Currently Reading

Crooked Old River

Written by an old friend, Trapper Haskins, who is a talented carpenter, singer-songwriter/musician, vintage baseball player, and all-around good guy, Crooked Old River tells the story of Trapper's journey rowing down the Mississippi River with his wife, Mandy, in a boat that he made. I remember hearing about this while going on this trip in 2002, just when I had started my English teaching life abroad in Colombia. We had gone to college together, and I hadn't realized just how much of a vagabond wanterluster he was until we met up again some 20 years later as he was working on the book. Trapper and Mandy didn't make it all the way to the end of the river on their first try, and this is the story of him rebuilding the boat with his children and resuming the journey with his family of four. He has always had a great voice in his songwriting (https://trapperhaskins.com/music), but I'm grateful that he also does long-form, as it's such a good read so far. 

Past Reading

The Crusades Through Arab Eyes

Amin Maalouf’s  Crusades Through Arab Eyes “retells” the Crusades from the perspective of Arab historians and chroniclers. I was introduced to this book by during a period when I grew curious about Western involvement in the Middle East, which was right during the buildup to the second Iraq war. At that time, I was studying Arabic and meeting many Arabic speakers, which opened my eyes to the fact that historical events can be viewed through many different lenses. Maalouf’s writing shares the experiences and responses of the Arab people during this period of history. It is well-researched and quite readable, even though it’s exploring complex historical events. I’m revisiting this book as I prepare to move back to the Middle East, and hope for a little more understanding of the historical context.

Mother Tongue: A Bogotan Story

This was recommended to me in a bookstore in Bogota when we visited. I thought it was funny that I picked up the only book around written in English when I went in trying to find a book in Spanish. So, I got this and Gramática pura - which is actually in Spanish - by Juan Fernando Hincapié. His tone is is funny but growing jaded and sarcastic while talking about Colombians living abroad. The main character returns to Bogotá after studying in the U.S. He adds commentary to the story in the footnotes and that offers the most potential and distraction for me as an easily distractible reader. That said, at times, I find his tone annoying and even sexist, but the book does have an interesting take on language and culture. Overall, it’s a short and easy read and gives some insight into Colombia and the language; but not a book I'd recommend. 

Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography of B.B. King

As my guitar teacher and I have been working on some of B.B. King’s music, it seemed like an appropriate time to read “Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography of BB King.” The book is told in BB’s voice takes the reader on a journey through his life. He writes about growing up in Mississippi and working as a street performer in Memphis. As a student of music, I’m enjoying his discussion of his musical influences and his admiration for other artists. As a Memphian and a fan of blues, the book is joy to read. 

Latino Boom: An Anthology of U.S. Latino Literature

Norton canceled their Anthology of Latino Literature, so I was forced to pick a new book. While I spent several month's reading and prep on that and was freaking out when I realized everything had to be redone for my class, this work and its companion site (https://latinostories.com/) are so much better than what I was planning to work with previously. 

Norton Anthology of Latino Literature

This is consuming my work life as of late, as I have been given the honor of creating my college's first Latinx Literature class. Unfortunately, this is not a class I've previously taught or studied, so I'm diving in. Though I've been able to rely solely on the Norton guides when teaching a World Literature class, it doesn't seem a good idea for this class, as there are no texts in Portuguese, French, or any of the indigenous languages of the American continents. This is after an introduction that discusses the importance of including Latino literature and voices and acknowledges that there are multiple layers of identity. 

How to Write One Song

I'm enjoying writing exercises and some perception changes from Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. He focuses on getting lost in the process of making a single song, not thinking beyond that to songs. While he hasn't solved the lyrical problems I've been having with a couple of songs I've been working on, that single change in perspective resonated with me. If I'm working on any aspect of a song consistently and if I get to enjoy getting totally lost in time while working on it, then I've got everything I could ever want and I don't need to worry about the direction that may (or may not) take shape.