Teaching post

2020

[52^nd anniversary of the MLK, Jr. assassination]

Thoughts and tasks for the coming week

Dear class--

On our walk this morning, Lilith and I didn’t go to the cemetery but to Koolau Shopping Center to see how businesses are faring. They’re mostly closed, though a lot of people wearing masks were going into and coming out of Times Supermarket. One restaurant had been destroyed by a rogue vehicle before the lockdown, so it’s completely boarded up. The movie theater is empty. Signs of the times. If you want to read something totally bracing about COVID-19’s effects try this:

https://www.ft.com/content/10d8f5e8-74eb-11ea-95fe-fcd274e920ca

Hope you don’t get harassed about subscribing . . .

But then be sure to balance such reading with something like Stephen Colbert’s twitter feed. His meme about how much he aged in the past month is pretty funny (from a kid with braces to an old guy with white beard). See https://twitter.com/search?q=colbert&src=typed_query

I’ve been doing my own meditations and attention exercises on my blog. The fun stuff comes of my walks with Lilith. People say all sorts of things to me; little do they know that I go home and write it all down! The single-spaced entries are mostly these vignettes: https://tinfisheditor.blogspot.com/

A lot of the rest is nattering.

I’m asking you to read Joseph Han’s ORPHAN this week, here: https://tinfishpress.com/?projects=orphan You can download the pdf for free. This collection began its life as a chapbook, namely a collection that’s either sewn or stapled (saddle-stitched) together. Tinfish’s designer, Jeff Sanner, did a series of these chapbooks, which he slipped into clear plastic envelopes, like records. They were printed at Kinkos, though he did some silkscreen work on the cover in his garage.

Here’s the week’s schedule:

Monday, 4/6/20: Read Lorde, Lofty (368-371); Joseph Han’s Orphan, here: https://tinfishpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Orphan-Joseph-Han-7inchchapbook-tinfish.pdf

Wednesday, 4/8/20: Write your response to Orphan and two responses to two other responses . . .

Friday, 4/10/20: Writing day. Write a poem inspired by the reading. Hand in exercises and experiments.

And here are some questions to consider in writing your responses. Do one of them, or combine:

1. Han is obsessed with language (Korean and English) and with cosmetic surgery (which takes the body itself as a page) in this chapbook. Discuss the ways in which language and body come together in at least one of his poems.

2. Han’s speaker is the American son of Korean parents. Write about how the differences between nationalities and languages affect his relationship with his family. Use specific examples!

3. Write, in detail, about something that struck you as you read the chapbook. You might even think about the design work (which was done separately, but complements the text). Or think about the relevance of Audre Lorde's essay to Han's work.

This is a really difficult time, so please stay in touch. You can email me at any time, or call 808-. I don’t usually “friend” students on facebook or instagram until the semester is over, but am making an exception this time around. You can find me at Susan M. Schultz (FB) or susanmschultz (instagram). I post lots of photos of Lilith.

Remember, we are living history in a way that many generations do not, so keep writing. This experience will change all of us.

Aloha, Susan Schultz