Postcards from the Imagination

An opportunity has come up for me to radically alter the course of my studies over the next year.  Ok, so maybe it's not so radical, but it does feel that way.  You see, due to various scheduling issues, I thought it I'd missed the boat on writing a senior honors thesis.  But last night I realized there just might be a chance, and so I emailed the honors program director.  He wrote me back this afternoon to say that a) it sounds like I'd be an excellent candidate, and b) it's not too late to apply!  In fact, I have until Dec. 12th to do so.

All I have to do between now and then is write a prospectus, draft a reading list, compile a writing sample, and find a faculty advisor to supervise the project.  Piece of cake! :-)

If the honors committee approves my application, I'll begin working on a thirty poem chapbook in January, which I'll have about ten months to write and revise. [Crossing all my fingers *and* toes!]  This would allow me to devote much more time to my writing than I am right now.  It would also give me the opportunity to meet with a faculty advisor once a week to talk about me and my poetry.  Those of you who workshop know what I'm talking about.  It can be difficult to invest so much of one's time in other people's work, particularly when one's time is limited and/or funky group dynamics arise.  Being able to focus more on writing than reciprocating for a year would be really, really cool.

My new spring schedule would include the advanced poetry workshop, the honors thesis, queer theory, theology, and french.  Not a huge change, though to me I think it would feel like getting an early start on an MFA--which, after all, is what I've decided I want to do after BC.