I’ve felt off all week: anxious, unfocused, incapable of selecting the blue or pink eye shadow, fussing with my hair to the point where I have to wet it, gel it and try again. Most horrific, I lost my appetite.
Then, I saw all the moving trucks and the crossing guards and the back to school pics on Facebook. Aha! Back to school time. No wonder I want to sit in a corner and rock back and forth.
I have to go now. I think I’m going to barf. Here are your links:
After the MFA: Fantasy, Reality, and Lessons Learned by Erika Dreifus. Sobering tale of what an MFA does or does not lead to.
The Story Problem: 10 Thoughts on Academia’s Novel Crisis by Cathy Day. “The rhythm of school is conducive to the writing of small things, not big things…” This is the reason many of us at Dead Darlings chose the Novel Incubator program.
The Joys and Sorrows of Teaching Literature by Rachel Cordasco. Lesson: You don’t have to be a “Professaaahhhh of Literachaaaah” to teach literature.
Back to School: 10 Books For Reliving Those College Days by Rincey Abraham. For those of you who don’t have classroom PTSD, here are a few books to help you relive your college days. [Chokes down mini vomit]
In Maryland, a Soviet-Style Punishment for a Novelist by Jeffrey Goldberg. It’s downright dangerous to write fiction when you teach English–you might lose your job, especially if you use an alias.
An MFA for the Rest of Us by Rebecca Makkai, a Dead Darling fave. I’m about halfway through the requirements of this program. This semester, I’m taking “CW 4901 Drinking After Rejection (Advanced): Drink Recipes.”