Okay. I think I almost have the assignment sequencing down for my Comp II classes. With some tweaking. Of course. Here's what I'm thinking (keep in mind that we're required to have 4 major projects in Comp II, at least 2 of which must be research-based): Sequence I: keep the interview write-up, but add 2-3... Continue Reading →
First Meeting
The following narrative was written in response to a prompt I gave my creative nonfiction students: Develop a scene that describes an important event in your life. The catch? The event you choose has to be less than 5 minutes long, and the scene should be no longer than 700 words. For the record, I... Continue Reading →
6-word memoir
On the first day of my creative nonfiction class, we composed a 6-word memoir as a way of introducing ourselves to each other. First, we looked at examples of the genre: click here to visit Smith magazine’s 6-word memoir page (which is a separate page from the 6-word stories site (a la Hemingway)). And check... Continue Reading →
Writing.
I'm teaching a creative nonfiction workshop this semester, which excites me and makes me nervous. This is the first upper-level course I've taught at my current university, and it is populated mostly with graduating seniors, who, though good students, are more focused on getting the heck out of here than on the intricacies of my... Continue Reading →
Today
I am lucky enough to have a comp class this semester in which the students regularly push each other to be better writers and thinkers; I often just sit back and watch what happens. They're spoiling me, and I'm grateful for the experience. I'll stop being obnoxious now.
Life in Oklahoma
Just because I like this whole "slideshow" option in WordPress, I thought I'd post some random pics I've taken of things unique to this region: I've included (not necessarily in this order) a working oil well next to a McDonald's in Oklahoma City; a gas well (which is much smaller than the huge oil wells... Continue Reading →
A summer project (or two)
I've never been a very crafty of DIY kind of person. It's a lack of skill, not a dislike of the idea, that's been my problem historically. Lately, though, I've found myself much more interested in design blogs (both fashion- and home decor-related), such as Ramshackle Glam, Apartment Therapy, That's Quirky, The Glitter Guide, b*spoke,... Continue Reading →
Spring break, anyone?
Well. . .it's been awhile. As usual. This week is spring break: Dave and I went to Colorado Springs for a long weekend. We went up to Pikes Peak (no apostrophe, which frustrates me a bit--it should be Pike's Peak!) on a train; we visited the Garden of the Gods; we took a lantern tour... Continue Reading →
For the record
I successfully defended my dissertation on June 22 (yay), I made the appropriate revisions and submitted the diss to Ohiolink (where it will live happily ever after with all the other theses and dissertations written at Ohio universities) (double yay), I am in the throes of planning my courses for SWOSU (triple yay), and Dave and... Continue Reading →
essaying the plains 