May 22, 2021

Something I thought about:

• I'm trying to figure out the shape of my summer writing – what I can realistically accomplish and the pre-writing involved.
• Class finishes next week, so I've also been reflecting on the semester and the experience of teaching sections I've only ever encountered online. Last year we had several in-person sessions before the lockdown, and in the fall I taught second- and third-years I'd already met in person, so this was different; community and class culture building were a new kind of work.
• Reminder to self: read aloud with students regularly. Enjoy language.

Something I did:

• This was a week of closing half-finished items, and I got through quite a few of them. I'm trying to wrap as many of these as possible to clear the decks for summer writing. Once the teaching term is over, I'll have fewer recurring weekly items, and I'm hoping to really focus and dive in.
• Several creative writing students and I attended a spoken word workshop with Urban Word NY – super fun, and a nice break in the midst of end of term intensity.
• Refilled the bird feeder because we have a lot of activity now!

Something I read:

• "What Does Untouchable Mean During India's Covid Crisis?" by Saikat Majumdar
• "Climate Change" by Rudy Francisco (spoken word performance)