Frank

Mid-October is a busy time for teachers. If you're a grad student/TA, it's a doubly intense crunch-time (as not only is it mid-point in the Fall semester for your students, but also for you, as a student and a teacher). Add the midwestern insanity for football that sets this town on fire every weekend and you've got a fairly bubbling cauldron of things to write, grade, turn in, critique, navigate, avoid, eschew and so on. Right now, for example - what should I be doing? I should be writing a mid-semester eval. of each and every one of my creative writing students...or reading manuscripts for workshop...but I can't. Know why? I'll tell you.

I'm working down to the wire on a story that's due this Thursday. It's about a Coney Island street vendor named "Ellie" who gets served a hell sandwich by life. Also, yesterday I stumbled upon Jim Woodring and his "Frank" comics. Today I checked out every Woodring book I cd find at the local library. I read The Portable Frank over lunch and it's been rocking my freaking hell sandwich world on an Inland Empire-level of experience and magnitude.

And so let me apologize, Students Who Want To Meet With Me This Week To Discuss Your Writing - it ain't gonna happen. This is self-care week for me. I'm calling in sick and pulling out stops. In class, on Thursday, I'll surprise you all by canceling workshop and having you watch Born Into This instead. And what'll I be doing while this film screens? I'll be reading Frank comics on the back row, and finessing my manuscript for workshop next Tuesday...