Friday, August 24, 2007

Fangled

My comp. classes are going impossibly well. We spent a long digression on southern gothic, whether Poe was a southern writer, and a brief synopsis of As I Lay Dying, all this in regard to the novel we're reading, The World Made Straight by Ron Rash. For the most part, they're really engaged, though I did have to bust two of them for Facebook-ing in class. That will be readdressed on Monday. First thing.

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And I had thought I wouldn't care or have a use for computers in a creative writing class, but discussion of one poem led to an explanation of ekphrastic poetry, then onward to Auden's "Musee des Beaux Arts," projected instantly right on the wall/screen. Later, we brought up pictures of Giacometti sculptures. All this in an intro course. The students were exposed to so much more because it was readily available, keystrokes away.

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Tonight pizza with poets at Parelli's.

5 comments:

Nick McRae said...

I, now no longer being a Carrollton resident, envy your poets and pizza at Parelli's. Arg.

Oliver de la Paz said...

Hey Paul,


What else will you be teaching? Also, cpu's in a poetry classroom's a good thing. I use Fishouse all the time. There's also some good scansion exercises on the internet . . .

Anonymous said...

Could you clarify something regarding the chain-gang guard who called you over and said the mayor had called him: was he complaining? Was he trying to make you feel bad that they had to be out there cleaning up? I'm curious about the tone of this exchange.

Paul said...

No, no, the guard was totally on my side, urging me to attend city council meetings.

I was apologetic but he had none of it. He was all for them being out there. He had a car on blocks towed while he was there.

Anonymous said...

That's good to know. Wrongfully indignant civil servants have become one of my triggers.