All Work and No Play

And so begins the start of the Summer 2010 Academic Quarter. I'll be teaching ENG 453, which I always teach as a prosody/forms course. The challenge of teaching such a course during the summer is that I've got fewer days to work with. The good news--I've got fewer days to work with. We'll be traipsing quickly from sonnets, to triolets, to sestinas and the quarter will be done in no time.

I think, this time, since there are so few of us--I'm going to try to write along with my class. Here's the danger of such an exercise--what if I suck?

Still, there are only eight students signed up for the class. It shouldn't be bad, and I can spend more time teaching the forms. During the academic year, our classes in the creative writing program are always at 20 students, which challenges the workshop dynamic. Quality instruction can give way to expediency. So having a small class will be a pleasant change.

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I've managed to scratch four poems in the two weeks I've been off from teaching. That's pretty good. Usually I reserve my writing for August. As for the poems, they're drafts. Not great, but part of some bigger project.

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Years ago I thought it was a good idea to run for the Senior Class presidency of my high school. I am now regretting the choices of my past--it's time for our 20 year reunion and I've been running around organizing the event from 500 miles away. Tell your children not to run for Senior Class President when they're in high school. They'll thank you for it years from now.

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I DID manage to get some play in. I've been thoroughly enjoying the new season of True Blood. Meredith and I are so hooked. We both are big fans of Jessica.

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Current Spin:

VEGA. A little Summer disco to get the heart pumping before getting to work.

 

Oliver de la Paz