Modern and Contemporary Poetry
When I broke my ankle in August, 2012, I signed up for www.coursera.org's class through the University of Pennsylvania. This challenging class was taught by Al Filreis, who managed 33,000+ students from around the world in such a way that we felt like a small group. We had video seminars, webcasts, readings, quizzes, and homework. The class emphasized the development of postmodern poetry, with Whitman and Dickinson as precursors, through Stein, dadaism, Williams, the Beats, up to contemporary language poets. We also addressed some anti-modernists along the way. This has been the most engaging and productive scholarly experience I've had since retiring from academia. I'm recommending this program of free university courses to everyone I meet. It repeats next fall. Go to http://www.coursera.com for more information.
Website Activities
I created a website for a singing workshop on early music led by Bill Mahrt of Stanford University. We meet twice a year in Marin County, CA to learn a mass, set of motets, or related music, and then perform on Sunday afternoon. It's a site reading marathon! Check us out at
Renaissance Singers Retreat. I am also working on a website for Lee McRae, who has produced curiccular materials on Renaissance Music and History. I continue to update the Jack London Collection out of Sonoma State University with my co-founder, Roy Tennant. |
Jack London activities
I'm cataloguing my research materials to donate to Sonoma State University's Jack London Collection.
BBC Radio interviewed me for a show on Jack London's People of the Abyss. I've been assisting French publisher Arthaud-Flammarion in locating photographs relating to Jack for one of their books on writers. I reviewed Reesman, et al., Jack London, Photographer for California History. |
