Hello again, Friday! I have been in professional development classes most of this week but I took Tuesday off to meet with another writer to discuss the “Farscape” article I am writing and I’m taking today off to “catch-up” before heading over to my MFA school – Queens University of Charlotte – where the final graduating students (including Maureen Sherbondy) will be reading at 5. There are several other events tonight so how many can I make? Alice Osborn is reading at Vin Master at 7 and then there are Queens faculty readings at 8. Oh and dinner in between? I need to save up my introvert energies to make it through all of that tonight!

I did receive some really terrific news this week! My poem “Saturday at Merchant Mill Pond” (appears in Paper House) will be re-printed in the NC Literary Trails series – Eastern NC edition!!! This is a terrific series. You can already pick up the mountain and Piedmont editions.

Also Sherry Chandler was nice enough to write a review of An Amateur Marriage on her blog. Thanks, Sherry!

Have I been telling you some of the things I’m taking for Professional Development? Such a variety from personality tests (DISC is the new one apparently) to teaching students how to learn. I was particularly excited about some ideas I picked up from a session called SCALE-UP which I think will help the workshop classroom I want to develop for the fall. That is if I ever feel confident that our schedule is REALLY set in stop. Yesterday I had a chance to spend time with one of the UNCC Writing Project people again – Dr. Sally Griffin and I learned even more new tips on using daybooks which I want to focus on more for the fall as well. I actually have an extra copy of the textbook on Daybooks called Thinking Out Loud on Paper The Student Daybook as a Tool to Foster Learning. I reviewed this last summer on the blog as well I am going to do this on a giveaway. If you want to be entered for a chance to get this book then email me (before midnight Thursday 5-31-12) and tell me in under 250 words why you’d love to have a copy.

Thank goodness for this workshop on many levels, but in particular because it gave me a chance to just write write write and the poem I am posting today was literally written during that workshop. This was written in response to the Billy Collins poem Schoolsville.

–time to revise! Thanks everyone  

This post is already a bit longer than usual for a Friday so here is the reminder: I post a piece in progress and you are free to comment on it below and/or to post (link) to your own work in progress. All works in progress will be taken down a week from today. Have a great long writerly weekend!