Twofer: NYTBR 6 April 2008 & Women’s Studies at Stanford

Self feeling quite content today, dear blog readers — even though weather is chilly again (Will spring never come???)

First of all, she has time to post about The New York Times Book Review (of 6 April). Then, she’s reading a fascinating syllabus — Valerie Miner’s, for her Stanford University course, “Imagining Women: Writers in Print and in Person.”

A few months ago (How time flies!) self received an e-mail from Prof. Miner: she was teaching a Women’s Studies course during spring quarter and wanted to include self’s book, Mayor of the Roses, in the syllabus. Would self be available for a classroom visit?

Would she ??? Would she ??? Of course she would!

And tomorrow is the day. And here, for the edification of dear blog readers, is the Course Description:

This seminar introduces the lively world of contemporary literature through the reading of books by and intimate discussions with authors such as Patricia Powell, Camille Dungy, Marianne Villanueva, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Brenda Hillman, Jewelle Gomez and Carol Seajay. Each Monday, the class will discuss a new book. On Wednesdays, the writer will speak about her work. Then we will open the session to questions and discussion.

And self wishes to stop right now and thank all those other professors who teach her book:

1. Nona Caspers in the Creative Writing Program at San Francisco State

2. Liza Erpelo at Skyline (whose classes are so fab to visit!)

3. the professor at Bates College in Maine who’s been including self’s work in her syllabus for ages and ages (Self wishes to apologize because she is completely blanking out on the professor’s name at the moment!)

4. M. Evelina Galang (so fab — as a writer, a person, a friend) at University of Miami

5. Prof. Bob Gluck, who invited self to speak to his “Writers on Writing” class at San Francisco State this past February

6. Luisa Igloria (fab writer, fab person, and — just ask her students — fab teacher) at Old Dominion U in Norfolk, VA

7. Paolo Javier, whose students read her book last year and found this blog

8. Prof. Claudia McIsaac at Santa Clara, who had self come in to speak to her class (with D. A. Powell — what a fun day that was!)

And, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, Brian Roley at Miami University in Ohio, who was so instrumental in getting the book published in the first place.

How self wishes you were all here right now, in person, so that she could lavish you with big hugs.

And now, the list of books self is interested in reading after perusing the 6 April 2008 issue of The New York Times Book Review:

(1) After reading Mary Jo Salter’s (fascinating and spot-on) review of Grace Paley’s final book, Fidelity:

Grace Paley’s Fidelity

(2) After reading Fareed Zakaria’s review of Benazir Bhutto’s posthumously published Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West:

Benazir Bhutto’s Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West