As noted here before, this is a busy month, what with my being a student and all. But a few other things have been going on, including two interviews, both quite surprising.
The first surprise interview involved a writing class in Milwaukee, Wisconsin of all things. J. Boone Dryden contacted me about the fact that he would be utilizing one of my favorite short stories, “A Very Young Boy with Largely Clipped Wings,” in connection with its literary precursor, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” to talk about theme and voice and other matters. One thing led to another, and I ended up on a web camera, being streamed from my office here in Charleston to a screen in Milwaukee to talk to a group of young writers about my work and my methods. They were perceptive and gracious. I had a great time.
The second surprise interview involved a new job here at The Citadel. Much to my surprise, I was offered the chance to become the college’s first “Associate Director of the Honors Program.” As an Honors Program alumnus myself (from Baylor University), I consider this quite the extraordinary honor, and it involved a bit of follow-up interviewing … the end result of which is it seems I will indeed be taking this new position starting in the Fall.
So I’m still busy. 🙂
Also, Child 1.0 turned 5, which has been great fun since he’s at last of an age when he can be excited about such things.
A new writerly tactic — to leave us dangling with a final unmodified I? 🙂
Congratulations on your new position, which I assume is on top of your other duties, and for which — since interviews were involved — I trust you will be compensated monetarily.
I do hope you will still be able to find a few moments every once in a while to write fiction.
And belated Merry Birthday greetings to your Number One Son!
Oops! You caught a typo there, Cathy. ‘Tis fixed now.
Thanks for the congrats; there is compensation, to be sure.
And for what it is worth one of my major concerns was that this associate directorship not interfere with my writing time. We’ll see, but I don’t think it will. After all, as busy as I have been these last few weeks I’ve written two new short stories and several chapters of a novel-in-progress.
Congratulations!
Happy birthday to the hobbit!