I'm teaching two courses this summer, both good. In my creative nonfiction writing class, they are producing good work and writing along with them forced me to start on a memoir book project. That won't show up here, becasue it is realy a book, not the episodic thing that would chunk out into column-like chapters. … Continue reading Advice to an advocacy student writer
My Mother’s Kitchen: A Prompt
The storybook ranch’s kitchen in 1963. Note the red step stool so that I could reach the stovetop to make my own grilled cheese sandwich. I drove to the old neighborhood in northeast Wichita the other day to see how it looks now. It is larger, of course. The wheat fields behind my street long … Continue reading My Mother’s Kitchen: A Prompt
Not sugar cookies
She knew how to do daily life and do it well. I came across a series of phots from around that time showing the right way to sweep, beat a rug, and so on. Just think--that means there is a wrong way too, maybe more than one wrong way.
Poetry Reading Tonight
Tonight the Christian County Library is hosting a live poetry mini-workshop and reading in honor of National Poetry Month. Christian County Library Discover your voice through poetry with Missouri Poet Laureate Karen Craigo, and Lanette Cadle. Join their Poetry Workshop to learn and understand this literary art on Zoom, April 15 at 6 p.m. https://zoom.us/j/99329623275 … Continue reading Poetry Reading Tonight
A Retrospective, In-Progress
I remember distinctly wishing mightily for more introspective time in January 2020. I had often wished for this, but it was overwhelming this time. Be careful what you wish for. Sometimes you get it. I attended one last face-to-face meeting on my way off-campus Thursday before Spring Break. I wondered if changes were coming, and … Continue reading A Retrospective, In-Progress
Note to those teaching writing online as Graduate Teaching Assistants this fall
I originally wrote this as a note to the graduate teaching assistants in my department who will be getting the one-two punch this falI--they will be teaching Writing II instead of Writing I for the first time and they will be teaching writing online for the first time. You may feel that one of those … Continue reading Note to those teaching writing online as Graduate Teaching Assistants this fall
In-Text Citation and Argument
I know this doesn't sound very exciting, but I am reading some stellar papers from my Gender Issues in Language and Literature class and love the ideas, yet with some papers, mourn that the execution of those ideas are hampered by incorrect or overly-minimal in-text citation. So this is for them and all the other … Continue reading In-Text Citation and Argument
About Independent Writing
This is an end of semester overview I give my Wiriting I students. They are about to enter the world of independent writing, and there are some common things to keep an eye on as they write for other classes or in the workplace. An end-of semester look at the most common areas students work … Continue reading About Independent Writing
The weight of grading
I always do the PAD Challenge, but I don’t always finish. It’s hard to predict what will make me stop. I completed the challenge the year that should have been the hardest, the April my mom had a heart attack and I spent much of that month at her side. I don’t know how I … Continue reading The weight of grading
PAD Day 12
The challenge for today was a spiritual poem.
