This year marked my 29th first day of school as a professor at Mount Mercy, and my 37th as a teacher. If you count my student years, it was my 55th first day of school! That fresh fall start never gets old. Sure, there is sadness about leaving summer behind and having less time to … Read more
Every summer, I read the issues of Poets & Writers that I haven’t had the time to read during the school year. (AKA all the issues.) This summer, as I was perusing “5 Over 50” (a favorite with this 59-year-old), I came across debut poet Shareen K. Murayama. When she’s questioning herself as a writer, … Read more
During the pandemic, students focused on queer trauma, but next time, I plan to ensure that they also explore queer joy.
Amazon has sold out of antiracist books. Topping the bestseller lists are two titles I read this past semester before the pandemic hit: Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility (2018) and Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be An Antiracist (2019). This post is my response to the pairing. But first, what to make of the book news? … Read more
In this poetry collection about a prison protest, Carol Tyx shows the full range of what we humans are capable of, our worst and our best.
Successful students—and people—ask questions. Lots of questions. They fearlessly and relentlessly ask for examples or clarification. They love the word ‘why.’ They like to know the reasons behind the skills they’re being asked to learn. And when they write, they expand their ideas by asking themselves why.
How do you make the most an author’s campus visit? How do you lay the groundwork? I’ve pondered these questions since I started teaching at Mount Mercy 26 years ago, back when my friend and colleague, the poet and essayist Jim McKean, directed our Visiting Writers Series. The questions have become more important to me … Read more
We’re midway through summer: that bittersweet time when I need to shift (or at least think about shifting) the focus of my work-life from writing to teaching. This summer, the shift feels more disorienting, yet richer in possibility, because I’ve been on sabbatical. Thanks to Mount Mercy University, I’ve been away from the classroom since … Read more
Do you still write? This question gets asked every semester when Mount Mercy English hosts one of its alumni career panels—What Can You Do With An English Major? Do you still write? The question is usually asked by students who adore creative writing and who are on the verge of graduating. These students and their … Read more
Near the end of last semester, Mount Mercy English celebrated the tenth anniversary of a service-learning project informally known as Prison Book Club. At the end of this semester, we’ll celebrate the retirement of one of its founders, my dear friend and colleague Professor of English Carol Tyx. So it’s time to reflect on these […]
via Celebrating Prison Book Club and Professor Carol Tyx — Literary Mustangs