It's been some time since I last posted here, though before I beat myself up too much over that I have to remember that I've still been writing, it's just been in other places. But I'd still like to write here with more regularity—it's helpful for me when I do—and I'll try to work toward that goal this fall semester.
I think I put it off for the same reason I put off most of my work—crippling perfectionism. The anticipation of the work I know I'll put into one stupid blog post keeps me from writing as often as I should here, just as the knowledge of the effort it will take me to complete any task makes me put it off and put it off until the deadline looms large and finally puts me into an efficient decision-making imperfect-writing-acceptance mode. This is something I've been reflecting on in my writing, teaching, and research work at large—something I hope to work at this semester. More work-positive attitudes. More acceptance of what's on the page, more permission to just get started on something, imperfections and all.
Maybe I should read more Anne Lammott.
I'm headed toward a busy fall semester, between my coursework, two manuscript projects that I got backed up on over the summer, and teaching a new course I designed this summer. I'll compose some of my seminar response papers here, as well as try to write through some of the challenges of my projects-in-progress. I also had the very noble idea of trying to write through my students' assignments along with them this semester, but time being what it is, we'll see if I manage that....
One of the courses I'm taking is Russel Durst's Topics in Comp course (focused on the history of composition studies, beginning with the 1960s), which is overlapping in interesting ways with the first few weeks of reading for my independent study with Jim Ridolfo. For instance, this week's reading with Jim (Wayne Booth's Modern Dogma and the Rhetoric of Assent) coincided with next week's reading with Russel (Edward Corbett's Selected Essays, particularly the essay he wrote on the Zeno metaphor of the open hand, closed fist). What struck me is that the Corbett essay notes the power and presence of the body, and the role it has played in protest actions at the time—but it's aligned along the rational/nonrational dichotomy that Booth identifies in his lectures. That is, material rhetorics are inscribed as "nonrational," feeling methods of persuasion (so a modernist dogma, according to Booth?).
I'm not finished with the book (or even that essay) yet, but I hope to work through some more understandings of and responses to this particular essay this week, since I think it's important for my reading with Jim. Time permitting, I'd also like to take a look at this 1996 CCC Online piece by Richard Marback.
Speaking of protest rhetorics, my wonderful and supportive writing group exchanged drafts with each other this weekend, and we're meeting this Friday to discuss our writing. We'll have a real mix—the first chapter of a diss, a few potential article ideas, some low-stakes writing. I'm hoping they can help me find a home or revising strategy for a manuscript I've been sitting on since January about Occupy's human mic. It's time to move on this piece....
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