Critical Mass

I must confess: I am a perpetual graduate student. Now for the apology: I am so sorry to have neglected the SVCW blog in recent weeks. Three weeks feels like an eon in a virtual world!

The definition of Critical Mass: The amount of matter needed to generate sufficient gravitational force to halt the current expansion of the universe.

Thankfully, my universe is back in the expansion mode.

The good news is that I have had several encounters with our esteemed SVCW authors in academia, so I have much to report. My next few entries will feature SVCW Authors whose writing regularly stars in University English classrooms.

First and foremost, I want to emphasize that earning a place of honor in English Departments across the country is no small feat. I attended the Modern Language Association last year and let me just say: These people are obsessed with good writing. You could never imagine how they can carry on, and on, and on about literary minutia. I kid you not— it was astounding to me how many people can kill a whole day talking about things like “Phenomenology of Aesthetic Judgment,” whatever the hell that means. My personal favorite was the seminar about “Phallic Mothers, Raging Sons and Wounded Bodies.” You gotta give ‘em credit for a title like that.

Not only was I impressed by the number of syllables these people can string together, but their fashion sense— Wow! The Eyewear Collection modeled behind the podium begs for a feature in the NYT Fashion pages. Who knew it was possible? Let’s face it—English teachers ain't known for their snappy outfits—but these MLA folks got style.

Oh right, this is a book blog. Allow me to re-adjust my designer bifocals...
Up next: Anne Lamott, Anthony Swofford and Amy Tan