When I first rode the T last Friday, coming from South Station into Cambridge for the first time since mid-January, I was struck with a sense of remembrance for the extreme promise and excitement I felt when living and learning within this mecca of intelligence, artistry and literature.
True, Cambridge is one of the main literary centers of the world, and Boston-Cambridge-MetroWest is one of the most literate and well-read areas of the world, but just coming off the T into this world is like entering a totally new world. It's shape is different--Victorians juxtaposed with crowded streets, MIT and Harvard students ambling from building to building, runners and dog walkers stuffing the sidewalks, and casual tourists snapping photos of everything they deem noteworthy or photo-worthy.
My problem though is seeing everything in poetry. The scream of the T as it slides from track to track between stops is poetic. As is the homeless man who holds a sign in the opposite direction, but his half-full can in mine (intentional on both counts). Everything seems to breathe life into me--into my poetry. I'm feeling unbridled and too jittery (and not just from the coffee) to sit still in seminars. I want to be in a writing circle right now.
If we were forced into a room to write for 12 hours--given some food and beverages here and there--it could be one of the most successful half-days of my life. Poetry is nearly tangible here. Metaphor is palpable (also a metaphor).
And in living this life, I'm left wondering how much of this I can take before I stop paying attention to what's happening around me and start focusing again solely on my work? Will my concentration continue unabated (not as it did last year when I was laid off immediately after the residency and had my world upended violently) for a full year (as I plan to defer my next semester because of full-time teaching)?
All I can do is hope this feeling stays with me and I continue to see everything in terms of poetry. My mind seems sharper and more intelligent while I'm here. I feel like less is impossible.
It's a treat to be able to be here and to have the opportunity to write for not only a hobby, but potentially a career, as being a great reader and writer can only make a trained teacher a better teacher.
I learn more each moment I am here and feel guilty for taking a five minute break right now to blog. Yes, I feel compelled and/or obligated to report on my status, but I feel the same way about returning to my notebook of five recently begun poems, and trying to hammer another few before I focus for an hour on them tonight on the train.
This residency is cathartic, uplifting, invigorating and fulfilling. It's the type of environment I wish I could be surrounded in everyday--is this how I'll feel teaching? How literature and/or writing teachers feel? If being surrounded by learning, writing and literature can feel this fulfilling and 'perfect,' I hope I can only be as lucky as to experience it everyday for the remainder of my life.
Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts
Monday, June 22, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Oprah apologizes to James Frey
In a stunning reversal, Oprah has apologized to James Frey!
What?!
I feel more and more lil' John every time I use that, but honestly and in all seriousness, why would she rescind her evil wishes on him?
His book, A Million Little Pieces, is more than 50% fiction, but was marketed as a non-fiction book, and was one of the first non-fiction books to really gain huge exposure and traction in the literary world not as just a book that is a great read, but has a lot of classical and desirable elements in it. It would have been a huge success had it all been true, or if he had told the truth before the lie escalated so much that his world collapsed and blew apart into about a 100,000 jagged and untruthful pieces.
What's even worse is his next 'memoir,' titled My Friend Leonard, is about a man he met while in jail. The problem? He was never in jail, there is not a man named Leonard and the entirety of the book is fabrication. He has lied to the furthest extent possible and should not be given the decency of a public apology for anyone becoming angry at him for lying. He should know that by duping us, when he could have easily stopped it all from occurring, he should face literary ridicule, at least for more than 5-10 years.
If not, let's all give Pete Rose some commendations again and let him into the Hall of Fame.
A Million Little Pieces was first marketed as a fiction book, but when no one wanted it, Frey changed a handful of ideas and passages and marketed it as a non-fiction. His stories were incredible, moving, heart-wrenching and powerful. They were an instant hit and an enduring classic simultaneously--something achieved by few books (non-fiction or otherwise) today.
Oprah bashed him on the show, in the news and media, and for months afterward refused to speak his name. And now she apologizes. At least let him endure a bit more before the apology!
What?!
I feel more and more lil' John every time I use that, but honestly and in all seriousness, why would she rescind her evil wishes on him?
His book, A Million Little Pieces, is more than 50% fiction, but was marketed as a non-fiction book, and was one of the first non-fiction books to really gain huge exposure and traction in the literary world not as just a book that is a great read, but has a lot of classical and desirable elements in it. It would have been a huge success had it all been true, or if he had told the truth before the lie escalated so much that his world collapsed and blew apart into about a 100,000 jagged and untruthful pieces.
What's even worse is his next 'memoir,' titled My Friend Leonard, is about a man he met while in jail. The problem? He was never in jail, there is not a man named Leonard and the entirety of the book is fabrication. He has lied to the furthest extent possible and should not be given the decency of a public apology for anyone becoming angry at him for lying. He should know that by duping us, when he could have easily stopped it all from occurring, he should face literary ridicule, at least for more than 5-10 years.
If not, let's all give Pete Rose some commendations again and let him into the Hall of Fame.
A Million Little Pieces was first marketed as a fiction book, but when no one wanted it, Frey changed a handful of ideas and passages and marketed it as a non-fiction. His stories were incredible, moving, heart-wrenching and powerful. They were an instant hit and an enduring classic simultaneously--something achieved by few books (non-fiction or otherwise) today.
Oprah bashed him on the show, in the news and media, and for months afterward refused to speak his name. And now she apologizes. At least let him endure a bit more before the apology!
Monday, May 4, 2009
The Boston Glob(e)
In what could mean a huge strike against intelligence, literacy, and journalism in Massachusetts, The Boston Globe has received its initial 60-day shutdown notice from The NY Times Co., which owns it. While the unions refer to it as a 'bullying' tactic, it has shown a lot of promise as unions are still at the table to produce $20+ million in cuts to the newspaper, employees, benefits, and concessions, which will ultimately erase nearly half of the $50 million the newspaper lost last year, and may erase most of the projected $75 million it will lose this year.
That's an incredible amount of money. Incredible. Especially for a newspaper, but what I like about this is staying power and perseverance. There's no quit when it comes to anything in New England, as any hearty fisherman will prove, and the endurance and perseverance of unions is the stuff of legends. But what I didn't know was that there is a 'job guarantee' clause in all employee contracts, essentially protecting each employee from a layoff for any reason, other than self-enabled. Essentially tenure for teachers doesn't even do half of that. That is twice as amazing as any deficit. Anyone should be so lucky as to have that. And perhaps that's the necessary thing to go as it would alleviate tons of problems through some attrition, redundancies, and layoffs.
I don't think the Globe will turn into a glob, a stain on the hands of Boston as its former building crumbles on the south shore, and the memory of an intelligent and provocative newspaper wanes. But I do think it needs some major changes, but then again what newspaper doesn't? Could The Globe be a trendsetter? Hmm...
It's a sad world for the newspaper industry, but what this recession is proving to us, is that the world has an insatiable appetite for news, and print journalism is never out of fashion. We just need to update how we present the news...on the internet, preferably, seems to be the wave of the future. And Boston, like the majority of New England needs to be a trendsetter. Less in print, more online, seems to be the answer to the shrinking physical readership of the newspaper, though internet traffic has increased 'each week for the past two years.' I think that tells you something about the effect the closure would have on Boston and Massachusetts in general, and the overall tenacity and insatiability of Boston's literate population.
That's an incredible amount of money. Incredible. Especially for a newspaper, but what I like about this is staying power and perseverance. There's no quit when it comes to anything in New England, as any hearty fisherman will prove, and the endurance and perseverance of unions is the stuff of legends. But what I didn't know was that there is a 'job guarantee' clause in all employee contracts, essentially protecting each employee from a layoff for any reason, other than self-enabled. Essentially tenure for teachers doesn't even do half of that. That is twice as amazing as any deficit. Anyone should be so lucky as to have that. And perhaps that's the necessary thing to go as it would alleviate tons of problems through some attrition, redundancies, and layoffs.
I don't think the Globe will turn into a glob, a stain on the hands of Boston as its former building crumbles on the south shore, and the memory of an intelligent and provocative newspaper wanes. But I do think it needs some major changes, but then again what newspaper doesn't? Could The Globe be a trendsetter? Hmm...
It's a sad world for the newspaper industry, but what this recession is proving to us, is that the world has an insatiable appetite for news, and print journalism is never out of fashion. We just need to update how we present the news...on the internet, preferably, seems to be the wave of the future. And Boston, like the majority of New England needs to be a trendsetter. Less in print, more online, seems to be the answer to the shrinking physical readership of the newspaper, though internet traffic has increased 'each week for the past two years.' I think that tells you something about the effect the closure would have on Boston and Massachusetts in general, and the overall tenacity and insatiability of Boston's literate population.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Missing From The Blog
Have been missing recently because of a very tight schedule, some work, a good amount of writing, and a lot of squandered opportunities (mainly because of the Sox/Yankees rivalry all weekend).
As mentioned previously, I went to the Sox game this past week and it was awesome, though it was much more of a pitchers' duel, but this current series with the Yankees has been anything but. Any time there is an inkling of a run-away for the Yankees (such as the 6-0 yesterday [Saturday]) the Sox suddenly come storming back through some amazing hitting and some unbelievable luck. Varitek hits a grand slam?! Ellsbury steals home?! I place double end punctuation on my sentences?!
Yes, I do.(.)
Nevertheless, it's a great waste of my time, but a great privilege and love of mine to watch the rivalry and so a lot of things have suffered: blogging, writing, reading, concentrating on my career, etc.
I have an interview late tomorrow and have to catch up on a lot of reading and writing that I have neglected until now. I have been sorely missing out on completing The Inferno and feel sort of guilty for leaving Dante near the final ring of hell not knowing when he'll emerge or continue.
Which reminds me of an interesting movie I saw the other night: Constantine. I'm guessing the idea for it arose from The Inferno as the main character, Constantine, played by the enigmatic and effervescent Keanu Reeves (sense the sarcasm?), has 'literally been to hell and back' and can now sense demons here on Earth and battles with the likes of a crooked and corrupt Gabriel and several gateway demons who play roles neither for heaven nor hell. It seemed a pretty neat concept, and I can't help but analyze it and try to deduce from where its influence came from. Is Keanu essentially Dante and Virgil? With a bit of Ghostbuster mixed in? What a concept! I bet that's exactly how it was pitched to the movie executives too...
Anyway, it did seem to have a lot of the aspects I look for in great movies including action, history, facts, and twists and turns, but it seemed pretty unbelievable and far-fetched. The primary qualm I had with the film was that it featured the archangel Gabriel as a crooked, corruptible and heavily secretive being that made Constantine look benevolent and was eventually chastised by God and sent back to Earth to live as a mortal and fight his way back to heaven through good deeds...yeah, that's incredibly believable! I rest my case.
While I have been away Bea Arthur died, which is tragic considering I know they wanted her to come back for another Comedy Central Roast as she was hilarious as the last one and it seemed she could have a burgeoning late career as a comedy pip on the Roasts and other events. She did, after all, have a storied career and extremely devoted following through The Golden Girls and her many other endeavors. We'll miss her.
And while I have been away the Swine Flu has also emerged and has claimed many lives in Mexico and is beginning to spread around the world. As I write this, the US has declared a State of Emergency as have other governments around the world, yet this outbreak seems to be small on the scale of the past influenza outbreaks and I doubt it will become the killer predicted for so long. I doubt that The Swine Flu will be the one to kill millions of people and eradicate species, and decimate entire villages and towns and plunge the world into a mini-Dark Age. I think we have to wait until 2012 for that one.
More to come on my MIA time, my interview(s!), and my delves into entertaining first graders as opposed to teaching middle/high schoolers.
As mentioned previously, I went to the Sox game this past week and it was awesome, though it was much more of a pitchers' duel, but this current series with the Yankees has been anything but. Any time there is an inkling of a run-away for the Yankees (such as the 6-0 yesterday [Saturday]) the Sox suddenly come storming back through some amazing hitting and some unbelievable luck. Varitek hits a grand slam?! Ellsbury steals home?! I place double end punctuation on my sentences?!
Yes, I do.(.)
Nevertheless, it's a great waste of my time, but a great privilege and love of mine to watch the rivalry and so a lot of things have suffered: blogging, writing, reading, concentrating on my career, etc.
I have an interview late tomorrow and have to catch up on a lot of reading and writing that I have neglected until now. I have been sorely missing out on completing The Inferno and feel sort of guilty for leaving Dante near the final ring of hell not knowing when he'll emerge or continue.
Which reminds me of an interesting movie I saw the other night: Constantine. I'm guessing the idea for it arose from The Inferno as the main character, Constantine, played by the enigmatic and effervescent Keanu Reeves (sense the sarcasm?), has 'literally been to hell and back' and can now sense demons here on Earth and battles with the likes of a crooked and corrupt Gabriel and several gateway demons who play roles neither for heaven nor hell. It seemed a pretty neat concept, and I can't help but analyze it and try to deduce from where its influence came from. Is Keanu essentially Dante and Virgil? With a bit of Ghostbuster mixed in? What a concept! I bet that's exactly how it was pitched to the movie executives too...
Anyway, it did seem to have a lot of the aspects I look for in great movies including action, history, facts, and twists and turns, but it seemed pretty unbelievable and far-fetched. The primary qualm I had with the film was that it featured the archangel Gabriel as a crooked, corruptible and heavily secretive being that made Constantine look benevolent and was eventually chastised by God and sent back to Earth to live as a mortal and fight his way back to heaven through good deeds...yeah, that's incredibly believable! I rest my case.
While I have been away Bea Arthur died, which is tragic considering I know they wanted her to come back for another Comedy Central Roast as she was hilarious as the last one and it seemed she could have a burgeoning late career as a comedy pip on the Roasts and other events. She did, after all, have a storied career and extremely devoted following through The Golden Girls and her many other endeavors. We'll miss her.
And while I have been away the Swine Flu has also emerged and has claimed many lives in Mexico and is beginning to spread around the world. As I write this, the US has declared a State of Emergency as have other governments around the world, yet this outbreak seems to be small on the scale of the past influenza outbreaks and I doubt it will become the killer predicted for so long. I doubt that The Swine Flu will be the one to kill millions of people and eradicate species, and decimate entire villages and towns and plunge the world into a mini-Dark Age. I think we have to wait until 2012 for that one.
More to come on my MIA time, my interview(s!), and my delves into entertaining first graders as opposed to teaching middle/high schoolers.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
World Digital Library
I'll be putting a link to this on the right-hand side very shortly. It's a link to the World Digital Library, which just expanded tenfold today and will continue to for the remainder of this week and the next until it's, well, enormous. It features at least 8 different language translations of some of the world's earliest known literary and historical works including the first European map of the new world and ancient Chinese translations of oracle bone prophecies.
The world is becoming easier and easier to access at a moment's notice and I only hope this can lead to smarter and more informed citizens. No offense to the 40% of Americans who believe Benjamin Franklin was one of our presidents...
The world is becoming easier and easier to access at a moment's notice and I only hope this can lead to smarter and more informed citizens. No offense to the 40% of Americans who believe Benjamin Franklin was one of our presidents...
Monday, April 20, 2009
Hawking Ill
Famed mathematician Stephen Hawking is extremely ill and has been in a London hospital for the past few weeks. His book, A Brief History of Time is an amazing piece of writing and thinking and although I've never been able to comprehend more than 50% of it, I hope to finish and understand it to the fullest extent in the upcoming years. And while his body is virtually useless, his mind still seems sharp as he just recently resigned his position as Lucasian Profess of Mathematics at Cambridge University, the same position and title held by Isaac Newton in the mid-18th century. Unfortunately Lou Gehrig's disease usually takes someone's life within 1/4 of the time that he has survived with it.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
RIP JG Ballard
Famed author of the book "Crash" died over the weekend. Yes, it was the book that was made into the movie with the same name a few years back.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Comparing the educator's tests for RI, MA, and CT
Now the post I have been trying to put up, but needed to preempt with the previous entry.
After taking the Connecticut educator's tests (Praxis I and II), the Massachusetts educator's tests (MTEL Comm, Literacy and 007 English), and the Rhode Island educator's tests (a different Praxis II), I'm ready to give my verdicts, complaints, praises and suggestions.
The Most Difficult award (in terms of broad knowledge, depth, length, terminology, etc.) is awarded to Connecticut's Praxis II. Congratulations, CT.
The Longest award and The Most Specialized award go to Massachusetts.
The Easiest award (in terms of length, depth, terminology, etc.) goes to Rhode Island for their Praxis II. Sorry, RI.
Connecticut's test was comprehensive to say the least. It focused on everything from grammar and poetry to the names of characters in specific novels AND the names of the authors who wrote the 'canonized' books. It was extremely difficult and tested a very very very wide range of knowledge that could only be gained through at least four years of college and possibly additional years of study (as many Master's programs encourage students to take it closer to graduation to ensure they have been thoroughly prepared). It punched me in the gut and knocked me over the edge. I remember napping afterward. In all seriousness, it deserves its title. I have never studied so much for a test (given a list of 'possible topics, books and material to be covered' as its primary study guide), and had the breadth of my knowledge so thoroughly tested and tried. Overall, I give it a grade of A-/A.
Massachusetts' test was different than I expected it to be. I expected a test similar to Connecticut's Praxis II and in many ways it was, but in many ways it was a hue divergence. Nowhere was there a single question about poetry; nowhere were there questions about stereotypical canonized authors such as: Steinbeck, Hawthorne, Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Dickens, Dickinson, or Frost; and, my biggest complaint, the test referred to Samuel Beckett as "an English memoirist and satirist." OK, Beckett was an Irish dramatist and poet who spent the majority of his life in exile in France. Sorry; I needed that outburst. It focused thoroughly on interpreting short passages for 'most nearest meaning,' and relating A LOT of passages to the themes of Romanticism and Classicism (at least 25 questions.) It seemed to exclude a lot of what I would think would be essential or crucial for an educator to know, was at times very redundant (see above), seemed to have some factual errors in it (also see above), but took the title for sheer length. All together, I spent more than 10 1/2 hours in testing the day I took the MTELs, so I can't fault the creators there. It was long and very difficult, but it didn't require ALL the knowledge Connecticut did. If you were an expert on Romanticism and Persian/Ancient Middle Eastern writers, you would not need to know much else. Overall I give it a B/B+ for all the reasons it succeeds and challenges, but also because it excludes so much that is necessary.
Rhode Island's test was specific in that it presented real-life situations that a future educator would encounter in the classroom. It then asked how would you address these concerns, or include this aspect into your lessons to improve the classroom or provide the necessary services to Student A or B. It was enjoyable as it really made me contemplate a lot of these situations and create innovative lessons and solutions. It was a beneficial in the end, but seemed to test your opinions, improvisation skills, and ability to write as much as possible in a two-hour period more than anything else. One could pass it without having to know the specific knowledge of the MTELs or the other Praxis II. It was definitely a test for an 'educator,' as opposed to a teacher of literature. One could take a lot of courses in Psychology and Education and do well on the test, perhaps even better than someone who has never taken coursework in Psychology or Education but has a Master's in Literature. Overall I give it a grade of C/C+ for the reasons stated above. It needs to be much more challenging and include more specifics about literature and language.
After taking the Connecticut educator's tests (Praxis I and II), the Massachusetts educator's tests (MTEL Comm, Literacy and 007 English), and the Rhode Island educator's tests (a different Praxis II), I'm ready to give my verdicts, complaints, praises and suggestions.
The Most Difficult award (in terms of broad knowledge, depth, length, terminology, etc.) is awarded to Connecticut's Praxis II. Congratulations, CT.
The Longest award and The Most Specialized award go to Massachusetts.
The Easiest award (in terms of length, depth, terminology, etc.) goes to Rhode Island for their Praxis II. Sorry, RI.
Connecticut's test was comprehensive to say the least. It focused on everything from grammar and poetry to the names of characters in specific novels AND the names of the authors who wrote the 'canonized' books. It was extremely difficult and tested a very very very wide range of knowledge that could only be gained through at least four years of college and possibly additional years of study (as many Master's programs encourage students to take it closer to graduation to ensure they have been thoroughly prepared). It punched me in the gut and knocked me over the edge. I remember napping afterward. In all seriousness, it deserves its title. I have never studied so much for a test (given a list of 'possible topics, books and material to be covered' as its primary study guide), and had the breadth of my knowledge so thoroughly tested and tried. Overall, I give it a grade of A-/A.
Massachusetts' test was different than I expected it to be. I expected a test similar to Connecticut's Praxis II and in many ways it was, but in many ways it was a hue divergence. Nowhere was there a single question about poetry; nowhere were there questions about stereotypical canonized authors such as: Steinbeck, Hawthorne, Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Dickens, Dickinson, or Frost; and, my biggest complaint, the test referred to Samuel Beckett as "an English memoirist and satirist." OK, Beckett was an Irish dramatist and poet who spent the majority of his life in exile in France. Sorry; I needed that outburst. It focused thoroughly on interpreting short passages for 'most nearest meaning,' and relating A LOT of passages to the themes of Romanticism and Classicism (at least 25 questions.) It seemed to exclude a lot of what I would think would be essential or crucial for an educator to know, was at times very redundant (see above), seemed to have some factual errors in it (also see above), but took the title for sheer length. All together, I spent more than 10 1/2 hours in testing the day I took the MTELs, so I can't fault the creators there. It was long and very difficult, but it didn't require ALL the knowledge Connecticut did. If you were an expert on Romanticism and Persian/Ancient Middle Eastern writers, you would not need to know much else. Overall I give it a B/B+ for all the reasons it succeeds and challenges, but also because it excludes so much that is necessary.
Rhode Island's test was specific in that it presented real-life situations that a future educator would encounter in the classroom. It then asked how would you address these concerns, or include this aspect into your lessons to improve the classroom or provide the necessary services to Student A or B. It was enjoyable as it really made me contemplate a lot of these situations and create innovative lessons and solutions. It was a beneficial in the end, but seemed to test your opinions, improvisation skills, and ability to write as much as possible in a two-hour period more than anything else. One could pass it without having to know the specific knowledge of the MTELs or the other Praxis II. It was definitely a test for an 'educator,' as opposed to a teacher of literature. One could take a lot of courses in Psychology and Education and do well on the test, perhaps even better than someone who has never taken coursework in Psychology or Education but has a Master's in Literature. Overall I give it a grade of C/C+ for the reasons stated above. It needs to be much more challenging and include more specifics about literature and language.
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