Blog #163; Recent Publications and Awards

 Today I found out that one of my poems, "Hot Sands" appears in the latest issue of Beatnik Cowboy.  Another appears in Poetry for Mental Health.  In the local Salt Lake City Creative Writing VA Festival, my poem, (that just appeared in Irranteum) called "A Deeper Baptism" won First Place in the Mountain West.  Another poem and a short piece of fiction won silver in the same competition.

Blog #162; New Poetry Publication!

 Announcing the latest publication of my poetry.  "A Deeper Baptism" and "[Give me Mercy, Lord]" are scheduled to appear in the next issue of Irreantum Magazine.

Blog #161; Academic Critical Thinking and My Personal Culture Shift in Higher Education

 I noticed something in my thinking processes when I started graduate school, all those many years ago: I had a cultural shift in the way I saw the world.  My worldview expanded, and I became much more sensitive to the culture of the different time periods I studied.  Even in my undergrad, with the Age of Dryden and Pope, I adjusted to the rather wry humor and sarcastic wordplay of people like Swift, Dryden and Pope.  There are many majors I could have chosen, and many graduate schools I could have attended, but I think literature (American and European) was the perfect suit for me.  As I advanced in grad school, I became much more analytical in my approach to text and studies around various cultures, including my own American culture of the modern day.

Nowadays, I can appreciate something like The Great Courses and continue to educate myself, not only in literature, but European and American history, Central American culture, which I experienced first-hand right after grad school.  The great courses encompass psychology, neurology, space flight and exploration.  It is well worth the fee we pay to have access to such a treasure trove of knowledge.