Hey, this is my blog!
Whatever I want, whenever I want
Writing has always been a part of my life. In my late thirties, when I told my parents that my wife and I were returning to college, that we were majoring in English, my dad asked what the heck we were going to do: correct each others' grammar? My brother-in-law asked if we didn't already have enough education to be able to spell our names correctly.
Both comments were pretty funny. But stories weave through ever aspect of life. Stories are a part of our very being. Understanding what has been written, what is being written, that sheds light on our own circumstances. Writing and reading is a way for me to understand my life and the lives of those around me.
I'm an Americanist, and my writing is strongly influenced by Hemingway, Sherwood Anderson, and Faulkner. I also enjoy reading the beat poets. But, you know, all of that sounds like pretentious bull, and my real goal is to just tell a damn good story.
This blog is about what I feel like.
From the Office of Poetry posts concentrates on a poem, and what I'm thinking when I read that poem. They are kind of reflective pieces that are not so much literary criticism as much as thoughts on my life. You'll probably be bored by the From the Office of Poetry posts, but think about Garrison Keillor's Poetry Almanac and you kinda get an idea of what I'm going for.
Graduate Blues posts are, well, about my hopes for grad school. I have one more year as a Master's student at the University of Wyoming and up to seven years for a PhD. Eventually, these posts will be phased out. And they only show up mainly during the academic year.
Quote the Raven Author Interviews run on the last day of the month.
I'd like to host guest posts, but I haven't quite figured out the logistics of this yet.
Sometimes, I'll run a series of posts on a particular topic. The Top 20 Grammar Errors was a hard series, but I had been asked to write that series, and I ended up learning more about a topic I thought I knew everything about. If there is something you would like me to write about, please let me know. I'm always looking for blog ideas.
This blog is very much a work in progress. It'll certainly evolve and change over time. Like a road trip, when you head to White Castle but find Patrick O'Neil in the back seat of your car.
My official website, if you're interested. You can also follow me on Facebook or Twitter. My Twitter feed gets awfully quiet during the academic year though.
Images throughout this blog are mainly my own photos; however, the bench and
skyline header is by Deviant artist
schon, the crow logo for the author interviews is by Deviant artist
Thea-Bea-Stock, and the photo of the antique books is by Deviant artist
fytastock.
