happy in happy valley

Last spring I wrote here about feeling isolated in my academic pursuits, largely because I was taking two classes outside of English and wasn’t in as much contact with many of my English rhetoric colleagues as I would have liked. But this term: wow, things are going quite well. I’m in three seminars that seem to be going swimmingly. I especially love my Kenneth Burke seminar, which is getting me some dirty responses from some of my post-structuralist literature folks—largely, I think, because Burke isn’t the most exciting writer at times. But I’m enjoying most of what I read (he can be so Marcusean at times, which is what’s interesting me), and the conversation in class has exceeded my expectations. So good to be in a room of so many smart people talking about interesting things. My other two classes are going well too, though I’m feeling a bit less passion about them. I think once I nail down my research for those two classes, I’ll be ignited even more.

I’m also working (every so slowly) on my conference presentation for Feminisms and Rhetorics in October, on a co-authored paper with Stuart and Rebecca, and in the composition office. It’s all keeping me very busy, which I actually kind of love. Toward the end of the summer, I was kind of ready for the “break” to be over, because I needed more structured deadlines and felt exhausted from teaching everyday, so didn’t do as much research and writing as I would have liked. Now, I’m going to sit down with my delicious cup of coffee at Saints and read about Kenneth Burke and technology.

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4 Responses to happy in happy valley

  1. Nels says:

    I was downright miserable at the end of the summer, partly because of the lack of structure. My attitude since the start of the semester has shifted amazingly.

    And considering who is teaching the Burke seminar, I bet it is near perfection. I can’t imagine taking that kind of class with the real experts.

  2. Michael says:

    Oh, Selzer and Hawhee are AMAZING!

  3. Chris says:

    It has been far too long since I have visited the blog and what a great post to treat my eyes. Good for you and enjoy that coffee– I always liked Saints. Especially the bathroom. It’s ya know, signed well.

  4. Michael says:

    Chris, you must be thinking of Webster’s bathroom, because Saint’s has never been graffiti’d as long as I’ve been here. And Webster’s painted over theirs a few months ago. Which was sad.

    Haha! Unless, and this just donned on me, you meant a different, more inclusive signage. In which case, you are right on.

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