Almost Random Notes, Part 12

Yesterday was a lot of fun. I went to six classes through the day, reading poems and talking about writing. It wasn't until meeting with the 7-8th graders in the afternoon that I read much of my own work. I had prepared a couple of exercises for the older students, but we never got to them. The students were curious about writing––these are very bright kids––and the faculty was amazing.

Walden Green is the kind of place where (despite a vast array of Macintoshes) the students still read books. When I mentioned that no one really memorized poems anymore, I found out that the 3-4th graders could recite Robert Frost, verbatim.

I also had a chance to catch up with the talented Robert Michmerhuizen, an old friend who teaches art at Walden Green.


I see that my kinsman, Major Molineaux...er, Charles Rappleye*, has a cover article in the Spring 2007 Virginia Quarterly Review ("Mexico, America, and the Continental Divide") in which he argues for completely opening the border between the United States and Mexico. Most of this issue is devoted to a thoughtful discussion of the immigration question.

Ted Genoways is doing a marvelous job of editing the VQR.

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*He must be some sort of cousin, since all of the Rappleyes are related. I've never met him, though.