Jovin's idea for the pop-up Grammar Table took hold in 2018, when she decided she wanted to answer grammar questions on the streets of New York City. She started by setting up a table outside her Manhattan apartment building near a subway
stop and putting up a sign reading "Grammar Table."
According to Jovin, the questions began immediately. Topics have ranged from commas, apostrophes, participles, and prepositions to classroom debates, spousal disputes, strange spellings, dialect differences, and more. She said she also learned
that the Oxford comma is an American obsession.
Jovin said she has long wanted to address NCRA members after she held a remote session for a state conference of court reporters. That prompted her to reach out to NCRA in 2021 to request a copy of the Association's style guide. She was also
fortunate to watch the 2015 documentary film “For the Record,” directed by SimplySteno instructor Marc Greenberg, CRI, which explores the world of court reporters and stenography. She said it helped her realize there is a strong
kinship between herself and stenographers — and their shared love of details.
Jovin, who holds a B.A. from Harvard College in German studies and an M.A. from UCLA in comparative literature, is also the author of several other grammar- and language-related books and has studied twenty-five languages for fun.