Conversation

What is everyone finding about Shakespeare lately?

I've only just gotten the sonnets book; I ordered it before the wedding, and this is how long it took to finally arrive on my doorstep. It's heavy and beautiful--exactly what any adoring reader would want, especially one who thinks explication is something fun to do on an autumn afternoon.

I am currently teaching literary theory to my British and Western Lit students, and it's going really well. We're using children's books to start; they seem to be more willing to do anything that involves colorful pictures. We may also do magazine ads, especially since the critical lenses seem to be needed most here.

And in my ALC (Alternative Learning Center--this is the opposite end of the spectrum from the Brit Lit kids, who are, in some ways, the smarter kids of the school--the ALC kids are the ones who need lots of extra help) classes, we are doing poetry. Francisco Aragon has a residency at the Anderson Center, and whenever a writer is there during the school year, they come to the high school to work with the kids. I'm looking forward to his being in my ALC classes; we're having tons of fun reading and writing poems and simply enjoying them.

Sometimes we explicate. And sometimes we read simply for the sheer joy of it. I'm trying not to stifle them with poetry--so many people cite their high school English teacher as the one who ruined poetry for them.

How is everyone doing? What's going on with you this fall? Any good books read? Good magazines to submit to? New poems being written? Poetry adventures on the horizon?

PS: Teresa, I've been reading your "back issues" of your blog, and I am absolutely in love with it.