Week 10 – March 23-27

Hi Everyone,

Before I post this agenda, I want to say that I hope you’re all doing well during this strange time, and that you’re with people you care about, in a safe place, and staying healthy. We have the advantage of ALREADY being online, but it’s clear that all of our lives have been disrupted in a variety of ways. Please let me know if I can be of help to you in any way. For example:

• if you need chapters or readings copied because your book was left in your dorm (or elsewhere);
• the disruption has left you in a place without adequate technology, and you need an alternative way to finish the coursework;
• you need flexibility on due dates. (All due dates from here on out are flexible – I’ll keep posting them, just to help you stay on track. But my policy will be, if you finish the assignment, you’ll get full credit).

I’m sure there are other things I haven’t thought of. Just know that I’m here to help in any way that I can.

A couple other notes:

• The revised schedule has now been posted.
• I’ve added a Q&A (q_and_a) channel to the Slack page. Fairly new to the online teaching world, if there’s one thing I miss the most it’s having more interaction with students. Starting on Tuesday 3/24, I will be immediately available there from 3-5 on M,T, and Th. You can ask me questions anytime, of course, but I’ll be online then. You can ask me anything that has to do with writing – publishing, the writing process, dealing with writer’s block, etc. And because we have so many great writers in the class, others can chime in as well. Please understand that this is not a requirement by any means – just a way to make myself more available.
• Sadly, Elena Passarello’s visit to UAF in April has been cancelled. If you have purchased her book,  Let Me Clear My Throat I want to recommend that you keep it and read it at your leisure. It’s a wonderful book. I believe that she WILL be on campus in the fall, if it all works out. But I am sensitive to the cost of books, and apologize for having you purchase a book that we won’t have time to use.

Now it’s time for the:

1. There’s only one thing due this week, and that’s your essay #3, which is due on Thursday, March 26. Some of you have done the assignment already, and that’s great. But, clearly, this has been the wrong two weeks to attend a public event. The assignment page (Essay #3) has been updated with an alternative assignment.

   MY agenda is to update your grades and return all assignments this week. Thank you for your patience.