about the unexpected origins and quirky history of language and the surprsing ways language shapes culture. This event is free and open to the public, however, we have limited space so please RSVP using our eventbrite link. You can find Jess’s work at @jesszafarris on Tiktok (95K followers), @uselessetymology on Instagram (8K+ followers), the Words Unravelled Podcast on YouTube (115K+ followers, 6M+ views, 1K daily listens across platforms) and UselessEtymology.com ABOUT THE BOOK “Did you know that an “astronaut” is literally a “star sailor,” that a thesaurus is, in fact, a “treasure trove” of words, and that someone who is “sinister” is actually just “left-handed”? Have you ever wondered why English isn’t considered a Romance language if 60% of our words are Latin-derived? Did Shakespeare really invent 1,700 words, and if not, why the heck do we say that he did? Why is the English language stuffed with so many synonyms? Let’s be real: English can seem pretty bonkers. And, well, sometimes it is. But through thorough thought and a pinch of curiosity, method can be found within the madness of our modern tongue-even within the disparate pronunciation of the words “through,” “thorough,” and “thought.” Derived from Germanic, Romance, Hellenic, Semitic, African and Native American languages, English contains multitudes. It has been (and continues to be) transformed by war and conquest, art and literature, science and technology, love and hate, wit and whim. Useless Etymology takes readers on a time-traveling adventure to unlock the beauty, wonder, and absurdity within our everyday words, how they came to be, and the unexpected ways their origins weave a global, cross-cultural labyrinth of meaning. Filled with fun facts and delightful discoveries, this is an enlightening read for anyone who wants to know more about why the English language works the way that it does ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jess Zafarris is a bestselling author, TikTok creator, award-nominated podcaster, and experienced conference speaker who delights audiences with the whimsical histories and unexpected stories hidden in everyday language. As the creator of “Useless Etymology” and co-host of the popular Words Unravelled podcast, Jess inspires writers, students, and word nerds everywhere to see language as living history.
