I do not claim to be the greatest Wordle player ever, though my stats are pretty good: 98% win and a max streak of 45 days. I’d like to say that after 45 days, I skipped a day over the holidays, which I did, but in fact, it did beat me once before that. OhContinue reading “My Wordle Strategy”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Notice for SubTracker Users
LibreOffice Base now prompts me to install Java JDK (developer’s kit) instead of Java RTE (run-time engine) that most users have. They seem to have an issue with locating RTE on Macs, though this issue just developed. On the error message you receive, there is a link to a page at LibreOffice that explains (aContinue reading “Notice for SubTracker Users”
Solidarity for Ukraine
I do not pretend to have answers about the senseless and unnecessary war that Putin has instigated in Ukraine, but my heart goes out to its people. Once, for many years actually, a good colleague, George Pinchuk did his best to educate us all on the political situation and the culture of Ukraine. He wasContinue reading “Solidarity for Ukraine”
Happy Holidays!
The holiday season is always in interesting time for academics. On the one hand, we have a break from classes for a few weeks — this year is longer than most due to shortened COVID semesters — and we need it for working on syllabi for the next semester and dealing with all the fall-outContinue reading “Happy Holidays!”
First Day of School
Remember all those pictures of kids on their first day of school? The pictures may be a little different this year. Yesterday was the first class day at Mississippi University for Women, where I have taught for 26 years, and though campus was abuzz with activity (at least compared to being a ghost-town during quarantineContinue reading “First Day of School”
The Poet as Plumber
I don’t mean to brag with a title like this, but I did fix our kitchen sink this week. The title sounded too good not to use, and what I really want to do, which is one part of this blog, is just to say that poets are people, too. Last month as we wereContinue reading “The Poet as Plumber”
On Listening to Virgil Suarez and Watching AWP Squirm
Last night I went to hear Virgil Suarez read on a panel with two other poets at #AWP18. The other two poets were good and all, but not ones I knew well. They first poet was Ishion Hutchinson a Jamaican poet who combined surreal meditations with literary allusions to Wordsworth and Keats. Then came MaggieContinue reading “On Listening to Virgil Suarez and Watching AWP Squirm”
Why Rank MFA Programs? Or Why Not…
News appeared recently on the Creative Writing Pedagogy Facebook Group about a new ranking of MFA programs based on publishing history in annual prize anthologies. Naturally, a discussion ensued about the value of rankings (which is dubious, and to credit this one, they even begin their post with a disclaimer about why you shouldn’t careContinue reading “Why Rank MFA Programs? Or Why Not…”
Building Community for A Writer’s Craft
Not long ago, I wrote about setting up the companion website for A Writer’s Craft. That is now up and running, but one thing I had always wanted to add was a discussion area, where teachers could talk about using the book and teaching introductory creative writing in 4 genres, and where students and teachersContinue reading “Building Community for A Writer’s Craft”
Companion Website for AWC
The companion website for my textbook A Writer’s Craft is now available at Bloomsbury Online Resources. Materials for teachers and students are publicly available, including: Teaching with A Writer’s Craft Why Teach 4 Genres Cross-Genre Teaching The Small Group Workshop Full-Class Workshop Midterm and Final Portfolios Teaching Creative Writing with Literary Magazines Plagiarism For Students Journal Exercises OnlineContinue reading “Companion Website for AWC”