Ode to Teachers

AN ODE TO TEACHERS

What I've learned by writing a book: I feel like it's good, I feel like it has worthwhile things to say, but I have no idea whether it's actually publishable. I can't identify the quality of my own work.

I also became extremely grateful to my writing teachers over the years. Since getting published is a long shot, I'm going to use this forum to thank them now, even though most of them won't see it.

Chronologically:

Larry Vardiman - my dad, who has actually published multiple scientific books and articles and is now writing a hilarious series of murder mysteries that I get to proofread, which helped warm me up for writing and showed me how to weave varieties of experiences into the main narrative.

Dean White - my first college English professor, who gave me my first writing assignments, encouraged me, and seemed to believe in me more than I felt I deserved. RIP

Jack Flynn - English professor who introduced me to composition and creative writing. He was so enthusiastic, so knowledgeable, and gave such great feedback, that he sparked something in me that still burns.

Glenda Richter - mythology professor who gave rich lectures and writing assignments that injected the history of storytelling into my bones.

Rob Crowther - best friend, who taught me about endurance, perfectionism, imagination, and the use of intricate details during thousands of hours of conversations about writing and life and by letting me read his horror.

John Granger - my favorite college professor, whose love of American literature, in particular, astute analysis of it, and thoughtful commentary in response to my own reactions to it shaped the way I read and, therefore, the way I write.

Stephen-Paul Martin - creative writing professor who facilitated students critiquing other students' writing in constructive and useful ways. The original members of the writing group that is so important to me met here.

Harold Jaffe - literature professor who made me feel like I belonged in the literary world, that I might have something worth saying, and that I might someday be able to say it at an adequate skill level.

Victoria Featherstone - a really good poetry teacher, who taught me the basics and made it fun.

Sandra Alcosser - another poetry teacher who pushed me to step up my game, even though I'm not really a poet.

Peter Herman - a literature professor who bequeathed me with his love of the Romantics and gave detailed, thoughtful, encouraging and useful feedback.

Roberta Borkat - Restoration and 18th Century Literature professor, who taught old-fashioned, difficult pieces of writing with such love, perspicuity, and relativity to the present that I was able to enjoy, appreciate, and learn from writing I would have otherwise dismissed and missed out on.

El Cajon Boulevard - the writing group of SDSU students that formed in 1998 and lasted, off and on, until 2003, providing feedback, motivation, and most importantly, comradery between aspiring writers. There were too many members to list here, and they were all important, but thank you, Chandra Howard, for co-founding it, and thank you Abbie Berry, Maya Shafer, and Chris and Holly Norton for being the reliable heart, and Eric Sacks, John Deese, Janelle Anderson, and Steven Panther for sharing yourselves and your stories.

Joe Schneider - my obituary copy editor who taught me so much about accuracy, proofreading, research, and the technical skills of journalism. He was also extremely kind and generous with his knowledge.

David Coddon - friend, co-worker, teacher, and editor, who taught newspaper feature writing with a sparkle and a penguin, giving excellent instruction, and pointing me toward my first "real" writing opportunity, then helping me publish several articles.

Lidia Yuknavitch - my friends' favorite writing professor, who gave a weekend writing workshop on the beach that I went to, then went on to write beautiful, incredible novels that make me feel humbled to have been in her presence. Yes, they are that good.

Chuck Palahniuk, writer who generously shared his and his teacher Tom Spanbauer's writing tricks with his fans in a free online writers workshop. I especially liked his tips on rhthym and symmetry.

So, FB is a weird place to say thank you, but where and when do you acknowledge all the teachers you were fortunate enough to have learned from?

Thank you all.