2013 is the year of Awesome / A teacher's education / Academia / Academic inquiries / accidental confessions / Another summer in a winter town / Art and life and love and The Big Stuff / awesome / Bizarre associations and other odd tendencies / Chchchchanges / childhood ailments and other daily disasters / creative writing / disappearances / DUENDE / education / edumacation / Embarrassing stories / Emma is very lucky / Emma's Awkward Adolescence / Emma's Adventures in Over-Analyzing / Emma's attempts at normal life / Emma's attempts at real life (failed or otherwise) / Fear and how to face it / graduate school / gratuitous photos of whatnot / Happy accidents / learning / Losing courage and other freakouts / Movin' on / My nerves are bad tonight. Yes bad. / my students / odd comparisons and awkward metaphors / overthinking / pedagogy / Scenes from my childhood / So long / teaching / teaching writing / the heft of cathedral tunes / the three jobs / thought for the day / where are you going where have you been / writing community / writing teachers

The Accidental Professor

When I was a little kid and we went to the beach, I always had this strange and terrifying and utterly disorienting moment where I’d think to myself this is our first day at the beach; we have four more days at the beach, and then this vacation is over.  That sentence, I now realize, … Continue reading »

2013 is the year of Awesome / A festival of photos / A teacher's education / Alice B. Toklas (feline version) / announcements / appearances / awesome / bad behavior in public places / books / classroom / creative writing / creative writing pedagogy / disagreeable/agreeable / education / edumacation / Embarrassing stories / Emma is very lucky / Epic / EPIC WIN / eyebrows / GenPop Books / Georgia / Georgia Southern / Gertrude Stein (feline version) / Going to eleven / gratuitous photos of whatnot / instagram / Interviews / kidney stones / learning / Live-Tweeting / Malificae / medical curiosities / META / multi-tasking / Mustachio'd Kitties / My meowing roommates / NaPoMo / NaPoWriMo / Online culture / pedagogy / Perspiration? Inspiration? / Photo for the day / Photography / poem challenge / poem for the day / poems / poetry / Poetry Exercises / poets / Probably quite a bit TMI / relationships / shameless cat photos / shameless self-promotion / Squee! / teaching / teaching writing / The grind / The latest medical anomaly / the poem factory / The Witch Trials / Twitter / What Emma is up to / wonders and apparitions / writing community / writing life / writing teachers

“And on the radio you hear ‘November Rain;’ that solo’s awful long, but it’s got a good refrain.”*

In which I announce the fact that I’m going to be on the radio tomorrow and talk about how awful the weather is today, which may or may not also happen tomorrow on the radio. Continue reading »

2013 is the year of Awesome / A manifesto of sorts / A teacher's education / Academia / Academic inquiries / accidental confessions / aesthetic theory / All-around amazing people / Amazing discoveries and wondrous visions / appearances / Art and life and love and The Big Stuff / awesome kids we should all keep an eye out for / bad behavior in public places / bright shining spots in the very much dark / classroom / COLLECT! / cool/not cool / creative writing / creative writing pedagogy / Department of Writing and Linguistics / disagreeable/agreeable / Doing / drafts / education / edumacation / Embarrassing stories / Emma is very lucky / Epic Fail? EPIC WIN! / Failure Schmailure / Fear and how to face it / Free to Be You and Me / Georgia Southern / Going to eleven / Inquiries into academics / inspiration / Internet culture / it is ON. / learning / Losing courage and other freakouts / my students / NaPoMo / NaPoWriMo / On being a poet / Online culture / pedagogy / perfection is boring. period. / Perspiration? Inspiration? / pictorial representations / poems / poetry / Poetry Exercises / teaching / teaching writing / The evolution of Emma / The grind / the poem factory / There is no try / What Emma is up to / wonders and apparitions / writing community / writing life / writing teachers / You better work / [expletive deleted]

Are There Things That Are Important Beyond All This Fiddle? Or NaPoWriMo and You

In which Emma rationalizes her decision to write and post a poem a day along with her students. Publicly. No, really. Continue reading »

"The Glass Essay" / A manifesto of sorts / Academia / Academic inquiries / aesthetic theory / Anne Carson / Art and life and love and The Big Stuff / Artist's Renditions / avant-garde / AWP / AWP 2013 / AWP Boston / balance / books / color-coding / contemporary poetry / creative nonfiction / Creative Writing Scholarship / criticism / definitions / education / edumacation / Emily Dickinson / Emily Dickinson = The Ultimate / Emma's Adventures in Over-Analyzing / Emma's theories on what makes for Very Good Poetry / Errata / evaluations / experimental poetry / experimental writing / Form / Happy accidents / influences / Inquiries into academics / Language systems / Maggie Nelson / Maps and legends / movements / mullings and ramblings / nonfiction / On being a poet / poems / poetry / Poetry Rock Stars / poetry superheroes / poets / publishing / publishing (or not publishing / ranting and raving / reading / readings / The avant-garde / the genre line (and stepping over it) / the lyric essay / Those Who Walk The Same Line / visual representations / writing community / writing life / You gotta have friends

Are We Après The Avant?*

In which Emma takes a lot of cold medicine and gets deep with her thoughts. Continue reading »

2013 is the year of Awesome / A manifesto of sorts / A teacher's education / Academia / Academic inquiries / Amazing discoveries and wondrous visions / Art and life and love and The Big Stuff / awesome / AWP / AWP 2013 / AWP Boston / bad behavior in public places / books / bright shining spots in the very much dark / Chchchchanges / contemporary poetry / Corrections / Cue the Golden Girls theme song / disagreeable/agreeable / education / edumacation / Emily Dickinson = The Ultimate / Emma is very lucky / Emma's Adventures in Over-Analyzing / Emma's attempts at real life (failed or otherwise) / Emma's theories on what makes for Very Good Poetry / Epic / EPIC WIN / evaluations / events / Failure Schmailure / False Dichotomies / Fight the power! / Free to Be You and Me / Friendship Is Magic / Going to eleven / graduate school / Home / hopes and dreams / Inquiries into academics / inspiration / Instructions / learning / learning patience slowly / Losing courage and other freakouts / Maps and legends / META / MFA / mullings and ramblings / On being a poet / perfection is boring. period. / Perspiration? Inspiration? / poems / poetry / poets / Power to the People / publishing / publishing (or not publishing / random musings / ranting and raving / re-purposing / Recharging the mental batteries / rejection / rejection slippage / Retrospective / summations / teaching / teaching writing / The evolution of Emma / the poem factory / The power and the money / The Thoughts of a Poetry Fan Girl / the three jobs / thought for the day / where are you going where have you been / Who The Eff Cares? / wonders and apparitions / Words of Wisdom / writers conferences / writing and not writing / Writing Anew / writing community / writing life / writing space / writing teachers / You better work / You gotta have friends

AWP: Traditions, Revisions, Permissions (Or I’m Okay, You’re Okay, Let’s Skip The Dance Party)

She doesn’t even go here! Continue reading »

2013 is the year of Awesome / A festival of linkage / A festival of photos / A teacher's education / Academia / Academic inquiries / accidental confessions / All-around amazing people / Amazing discoveries and wondrous visions / announcements / appearances / Art and life and love and The Big Stuff / awesome / awesome kids we should all keep an eye out for / awesome presses / AWP / AWP 2013 / AWP Boston / bad behavior in public places / Bad girls and good girls gone bad / Bizarre associations and other odd tendencies / book signings / books / bright shining spots in the very much dark / chapbooks / COLLECT! / contemporary poetry / Cue the Golden Girls theme song / Department of Writing and Linguistics / education / edumacation / Emily Dickinson = The Ultimate / Emma is very lucky / Emma's attempts at normal life / Emma's attempts at real life (failed or otherwise) / Emma's theories on what makes for Very Good Poetry / EPIC WIN / events / Fan Girl / Free to Be You and Me / Georgia Southern / Going to eleven / gratitude / Indian Springs School Visiting Writers Series / Inquiries into academics / inspiration / instagram / Internet culture / IRL Drama Llama / it is ON. / Kate Greenstreet / learning / my students / One Can Find Me Here (Or At Least My Words) / Online culture / Pass it on! / plans / poems / poetry / Poetry Rock Stars / poetry superheroes / poets / reading / readings / Sarah Lawrence College / schedules / shameless self-promotion / Sicilian slang / Squee! / teaching / teaching writing / The latest medical anomaly / The Witch Trials / Very Excellent News / What Emma is up to / where are you going where have you been / Where You Can Find Me (Or At Least My Words) / wonders and apparitions / writers conferences / writing community / writing life / writing teachers / You better work / You gotta have friends

Sometimes things are exciting …

In which Emma talks about some Seriously Exciting Things and gives so many links your head may explode with all the awesome. Continue reading »

2012 / 365 / A festival of photos / A teacher's education / Academia / Academic inquiries / accidental confessions / Alice B. Toklas (feline version) / All-around amazing people / Amazing discoveries and wondrous visions / Another winter in a summer town / appearances / awesome / bad behavior in public places / bright shining spots in the very much dark / Chchchchanges / classroom / cool/not cool / Cue the Golden Girls theme song / definitions / disappearances / education / edumacation / Emma is very lucky / Emma marvels at the wonder that is winter / Emma's dsyfunctional relationship with Diet Coke / Epic Cat Battles / Facebook / Facebook memes / flickr / Georgia / Gertrude Stein (feline version) / gratuitous photos of whatnot / Hipstamatic / Home / How Emily Dickinson changed (saved?) my life / Inquiries into academics / inspiration / instagram / It is ON 2012 / learning / memes / Mr. Turkey / mullings and ramblings / My addiction to terrible television / My meowing roommates / nonappearances / odd comparisons and awkward metaphors / pedagogy / perfection is boring. period. / Photo for the day / Photography / plans / poem for the day / Poem of the Day! / poems / poetry / Poetry Rock Stars / poetry superheroes / poets / Pretty glimpses / random musings / ranting and raving / re-purposing / Recharging the mental batteries / Retrospectitating / Retrospective / shameless cat photos / Shifting metaphors / Squee! / summations / Tangents that should be entires on their own / teaching / teaching writing / Thanks and thanks again / That Was The Week That Was / The evolution of Emma / The grind / the heft of cathedral tunes / the poem factory / The Secret Life of Objects / Turkeys are squooshy?! / What Emma is up to / where are you going where have you been / wonders and apparitions / writers conferences / writing community / writing life / writing teachers / You gotta have friends

That Was The Week That Was: Week Forty-Two

In which Emma combines Instagram, poetry, and general misanthropy in an attempt to make the most obnoxious blog entry ever. Continue reading »

2012 / 365 / A festival of photos / accidental confessions / aesthetic theory / Alice B. Toklas (feline version) / Amazing discoveries and wondrous visions / appearances / bad behavior in public places / bright shining spots in the very much dark / Department of Writing and Linguistics / drafts / Emma hits a wall / Emma is very lucky / Emma's attempts at normal life / Emma's attempts at real life (failed or otherwise) / Epic Cat Battles / EPIC FAIL / Epic Fail? EPIC WIN! / EPIC WIN / Film / flickr / Free to Be You and Me / Friendship Is Magic / Georgia / Georgia Southern / Going to eleven / graduate school / gratuitous photos of whatnot / Hipstamatic / hopes and dreams / How the iPhone changed my life / inspiration / instagram / INTENSE / Internet culture / internet fads / It is ON 2012 / it is ON. / kitteh / learning / lolcats / Mustachio'd Kitties / My meowing roommates / Perspiration? Inspiration? / Photo for the day / Photography / poem challenge / poem for the day / poems / poetry / poets / reading / readings / Retrospectitating / Retrospective / shameless cat photos / Squee! / Thanks and thanks again / The grind / the poem factory / where are you going where have you been / writing community / writing life

That Was The Week That Was: Week Forty-One

In which Emma is tired and skips the intro. Continue reading »

2012 / 365 / A festival of photos / A teacher's education / Academia / Academic inquiries / accidental confessions / Alice B. Toklas (feline version) / All-around amazing people / bad behavior in public places / childhood ailments and other daily disasters / classroom / cool/not cool / creative nonfiction / Department of Writing and Linguistics / education / edumacation / Emma hits a wall / Emma is cursed / Emma is very lucky / Emma's dsyfunctional relationship with Diet Coke / failed or otherwise / family / Family Traditions / Film / flickr / Free to Be You and Me / Georgia / Georgia Southern / gratuitous photos of whatnot / Home / housekeeping / Inquiries into academics / inspiration / instagram / IRL Drama Llama / It is ON 2012 / kidney stones / kitteh / My meowing roommates / New Fangled Technology and Whatnot / odd comparisons and awkward metaphors / pedagogy / Photo for the day / Photography / pictorial representations / Probably quite a bit TMI / Resolutions / Retrospectitating / Retrospective / shameless cat photos / stalled / Stationary Objects and Collisions Therewith / teaching / teaching writing / Terrible unfunny puns / That Was The Week That Was / The Drama Llama / The Great Kidney Stone Battle Royale of 2012 / The latest medical anomaly / The Year of Projects / thought for the day / training / velociraptors / visual representations / What Emma is up to / Who The Eff Cares? / wonders and apparitions / writing community / writing teachers / [expletive deleted]

That Was The Week That Was: Week Thirty-One

In which Emma captions photos and tells some jokes that aren’t jokes because she is too tired to tell if something is actually funny or not. Continue reading »

2012 / A manifesto of sorts / A teacher's education / Academia / Academic inquiries / accidental confessions / Another summer in a winter town / Art and life and love and The Big Stuff / Artie / classroom / Corrections / creative nonfiction / creative writing pedagogy / definitions / Department of Writing and Linguistics / disagreeable/agreeable / drafts / education / edumacation / Errata / False Dichotomies / Georgia Southern / Google / internet fads / kidney stones / learning / memes / Movin' on / mullings and ramblings / multi-tasking / nonfiction / Notes to Gentle Reader / Perspiration? Inspiration? / random musings / ranting and raving / re-purposing / Recharging the mental batteries / revision / So long / summations / Syllabi / Tangents that should be entires on their own / teaching / teaching writing / The evolution of Emma / The Great Kidney Stone Battle Royale of 2012 / The latest medical anomaly / The only living boy in New York / thought for the day / Thoughts of a Nonfiction Fan Girl / Twitter / velociraptors / What Emma is up to / where are you going where have you been / writing and not writing / Writing Anew / writing community / writing life / writing teachers

Hey, Let Your Honesty Shine, Shine, Shine …

In which Emma does some thinking about honesty, responsibility, truth, and facts. Continue reading »