May Dispatches

Time has been at a premium over the past few weeks with the Spring semester here at IU wrapping up. One the upside, I've managed to wrap up a small poetry collection concerned with lexicography and the Canadian landscape. All totaled, its about twelve pieces that explore the ways in which language (Canadiamisms), history, culture, and the landscape of Canada are meet. There is a more to do in this vein, and perhaps I'll spend the summer looking into either converting it into a cohesive chapbook or larger enterprise. It was fruitful exploration. A couple of the pieces are out for consideration at a couple of literary publications. I'll be sure to keep any updates as to future publication here. These lit journals are our life blood, so we have to support them.

I've also been diligently working away at the academic-side of life here at IU. My present interests are pulling me into the studies of Christopher Marlowe and his use of "the other" as distraction in the Jew of Malta. I'm still using the Marxist goodness I learned at Trent under Kulcheski and the Native Studies program. Greenblatt has been rather central to the topic thus far. Either way, I'll try and post an excerpt from the piece later this week as it gets closer to completion.

Other than that the garden is coming in nicely despite the fact that sun has been a rare vision in the past couple of weeks here in Bloomington. No swine flu in sight and the front porch has become a welcome addition to our writing/reading space.