Upcoming Writing and Reading

Next Wednesday I will be reading the first chapter of my novel The Body of Emperor Norton at the Library Center on South Campbell as part of Missouri State's Soul of a Poet series. I haven't decided if I'll read the second chapter, too (I may have time to fill). All I know is that I'm nervous about standing up behind the podium with a captive audience. As far as I can remember, this will be the first reading I've ever given.

I'm hard at work on three new articles for 417 Magazine, all of which will appear in June. The first is a honeymoon/travel piece for 417 Bride detailing the adventures of Jeff and Leah Jenkins in London ("A Druid with a Briefcase"). The second is a personal profile of supermom Elizabeth Farris, who travels with her four kids and husband Eric to all corners of the globe. The last is the chronicle of a motorcycle trip through Germany by Don and Sue Rollins. Again, look for those essays in June.

Besides that I'm focusing on teaching and graduating. I need to start developing my thesis now, studying for comprehensive exams, and I also need to take a test from Modern & Classical Languages in Russian Literature. That is, I need to demonstrate that I can read Russian. It looks like I have a busy spring ahead of me and I'm going to do my best to stay positive, stay happy, and stay on track.