Another Great Review!

Hope the syllabus-ing is going well!

For those of you who have checked out my art site - I just heard that my current exhibition at Babs' Underground Lounge with my friend, Katie Halton in Ann Arbor got a great review! Check it out here: Capturing the world in paint

~Theresa 

Customizing your blog template

Hi, all! My name's Melanie, and I'm a third-year Ph.D. student. Jenny McKeel and I will be talking about blogs with you soon. In this post, I'm briefly going to describe how you might use a third-party template (in case you grow tired of Blogger's defaults).  Please read through all the way before experimenting!

Blogger allows you to create your own templates, which isn't a good idea, unless you're a super programmer. However, you can import third-party blog templates, many of which are available for free on sites such as BTemplates. Last year, Jenny and I created a blog hub that used a template imported from BTemplates. And it was very, very easy to set up.

Take a stroll on the BTemplates site and browse through their free layouts. When you arrive at a layout that you like, click on the bright orange download button. Download the zip file onto your desktop:

Unzip the file. You should now have a folder that (typically) contains two files -- a read-me file and an XML file. The read-me file contains some simple installation instructions. You probably don't need to follow those as they're virtually mimicked here, but it might be helpful.


The only file that matters for installation purposes is the XML file. You don't need to open this at all (unless you're curious... or nerdy). Make sure you're logged into blogger. Once there, click on the Layout tab and choose Edit HTML.

Right here, I'd recommend clicking on the Download Full Template link. In doing so, you'll save all of your hard tweaking work from your previous blog layout, just in case this new blog layout turns out to be fouler than you'd imagined. Save this file (also an XML file) in a safe place on your computer. You might need it someday.

Now onto the new layout! Under Backup/Restore Template, click "Browse" and find the XML file for the new template you downloaded. Then, hit "Upload."

You should now have a new design! "Should" being the keyword.

What the read-me file doesn't tell you is this: there are quirks in the system. When you go to upload your XML file, for instance, you might be prompted with a warning message: sometimes, you have to delete some of your gadgets and then reinstall them for the template to work. This means that you might have to delete a link list and then re-enter the whole thing. And, of course, this can be time-consuming.

Also, sometimes the template just doesn't look like it did on the preview page. These are third-party layouts, so designers might not keep the templates current with the blogger software.

Hopefully, though, this will provide you with some experimental fun. It's nice to have options!

my first blog

Hi everybody, I hope you all had a great weekend!

I know we will need to open a writer's blog as we start teaching this semester, but I've figured to also start my own blog to keep my family and friends informed about my life in Columbus, Oh.

This really is the very first blog of mine and I am not sure how often I could post things, but I would love to share it with you. Please click the address below and visit me from time to time!

http://hyesupark85kr.blogspot.com/

See you tomorrow,

Hye Su

p.s. attached image was taken last Christmas, in New Orleans.

Jenny Steps Up

I’m Jenny, a first-year MFA student focusing on creative nonfiction. Here’s what you won’t find on Facebook:

• I broke my foot the day before PQW began.
• I was obsessed with UFOs when I was in eighth grade, convinced I’d seen one with red lights above my backyard.
• I’m into autobiographical graphic novels such as Maus, Blankets, Essex County and Fun Home.
• A southern accent emerges when I drink too much.
• I can’t wait to get to the sled hill when it snows.
• Many days I don’t feel like a grown-up, despite being a wife and mother.
• I believe things happen for a reason.
  

this is my cat, and my bear.

i just wanted
to show every-one my cat, and also, my bear.

Want to use Youtube w/o the Internet?

Well, I've got just the little app for you. This is a FREE browser add-on called the Ask and Record Toolbar. If allows you download Youtube and other streaming video as flv files and then convert them into a variety of audio or video formats. The transfer is flawless and you are able to store the videos on your computer or flash drive for quick, easy use during classroom presentations. Not only that, but these file conversions allow you to edit streaming videos with any video editing software. And there's more! If you call within the next ten minutes...

Sorry, I felt like an infomercial bot just now. But srsly, it's a great app. We all know how our favorite mash-ups of South Park yaoi drawings set to "My Dirty Little Secret" can disappear overnight, so it is a great way to back up your favorites.

I'm never one for introductions...by the way, I'm...

Hi everyone!

I am Rob, and I am highly resistant to doing this blog thing because I am a total luddite (that's unnecessarily fancy academic speak for someone who is afraid of computers and stuff). I waited awhile to do this post because I know that I have nothing interesting to say, but I have discovered that the winning formula is as follows:

1) Picture of my cats

2) Informational blurb telling you that I am a "first year MA student interested in folklore and American literature hailing from the snow belt capital of northeast Ohio"

3) Link to funny video (trust me, this is pretty rad).

So now that you all know that I'm a boring jackass, I'm going to draw the line right here (for now).

A little about Hye Su

Hi all, my name is Hye Su Park (people often think "su" is my middle name, but we don't have such a thing called middle name in Korea, so it's just part of my first name), a first year PhD student. I "think" I am interested in multi-ethnic literature (I am still trying to figure out what it really means), narrative theory (visual narrative and cognitive narrative specifically), and graphic novel. I unfortunately missed first three days of the workshop due to the plane ticket issue from Korea, but I am glad I am finally here with all of you!

I spent the great deal of my life in South Korea with my loving family, till I finished my undergraduate degree in 2007. Well, there actually was a brief deviation, for I spent my second year in college in Macomb, IL as an exchange student. Upon my graduation from college in Seoul, I solely moved to Boston to earn MA in English, and I now find myself here in Columbus, Ohio.

I like to run and bike. I used to be very into mountain biking, but ever since my mountain bike was stolen in the downtown financial district of Boston, I've been enjoying road biking a great deal. If you want to take a road bike trip or something of that sort, we could plan something together! I also like cooking and baking, even if I am good at neither of them (I am not being humble here). I enjoy trying out good restaurants and I take a great pleasure in eating good food, but only when my purse doesn't feel too light! I love to collect vintage/used stuff. I live in Victorian village, and I am glad to find a few fun vintage stores around my neighborhood.

What else,, I like traveling. I've been to Japan, China, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, India, Egypt, and Mexico. I believe traveling is a great learning experience. It makes me maturer each time.

I am a little shy and could get very quiet, but I always enjoy meeting new people and learning from their different perspectives.

Hopefully, Columbus will grow on me and we all will have great school years together!

Local Favorites

Hi everyone--

Since so many people seem to be new to town, I thought I would share two Columbus websites with you all: Columbus Underground and Metromix Columbus. I've been here two years and still turn to these often for ideas about where to go out for dinner, drinks, shows, etc. I've found that the reviews of restaurants and bars (esp. on the Columbus Underground pages) have been very helpful and almost always accurate-- through them I've found my favorite sushi joints, happy hour spots, cheap eats, etc.

And in fact, since we're (well, I'm) talking about favorites, I'm just going to throw a list out there now with some possible suggestions for people (and anyone else who has been in C-bus for a while should add their ideas too!): Great sushi at Akai Hana and Blue Ginger; upscale happy hours and awesome ambiance at Barcelona , Burgundy Room, and the relatively-new Barrio Tapas; delicious microbrews and bar menu at Barley's; fun Thursday night dancing at Ladies 80s (@ Skully's in the Short North); and late-night eats at the Blue Danube (or "Blue Dube," as you will hear it called around Denney).

Also, some of the most unique restaurants in Columbus are the four Liz Lessner-owned joints scattered throughout the Short Nort and downtown: Surly Girl (an English dept. fave, where I always run into folks); Betty's; Tip Top Kitchen; and the newest addition, Dirty Frank's. Each has a cool theme (pirates, pinups, cowboys, etc) and feel, and really delicious food and cocktails. Definitely check them out if you get a chance.

Hope some of these suggestions help, and looking forward to hearing more as everyone learns their way around the city!

Hello

My name is Hannah Langhoff, and I am a first-year MFA student specializing in fiction. I've spent most of my life in small towns; except for a month studying in Vienna, this is the first time I've lived in a major city.

Not surprisingly for a writer, I read and daydream a lot. I'm also an opera buff--one of my coolest experiences this year (besides starting grad school) was seeing a double bill of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Just to jump on the bandwagon, here is a picture of my cat. He's with my parents in Indiana, and I miss him.




And for no reason at all, here's a scene from The Barber of Seville.

Hi, my name is...

Hi everyone, I'm Erica Haugtvedt and I'm a first year MA student. I'm interested in psychological approaches to narrative. Right now, I'm especially interested in how we build, or imagine, stories--especially in issues of adaptation and "expanding" existing stories. I did my undergraduate honors thesis on fanfiction as a way of expanding the storyworld of Harry Potter. There are a lot of issues implicit in that paper that I'm interested in exploring more, so we'll see where it goes.

I grew up in Westerville, Ohio (and actually did my undergrad at OSU). But, I had the odd experience of having two parents who are from North Dakota and Minnesota--so Ohio was never referred to as "home" in our household. Thus, I feel like I'm an ex-patriot from the plains. I'm Norwegian-American and if you ever want to talk about Garrison Keillor, I'm fair game. My family has been lucky enough to visit Norway semi-frequently for the past ten years, so I'm also into Scandinavian stuff. I only speak elementary Norwegian, and I'm constantly interested in learning more when I can. Someday, I'd like to spend a year living in Norway.

My biggest ambition in life right now is to get a puppy. I desperately want the company of a dog like the one I had growing up: an adorable, loving mutt. But, alas, our living situation right now is not conducive to having a dog. If you need dog sitting, let me know. I'm also thinking about volunteering as a dog walker for the Franklin County humane shelter. If anyone wants to join me, that would be cool.

Otherwise, I'm married to Evan Thomas. And, you know, I like him. We both went to undergrad here, so if you need any help navigating around the city or you need some advice, feel free to ask us and we'll be glad to help!

Peter Elbow is a superstar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Elbow

Recap of discussion...using the blog for posting notes...an experiment.

procrastinating
irresponsible responsibility
distraction
the virtual horse
paradox
alarmist
focused distraction
google makes you stupid
marijuana
embrace
attention
human mind changing
efficiency
waste
apocalyptic
technocratic nomadism
evolved


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Elbow

In case you forget how much fun you had. Stay tuned for pictures tomorrow from the party.

Theresa in the middle

Thanks to Rachel for the post title, this is how the pic of me in Wednesday's slide show is labeled. Catchy, I thought!

I'm a first-year PhD student (originally from San Francisco, just moved here from Ann Arbor), focusing on Project Narrative and I already love living in Columbus with my pup, Lili. She is a blue-eyed cockerpoo with a super mellow personality unless an annoying dog gets in her face or anyone messes with me.

One of my major passions is painting. 2009 is my first major exhibition year. You can see my art web site here: TheresaRojas dot com

I'm Mexican-American (Chicana) and fluent in Spanish, though fairly out of practice. My family back in California tells me that I have a weird accent after 11 years in Michigan. I miss really good Mexican food!

One of my pet peeves is not having a pen handy when I need to write something, so you'll find cups full of them all over my home. I still write longhand letters and love to get fun care packages in the mail (who doesn't?). I also put a high value on family and friendship. I always return pens when I steal them. Borrow. I meant to say that I borrow them.

I am fabulously excited to be here!

Here's a better pic of The Lili:

I guess this is why we are writers, not actors.

Top o' the evening... um...

I keep meaning to post, and then forgetting. I meant to write this hours ago. Ah well, such is life.

At the busy end of a summer that has been full of work, I find myself returning to old vacation pictures. I have selected one of the dorkiest in my collection. I took this picture while on a solo whirlwind tour of England and Wales, visiting places that crop up in Arthurian literature. Here, I am leaning over the edge of a short cliff so that I can take my own picture with that rock you see next to my head. The rock happens to be next to the Camel river in Cornwall, and to get to it, I had to take several buses from the nearest train station to get to a small Cornish village, whence I hiked a few miles to a little Arthurian tourist stop on the side of the road, and then hiked the little trail they had marked out, all for this rock.

Why? Well, it's speculated to be (maybe, kinda, sorta) the burial place of the historical Arthur and Mordred. There's some very-difficult-to-make-out writing carved into the stone that looks like maybe it could be Arthur and Mordred. Maybe. I first learned of it from a footnote in the Penguin edition of Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain, (the editor also found his way there, and also thought it was really cool). This was the single spot in all of Great Britain that I most wanted to see (close runners-up being where Thomas More was beheaded, Alfred's capitol at Winchester, and Tintagel--where Arthur is most commonly said to have been born).

And as if all that didn't make me enough of a dork, I'm also wearing a flannel shirt. Flannel is my great weakness. It feels so right-- how could it be wrong?

Anyway, for my course theme, I'm planning on covering World Religion in Secular Media. I'm pretty stoked for it.

An introduction

My name is Meg and I thought I would follow everyone’s lead and try out this thing called blogging while also introducing myself to those I have not already met.

I am a first year PhD student with interests in cultural studies and feminist theory and well… any text ripe for exploring those frameworks. I do have a preference for material that tends to make people squeamish or, as I like to think, bring us into liminal spaces. Please e-mail me at lemay.15@osu.edu if you have seen the documentary Zoo! I also am a new vegan and am increasingly drawn to the field of Animal Studies which I hope to tie in somehow to the interests listed above. My course theme is the rhetoric of gender in pop science.

What else? I hail from Boston, but I grew up in the lakes region of Maine in a wee little town called South China. South China is not even equipped with a stoplight! Shown is a photograph of an early morning on China Lake where I spent my formative summers (and icy winters) being a playful kid.


Currently, I am living in the German Village just south of Schiller Park. I recommend seeing Shakespeare in the Park before it ends this weekend! I brought with me my partner and our puppy, Prudence, who is also a partner to both of us in many ways. Exceptionally happy with her new surroundings (Schiller is her boundless playground), she is making the adjustment easier on us. And so is the workshop! After two weeks of living here with nothing to do I am thrilled to be socially interacting with all of you!

Intro to me...and the end of the world

Hello all, I'm Alex and I'm a first year fiction writer. I'm going to try to be fancy here by adding a picture or two (videos are beyond my, and my computer's, technical capabilities). Figuring out how to put the pictures where I wanted took way too long. I came to Columbus from Columbia, Missouri and I am originally from St. Louis. Until now, and aside from a brief stint in Italy, I've lived my entire life in Missouri. I have a dog and she moved here with me. She's a puppy and she rocks.



That's my dog, Tarkio, sleeping in one of my guitar cases. I play guitar and I sing and I'm trying to learn how to play the accordion. I listen to a lot of folk music and some rock and some jazz...all sorts of stuff, really. I'm a bit of a nerd about beer and I've recently started brewing my own beer.

My theme is the rhetoric of apocalypse/end of the world...kind of. It's an evolving thing. Zombies may play a part in the course.

Heroes in Popular American Media

I thought I'd share some of my course materials with you in the hopes that you would have suggestions about how I could supplement them.

As part of my course, I'd like to show them how the image of American superhero evolved over the years. My hope is to get them to make a connection between the characters and the societies in which they were produced. I'd like them to be able to articulate how they connected with contemporary society's values, its desires and fears. I'd also like them to be able to critique those representations of the heroic, to determine whether or not they were effective, productive, positive.

I was thinking I would start with some basic 1940s war-time cartoons, such as Superman vs the Japanese Threat .

There are even more egregiously racist comic covers and panels from that period.

I know that none of those artifacts are exactly timely, but in the past I've found it helpful to introduce students to new processes via material to which they aren't particularly close, from which they can have some analytical distance. I guess I could bring it around by discussing their new rhetorical context, why they are still out there on the internet, why they're now presented as humorous when once they were deadly serious.

I was also toying with the idea of showing them the (amazing) opening credits from Watchmen, which are set a song that might be slightly familiar to some of you after today. My one concern is that it covers a lot of history in a very oblique way, so I might have to spend too much time teaching Vietnam, the Cold War, etc. So, I probably won't do that in the end.

I'm almost obliged to include the trailer for the Dark Knight, right? I think it's very interesting in that it's 80% Joker, which may suggest that villains are the new heroes.

From that, I was thinking of transitioning into sporting heroes. I was planning to segue by showing them adverts where the athletes seem larger than life or superhuman in some way:

- Nike "Fate" Advert
- Patrick "Chewing" Advert
- Nike "Good vs Evil" Advert

Anyway, these are just initial thoughts. I may change things a lot before the end.

Anxiety...

Am I the only one nervous about clicking on all these anonymous youtube links for fear of being rickrolled?

Hwæt!

I'm Karen Bruce, I'm originally from South Africa, and I'm a second year MA student in the department. I'm a medievalist, and I work on both the Anglo-Saxon period and the High Middle Ages. My recent research has been on constructions of disability in Alfredian England.

When I'm not busy being a grad student, I'm your standard issue girl geek. I enjoy comic books, science fiction and fantasy, and am currently dividing my "fun" reading time between Bill Willingham's brilliant Fables and Neal Stephenson's equally brilliant Anathem. I am also a gamer, who is currently obsessed with Batman: Arkham Asylum.

I also am secretly a crazy cat lady, whose kitten Hobbes really thinks that she is a tiger and stalks her around the apartment.

Fortunately, my fiance Phil thinks all of that is cute.

I've been having far too much fun setting up my blog, and playing with templates and widgets. Originally, I was going to become a programmer, and I still have moments when I miss coding. So, if you have any technical questions about the blogs, I'd be more than happy to help.

Blog Virgin.

Hi everyone. I'm Allison Davis, poetry MFA, Ohio born and raised. I've never written on a blog before, but it's not as painful as I thought it'd be. Outside of writing I do a lot of listening to records, vegan cooking, and Middle East peace activism. My theme is the rhetoric of American protest songs, so today's class was helpful. I'd love song recommendations if anyone has any, and thanks to those who have already shared their insights. Have a good day!

Getting to Know You

I'm a fan of the American Musical, of Rodgers & Hammerstein specifically, and Oklahoma!, Guys and Dolls, and My Fair Lady especially
(and in that order).

I'm an oboist in a woodwind trio who wishes
(since I'm not a jazz singer like one of my best friends--my favorite jazz singer since Ella) that there were such a thing as jazz oboe. (Except of course, that a jazz oboe wouldn't be able to sing, and what I love most are lyrics.)


I'm a poet of sorts, though a one trick pony at best. I'm working on revising a potential chapbook. (Someday, perhaps, I'll be published, and someday, perhaps, I'll work on an MFA.)

I love math, especially calculus. (According to my best friend, tutoring math can lift me out of the foulest of moods.)

I'm a science fiction and fantasy fan: books and tv. I grew up on STNG and have never gone back. I wrote an honors thesis for philosophy entitled "The Will to Feel: Science Fiction's Vital Function." (note, I will not provide a link to that)*

I'm devoted to my group of friends who are the sweetest boys ever.**

I love playing board games and card games and computer games. (Did I mention I like games?)

I like a range of music from Bizet's Carmen to Rosemary Clooney to BNL and the Avett Brothers.

I wish I knew how to tap dance.

I'm the oldest of 4 daughters and of 12 grandchildren

(11 are girls, and the majority blonde and blue-eyed like me.)

If I could have anything in the world,
I'd lock all my Chambers family up with me in a gated community
and never let any of them leave.
(Above all else, they are my life)

*Also, by the way, I like (surprise, surprise) to read alot ;)
I heart Jane Austen (who I wrote my Honors English Thesis about) and J.R.R. Tolkien best of all.

**If you asked my friends, they'd probably say that what I love best of all is either secrets or hugs, but what do they know?

Thought I should contribute...

With all the activity I've been seeing on the blog I felt I should contribute in some way...So I'm taking a cue from Anne and posting some artwork that I've done. It's pretty basic (and kind of old) but it's all I have with me at the moment...enjoy all!

As we consider our course topics,

may we be bold enough to be judged by Fox News. Perhaps they should suspend judgement and analyze, no?

Friday Night= Party Down

PARTY at Scott's House Friday Night

The First-Year Writing Program's
Pre-Quarter Workshop Cookout/Potluck

Friday, 4 September 2009
7pm

184 E. Blake Ave.
Columbus, 43202
614-330-1329

{Please RSVP using the sign-up sheet.}

We'll be grilling hamburgers and veggie burgers, and we'll have some beer, wine, and soft drinks on hand to get started.

Please bring a dish to share (snacks, salads, sides, desserts). And feel free to contribute to the drink coolers if you'd like anything specific to drink.

MapQuest Directions

ah, me

What do you tell people when you're introducing yourself electronically? I guess I'm just going to give you a barrage of random information to sift through, all the while hoping that you'll suspend judgment until you have the chance to talk to me in person. :) So, here we go!

I'm from Santa Barbara, California. I have broken two bones in my life, both on the right side of my body. I did ballet for 17 years, have rock climbed for 4, have mountain biked for 3, and have just recently gotten into road biking. If I were ever to name a pet after a character from a book, I would name it Melquiades. I'm fond of the Metro Parks system here, am currently obsessed with Wired magazine, and have been a vegetarian for a little over 4 years now. My husband and I are moving to Clintonville in a couple of weeks. Oh, and I love the Crew so if you ever want to go to a game and need some company, let me know!

It's a little bit of random information, but I hope it helps you remember who I am. :) I'm looking forward to getting to know you this quarter! Oh, and if you feel like checking out my blog, here it is.

ways to remember me.

I hate icebreakers as much as the next person, but one of those lame activities that has always helped me remember people and their names is when folks share random, memorable info about themselves. Writing Analytically might call this information "interesting and strange." So, in a desperate attempt to be memorable (and I've found I'm fairly easy to forget), here are my interesting and strange qualities:

I have a twin brother. (And a younger brother. But that part is less interesting, right?) People (and often highly educated ones) frequently inquire if my twin and I are identical. I want you to think about this for a moment before you ask me, too.

My left eye is both brown and blue. Seriously. It's wild. Sometimes people know me for years, and they never notice....they assume it's a glare, I guess. Other people notice this the moment they meet me and are fixated on it. I like to tell people it's a genetic mutation. This always made me a big hit in high school biology.


My boyfriend and I have two big ol' dogs. I obsess over them. It's sort of a problem. Sometimes, too, I pass on my insecurities to my dogs and counsel them about it: "Oh, Lucy. Don't worry. You're just curvy--that's your body type. You look GOOD, girl!" Or, "Buckley, don't be stressed. You're doing fine. Hang in there--you WILL make it!"

Hello, all, from Tiffany Salter. I am hoping that my fickle connection to hijacked wireless lasts through the actual uploading of this post, so I will be brief.

I am a silly person who enjoys friends, family, simple things and the absurd. I am working on a theme that addresses how Pop Culture appropriates counterculture imagery to sell things to young people who never lived through the eras of the most epic countercultures; I am desperately trying to figure out how I can make "PeeWee's Big Adventure" relevant to that conversation.

Side note: I watched "Spaceballs" with French language subtitles this evening and highly recommend this to others so inclined.

Words

These are the words I'm typing to see if I'm doing this correctly. Thanks, that was fun.

"What I Did On My Summer Vacation"

Hi, I'm Meghan Burke-- for my sample blog post, I figure I'll give you the highlights of my summer (in no particular order):

--Trying to learn everything about Romantic-era women's writing (mainly stuff by my favorite person ever) for my candidacy exams

--Discovering the most amazing film ever created (and watching it in a crowded Cleveland theater in July with other similarly-enlightened Wiseau fans... I'm hoping there's at least one of you in this PQW!)

--Being in no less than three weddings of very dear friends, including one in Montego Bay (view from my villa here--->) !

--Working with three other English dept. lit PhDs to bring the 2011 British Women Writers Conference to our campus; and turns out, we did it! You'll be hearing about how you can get involved in this exciting opportunity later in the fall.

That's about all for now--here's hoping all those links worked.

Rate My Course Topic.com (jk)

Ok...I'm working on my course theme along with everyone else tonight. Here are some artifacts that I've been thinking a lot about. (If you wanna post your artifacts feel free to use the blog as a discussion board for course topics)

New York Times Magazine Cover Article
"The Deadly Choices at Memorial"


This crazy tv show from Spike TV
(I can't watch it b/c I don't have cable, but
I get all I need from the trailers)

stories about plagues and H1N1 info. from OSU

I'm playing with a title lifted from the Spike show. Surviving (the Rhetoric of) Disaster

Thoughts? Suggestions?

This Be The Post

James Ellenberger is an MFA student at OSU. As a pastoral poet, he views his art (like most things) as highly serious. As such, he soberly splits his time evenly between learning new languages, watching Wes Anderson films, and bettering himself by reaching the most important generation: the children. He values modesty above all things.

This is a test

Hi, my name is Clayton Clark.  I'm a first-year poet in the MFA program and also a part of the surprisingly large Missouri collective (St. Louis!).  And no...Nelly was not my neighbor, in case you were wondering.

I'm going to follow Ben here.  Things I like:

tennis shoes

stand up comedy

October

running

punk rock

narrative poetry

Still afraid to try the hyperlink thing.  Baby steps.  I'll get there eventually.  I look forward to meeting you all soon if not already.

Clayton

Wednesday Slideshow

Tory from LA...says "Hey!"

Hi there, I'm Tory Adkisson. I am a first year poet in the MFA program here at OSU. My three greatest loves in life are dinosaur comics, the Final Fantasy series of console role-playing games (particularly VII), and, of course, poems (poems such as this, this, this, and this). I am very eager to teach people that are only marginally younger than myself and be either the hip younger teacher, or the insufferable wunderkind know-it-all. Whatever works.

Sara's Video Post

I decided to do a video blog for my first post. With everyone else doing text (or audio) intros, I feel a little narcissistic putting my face out there. I suppose the video speaks for itself, so enjoy the awkwardness!



Also, do I REALLY sound like that? Hehe.

Oh Hello.

My name is Evan Thomas. I'm a first-year MA from Dayton, Ohio. I like Dayton, but I like other things, too, such as comic books, science fiction, and regular-type fiction. I've worn a suit to class the past two days, and this pattern shows no sign of breaking.

If you've sat next to me, you may have noticed that I doodle. I keep focused by keeping my hands busy, usually practicing calligraphy. I learned calligraphy from my grandfather and a stack of magazines. Today I was thinking about the calligrapher Ewan Clayton, so I practiced the word "blessed" in some variations on Gaellic and Germanic letters.

Ewan Clayton wrote one of my favorite quotes about paper. He said,

"...I realized that written bits of paper enable certain kinds of human activity to take place. This may take the form of artistic appreciation, but it may take the form of a shopping list or a prayer, its function may be to provide a meeting place so that certain thing can happen."

These are my doodles from today.

P.S. My wife says I forgot to mention her. I'm the husband of Erica Haugtvedt.

Feels like the first time, probably because it is.

Apologies, all.

*Nothing inappropriate was meant by describing potential students as "exposed to their peers." This is why I write and don't vlog.

Ben Glass

A little about myself:

I believe in miracles.

I like gypsy punk.

My favorite poet is James Wright.

Audio, etc.

Hey all--

I was having trouble linking to Katie's audio post below and I wonder if we have an expert out there who has done audio posting or something similar. Can you either post directions or talk us through the process tomorrow? I'll do some experimenting to see if I can get an audio file up.

I posted a blog to the blog list at the bottom right hand of the page, The Moral of the Story Blog, written by "The Ethicist" (aka Randy Cohen) and the links that others suggested in earlier posts. Feel free to add a blog link-- just go to the layout tab, then click on the blue edit button next to the Blogs to Show Your Students element on the bottom right side of the page.

Rachel

PS- We now have 18 blog authors! Way to go folks.

asha from alaska

after so much talking and listening and
reading i cant think of much to say
but here is one of my pictures
it is a watercolor
i have alot of different hats i wear
artist / performer
poet/ writer
teacher/student
armchair traveler

and i would like to bring them all together
in one place

So, I'm not a WPA...

...nor am I one of the directors of FYW, but I thought it'd be fun to do a little (multimodal) blogging and experimentation anyway! (Plus, it seems like a good idea to get some regular old GTA posts on here!)

I even created an audio file blog entry, but I am admittedly having some serious difficulties embedding it. I will just have to link to it... Katie's audio blog entry.

But since I can't get it to embed, I will go ahead and write out what I said on there... So, hi to all! I'm Katie DeLuca, a new GTA and a second year MA student in RCL. As I said in audio post, I love the program here, and I am quite excited to be starting my second year in it. I'm also really looking forward to teaching 110. I know it's going to be an amazing experience, that I'll learn so much from it, and that it will likely make me a better student and scholar. (Or potential scholar? That's one of my big life questions...at what point does a person become a scholar?)

I've been enjoying the PQW so far. We've definitely got some great staff leading the way this year, and I am looking forward to working with them--and of course, all of you--on teaching this interesting and challenging curriculum.

But, I guess I have to be the spoil-sport who already ran into a bit of blogging trouble--failure to embed audio files. Any thoughts and/or ideas? I've used other blogging platforms that have an embed audio link alongside an embed video link, but that seems to be missing here. Maybe someone has a clever and creative way to make this work?

Again, I'm looking forward to working with all of you! Here's to a great year!

-Katie DeLuca

Technology at OSU

Here's a link to OSU's IT Service Desk. This site, among other things, can help you forward your Buckeye Mail to other email accounts.

See you tomorrow!

Andrew (WPA)

See you tomorrow.

Here (Denney Hall) at 9ish (no later than 9:30).

Looking forward to it.


R

Meet the Director

(Ok, so perhaps I shouldn't have tried to do this on just one cup of coffee so early in the morning. My goal was to post a one-take welcome video to the blog--no editing, no corrections, no fancy titling. Just record, drag, and drop. I just looked at my video, and after listening to what I said about the dates, I even confused myself! Ugh! Just to be clear: I recorded on Friday morning, the Workshop starts on Monday morning, and we'll be hanging at my house NEXT Friday evening for the Workshop party. Whew!)

PQW FAQ's

Now that we're only a few weeks away from the start of the school year and only 4.5 days away from the start of Pre-Quarter workshop I'm running into new GTA's everywhere, all with questions about PQW.

FAQ's (with a few slacker questions that people actually asked)


1) Will there be food?

FREE breakfast and coffee. Everyday. Last year it was from Brenen's (the coffee shop across from campus on High St. and 15th)

2) Do I have to get up in the morning?

Yes, but you don't have to be there until 9:30am. It's usually over by 2:30pm and there is a lunch break. Work days don't get much shorter than that.

3) Do I have to do the reading?

Will there be a quiz? No. Will you have a hard time planning your curriculum around readings you haven't done? Yes. Do them.

4) Will we do a lot of ice breakers, hand-holding, and crying?

No. This training takes a more academic approach than some group training experiences. Your days will be filled with a mix of presentations, panels, and group discussions. We'll even throw in a few short practice teaching sessions. All of the group activities we do will either be discussion-based or we'll review assignments and give GTA's a chance to preview and participate in the cirriculum.

5) Will we have homework? Will I have free time?

PQW is a much lighter version of the semester schedule, but it is a place to start balancing your workload. If you remember Scott's e-mail, there was a warning that PQW can be intense. The intensity comes from the amount of new information we're presenting and you're digesting.

My recommendation is to try as hard as you can to wrap up loose ends before PQW. If you have lingering summer work or are unpacking try to finish that in early September.

There will be 'assignments' related to course planning and design early in the workshop, and you'll want to spend most of your last two weeks pulling together your syllabus and lesson plans for the fall. We'll also base some sessions around readings that you'll be asked to do at night.

You won't have to kill yourself, but the more you get done during PQW the less you'll have to struggle to balance classes and teaching in fall.

6) Logistics (more than you need to know)

PQW begins at 9:30am at Denney Hall, Rm. 311.
You'll have chairs and folding tables that seat about 5 or 6 and you can usually leave your stuff in the room.
Breakfast will probably be bagels, yogurt, fruit, and coffee. I remember a rush on bananas last year, only the early-birds got them.
You'll get your own binders and university pens.
Bring a laptop if you want to, but there's no need to break your back carrying them if you don't want to. There are computer labs on the third floor you can use if you just need to check your e-mail during breaks.
You're welcome to stay in 311 if you brown bag it. I remember being incredibly broke this time last year. If you aren't, there are plenty of places within walking distance to explore.
The tempature in Denney is like the weather in Ohio, always changing. The air conditioning has been on lately, so I'd recommend a sweater, cardigan, light jacket, etc.

Hope this helps those of you obsessive planners out there. Tomorrow is a post from Scott DeWitt, so I'll see you again Friday.

Meet Another WPA

Hey All,

I'm Andrew Kopec, a WPA for the upcoming school year. I'm from southwest of Dayton, Ohio (Miamisburg, OH) but have called Columbus home for the last three years. In 2008, I finished my MA in American Literature to 1900 at Ohio State and am beginning the second year of my PhD studies. In addition to being a WPA, I'm in the "planning stages" (scare quotes are indeed required here) of a dissertation that focuses on nineteenth-century American literature and am studying for my Candidacy Exams. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone soon and getting to know you over the course of the academic year!

This year you'll be able to find me in the DMP, the newly renovated Thompson Library, or Cam's Cafe at the Wexner Center.

Meet A WPA

Hi, everyone. My name is Ali Salerno, and I'm one of the student Writing Program Administrators that will be helping you out during Pre-Quarter Workshop. I'm originally from Eastchester, NY, and I'm a first-year graduate student in the MFA program in fiction here at OSU. I have enjoyed teaching this past year and I hope to get to know all of you through this process and ensure that you have a great transition into teaching English 110. You can usually find me in 419 Denney Hall, the DMP, or the Clintonville Cup O Joe (seriously, it's the best Cup O Joe, and I don't even live in Clintonville). See you all in a week!

Weekend

Most of the First Year Writing folks are taking a long weekend and enjoying their few last days of summer. Scott went to see the big tennis tourney in Cincy, Ali has family in town, Eddie is 'on the road', but I'm not sure where to, and Andrew is working out of DC this week. I spent a day on campus, running errands and wrapping work on my summer classes.

Campus is starting to fill up; the oval is full of sun bathing ladies and preachers (plus lots of backpack carrying students), the new Thompson Library has more studiers than tour takers, and the RPAC no longer houses camp kids, but actually students and athletes. I also had the privilege of waiting in line for about an hour at Financial Aid. They are definitely gearing up for Fall Quarter (and all the admin issues that come with such a big university). I finally realized why they never answer the phone-- there's a line of about about 20 people and 2 receptionists. My number was 55.

Finally, back to home base, Denney Hall and the home away from home for the WPAs, the Digital Media Project (DMP). The air conditioning is working full force, most of the offices are cleaned and painted, and all the pieces of furniture living in the hallway this summer found permanent homes.

There's a point to this rambly Friday afternoon post: we're getting ready for you. The University, the Department, and the First Year Writing Program.

I'm gonna join the rest of the staff and take the weekend off blogging before our last big prep week before you get here. Hope you all get a chance to take a few days for yourself too.

See you Monday.

Cbus

This time last year, moving to Columbus, I resolved to get out and enjoy the city before the cold northern winter I was so afraid of set in. I did venture out, but not nearly as much as I'd hoped to. This August I'm re-resolving to see a little more of the city and spend some time outdoors.

I also have to do it on the cheap (don't we all). Here are a few links to get newbies started exploring Columbus and to get those of us who have been here awhile outside of our comfort zones and regular routines.

I also remember that there was a new things group last year that met for a few months and got people together for things like cooking, festivals, and new movies. If people are interested PQW would is also a great place to organize other grad students.


Experience Columbus AND the Experience Columbus Blog
Experience Columbus is the official website for the Convention and Visitor's Bureau. A lot of the info is about touring companies and shows (which cost money), but they also publicize arts events, and festivals that are free. I subscribe to the monthly e-newsletter so I know what's going on in town.

Columbus Parks and Recreation (Park Guide)

Yay Bikes

Columbus Festivals Guide

Columbus Underground
News and reviews of clubs, bars, and restaurants in the Columbus area. There's also a nice feature where you search articles and happenings by neighborhood-- your new neighborhood.

Under the Table
Food guide from Columbus Dining Guide.com and the Dispatch. Check out the posts on the farmers markets and local summer foods.

The Columbus Dispatch Blogs
The biggest newspaper in Columbus, maintains a site with dozens of news, sports, and entertainments blogs.

Professional Columbus Sports Teams
the Columbus Crew (soccer)
the Blue Jackets (hockey)
the Columbus Clippers (baseball)


Arts Blogs from OSU
The Wexner Center for the Arts and The Wex Blog
Check out the free outdoor movies series and the performing arts Fall calendar.

The Urban Arts Space and UAS Blog

WOSU Arts Blog

Feel free to post more in the comments section.

Meet the Associate Director

Welcome new teachers to the First-Year Writing Program! You'll meet meet me in a week or so when the workshop begins, and I will be doing everything I can to get you ready for your first day of teaching English 110. I have been working with the program since 1998 , and before that I was the grants manager for an arts organization. My background for working in this field is a little unusual because my PhD was in lit (Victorian) and I also have a Master of Music degree. I'm still a musician (cello!), but when I'm at my day job I teach a range of writing classes, work with grad students in their professional development, contribute to the writing curriculum, and help out the department with transfer credit evaluation and "other duties as assigned." Looking forward to meeting you all!

Call for blogs

As you might have guessed one of the projects you'll work on with your students in English 110 is a class blog. Don't worry, if you've never blogged before we'll take you step-by-step through the process in Pre-Quarter Workshop (and for expert bloggers, wait to create your class blog until you get the guidelines from us). For those of you who blog, read blogs, or feel inspired to start, post a list of blogs you read casually, are addicted to, or those you despise. I'm interseted in academic blogs, celebrity blogs, personal blogs, news blogs, any blog that catches your attention. I'll collect a list and put it together in the blog links section. Thanks!

T-Minus 15 and Counting...

Future English 110 teachers.

I'll start my blog post with a flashback to August 2008...

With two weeks until my move to Ohio I had mostly cleared out my old office, trashed the empty coke cans, cleared the music off my hard drive, and packed up hree years worth of pictures, posters, and conference trinkets in case I ever had my own office again.

My apartment was packed, but not cleaned. I was in the process of a break-up, but I had a new aptartment, a U-haul rented, and plenty of good-bye dinners on the schedule.

The only clues about my new life were two packets, one from OSU and full of graduate student paperwork, and the other a textbook and a letter from Scott DeWitt of the First Year Writing Project. I stared at the book and the new letter hoping that it would provide me some insight into my new life, but I only felt a little overwhelmed.

I thought I'd start off the blog with an invitation for you to post. Where are you and what part of the transition are you in? While the majority of you are new to OSU and Columbus, there are students coming off of fellowship and new graduate students coming from OSU undergraduate.

Welcome.

C-bus= Ice Cream Heaven

Columbus, OH is Ice Cream Heaven. If you don't believe me check out this article from the Denver Post (random), featuring Jeni's Ice Creams a few years ago. If you're not into funky flavors then check out Denise's in Clintonville and Grater's, which originated in Columbus.

Virtual Tours of Classrooms

While many of you won't have your class assignments, if you do feel free to check out this link, which allows you to preview OSU classrooms. If you don't have an assignment there's a good chance that you'll be teaching in Central Classrooms on the second floor, s0 take a peek.

Classroom Previews

It's drop-down listing of all the classrooms you might get assigned to teach in. You simply select the building and room number for the classroom you've been assigned to, and you can then see the technology available and (in most cases) several pictures of the classroom itself. It might save some of you a phone call (and perhaps more importantly, eliminate unnecessary human interaction...)


Thanks to Annie Mendenhall for passing this along.

Student Blogs

OSU is maintaining links to several student blogs. While these students are in different places academically than your 110 students, I think these links provide some insight into the culture and student body of OSU. I thought it was something a first year teacher might want to check out.

http://scarletandgray.osu.edu/blogs/Default.aspx