8.26 on 8/26: Today’s the Day!



For you to make a difference for 826National and its youth writing programs nationwide. Make a donation of $8.26 on August 26th by texting “WRITE” to 20222 or giving online at http://www.826on826.org.

The umbrella organization for the youth writing programs in cities across the US and brainchild of Dave Eggers among others, 826National is featured prominently in my upcoming book Rethinking Creative Writing in Higher Ed, specifically the last chapter, “Creative Writing Programs and the World,” which deals with literary citizenship. The 826 programs have been on my radar for years, but the more a learned about them in my research, the more I have come to admire all they do and stand for. Believe me, I can’t think of a better way to spend $8.26!

What are you waiting for!!  They need our money, y’all!

SV

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming. . .

To bring you the update on Bargainsgaloreon64, one of the highlights of Wordamour’s junking year.  So if you’re expecting to read about writing, you might want to skip this post (though who knows, the photos might inspire you to do a little scribbling).  Because what follows is a report on the garage sales and flea markets that line the Arkansas roadsides and town squares on highway 64 every mid-August, from Beebe to Fort Smith, which is approximately 200 miles.  

Alas there were no caskets this year–must’ve gotten sold.

Read on for a taste of the Arkansas roadside, with an especially charming photo at the end.  How’s that for a hook?

So it was hot this year.  It’s always hot. But not usually 105 degrees hot. Nonetheless, Wordamour and her younger son, whom we might as well dub Wordamour Jr. since everyone is always commenting on their physical and personal likenesses, were determined to brave the elements, armed with a cooler full of bottled water and the occasional shaved ice and Sonic Route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper.

Wordamour Jr. usually starts out rather non-plussed about these jaunts. After all, it’s deathly hot and he’d just as soon be at home playing Super Mario Bros. with his brother (aka Wordamour’s Husband Jr.) in an air-conditioned house.  But once the loot starts rolling in, he gets into the swing of things. A sampling of his haul:  3 Naruto Manga Magazines with 3 rare Yugioh cards inside, a 22 kt gold Pokemon card, and two Calvin and Hobbes books.

The highlights, as usual, were the retired schoolteachers who do a Country Living style set up at Coal Hill (Wordamour will be eternally grateful to friend and junker extraordinaire, Steve Lance, for the tip).

Take a look:

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And the flea market on the river in Ozark:
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““A Krystle Carrington doll New In Box. Who knew? Snap this one up, folks.

Good to know, in case we have a future-farmer emergency.
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Or a future writer emergency.
“The obligatory “fan” shot.”

My haul was pretty terrific, including a vintage white, tin-topped kitchen island for $50 that looks like it was custom made for the kitchen in my hundred year old house.

But the highlight of the day occured when I snapped the shot below.

Look closely to see how this resourceful kitty beat the heat.

Happy Hunting.  Bye y’all,
SV

Visiting the Home Office

This week saw a brief trip to Berkeley to work with the four other curators of the NWP Digital Is project, an educational technology website the NWP is rolling out in October–more about that as it develops. A highlight was that we met at the NWP headquarters. Strangely, even though most of us had been to NWP meetings in Berkeley several times, none of us had seen the mother ship. Check out some photos from our tour with a few great snapshots at the end (including hilarious toileting instructions) from one of my fav Berkeley bookstores, Pegasus!



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Home of the $1 cone. Yum!

A Quiet Moment

In which to reflect and blog. John and the boys are at a Yugioh sneak peak 45 minutes away. Someone had to stay home so the new puppy wouldn’t face hours in the crate. Since I had work to do (procrastination from yesterday) I made the ultimate sacrifice. Hmmm. Attending a Yugioh sneak peak vs. a quiet day reading (blogs and books), working and wrapping my soon to be 14 year old’s (tomorrow) birthday gifts with the loyalist of little dogs lying at my feet and keeping me company all the while (even waiting patiently for me to come out of the bathroom). Not much of a contest there.

What am I working on? Finishing the edits for Rethinking Creative Writing in Higher Ed, which I should have done yesterday but put off, as seems to be my practice these days. Overall, the editors liked what I sent, which was a huge relief, but they still have things they want me to change. Which is fine by me. Been working on it all week but I have a big revision on Chapter 3 to do today. The bigger the writing task, the more I procrastinate, it seems.

Keeping a list of what I’m working on. Three panels I’m on got accepted for AWP in DC this February ( I think that might be one more than officially allowed, but I’m not saying anything about it just yet) and one of them is called essentially, “What Do Writers Do All Day?” I decided to start keeping track so I can do some sort of data analysis and have something to say.

Also this summer: Wrote a conversational essay with poet Anna Leahy and fiction writer Cathy Day on teaching creative writing that was pure joy to write and, I think, will be fun to read wherever we can get it published. We’re shooting for AWP first.

Before I start the revision today (yes, more procrastination) I am going to fool around with a new course platform called Nixty, which I’m considering using in the fall. And, of course, I wrote this blog post. And did my weekly blog read (@ 250 posts).

Looking ahead: A 3 day trip to NWP Berkeley to start work on curating a new online project called Digital Is. Not completely sure what the work is going to be but I’m exited about it and will blog more when I know. Also, Friday, BargainsGaloreon64, Arkansas premiere yard saling event. Oh yeah, baby.

It’s been a rough couple weeks, house-selling, large check bouncing due to a technicality that sent our bank account into a tailspin that took over a week to work out, relentless 110 degree heat that engenders exhaustion in ways I never knew, and, worst of all, our brand new shelter puppy, Mario, was deathly ill (parvo–need I say more)and in puppy ICU which brought on 6 days of worry and hand-wringing.

So now, as I write this in the quiet of the afternoon with a sweet healed puppy at my side I am mostly just gratfeul.

It’s a wonderful feeling.

Bye, y’all
SV