I’ve been meaning to get back here for quite a while, but real life has been quite a taskmaster lately. We’ve been trying to launch a new university website and I have been working weekends and every spare moment to get it caught up. This morning at 10 a.m. was the drop-dead time for all … More Out of Sight, Out of My Mind
I watched an interview with Octavia Spencer on Late Night with Steven Colbert a couple of nights ago. She plays the leader of the Amity faction in the new film Allegiant, the last segment in the Divergent series. Colbert asked her about her many acting roles over the years and the number of times she … More One of a Kind
“I hate writing, I love having written.” –Dorothy Parker It’s been crunch time for me, well, for probably most of the semester. For some odd reason the onslaught doesn’t seem to let up. And when real life responsibilities seem to get overwhelming, I start dreaming about writing. I long to be working on a novel, … More Being, Doing, or Having Done? What’s Your Writing Motivation?
One of the things that totally boggled the mind of my darling wife when we came to Texas 18 years ago was that professors (my new profession) weren’t given any instruction in teaching. In fact, in the years that I have been in front of the classroom, I can count on one hand the number … More So Easy, Anyone Can Do It.
My students hate it when I ask trick questions. And of course, this is one of them. The short answer to the question: What’s the difference between an amateur and a professional is simple. A professional gets paid. It’s not more profound than that. But I said it was a trick question. All of us want … More How Amateur Writers Become Professionals
Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland, by Jan T. Gross. Princeton University Press. 261 pages. Whenever I teach my Persuasion class at Southwestern Adventist University, I start it off by showing a very old film that was an after-school TV special in the 80s called “The Wave.” It’s based on what … More Review: “Neighbors” by Jan T. Gross
I’m sitting–actually standing–in my Writing for Publication class while they sweat out their final project. They are required to self publish something on Smashwords before their final exam next Tuesday. I’ve been warning them of it all semester, but now they’ve run out of time and out of excuses. I’ve told them the project is pass/fail. … More Crunch Time
I was challenged by a thought the other day that I wanted to in turn share with you. We have a new professor in our department. Kyle Portbury is an award-winning filmmaker from Australia who has come to join us at Southwestern Adventist University to teach radio-TV-film. We were talking about social media in our … More Community or Creativity?
I really have been trying to keep up with the blog these days, but things have been crazy in real life. Yesterday, I finally got the official go-ahead to move from my large office to my new, even larger office here deep in the heart of Texas. I’m currently about 90 percent of the way … More The Great Expanse…Or Moving In
Yes, yes, yes. I have neglected my duties as the world’s most sought-after blogger (right). I haven’t posted in quite a while, but I have all the excuses in the world, especially the fact that we are a mere week away from final exams here at beautiful Southwestern Adventist University. I have been kept busy … More So What’s New? Nuttin’.
The Great Adventure 