Walt Day!

31 May 2018:

Happy birthday to my "poetry boyfriend," Walt Whitman.

“Why should I wish to see God better than this day?
I see something of God each hour of the twenty-four, and each moment then,
In the faces of men and women I see God, and in my own face in the glass;
I find letters from God dropped in the street, and every one is signed by God's name,
And I leave them where they are,
for I know that others will punctually come forever and ever.”

"The Last Quatrain Of The Ballad Of Emmett Till"

30 May 2018:

"The Last Quatrain Of The Ballad Of Emmett Till" 

(after the murder,
after the burial)

Emmett's mother is a pretty-faced thing;
the tint of pulled taffy.
She sits in a red room,
drinking black coffee.
he kisses her killed boy.
And she is sorry.
Chaos in windy grays
through a red prairie.

We talked about this Gwendolyn Brooks poem in my class today. I am still thinking about it hours later, as I always do when I read it. I worry that we will forget about Emmett and Mamie Till and we need to remember them.

Killing Eve

29 May 2018: Finally getting on board with this show after hearing all my favorite TV watchers/critics sing its praises. Only one episode in so far, but the exchange below really worked for me. So smart.

Fiona: “They all think we’re having affairs before they think we’re secret agents.”
Eve: “Oh, I think Nico would think I was an agent before ever thinking that I was having an affair.”
Fiona: “You might want him to think you’re having an affair then.”

One year ago...

28 May 2018: One year ago, Shannon celebrated her 40th birthday with a fierce determination to make it a great year. She was going to push herself to embrace light, positivity, and fun. She posted a beautiful, happy picture of herself saying as much. Just months later, she was gone. Looking back, it is still so stunning, unfair, cruel...almost absurd. Today I am trying to celebrate my dear friend's life and be grateful for what she gave us. But it is hard...

"Turn to Stone"

27 May 2018: Sunday night seriousness...

"Let's take a better look
Beyond a story book
And learn our souls are all we own
Before we turn to stone" --Ingrid Michaelson, "Turn to Stone"

Waitress

26 May 2018: Jane and I saw Waitress today and, as most experiences with Jane, it was awesome. "She Used to Be Mine" is the show-stopper and really quite moving...

Dinner theater...

25 May 2018: Had my first dinner theater experience tonight, seeing Legally Blonde: The Musical (which I don't even think I knew existed?) in Hagerstown. Carrie, Amy, and I decided to go after we learned one of our students (actually a recent graduate) was playing the lead role. Lots of fun to start off what will be a theater-filled weekend. (Waitress tomorrow with Jane!)

"Why this story?"

24 May 2018: This post's title is a question posed in a piece by Linda Holmes, my imaginary best friend when it comes to all things pop culture. She asks why in particular the story of Jason Bateman (and other members of the Arrested Development cast) dismissing Jessica Walter's experience touched such a nerve for Holmes and so many others (myself included). As usual, she hits it out of the park. The short answer: "It's not the worst story, but it's such a complete story."

"In Praise of Prickly Women"

23 May 2018: This piece is giving me life this morning. Love it. Here's a excerpt: "Despite the negative connotations and perceptions they incite, Prickly Women have exactly the kind of insight and persistence needed as the crises in higher education continue to mount. We argue that among the deluge of advice being tossed around to address those crises, one of the most radically simple solutions would be to identify your Prickly Women and listen to them."

"Anything, Anytime, Anywhere"

22 May 2018:

"Tomorrow may come, it usually does
Don't know what it will bring to the two of us
I just want you to know
What I'm ready to do
Anything, anytime, anywhere
For you" --Jimmy Buffett, "Anything, Anytime, Anywhere"

Summer teaching, day one...

21 May 2018: One day down and it was, as expected, a pleasure. I have six great students in that class--all majors, all students I have had before. We actually ran out of time, a testament to their enthusiasm. So, off we go!

Summertime...

20 May 2018: Really feeling that summertime vibe today in part because it finally stopped raining and the temperature jumped into the 80s. It's been a packed and lovely day: cleaned the bathrooms (that part wasn't lovely, but the results are), took the Back Alley Garden and Tea Tour with Carrie and her girls, and settled in for some reading and relaxation. In a bit, Amy is coming over and I am breaking out the grill for the first time this season. Perfect.

(Summer school does start tomorrow, but I won't let that bug me too much!)

"Poetry"

19 May 2018: Today's post comes courtesy of the Poem-a-Day email. Been feeling things lately and poetry always plays a role in that.

"Poetry" 
Claude McKay

Sometimes I tremble like a storm-swept flower,
And seek to hide my tortured soul from thee,
Bowing my head in deep humility
Before the silent thunder of thy power.
Sometimes I flee before thy blazing light,
As from the specter of pursuing death;
Intimidated lest thy mighty breath,
Windways, will sweep me into utter night.
For oh, I fear they will be swallowed up—
The loves which are to me of vital worth,
My passion and my pleasure in the earth—
And lost forever in thy magic cup!
I fear, I fear my truly human heart
Will perish on the altar-stone of art!

Rainy day vibes...

18 May 2018: Plugging away in the office, getting some work done, thinking big thoughts while it rains (again)...

Day trippin'

17 May 2018: Had a great day today with Amy, visiting Shenandoah Caverns, the Route 11 potato chip factory (who knew?), the Patsy Cline House, and more.

The Girl with Seven Names

16 May 2018: The Girl with Seven Names, by Hyeonseo Lee, is the Common Reading for the upcoming year at Shepherd. I started it this morning and, about eighty pages in, I find it quite compelling. It is making me think about The Handmaid's Tale (the TV series more than the novel). Sometimes when I watch the show and take in the world that is Gilead, I think, "Is this a bit too much? Would a government really be able to pull of this level of control, down to eliminating writing and having people so thoroughly indoctrinated?" Those are silly questions to ask, I know, considering what human history has shown us, but I still sometimes find myself incredulous that such things can actually happen. This book, though, set in North Korea, is stunning in its depiction of how such systems work. It is, in that way, a very dark book, a darkness enhanced by its timely topic given the day's news.

There are moments of light, though, a welcome reminder of how love can shape us even in such difficult circumstances. Lee's depiction of her parents' relationship--their deep love for each other--is quite touching. As she explains, her mother's family opposed the idea of the marriage, even insisting she marry another man. Yet "[l]ove...was setting a course of its own, cutting through my grandmother's best-laid plans, like water finding its way to the sea." Lovely.

Spot-on

15 May 2018: When a former student captures your essence in a card/gift combo...

Shade, 1913 style...

14 May 2018: "One has but to examine a considerable number of the Doctors' theses in the library of any great university to be at once struck by the patiently wrought-out results of a great mass of mediocre observations." --John Harrington Cox, writing in 1913 about "The Best Preparation for the College Teacher of English."

This little project that I am working on about Lucy Larcom and her connection to some of the debates about gender, labor, and teaching today has led me to some fascinating analyses from over 100 years ago. It is strange how little has changed. Even in 1900, people were worried about compensation, work-load, and quality in/of composition instruction, for instance. And people were already concerned about the disconnect between the kind of research/writing graduate students completed and the kind of teaching they were doing. Cox's little bit of shade (quoted above) made me laugh out loud, even as I treasure and see value in my own little "mediocre observations."

"Swallowing volcanoes"

13 May 2018: "I don't allow myself to answer, very often; but swallowing volcanoes isn't good for the soul's digestive organs." --Lucy Larcom, in an 1857 letter to a friend, explaining how she holds her tongue around a certain colleague.

Ran across this little gem while doing some research this morning. I mean, tell me that isn't a terrific metaphor? 

I actually find myself trying to swallow fewer volcanoes these days. Feels pretty good!

Dipping my toe into the virtual lake...

12 May 2018: Over this past week, I have been completing Shepherd's online teaching certification course, basically the class you have to take to be allowed to teach online. I have about zero interest in teaching online during the regular semester, almost entirely because so much of my teaching is discussion-based and I just can't think of how I could make the adjustment. (This is actually more a criticism of myself than of teaching online.) But for summer classes, which I have struggled a bit to fill recently, it might make sense to at least try it. Like the little kid refusing to eat broccoli, I need to try it before I dismiss it. So I am taking the class which more or less concludes today.

I can see lots of potential (and work!) if someone wanted to do this right. And it's been kind of fun (sort of?) playing around with some of the tools out there.

Here's one example. I know it's boring and the sound is terrible (long story), but I think it's kind of cool.

"The Secret Auden"

11 May 2018: "W.H. Auden had a secret life that his closest friends knew little or nothing about. Everything about it was generous and honorable. He kept it secret because he would have been ashamed to have been praised for it." --Edward Mendelson, at the beginning of this lovely piece.

"The Hallway Ask"

10 May 2018: "Yet we can also see how Elizabeth could become a sort of “porter” for the department, carrying a greater weight of the work others don’t want to do, and how Dan, Amanda, those behind closed doors and the department chair are fine with that. Reward systems in most colleges and universities allow for significant autonomy and tend to recognize individualistic rather than collective behavior. Without awareness of the possibility of bias, policies and practices that ensure equity, and department leaders and faculty members committed to and willing to act to ensure fairness, Elizabeth’s door seems the obvious first choice." --KerryAnn O'Meara, in this great article from insidehighered.com.

Such an important article. I have been thinking about these issues a lot lately and how I can help break the patterns described. It even connects to a larger project/conference presentation I am working on about Lucy Larcom. Over 100 years ago, she was a teacher whose door seemed like the obvious choice for people needing help--and it put her in a difficult position.

Caught on the stairs...

9 May 2018: Cue epic stair-stare down.

Flowers and donuts...

8 May 2018: You know a day is going to good when the morning starts with a long walk, then moves on to getting flowers to plant in the yard from a very cool nursery, and then culminates with a visit to the Mennonite bakery I have heard about for years but never visited.

So yeah: getting lots of steps, some flowers, and freaking delicious donuts? That's a good morning!

A lovely pause

7 May 2018: "I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live." --Ecclesiastes 3:12

I have spent some time this morning editing a couple of essays for Sparks, essays that grew out of my Bible as Literature class. I marvel over how this class continues to effect me. The line quoted above--quoted in a student's fantastic essay on the strange book that is Ecclesiastes--made me pause in the middle of my editing and smile.

"Horses"

6 May 2018:

Just a simple poem for today...

"Words are hoops
Through which to leap upon meanings,
Which are horses’ backs,
Bare, moving." --Witter Bynner, "Horses"

Graduation 2018

[Catch-up post]

5 May 2018: Graduation 2018 is in the books. As always, a bittersweet day.

Some photo highlights...

"Better Days"

4 May 2018:
"These are better days baby
These are better days it true
These are better days
There's better days shining through" -- Bruce Springsteen, "Better Days"

Hidden bloom

3 May 2018: I have had this Christmas cactus for years. I don't think it's ever had more than a tiny bloom. For most of those years, it was on the dresser in the guest room. A couple of months ago I moved it closer to the window. It wasn't to make it bloom--I just needed some room and figured it was the plant Veronica was least likely to mess with. But I suppose that did the trick. Today, I lifted it up to water it and found this huge bloom. It was just waiting there, in all its beauty, and no one could see it, but it didn't care. It just did its thing and waited for someone to find it and be delighted. Yes, yes...there's a metaphor there.

Bittersweet celebration...

2 May 2018: Celebrated the retirement of my friend and colleague, Jim, today. He is one of the most decent and kind people I know. And smart and funny and just all around wonderful. I will miss him very much.

Thinking about Dickinson...

1 May 2018: "A love so big it scares her, rushing among her small heart — pushing aside her blood — and leaving her all faint and white..." --Emily Dickinson, Second "Master" Letter

I suppose that as National Poetry Month ends and we turn to May it makes sense that my Dickinson thoughts also turn away from her poetry and towards her poetic prose... You don't need a PhD to understand how stunning these pieces are. Look at those lines and what she is up to there. Amazing.