Cool Friends

Today was the long awaited day when Tony Hoagland arrived to do a reading (which was awesome) at FIU's Writers on the Bay Series. Tony and his partner Kath are staying at a beach front resort very close to our condo and the first thing he did after checking in was put on his bathing suit and run down the white sand beach and just float in the warm ocean. He used to live in Wellfleet on the Cape (Mass) so the ocean has this power over him. It is so great to see our poet friends let loose and relax as soon as they dive in to these blue south florida waters. Tomorrow, some sun bathing, a stroll along the broadwalk, or some kayaking with the manatees. What else does a poet need?

Curse is Crushed!

Boston Red Sox win World Series after 86 years! Watch out G. W. Bush, your four year curse will also be crushed in 6 days!

awp conf '04 chicago last spring (oh, those memories!)

Nick @ Diaspora panel,De Paul Univ.
Originally uploaded by carbonator.

at de paul univ w/ dear friends (l to r) Aimee, Evelina, Luisa, & Pat (scratching his ankle).

words in a dream 5:15 am

we
are
alive
in
a
room
full
of
color

Debate '04 @ U of Miami

On this historic night at the university I teach I watched John Kerry trounce George W. Bush in the first debate of this important election. The day before, my colleague (fiction writer) Evelina Galang and I sat in the middle of the audience of the live TV show called Cross Fire on CNN. With all the excitement going around I began to really absorb the historic proportions this event would have in the Presidential race, and as a consequence, the history of the world. Big claim but this debate will be looked at as the turning point of a failing campaign. How was it trying to teach poetry these past two weeks leading up to the debate? I shifted my syllabus a bit and added a couple of classes on writing political poetry. I had both my grad and undergrad students read several examples of political poems and I also had them write political poems for workshop. My students came up with some exciting poems!