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Everyone who knows me knows I'm not afraid of tech, and yet I don't use it much in my classroom. No clickers, few Powerpoint presentations, and I still grade by marking comments on papers (though I tried electronic comments for a couple of years and may go back to it). I'm thinking about this because … Continue reading Teaching and Tech

On Facebook, Seth Abramson pointed to this HuffPo piece by Lev Raphael defending his MFA, and then wrote "as time goes on hopefully we'll hear more and more MFA graduates speak out." Raphael doesn't say how long ago he did his MFA, but I suspect, given his output, it's more than the seven years since … Continue reading Was my MFA worth it?

We just finished watching the documentary 12th and Delaware. It's about a corner in Fort Pierce Florida which has an abortion clinic on one corner and a "pregnancy care center" (i.e. an anti-abortion clinic) across the street. It's an interesting film, no question, and it's certainly worth watching, but there's one major drawback to it … Continue reading 12th and Delaware

There was a period over at Incertus where I wrote long, blistering posts on Stanley Fish's columns. I put in work, took them apart (to one degree or another) and got fairly worked up over them. I stopped when it became clear that it wasn't worth it--I was getting way too agitated--and since then I've … Continue reading We’re not really looking for originality

Stop calling my mobile phone. I'm not voting for you. I'm voting for Kendrick Meek in the primary, and if by some chance you defeat him and make it to the general election, I'm voting for Charlie Crist. I'd be embarrassed to have you in the Senate as a Democrat. Sincerely,

Jessica Smith wrote a post about the incivility in the comment stream at Ron Silliman's blog, and in comment streams in general. Silliman has since turned off his comments, and I can't say I blame him. Comment streams can become ugly places, especially when you get the kind of traffic Silliman does, and you can … Continue reading Poetic Lives Online

At The Rumpus, we have a rule--okay, we have a few rules--but one of them is no lists. Why? As Stephen says, "This is the laziest form of journalism." And this extends beyond the literary scene. Here's an example from the world of sports, a world which dearly loves its lists: the top 20 quarterbacks … Continue reading Why (some) lists are dumb

The news is good--my first book is going to come out because the budget didn't suck quite as bad as it looked like it might. A Witness In Exile will be published, and I'm planning on being positively obnoxious about it once it's available. What that means in practical terms is that I have to … Continue reading In which I throw myself a pity party.

I really had planned on doing this column ahead of time last week, but Friday night found me under the kitchen sink teaching myself how to unhook a garbage disposal and attempt to unclog pipes with a plumber's snake. I was not successful. Here are some poetry stories to look at for this week, though. … Continue reading Poetic Lives Online

Vacation is where you go to remind yourself of how much you love being home. That's probably the most clichéd thing I've ever written, and that's saying something. But tonight, after having spent the better part of three glorious days in St. Petersburg, Florida, I have to say that I think it's accurate. I always … Continue reading Back from vacation