As I write this blog, I sort of understand the impulse to write so much lead-in. I’ve shared the big news: now where to do I from here?
Category Archives: Blog
I used to write so much
Every semester I try to do the assignments along with my students partly as a way for me to keep up my own writing practice (I write things I turn in for my classes sometimes), and partly to experience for myself what my students experience when I walk them through a multi-stage writing prompt, or set draft deadlines at certain intervals.
The uncomfortable middle
It takes me a long time to feel comfortable in a new space, so any trip shorter than a few weeks always feels more exhausting than I expect it to be, even if I’m visiting a place I had been before.
Hopelessness
Near the end of the first-year composition class I taught this summer, one of my students asked, How do you pay attention to the news without feeling totally hopeless?
Repeated Reread: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
I reread Fangirl when I just couldn’t look at a screen anymore. Whenever I needed it, I immersed myself in Cath’s highs and lows as a way to distract from my own creative angst.
#weekendcoffeeshare: Oversharing, underperforming
If we were having coffee, I’d probably oscillate between nervous laughter and tight-lipped silence. Right now, I’m a writer-in-residence at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, a field research station operated by the Iowa Regents Universities. Like many things, this was something I was chosen for last year, but was delayed due to COVID. This year, I wasContinue reading “#weekendcoffeeshare: Oversharing, underperforming”
See you on the other side
Being vigilant and ready to fight for what’s right may be incredibly draining, but the flip side, hopefully, is also true: that being more aware of potential disaster could also help me be more aware of joy.
Recommit
The weeks have been overwhelming. After Spring Break, when ISU had switched to online learning entirely, and would be online for the rest of the semester, I felt capable of staying on top of my work. I streamlined the curriculum of the classes I teach. My professors were working out their own plans for onlineContinue reading “Recommit”
What has been getting me through
Re-watching Sailor Moon on the weekends. Reading: Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino, A History of the Philippines by Luis H. Francia, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, Lilith’s Brood by Octavia Butler, and readings for classes. Re-reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, America Is Not The Heart by Elaine Castillo, TheContinue reading “What has been getting me through”
#weekendcoffeeshare: Having somewhere to be
If we were having coffee, I would first have to adjust my sound settings because my bluetooth headphones sometimes don’t pick up the mic that well. But then I’d tell you that this week, I’ve been having conferences with my students. Some of them have been one-on-one, and some have been done asynchronously through commentsContinue reading “#weekendcoffeeshare: Having somewhere to be”
Caroliena Cabada 