Split Rock Arts: The Work and Play of the Poem, with Michael Dennis Browne.
July 2008. MDB was an instructor of mine as an undergrad at the U of MN and will be again in the MFA program; I thought it would be good to return to that just before delving into the seriousness of my new degree. The Cloquet Forestry Center is gorgeous, and there were plenty of wonderful classmates, including Laura Goldin from NYC and Wilt and Jenny, etc. I love these experiences--both to be outdoors and to celebrate poetry every day.

See more from the trip here.

I'm a godmother! Christian Steven was born June 22, 2008, and I was blessed enough to witness the event. Congratulations, Kelly and Richard.

It's strange, but I'm saying good-bye to another classroom now, and I have no idea if I'll ever return to high school teaching: who knows what will happen at the end of three years? Here are post-its where I've collected my own beloved words along the rims of the computer monitor.

My program allows for funding for all, most of which is paid through TAships. I will be teaching Introduction to Creative Writing in the fall; a perfect ease into the school year.

Matthea Harvey + Mary Jo Bang + Fanny Howe.

I have to say, Matthea Harvey was hugely charming and I love the title of the book Pity the Bathtub and its Forced Embrace of the Human Form. A lovely reading, and my husband accompanied me. I've also picked up a copy of Bang's Elegy to see how writing about passing might inform my own work regarding my grandfather.

Alex Lemon's book release party at Bryant Lake Bowl.

Hallelujah Blackout

Alex was an MFA student at the U of MN when I was an undergraduate. I remember seeing him coming out of class as I waited for my own (creative non-fiction, I believe) class to start. This is his second book (or third, if you also count chapbooks).

Relief: I will be attending the U of MN's MFA program for the next three years. I did apply to a series of low-res programs, eight of nine of which accepted me, but I think I need the structure of a regular residency program.

And so begins my own process of contacting the list of programs, both low-res and regular-res, to decline. This process has been incredibly surreal for me--rushing home to check the answering machine, wondering where I might end up, the panic and hope of waitlists, and on.

Went to see Mary Oliver (with dear friends Emily and Jen) in downtown Minneapolis. Was a wonderful event--the sort where the rest of the world vanishes and it's just one vision, Oliver, on the stage. So good.