Writing Class: Home(y)lands at UNM

Something resembling a "publishing policy" is gradually shaping up. Writing classes, workshops, calls are blog fodder. The last time someone had the temerity to ask about policy,

I described it as a "grey goose that wakes up in a new world every morning." Just when I think there might be one, it changes on me.

To each medium, go inherent limitations, built-in advantages and conventions. Picnic has three ~ five if I count the calendar and static page. That complicates policy." And may more if I add another application (yes, under consideration). Each overlaps but not completely and has different restraints, requirements, genre conventions. Imagine the animated gif of a 

drunk Venn Diagram. I'll try for a more sober and coherent in a separate post.

Recently, I blogged Bill Nevins' creative writing class that starts Monday at UNM Valencia. 

This one came in my reader. I also posted Zach's call for submissions. Writing class or course, workshop, calls for submissions, conferences, detailed event descriptions and reviews all need more information ~ and space, possibly a link of their own ~ than fit in 140 characters or even the 500+ character status update on Facebook. Oddly, comments have no limit and now even format/embed links with an image. Events with pages are easy to share and likely to end up on Facebook. Overlap.

Thank you Kenn Rodriguez, Richard Vargas, Hakim Be and others for those handy dandy event page and ready to post copy time savers. Likewise to Miriam Sagan and Lisa Gill for easy to share

blog post pages. Anything I have to hunt down and/or download and reformat takes more time. Come either a time crunch or bout of absent-mindedness, more likely to be overlooked. Nothing personal... just sayin'

At Local Poets Guild, Lisa Gill writes about Cathy Arellano’s upcoming NM creative writing class

'I’m a fan of Cathy Arellano’s poetry, love her energy and heart, and am so pleased to learn that she’ll be teaching a class at UNM. This is the woman who blogs under the title: Home(y)lands. I’m psyched she has this opportunity to teach and know every student will benefit tremendously–and enjoy. You can also check out Cathy’s personal blog .

I also checked out the syllabus and give it a huge, holy wow, this looks great.

Cathy writes:
What makes one place just a house and another a home?
What happened there? What was found there? Who knows?
What are you willing to do for the place you love?

Now is the time to write those stories you keep telling.

Now is the time to write those stories you won’t tell, but they keep haunting you.

The class is titled (W)riting Home: Place and Ritual in Creative Writing and Literature and check out this reading list.

1. A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet – Jimmy Santiago Baca
2. Poetry of Remembrance: New and Rejected Works – Levi Romero
3. The Toughest Indian in the World – Sherman Alexie
4. Their Dogs Came with Them – Helena Maria Viramontes
5. Watsonville: Some Place Not Here – Cherríe Moraga (in town for Cultural Conference)
6. In Mad Love and War – Joy Harjo

WRITE YOUR OWN POEMS AND STORIES!
The course is divided into five thematic sections: Enchantment and Disenchantment; Urban, Rural, Rez; Changes and Outside Influences; Personal and Political; and War at Home.
Thursdays, 5:30-8:00 pm in DSH 234 / 3 units / University of New Mexico, Fall 2011 / CHMS 393 Section 7 / English 315 Section 1 /American Studies 310 Section 7
Home(y)lands Class at UNM