plzdnt

My new website, plzdnt is slouching toward existence. Issue one is in the works and will feature the illustrated fiction and non-fiction of writers Patrick Somerville, Jonathan Messinger, Jeb Gleason-Allured and others. We even have everyone's favorite ex-pat interviewing Antoine Wilson.

It's going to be awesome. At least for now we're working primarily off pitches and assignments, but if anyone reading this wants to write for us, please let me know.

And illustrators, we need you. Please get in touch.

In the meantime, I'm out of blogtirement to work on the plzdnt pre-launch blog, which can be found here.

The creative writing on the wall

This morning, I took a look at Cho Seung-Hui's plays, written for a creative writing class at Virginia Tech. What's striking to me is not so much how violent and angry they are, but how juvenile -- as if they were written by a troubled fourteen-year-old, not a twenty-three-year old. The fact that English was Cho's second language may be part of the explanation, but there's definitely a childishness to these that is disturbing.

Apparently at least one of his professors was concerned enough about his behavior and the content of his writing to mention it to school authorities. I'm curious: have any of you ever encountered creative writing from a student that sent up warning flags (of any kind) in your mind? Did you take any action as a result?

Though I've certainly seen some violence in creative writing from past students, it's never been anything that seems truly "sick." I'm not sure the violence in Cho's plays qualifies as such either, except, of course, in hindsight. When is disturbing writing an indication of a disturbed and possibly dangerous person, and when is it just imaginative? When we write fiction, we get annoyed when people assume our characters are based on real people, or that our stories are autobiographical in some way. But as teachers, should we be making that assumption about our students' work?

For every Cho, there are probably 100 others who write equally--or more--violent and twisted things, but never actually take violent action themselves. Is it our responsibility as writing teachers to be concerned about any potential "red flag" writing we see, and take action accordingly?

Curious to hear your thoughts.

Moving On

You know, I can't stand looking at those St Patrick Day photos anymore - green/silver wigs are so last month. What are the rest of you up to here at BAF?

I've started a blog to promote my new novel, Trendy But Casual - much of which was written at Iowa, as some of you may remember. But I can't abandon Babies, of course. I'm teaching a "start your novel" class this fall, and if anyone has any reading suggestions, I'm keen to hear them. The non-fiction I'm assigning: Forster's Aspects of the Novel and David Lodge's The Art of Fiction. But I'm wondering which novels/parts of novels to assign. I was thinking of Utz by Bruce Chatwin, because it's such a perfect short book, and possibly Bright Lights, Big City as a second-person example. Maybe Madame Bovary because it's so influential/groundbreaking? (And third person.) Let me know if you have ideas on this subject. Remember that I teach undergrads, and can't assign too many books, given that this is a writing rather than lit class.

AnotherDay, Another Parade

Yesterday we experienced, for the first time, the St Patrick's Day Parade in New Orleans. This involves not only beads, wigs and costumes, like a Mardi Gras Parade, but throws of an unusual kind - potatoes, cabbages, onions, carrots, and cloves of garlic. I even saw one float-rider brandishing a tin of corned beef. (I ducked.)

News from AWP

AWP was in Atlanta this year, and I ran into several BAF friends and acquaintances. Josh Kryah (still in Las Vegas, for now) has his first poetry collection out, Glean. Josh Emmons is about to move to Philadelphia and has just sold his second novel. And Rebecca Johns Trissler was celebrating some excellent news: her novel, Icebergs, is one of just three finalists for the 2007 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award.

Congratulations to everyone for being busy and clever.

Happy Mardi Gras

These pictures were taken today at Zulu and Rex, the two big closers of the parade season. (The penultimate picture is of our mayor, Ray Nagin, on horseback leading Zulu down Jackson Avenue.) T. Middy and I went to seventeen of the parades this year. We have beads, medallions, plastic cups and doubloons by the dozen; I also have a lovely bruised cheekbone after getting pelted in the face today with a bag of beads (thanks, Rex!). We were out on Jackson by 7:30 this morning, so it's naptime right now for TM, and the America's Next Top Model marathon for me ... Happy Mardi Gras everyone.

Blog Naming Contest

I'm starting a fiction workshop in the Writing Center, and as a part of the project, I'm planning to have a blog that details our meetings, shares our writing, and allows me to reflect on using creative writing as a way to teach students to improve as writers, including attitudes and self-confidence about writing. Needless to say, I'm stoked about using the blog as a teaching tool. But, like most writers, coming up with a title is a challenge for me. So I challenge you: propose a name that is catchy and has some semblance of logical appropriateness. Please, if explanation is warranted, provide it. The winning blog name WILL ABSOLUTELY BE FEATURED ON THE INTERNET!!!!