Today I fell down a couple of internet rabbit holes, on fine recommendations from other essayist/teachers. Today the practice of being a better teacher meant some research was in order. Here is what I found: A good-and-creepy piece of fiction: https://catapult.co/stories/short-story-all-the-ways-he-wont-die An interesting take on how and why to avert disasters: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1987/02/23/atchafalaya Read more…
Today was payday, and since I’m getting new gutters in less than a week, I’m already out of disposable cash until my next check. I’m lucky: all my bills are paid and I was able to buy a couple of house things (including some solar lights for the driveway, which Read more…
Today was such a shitty day at ye olde day job, that I wanted to spend the evening doing nothing but knitting and maybe reading. I didn’t want to log in and check the discussions today. My stressed out bad attitude self tried to tell me that I’d be a Read more…
Today I met a few of my new students in my online writing workshop, and I am already loving the diversity of their experiences and topics. The course is being taught on a new platform, so I’ll be getting used to it as I get to know these writers. It’s Read more…
I read three essays today, on the eve of my workshop class starting. The first two are collected in Best American Science and Nature Writing 2015, edited by Rebecca Skloot (and series editor, Tim Folger). Here are my notes: “The City and the Sea” by Meera Subramanian, originally published in Read more…
Today I got my student evaluations from the last semester. They were glowing. I scored above the college and school in almost every category (except that my students care less for this class than they do on average). This should be great news, except it comes after a semester in Read more…
My online course starts on Monday, and today was my day to log in and make sure it all looked okay. But a technical difficulty made that impossible. Instead I went to see The Shape of Water. As far as comic-book-esque films go, it was well done. I haven’t been Read more…
What a long, strange season it’s been. Marvin and I have gotten a lot of stuff done on the house. He can take credit for the paint and the amazing floors, professionals helped us with roofing, grading, plumbing, and (not pictured) carpenter ant control, and I (and a host of Read more…
Today, a writer I worked with late last fall posted about (among other things) her experience of me as a reader and coach. It was a very generous review and I felt my usual mix of gratitude and disbelief. Grateful for the kind words and unconvinced that they really describe Read more…
I read three new essays last night and as I did so, I thought a bit about what I look for in essays for class. My curriculum focuses on bringing stories of scientific discovery and policy to life–by way of character development, scene setting, and narrative structures designed to engage Read more…