I’m so excited!!!

The exclamation point is the only punctuation mark that can express (and evoke) strong emotion. You either love them or you hate them.

Writers use the exclamation mark to express emotion that words can’t fully capture, politicians and advertisers can use it to manipulate and alarm, and authors and their editors often clash over its appropriate use. Our brains physically respond to the sight of it.

This hour, a look at the history and culture of this most controversial mark.

GUESTS:

• John Breunig: An editorial page editor with Hearst Connecticut Media Group
• Lan Samantha Chang: Director of the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop
• Florence Hazrat: Author of An Admirable Point: A Brief History of the Exclamation Mark

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Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show, which originally aired March 9, 2023.