Latte and a Rice Krispy Treat

Yes, that's what I'm snacking on in my office after a day filled with talking to students about poems.

My throat is parched and a latte, perhaps, isn't the best solution.

I find that 15 minutes of a conference is often more valuable to students than an hour and fifteen minutes of lecture. Besides, I do like chatting with my students as individuals. They're quite interesting people who've got a lot of things on their minds and in their lives.

In my capacity as the Creative Writing adviser for Western Washington University's English department, I'm finding that I do like the position a lot because I can literally sit students down and talk to them about what brought them to the major, which is supposedly a love for the language.

I do find people who use the major as a place to hide. Of course, there are plenty of those and they make themselves known through their work. But I also find students who are sincerely in love with the language, have stories they want to tell, and have stories that need to be told.

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My students in the long poem class are in the middle of their projects now. Wow. All I can say. They've got some really fascinating poems--tangled, but fascinating.

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The sun is out and I suppose it'll stick around through the weekend. The family will probably go to the Tulip Festival this weekend. Good idea, eh?

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Current Spin:

DeVotchKa. "How It Ends."

YAY! Going to see them on the 22nd!