Personal Foul: Ad Hominem Attack(s) On Higher Ed
Dear Gov. Bevin, My original plan for this morning included spending a few carefully hoarded hours to write something fun and maybe frivolous to satisfy myself as a writer and give myself a little break from my hectic schedule, because I have been working seven days a week (yes – including the long holiday weekend)…
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About Your Mark
I recently read Amy King’s Ancient Sunlight (brought to me by Poem-a-Day) and I have been thinking about her words as well as her motivation for writing the poem: ‘Ancient Sunlight’ is a consideration of the ways in which we attempt to preserve aspects of ourselves via identity, via material existence (hence the physics aspect)…
Read MoreI’m Not OK But Thanks For Asking
I’m not OK, but thanks for asking. No really. I know I have a well-deserved reputation for sarcasm, but that was not sarcasm. I can’t tell you how much it means that so many people care about me and have gone out of their way to check on me – reaching out across the country…
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The Travelogue
Summer is the season of travel and so this is an ideal time to think about writing the travelogue. Also, it is a good time to start taking care of yourself, and your skin, try the pore vacuum and let me know how it goes. The travelogue is simply a record of the experiences of a…
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The Art and Practice of Flanerie
I am in the midst of preparing my course materials for a writing class I will teach in Scotland next summer through the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA). The focus of the class will be the art and practice of flanerie. I believe this is an ideal framework for a group of writers who…
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Thinking About the Hinge
This morning I read A Better Life by Randall Mann and I am still thinking about this poem. I have already written in my journal this morning and I expect I will return to this idea again which is why I wanted to share this poem as a writing prompt. Mann notes: “I wrote this poem on the…
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A Poem A Day
I’ve written before that signing up for the Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day was one of the best things I could do for myself as someone still working their way to a place where she might be able to call herself a poet (still not there!). The poems themselves are such an eclectic selection of older works and…
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Challenge Yourself
One of the things I constantly stress with my students is to move outside their comfort zone. It is only outside our comfort zones that we learn and grow — evolve if you will. While this is important for students, it is equally important for the rest of us. When was the last time you…
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Night Walk
Moon shine brings night shade Fresh-mown grass sweet underfoot Frog harmony lulls Soft black fur between fingers Mint leaf breaking on tongue
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Capture A Moment
I wrote a poem this morning that made me cry (see Saucijsjes) because it reminded me so sharply of my grandmother. I love her dearly and miss her terribly, but she is hardly the sort of person people write poetry about. She was just a home cooking, gardening, canning, church going sort of grandmother who loved…
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Saucijsjes
The thing to remember about cooking with grandma is that Nothing is exact No measuring cups or spoons Just dollops, scoops, and pinches Everything is by touch and taste Until it is right First divide the sausage Six to a pound if you are feeding the family Twelve for a party Already I’m cheating…
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To Camp
Soul sick and weary The road to Yosemite Promises cleansing Never the same journey twice Bonds renewed, joy recovered This Tanka poem was inspired by our yearly (sometimes twice yearly) trek to deliver our son to church camp in Yosemite, Kentucky. He has fun with new and old friends, but it is also a…
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