Published January 18, 2007
in Writing.
It felt good to be back in the classroom this week. I always find the students so eager to learn and I sense a real desire to find their passion. It is energizing and affirming.
In the January 19 edition of “The Chronicle Review” there is a great article entitled “The Real Who, What, When and Why of Journalism” by Sonya Huber-Humes. For those of you who teach Communications, I found it particularly helpful when thinking about teaching my News Writing class this semester.
This article, “The Real Who, What, When, and Why of Journalism” is available online at this address:
http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=h4przKMpcmgWNVPzJBxvsvmnTMfnd8km
This article will be available to non-subscribers of The Chronicle for up to five days after it is e-mailed [until Jan. 23, 2007].
Published January 2, 2007
in Culture.
One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year is “Jane Kenyon’s Collected Poems.” As the ornaments come down I thought I would share this poem from the collection.
Taking Down the Tree
“Give me some light!” cries Hamlet’s
uncle midway through the murder
of Gonzago. “Light! Light!” cry scattering
courtesans. Here, as in Denmark,
it’s dark at four, and even the moon
shines with only half a heart.
The ornaments go down into the box:
the silver spaniel, My Darling
on its collar, from Mother’s childhood
in Illinois; the balsa jumping jack
my brother and I fought over,
pulling limb from limb. Mother
drew it together again with thread
while I watched, feeling depraved
at the age of ten.
With something more than caution
I handle them, and the lights, with their
tin star-shaped reflectors, brought along
from house to house, their pasteboard
toy suitcase increasingly flimsy.
Tick, tick, the desiccated needles drop.
By suppertime all that remains is the scent
of balsam fir. If it’s darkness
we’re having, let it be extravagant.
