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The semester is over, and for some reason this felt like the longest EVER. Not that it was bad; in fact, it was quite good. I finished the bulk of my thesis, I had some great classes, teaching was a blast (as always), and my Elliot has grown up fast (2 years old already!!!).

But now, it’s the LONG winter break. Fortunately, I’ve got a couple jobs to keep the $$$$ coming in. My plan (we’ll see if it actually happens) is to work, read a bunch of books I haven’t been able to read because of my busy schedule, watch a bunch of movies I’ve been dying to watch, catch up with Doctor Who?, AND, of course, (the most important part) hang with Elliot and Emily and Indie, hopefully in the snow.

I also have a lot of writing/submitting I want to do and some teaching positions to apply for. So that’ll keep me even busier.

This semester has been challenging, but I made a lot of progress on my thesis and even started a new project, something I’ve been thinking about for years, and thanks to Documentary Poetics, I found a path to follow.

Black Mountain Poets was a great class that exposed me to some poets I’ve been avoiding for too long and let me dive back into some poetics I’ve been really interested in for a while. The class was also mixed with some creative non-fiction folks, which made the dynamic interesting, and we got to discuss poetry through interesting lenses. And in Thesis Development, I got to see and discuss some of my cohort’s projects in process, as well as share my own work and progress.

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Now that the semester is over, I know that I’m going to miss my classes and their dynamics, but I’m really looking forward to next semester. I finally get to work with David Trinidad and I take my final literature class with none other than Ken Daly. I’ll also work one-on-one with Tony Trigilio finishing up my thesis—mostly cutting pages and organizing…I think…

Next Semester looks like this:

Monday – Writing Center
Tuesday – Illustrated Victorian Poetry (Daly), Teaching (W&RII), Film & Poetry (Trinidad)
Wednesday – Writing Center
Thursday – Writing Center, Teaching (W&RII)
Friday – OFF
Saturday – OFF
Sunday – OFF

Then in May, I’M OUT. I’ve been in school since I was 24 (I’m 31). I had one year when I deferred before coming here, where I was just teaching, working at a hotel, and getting used to being a Dad. So, believe me—I’m ready to step out of the student role and start my career as a teacher.

Wish me luck!