Here are some numbers to consider for the end of the semester. I asked 140 IB English students to turn in their logs, into which they have composed over the last 4 weeks anywhere between 20 and 30 pages of response to the readings we’ve done out of The Best American Essays of the Century. Let’s justContinue reading “Of English Teacher Math: Teaching 200 Students How To Write”
Category Archives: Writing and Reading
Of The End of Winter Break and a Bunch of Other Of
Sunday, January 6, the end of Winter Break in the school district for which I work. Always mixed feelings about the end of any lengthy break from teaching. There’s some dread about having to get up and work hard again, always. And there’s a sense of discombobulation and confusion about what it was we wereContinue reading “Of The End of Winter Break and a Bunch of Other Of”
Of Prepositions: A Prose Poem
Aboard a ship, about one or two years ago, above the rough sea, across the widest possible expanse, after a drink of the finest bourbon, against all of my best intentions, along the lines forming in your skin, amid the mist, among the surging anti-trees, WTF, around nothing worth mentioning, as far as I could throw, at last, before dawn, behind me, below me, beneath me, beside myself with something orContinue reading “Of Prepositions: A Prose Poem”
Of Childhood Rock and Roll Fantasy
It was 1977. I was 12. From the perspective of my suburban cultural landscape, I was not yet aware of Talking Heads or Blondie. I hadn’t heard The Sex Pistols, The Boomtown Rats, XTC or Japan. I had not yet discovered the punk rock and the new wave or the truly experimental prog. I hadContinue reading “Of Childhood Rock and Roll Fantasy”
Of Resolutions
The only new year’s resolution I’ve ever made and then kept was the one I made last year to publish my novel Monster Talk in 2012. But I think I was cheating because the decision to do the thing was made before the close of 2011 by a couple of days–so the ball was inContinue reading “Of Resolutions”
Of Of and On
What’s it about. What’s the subject. Why no question marks. One could perhaps ad an of or an on to any title and the title would still function properly. Check this out: Of The Great Gatsby. Of Shades of Grey. It would not work so well, though, if one’s title begins with a preposition, ifContinue reading “Of Of and On”
Monster Talk: Of a Race of Devils
Wherein Michael Jarmer reads an entire chapter from his novel in one take with only two negligible errors; wherein the author taxes the attention span and patience of his readers/watchers/listeners with a 12 minute video blog; wherein he learns never to do that again; wherein Michael Jarmer uses the natural lighting to freaky advantage; andContinue reading “Monster Talk: Of a Race of Devils”
Monster Talk Prologue: Of the Children of Monsters
Wherein Michael Jarmer reads the two epigraphs and the prologue from his novel, Monster Talk; wherein he struggles with the natural lighting, producing an unintentional but potentially appropriate ghostliness; wherein he informs us once again where one could procure a copy of his wonderful new novel; after which, he wonders whether or not video readingsContinue reading “Monster Talk Prologue: Of the Children of Monsters”
The Inaugural Video Blog
Wherein Michael Jarmer introduces himself, his novel, and the purpose of this particular blog medium; wherein Michael Jarmer learns about video recording himself, where to look, for example, where to place the microphone, how everything on the screen is the opposite of where it is in the room; and finally, wherein Michael Jarmer demonstrates rudimentaryContinue reading “The Inaugural Video Blog”
More Reasons Why You Will Love My Novel: Adventures in Self-Publishing and Self-Promotion Part Two
Let’s recap, why don’t we. I do not have a history of being a very capable or enthusiastic self-promoter. I have difficulty asking people, cajoling people, insisting that people come to see my band play a show, for example, or buy our records. It’s not that I don’t think we’re worthy of their patronage, butContinue reading “More Reasons Why You Will Love My Novel: Adventures in Self-Publishing and Self-Promotion Part Two”
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