Cool!

My story "I'll Pay You Back When I Get Home" has been accepted for the anthology Cool Thing, to be published by Running Press in Fall '08. Here's the blog.

Also, dialogue vs. dialog?

Do you all have a preference? I've only ever used dialogue. I know both are acceptable, but the frequency of dialog I've seen lately makes me wonder if I missed a memo? Maybe I haven't paid attention? Ever?

Foundation chief Mitte arrested in cocaine case

By Joshunda Sanders Wednesday, March 26, 2008, 10:51 AM

Scott Mitte, president of the board of the philanthropic Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation, was charged Monday with cocaine possession after sheriff’s officials found about an ounce of the drug in his car, Travis County sheriff’s spokesman Roger Wade said.

According to an arrest affidavit, Mitte, whose full name is Michael Scott Mitte, was working with the sheriff’s office as a cooperating individual (also known as a criminal informant) to help officials gain access to an illegal drug supplier.

When he showed up for the operation at about 11:30 a.m. at the sheriff’s department headquarters on Airport Boulevard, officials searched his two-door 2008 Silver Porsche and found about an ounce of cocaine inside a pack of Marlboro 100’s ultra lights cigarettes.

Sheriff’s officials routinely search the vehicles of civilians aiding in such operations.

When the cocaine was found, Mitte said to the investigator, “I’m sorry, I (messed) up.”

Wade said Mitte, 51, admitted that the cocaine was his and was immediately arrested. He was released from jail Monday after posting bail of $20,000, Wade said.

Mitte was unable to be reached for comment this morning and his lawyer did not return calls seeking comment. The executive director of the Mitte Foundation, Cheryl Nolting, said the foundation also had no comment on the incident.

According to the Mitte Foundation Web site, Mitte is a native Texan who graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in history in 1991. He is the senior vice president of the Mitte Foundation, and he manages its six-member board.

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Animated Poetry

I just found this animated film of the Billy Collins poem "The Country," and I think it might be good for the classroom.

There are a few more animated poems of his on youtube, as well.

I'm teaching a unit on visual art and story, so if you have any suggestions or ideas, pass them on.

Where the Wind Blows

Abby got the job, folks. She's probably in the process of calling all of you who are not in this building, but I wanted to post it up here, anyway.

The Wipers

Was anyone else forced to watch these in junior high school? I was, by Ms. Demars, during second period in the annex. This morning I'm marveling at the amount of suck I endured throughout my english education.

Post Program Vices

I've been playing this vocabulary game called free rice. I read about it in the NYtimes. It is a vocabulary game, but when you answer correctly they donate rice to people who need it.

Any new guilty pleasures?

for all you teachers out there

I ran into Honor Mooreman yesterday (she and stephanie are the senior lecturers at TSU that teach the undergraduate english teachers how to be teachers). I found this video from her blog (www.englishteacherteacher.blogspot.com) . Highly recommended, it is full of resources (see the blog roll especially). Just wanted to share. Also www.readwritethink.org has some good lesson plan ideas (for those paper turn in days).

Two step

I am lamenting that we don't all live together in the same old great city/region/state. Today was an exciting day here. Bill Clinton came to the LBJ student center to hug a bobcat or two. (I was teaching so I missed the big unexpected visit). There was the primary and then the caucus and now the long wait for the results. I feel like we'd all be at the river pub right now trading funny stories.

Google Group

Sarah suggested the possibility of a Google Group in the last post, so I want to ask you some questions.

If I set up a group, what is the likelihood that you might like to participate in a monthly (or quarterly - I'm not asking for miracles) read and respond thing?

Here's what I think: We wouldn't have to call it a workshop, we wouldn't have to necessarily post finished pieces, and we wouldn't necessarily even have to post fiction. Two good paragraphs, 75 good words, an ancient and confusing first draft, the fragment of a poem, an essay, whatever.

That way, there would be a deadline, but it would not be a deadline for a story. It would be a deadline for whatever you happened to be working on, at whatever stage. And maybe there could be 2-way conversation between author and readers?

So that's what I think.

What do you think?