THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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▲ Course Overview

Catalog Description: Practice in the writing and critical analysis of imaginative literary forms, especially poetry and fiction. Prerequisite: ENGL 110. (Three credits.)

Objectives: This course is designed to develop your skills, interest, and confidence in writing poetry and short stories. We will focus on

• reading many examples of each genre;

• studying theories of writing and the tools writers use;

• generating ideas for writing;

• trying out different methods and modes of writing;

• rereading, reconsidering, re-visioning, and revising your writing;

• sharing your work with others;

• critiquing others’ writing to improve your own writing skills and to provide helpful feedback to other writers;

• and developing writing habits that will help you be productive.

This course should give you a better understanding of how poetry and fiction are constructed and how you can better construct your own poetry and fiction.

My Educational Rationale: I believe the things we value most are the things which we struggle to achieve. Therefore, I put a lot of effort into teaching, and I expect my students to in turn to put forth a lot of effort into being students. I will work hard to supply you with opportunities to learn, and you will need to work hard to make the most of those opportunities. Most of all, I hope you will learn to take responsibility for and satisfaction in your own education and learn to value the struggle that comes with true achievement.

▲ Required textbooks/Materials/resources:

• Gwynn, R.S., ed. Poetry: a Pocket Anthology. Sixth edition. New York: Penguin Academics/Pearson-Longman, 2009. ISBN:  0-205-65515-7

• Kowit, Steve.  In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet's Portable Workshop. Gardner, Maine: Tilbury House, 1995. ISBN: 0-88448-149-2

• Gotham Writers Workshop. Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School. New York: Bloomsbury, 2003. ISBN: 1-58234-330-6.

• Gotham Writers Workshop. Gotham Writers' Workshop Fiction Gallery: Exceptional Short Stories Selected by New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School. New York: Bloomsbury, 2004. ISBN: 1-58234-462-0.

• a grammar and style manual, such as The Bedford Handbook

• a college level dictionary

• a college-level thesaurus

• a notebook to use as your in-class journal

• regular and reliable access to a word processor, a printer, the internet, and your F-drive

▲ course assignments:

Overview: This class will be student-centered and discussion-based. I will rarely lecture. Instead, we will use full class discussion, small-team discussion, class writing exercises, and peer reviewing. Since you will be very active during class, it is crucial that you keep up with your work and come to class with your assignments done – if you are not prepared for class, you will not learn much during class and will therefore have a difficult time doing well in this course.

The course is divided into a unit on poetry and a unit on fiction. In each unit, we will begin with readings and discussions on technique/theory and a variety of examples of that genre. We will do writing exercises in class, and you will do regular writing exercises outside of class. For each unit, you will submit three pieces of writing for review: first, a short, directed writing assignment which I will critique; second, a revised piece which I and the whole class will critique; third, a revised piece which I and a small group critique will critique. You will therefore also, in each unit, critique a piece of writing from each class member and a second piece by each member of a small group.  Your work will culminate in a final portfolio of revised fiction and poetry, a self-assessment essay, and a brief test on literary terms. In addition, we will perform a class reading for the college community toward the end of the semester.

Breakdown of Grades:

More Information on Assignments:

Reading Quizzes/Homework/Class Participation (non-workshop). Worth 8.0% of your overall grade.

• You CANNOT be a writer without also being a reader. In order to motivate you to complete all reading assignments, for every reading assignment, we will have a quiz on the day the assignment is due. The quizzes are designed to test not only whether or not you have done the reading but also how carefully you have done it. I usually do not return reading quizzes unless you request them from me—feel free to ask for them.

• I may also assign brief homework assignments, such as memorizing a short passage or presenting information on a certain topic, such as a favorite author.

• This class will be discussion-based; your contributions are vital to the entire class’s learning experience. If you are naturally quiet, you will need to overcome your silence and speak up; if you are naturally talkative, you will need to make sure you listen when others speak. At midterm and at the end of the semester, you will earn a class participation grade separate from your class critique grade that takes into account attendance and punctuality; how often you volunteer answers, ideas, and comments in class; how much effort you make when called on to answer; how fully you participate in class activities; and whether your attitude contributes to or detracts from the learning atmosphere in the classroom.

• During class writing exercises, I expect you to work with concentration and dedication.  

Journals.  Worth 15% of your overall grade.

• A central component of the course is for you to keep a writing journal. In this journal you will respond to reading assignments; record class writing exercises; do writing exercises outside of class; and do whatever other writing you produce for the course. This journal will be a way for you to discipline yourself as a writer, keep all your ideas in one place, create a record of your progress during the semester, and allow me to follow your work. You will receive journals assignments for every class session. You may do journal assignments on a computer, but you will also need a notebook to use as a journal as well because we will do some writing exercises in class and should always have your journal in class. This notebook should ONLY be for your journal, not for taking notes.

• Journals will be collected and graded twice, once near midterm and once at the end of the semester.  I will not accept late journals.

• Journals will be graded on how much you write (in terms of quantity of words and pages as well as how many assignments are completed) and how completely you attempt to get all you can out of each assignment.

Directed Writing Assignments.  Worth 10.0% of your overall grade.
Twice during the semester, once during the poetry unit and once during the fiction unit, I  will give you specific short writing assignments that you will turn in to me. These assignments are to help you practice certain elements of writing, such as poetic form or narrative point of view, and will be more directed than your workshop submissions. Your submission will be at least a second draft of your work that has been revised and edited and should be new work that you have written since the beginning of the course. It will be submitted in a folder with all your drafts.

Workshop Submissions and Critiques. Your submissions are worth 18% of your overall grade AND your critiques of classmates’ work are worth 15% of your overall grade.

• There will be two types of workshop critiques: the first will be a full class critique and the second will be a small group critique. You will do one full-class and one small -group critique in both poetry and in fiction, for a total of four critiques.

• For each workshop, you will submit one complete poem or story that represents at least a third draft of that particular work. These submissions should be new work that you have written since the beginning of the course; work that you have put time into and edited; and work that you care about and plan on revising. You can write about anything you want, but your pieces should not fall into a specialized genre formula, such as mystery, thriller, romance, children’s literature, or science fiction – although they can have some elements of these types of writing (more on this toward the end of the syllabus).  You also cannot submit fan fiction and cannot write about previously created characters (for instance, I don’t want to see a new adventure of Harry Potter or a video game character) unless you are doing so in a non-traditional way. Ask me of you have questions.

• Before the class meeting when your work is to be critiqued, you will need to email your work as an attachment to me and to each class member who will be reading it. You will also need to submit to me in a folder a hard copy of the final draft and all earlier drafts. Late and/or incomplete submissions will be penalized heavily.

• When you are critiquing others’ work, you must thoughtfully read the work MORE THAN ONCE; finish your critiquing by the due date; put your comments in writing and express your ideas in class; and take an attitude that is honest, helpful, mature, and respectful. Remember, the more work you put into critiques, the better you will get at critiquing your own work. You will turn in your critiques to me and be assessed a grade based on their thoroughness and thoughtfulness. We’ll talk about workshop criticism a lot during the semester: it is a skill like any other, and I expect you to improve during the course.

• Please note that we will have critiques in class on the days before Fall Break and Thanksgiving Break; you should not miss these classes, so make your travel plans accordingly.

Participation in Public Class Reading. Required, but does not count toward your final course grade.

We will hold a reading open to the college community toward the end of the semester (to be scheduled). Each class member will read his/her work for approximately five minutes. This idea may sound scary to some of you now, but you will be prepared by the time of the reading – previous students have all ended up enjoying the experience. Anyone with exceptional difficulties in meeting this requirement can negotiate an alternative project with me.

Final Portfolio. Worth 20% of your final grade.

• The final portfolio will be due at the scheduled final exam time. I will not accept late portfolios.

• Portfolios will consist of 6-12 full pages of poetry and 6-12 full pages of fiction. See me in advance if you will not meet or will exceed these page limits. Each piece needs to have been begun during this semester and have been revised. In addition to your final versions, you will also submit earlier drafts of your work. I will give detailed instructions on your final portfolio at the end of the semester, but throughout the semester be sure to hold on to all drafts of your work.

Self-Assessment. Worth 7.0% of your final grade.

• The self-assessment will be due at the scheduled final exam time. I will not accept late assessments.

• In the assessment you will examine your progress during the course as well as your final portfolio pieces. I will give detailed instructions on the assessment at the end of the semester.

Final Test on Literary Terms. Worth 7.0% of your final grade.
During the final exam time, you will take a test on literary definitions studied during the semester.

▲ Additional Course policies:

Personal responsibility: You are responsible for completing all assignments. I will not remind you of missed work. I am much more receptive to problems discussed ahead of time instead of after-the-fact.

Attendance: Attendance in this course is essential and required. You are expected to attend all classes. As per departmental policy, you are allowed THREE unexcused absences. If you have FOUR UNEXCUSED ABSENCES, you automatically FAIL the course.

• EXCUSED ABSENCES:

  • Definition: Excused absences are limited to

    • illness with a corroborating doctor’s note;

    • death in the family with documentation;

    • court appearance with documentation AND advance notification;

    • official college function with documentation AND advance notification.

Other special situations, such as family emergencies, must be discussed with me on a case-by-case basis.

• How to have an absence excused: In order for an absence to be considered excused, you must personally SPEAK to me before the absence if possible, or else after the absence but BEFORE THE NEXT CLASS SESSION. If you cannot reach me in person, you can initially leave me an email or voice mail message, but you must follow up by speaking to me face-to-face or on the phone before the next class session. You will also have to submit any appropriate documentation. **Please note that ONLY emailing me or leaving me a voice mail does NOT get you an excused absence. You MUST follow up.**

• Assignments: Any work (quizzes, etc.) done during a class period missed due to an excused absence cannot be made up but will not be counted against you. Assignments due on the day of a planned excused absence (such as college functions) must be turned in ahead of time. Assignments due on the day of an unplanned excused absence (such as illness) will be handled on a case-by-case basis: you MUST discuss the assignment due date with me personally (face-to-face or over the phone) BEFORE THE NEXT CLASS SESSION. Again, ONLY emailing me or leaving me a voice mail does NOT allow you to turn in work late without penalty; you must SPEAK with me.

• UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:

  • Definition: Any absence that does not fit into the above categories is considered unexcused. Since car trouble, minor illness, appointments, etc. may on occasion prevent you from attending class, you have a three-class cushion to work with, but these absences will be considered unexcused. Any absence that COULD have been excused but that was not handled properly (see above) will also count as unexcused.

  • Assignments: Any work (quizzes, etc.) done during a class period missed due to an unexcused absence cannot be made up and will count against you. Assignments due on the day of a unexcused absence are still due and will be considered late. I encourage you to speak with me personally and ASAP after an unexcused absence, especially if you missed an assignment deadline. 

• EXTENDED ABSENCES: Extraordinary circumstances such as extended, serious illness will be dealt with on a one-to-one basis. Contact me as soon as possible.

• NON-CLASS REQUIRED ACTIVITIES: When other activities (such as the class reading) are held in addition to a regular class, failure to attend that activity counts as a regular class absence.

• MISSED MATERIAL: It is your responsibility, not mine, to find out what occurs during a missed class. You are still responsible for any assignments given or lessons learned during missed classes.

Tardiness:  Arriving to class more than ten minutes late or leaving class more than ten minutes early counts as an absence. Continual tardiness, even if it is just a few minutes each class, will affect your participation grade and may incur further penalties. In addition, you are responsible for any activities that occur during the class minutes you miss, and any work done during that time, such as quizzes, cannot be made up.

Coming to class prepared/class behavior: As with ANY college course, you are expected to arrive at class with all necessary materials, with unneeded electronic equipment put away, and ready to participate.  I reserve to right to request any unprepared student or any student who texts during class; sleeps in class; in any way disrupts class; or leaves the room unnecessarily, frequently, or for long periods of time to leave class for that day, resulting in an unexcused absence.

Grammar:

• At this point in your academic careers, I expect you to have mastered the fundamentals of grammar, mechanics, spelling, and proofreading. Using correct grammar and mechanics signals a clear understanding of a language and allows you to communicate effectively in that language. Incorrect grammar and spelling, on the other hand, indicate either an inability or a lack of desire to communicate effectively. Grammar, spelling, and mechanical errors distract readers and diminish the clarity of a writer’s ideas.

• All formal work (i.e., NOT journals or writing exercises) should be submitted with correct grammar, mechanics, and spelling except where necessary for a particular creative reason. Although I will not penalize for individual errors, work with major grammatical errors and/or many mechanical or spelling errors (including typos) cannot be considered top quality because the mistakes will interfere with successful communication; in other words, errors in grammar, mechanics, and spelling will end up lowering your grade.  I am available to work with you on any problems that you may have.

Plagiarism, Other Forms of Academic Honesty, and Academic Responsibility:

• PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is a serious offense. As stated on page 498 of the Bedford Handbook, “borrowing another writer’s language, sentence structures, or ideas without proper acknowledgement is a form of academic dishonesty known as plagiarism.” Plagiarism can come from using another writer’s work, whether professional or amateur, or using the work of another student with or without that student’s knowledge. Any student caught plagiarizing will automatically fail the course and be reported to the college. Ask if you suspect you are committing plagiarism before you submit work in order to avoid later difficulties. For more information, talk to me or see "Academic Dishonesty" in the online Scot’s Guide or college catalog and chapters 51-3 in the Bedford Handbook. Note: yes, writers borrow from each other all the time. However, there is difference between being inspired by and consciously using others’ work and plagiarizing. We will talk about this difference in class, but if you have any questions, ASK ME.

• ACADEMIC HONESTY: You are expected to practice academic honesty in every aspect of the course. Make sure you are familiar with the college’s policies on academic honesty. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to plagiarism (see above), getting excessive help from another individual on work assigned to you, collaborating too closely with another student on work assigned to you as an individual, cheating on a quiz or exam, or submitting the same work to more than one course (whether a current or past course) without permission. Any student caught committing academic dishonesty will face penalties ranging from failing an assignment to automatically failing the course and will be reported to the college. For more information, talk to me or see "Academic Dishonesty" in the online Scot’s Guide or college catalog.

• HONESTY SIGNATURE: Each piece of submitted formal work must include your handwritten signature to indicate that this piece of work is yours alone (see formatting guidelines). I will not accept work submitted without an honesty signature.

• TURNITIN.COM: Each student is required to submit each formal assignment to Turnitin.com (a website to help prevent plagiarism) on the day that the essay is due in class. See the instructions page on TurnItIn for more info. Please talk to me if you have any questions or concerns about using TurnItIn.

Grading: Grading policies for each type of assignment will be explained for that assignment. Any assignments graded with letter grades will follow the grading scale listed above for overall course grades

Requirement to complete all major work/late work policy:

• ALL MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO ME AND TO TURNITIN.COM TO RECEIVE COURSE CREDIT. Journals, directed writing assignments, workshop pieces, final portfolio, self-assessment, and test on literary terms must all be submitted.

• Late work: All assignments will be penalized for lateness; the later I receive the work, the more severe the penalty.  Also, if you do not submit work on time, I reserve the right to give you a final deadline by which to submit the work in order to get course credit.

Computer Use/Computer Problems: In order to avoid last-minute computer problems that might prevent you from submitting work on time, such as losing files, hard-disk crashes, printer break-downs, etc., all students are REQUIRED to save all drafts of their essays on the college network's F-drive. You may still use your own computer's hard drive, but you need to back up your work on the F-drive. Talk to me immediately if you foresee any problems with this policy. Talk to Information Services if you need assistance with using the F-drive. Please note that this F-drive requirement means you cannot be excused from submitting work on time due to computer problems. Also, if you save your work on the F-drive, you can always access it from our classroom, even when you forget a hard copy on the day a draft is due. A basic explanation of the F drive can be found here: How to Save to the F-Drive.

A Note on Emails and Voice Mails: Email and voice mail are wonderful tools, and I encourage you to use them to communicate with me WHEN APPROPRIATE. However, they do not replace direct communication; many times, you will need to speak to me directly, either face-to-face or over the phone. You may want to begin with email or voice mail, but FOLLOW UP by speaking directly to me. Basically, when you need something from me, such as an excused absence, a crucial clarification of an assignment due the next day, a new appointment time, etc. you need to SPEAK with me. Otherwise, you are leaving it all up to me to provide you with what you need by the time that you need it, and I may be unable or unwilling to do so. Thus, take control of your education by using communication tools appropriately. In addition, you should treat voice mail and email as formal communication: be clear, concise, respectful, and correct -- and proofread your writing.

Mellinger Learning Center (Writing Tutors):
Located on the 3^rd floor of Mellinger Center, the Writing Center is open from 7-10 PM, Sunday-Thursday; and 3-5 PM, Monday-Thursday. Tutors work with writers from any class at all stages of their writing processes, from pre-writing to planning to drafting to revising to editing. The focus of a session depends on students’ needs and goals—and on where they are with the assignment.  Writers at every level, freshman-senior, can improve by having tutors review their work and offer feedback. For more information about the writing center view the FAQ at http://www2.monm.edu/cac/writing-center/faq.htm.

Special Needs:

If you have any educational special needs, you should register them with the college and inform me as soon as possible of any specific classroom accommodations required.

Grading:

• Scale: Letters grades (A+, A, A-, etc.) will correspond to the following scale:

• ALL MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO ME AND TO TURNITIN.COM TO RECEIVE COURSE CREDIT.  If you do not submit work on time, I reserve the right to give you a final deadline by which to submit the work in order to get course credit.

Computer Use/Computer Problems
In order to avoid last-minute computer problems that might prevent you from submitting work on time, such as losing files, hard-disk crashes, printer break-downs, etc., all students are REQUIRED to save on the college network's F-drive all drafts of their work that will be submitted. You may still use your own computer's hard drive, but you need to back up your work on the F-drive. Talk to me immediately if you foresee any problems with this policy. Talk to Information Services if you need assistance with using the F-drive. Please note that this F-drive requirement means you cannot be excused from submitting work on time due to computer problems.

A Note on Emails and Voice Mails
Email and voice mail are wonderful tools and I encourage you to use them to communicate with me WHEN APPROPRIATE. However, they do not replace direct communication; many times, you will need to speak to me directly, either face-to-face or over the phone. You may want to begin with email or voice mail, but FOLLOW UP by speaking directly to me.  Basically, when you need something from me, such as an excused absence, a crucial clarification of an assignment due the next day, a new appointment time, etc. you need to SPEAK with me. Otherwise, you are leaving it all up to me to provide you with what you need by the time that you need it, and I may be unable or unwilling to do so. Thus, take control of your education by communicating effectively.

Help Outside of Class:
The best students are not the ones who know all the answers; they are the students who get their questions asked!  I encourage you to come see me any time you have a question, idea, or concern about the class or your progress. I will work with you outside of class—all you have to do is come meet with me. Here’s how to reach me for help:

1. I keep regular office hours (see schedule at beginning of syllabus). Schedule an appointment if you want a guaranteed chance to see me or just come by (you may have to wait if others want to see me too). If you cannot meet me during office hours, we can schedule a separate meeting time.

2. During the day and evening, you can reach me in my office or at home by phone. At either number, if I do not answer, leave a message with your name and your phone number if you want me to call you back.  

3. You can also reach me by email (see address at the top), which I will check two to three times a day which I will check two to three times a day, but usually not after eight p.m.. However, if you need to reach me immediately, CALL ME.

4. If you send or leave me a message and don’t hear back from me in a reasonable amount of time, it’s okay to contact me again.

Other Concerns:

How can you grade creative work? Evaluating creative writing is different from evaluating other types of academic work, but the following guidelines should help us avoid confusion:

You can earn a C for your final grade if you meet all of the minimum requirements:

• Attend class regularly.

• Read assignments regularly.

• Complete all assignments and do so on time.

• Produce workshop and final portfolio pieces that meet the basic requirements of the assignment; are mostly free of grammar, mechanical, and spelling errors; and are the result of the required number of drafts.

• Participate regularly in class discussion, writing exercises, and workshops, perhaps with some prodding by me, and show some moments of insight and thoughtfulness.

• Show some effort to improve your writing by completing required journal entries, by applying concepts studied in class, and by revising to some extent all final portfolio work.

• Have some of your work reflect serious effort and strong thinking.

• In other words, if you do everything you’re supposed to do, do it on time, and show some signs of progress, you will earn a C.

You can earn a B as your final grade if you go beyond the minimum requirements and meet these standards

• Attend class regularly.

• Read assignments regularly.

• Complete all assignments and do so on time.

• Produce workshop and final portfolio pieces that meet basic requirements of the assignment; are free of grammar, mechanical, and spelling errors; reflect thoughtful consideration of the writing techniques we have studied; and are the result of the required number of drafts and of revision that is more than just superficial.

• Participate regularly in class discussion, writing exercises, and workshops, without prodding by me, and show many moments of insight and thoughtfulness.

• Show good effort to improve your writing by working hard in your journal; by applying concepts studied in class; and by, in the final portfolio, making revisions that truly involve “seeing again,” that are not merely minor tinkering or correcting, and that reflect careful consideration of the comments you receive in workshop as well as considerable attention to the revision process.

• In other words, if you do everything you are supposed to do and show serious progress in your writing, both in drafts and revisions, you can earn at least a B. A B will mean you do more than just go through the motions.

Grades lower than a C will reflect failure to meet minimum requirements—for instance, any of the following could result in a D or F: minimal journal work, missed workshop submissions, consistently failing to comment on others’ work, very low quiz grades, missing too many classes, failing to revise and/or proofread major assignments, and/or not submitting all major assignments. English 210  is an academic course, so even writing geniuses can fail if they do not meet class requirements.

Grades higher than a B will reflect high levels of achievement in participation, initiative, and commitment to the writing process. You do not have to be a brilliant to earn an A, but you will need to show improvement, thoroughness, and care.

Deadlines and writer’s block: Part of the course is to introduce you to the structure and discipline of getting stuff down in paper. You cannot wait to be inspired; rather, you get inspired by doing the work. In addition, you are taking a college course and must produce work that can be assessed. Therefore, you must meet all deadlines or be penalized. We’ll talk about writer’s block, procrastination, perfectionism, and the fear of writing, but ultimately you will have to find a way to get your writing done. Be sure to talk to me if you are having problems.

Old work/new work: There is always the temptation, especially at the beginning of a course, to turn in previously written work instead of new material. Don’t!  Not only is doing so against the rules of the course, but, more importantly, if you turn in the poem you wrote in twelfth grade or the story from last semester, you lose the opportunity to put into practice all you have learned since then.

I hate poetry/I can’t write stories/I’m only interested in screenplays: This is a two-genre class. Some of you may only be interested in one of the genres, or you may prefer another genre altogether. However, working in any genre will help you. You can learn things from poetry that, even if you never become a poet, can make you be a better story writer, and vice versa.

Writing mysteries, science fiction, westerns, children’s literature, or other specialized genres: Although these different types of writing are all wonderful areas to work in, this class is not for specialized writing such as the thriller or the child’s picture book. My background is not in these areas, nor will we study the conventions of these genres. Therefore, your work should not fit into a specialized genre that has its own particular conventions or a narrow audience. Remember, however, that your skills in writing a western or teen fiction will be improved by doing other types of writing, so this class will still benefit you even if your interest isn’t in “general” “literary” writing. If you are unsure if your work is falling into a specialized genre, ask me before you submit it.

Too many rules: Sometimes I will give parameters for assignments that you may not like. For instance, I will often request that you not write poetry that rhymes, or I may ask you to write a story of a certain length or with a certain type of character. Even when you do not like these rules, follow them!  Part of learning to write involves discipline, and part of discipline is finding the way through to creativity along what seems like a too-narrow path. Remember that all writing follows some type of rules, and that I always have a reason behind my rules. My guidelines are built on common pedagogical practices and are intended to give you the best chance possible of learning and succeeding. Most importantly, when you can’t see why I tell you to do something, ask me.

tentative general assignment plan (updates and details  will be on the web assignments page):

Ink runs from the corner of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.
      --Mark Strand, “Eating Poetry”

The only way, I think, to learn to write short stories is to write them and then to try to discover what you have done.
      -- Flannery O’Connor, “Writing Short Stories” 

no what I be talking about
the dirt   the tree   the land
scape can only be said
in this language   the words
be hard be bumping out too much
to be contained in one thin tongue
like this language    this landscape   this life
     -- Lucille Clifton, “defending my tongue”

Writers don’t write from experience, although many are hesitant to admit that they don’t … If you write from experience, you’d get many one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy.
     -- Nikki Giovanni, conversation with James Baldwin

All these weirdos, and me getting a little better every day right in the midst of them. I had never known, never even imagined for a heartbeat, that there might be a place for people like us.
     -- Denis Johnson, “Beverly Home”