May 4, 2026
Something I thought about:
- I had an unbelievably packed week, which is why I’m late posting this. And there were so many big discussions, as well — many things to choose from — but I’ve been thinking a lot about an event at Harvard that was in celebration of Helen Vendler, who died two years ago. The event was on her birthday, and many of her former students and colleagues talked about her as a person. Pretty much every English major / English scholar knows and respects her work, but what struck me during the event was how Vendler constantly showed up for people and tried to help whomever she could however she could. For her, poetry and teaching were both about people and real life — not something abstract or ivory tower. Poetry is a way of being in and understanding the world. She was about the work and always tried to decenter herself. Several people quoted her saying, “I am not the subject.” And yes — that’s it exactly. That resonated. My friends (and thankfully most of my colleagues) have the same approach to their lives and work. It’s always about trying to be true to the work at hand and doing what you can to help. Vendler really went above and beyond, and it was inspiring to hear about how she lived.
Something I did:
- Attended and/or facilitated several meetings
- Hosted a friend for a couple of days
- Received and accepted an offer
- Had an impromptu mid-week cookout + celebration with friends
- Went to a memorial event for Helen Vendler at Harvard’s Houghton Library — I’m so glad I attended
- Attended the AHS Capstone project night at Olin
- Got Korean tacos
- Went to two of the kiddo’s soccer games
- Attended the Silver Unicorn’s Graphic Novel Festival and bought a lot of books and had them signed and ran into friends
- Went out with family
- Took several walks
- Finally visited Lovestruck Books in Cambridge, which was a lot bigger than I’d expected
Something I read:
- Started The Waves by Virginia Woolf
- Also started On the Calculation of Volume IV by Solvej Balle
