Good gosh. Reading has EVERYTHING to do with writing, in my opinion.
It has been my experience that people who read a great deal have better writing skills than those who don’t.
There are always exceptions both ways to this rule of thumb, but if one reads extensively, the patterns of grammar and syntax are embedded in the brain and can be implemented anytime something has to be written.
Furthermore, this is ACTIVELY discouraged. Western literature? Pah.
After all, all cultures are "equal" and the literary output from Zimbabwe is just as rich, eloquent and useful as Shakespeare.
/S
Hm. I thought this thread would get more interest. There is a resident population here on Free Republic that has specific interest in this area.