September 14, 2005

stop and smell the smoke

This semester so far has been insanely busy. I won't spend too long talking about it because I hate when people bitch and bitch about how busy they are. It's college. We're all very busy, or at least those of us who take it the least bit seriously. Suffice it to say, I feel like I've had a meeting or something to go to like every night since the semester started.
I'm working a couple jobs for the Illini Media Company now in addition to my job at Loomis. I'm copy editing for the Buzz (a weekly entertainment magazine) and have just started reporting to the Daily Illini. ( Check out my first story.) Copy editing might be one of the most boring jobs in the world. But you know what? I get paid to read and look things up in a dictionary, so I'm not complaining.
One of the things I'm most excited about so far this semester is that I decided to do an independent study in poetry with a guy named Steve Davenport who was one of my advisors and is now associate director of the creative writing program. His first book of poetry is coming out early next year. I'm going to be working with him one on one throughout the semester and hopefully writing some kick ass new poems that vary a little from what I've done before. We're trying to challenge the aesthetic I've developed through my own reading and writing and through my work with my previous instructors, Kate Mauer and Michael Van Walleghen. I've developed this pattern of short lines that according to Steve very much identifies me as a student of Van Walleghen. Hopefully I'll put together a portfolio this semester that is worthy of attaching to grad school applications should I choose to go that route. So anyway, look for new poems this semester on the other blog. I unfortunately had to drop the fiction class I was taking to make room for the independent study, which really sucks becaues the teacher seemed really good. I've got a few story ideas anyway, so I'm going to try to write a few of those this semester as well.
That's all for now. Works over and it's time for lunch.

SONG OF THE MOMENT:
Mass Pike - The Get Up Kids

Posted by dpetrella at September 14, 2005 11:56 AM | TrackBack
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