![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
My Life Isn't Like Other People's, Is It?
Mar. 7th, 2014 10:50 amDo you want to get an appreciation for how tough teaching is? Go stand in front of a high school class at 7:30 a.m. I don't know how teachers do it every day. Every time I'm in a classroom, it feels like I've run a marathon.
That being said, the creative writing class I spoke to this morning was wonderful. As is often the case these days, the kids needed some coaxing to talk in class, but once they got going they seemed really into it.
Today's topic was story and narrative, and we talked about both fiction and journalism -- hold the obvious jokes, please -- and how they're structured similarly, and where they diverge. We did an exercise where they built two outlines for short stories -- one about a real person, the other for a favorite fictional character.
Yes, I just had a high school class write fan fiction. But they seemed to be into it, and by the end seemed to have a great grasp of how a narrative works.
Kids are amazing. Give them a chance, and they do remarkable things.
***
Wednesday night I reviewed Demi Lovato at the DCU Center. Pop music is always odd for me. I find it kind of fascinating, even if I don't much care for it myself. Lovato's largely unobjectionable, and I found her to be a terribly engaging performer, but what struck me most was how the audience -- largely young women -- responded to her. You can throw shade at pop music all you want -- and Lord knows I've done so myself -- but it's impossible to deny what a tangible presence it is in those kids' lives, how meaningful it is to them. That's a real thing, and it's important.
I was accompanied to the concert by local musician Anda Volley, whose own music is about as far from Lovato's as I can I imagine. Still, it's always interesting watching musicians encounter work wildly divergent from their own. If their minds are open to the experience, I find they often have fascinating takes on what's happening on the stage. Art feeds art, and even bubblegum pop has something to offer. All told, a fun night and a good show.
In other music news, I talk about Zack Slik's new, self-titled album in my column this week. Slik plays some pretty mean blues- and country-flavored Americana music, and is definitely worth checking out.
***
On the poetry front, my poem My poem "Portrait of an Adolescence in Record Reviews" is online in the current issue of FreezeRay Poetry, along with some great work by Emily O'Neill, Hanif Abdurraqib, Melissa Newman-Evans, Jeremy Radin, Mckendy Fils-Aime, Daniel McGinn, Cassandra de Alba, Heather Knox, Sean Battle and more. It's deliriously fun.
I don't have any gigs for the rest of month, although my April is crazy. Here's what's next for Lea:
Tatnuck Bookseller
18 Lyman St.
Westboro, MA 01610
1 p.m. Saturday, March 8, 2014
In the meantime, lots to do ...
That being said, the creative writing class I spoke to this morning was wonderful. As is often the case these days, the kids needed some coaxing to talk in class, but once they got going they seemed really into it.
Today's topic was story and narrative, and we talked about both fiction and journalism -- hold the obvious jokes, please -- and how they're structured similarly, and where they diverge. We did an exercise where they built two outlines for short stories -- one about a real person, the other for a favorite fictional character.
Yes, I just had a high school class write fan fiction. But they seemed to be into it, and by the end seemed to have a great grasp of how a narrative works.
Kids are amazing. Give them a chance, and they do remarkable things.
***
Wednesday night I reviewed Demi Lovato at the DCU Center. Pop music is always odd for me. I find it kind of fascinating, even if I don't much care for it myself. Lovato's largely unobjectionable, and I found her to be a terribly engaging performer, but what struck me most was how the audience -- largely young women -- responded to her. You can throw shade at pop music all you want -- and Lord knows I've done so myself -- but it's impossible to deny what a tangible presence it is in those kids' lives, how meaningful it is to them. That's a real thing, and it's important.
I was accompanied to the concert by local musician Anda Volley, whose own music is about as far from Lovato's as I can I imagine. Still, it's always interesting watching musicians encounter work wildly divergent from their own. If their minds are open to the experience, I find they often have fascinating takes on what's happening on the stage. Art feeds art, and even bubblegum pop has something to offer. All told, a fun night and a good show.
In other music news, I talk about Zack Slik's new, self-titled album in my column this week. Slik plays some pretty mean blues- and country-flavored Americana music, and is definitely worth checking out.
***
On the poetry front, my poem My poem "Portrait of an Adolescence in Record Reviews" is online in the current issue of FreezeRay Poetry, along with some great work by Emily O'Neill, Hanif Abdurraqib, Melissa Newman-Evans, Jeremy Radin, Mckendy Fils-Aime, Daniel McGinn, Cassandra de Alba, Heather Knox, Sean Battle and more. It's deliriously fun.
I don't have any gigs for the rest of month, although my April is crazy. Here's what's next for Lea:
An Afternoon of Words and Music
Featuring Lea C. Deschenes, Timothy Gager, Michael Fisher and music by Krista Baroni and Eric TreehouseTatnuck Bookseller
18 Lyman St.
Westboro, MA 01610
1 p.m. Saturday, March 8, 2014
In the meantime, lots to do ...
