Got a degree in English/Linguistics, couldn't find work as anything but a filing monkey/endentured servant, likes slash marks too much, etc. I'm back in school for a MA in teachin ESL, but I'll also be teaching a freshman comp class this fall, which I'm tres excited about. (I also like throwing around random French words.)

I really have no education whatsoever in writing poetry. The U of A has a visiting poets series where they fly in poets from around the country to read their work on Wednesday nights. I took this great class (twice) where we would read the visiting poets' work, talk with the poet the day after they read, and write our own stuff on the weeks there weren't any poets coming. The professor who taught the class was this wonderful aging hippy who was very loosey-goosey and said, "Great! You really did well" about everything anybody wrote. Even if it was utter crap and everyone else in the class knew it. So I have a lot of confidence, but not much discipline. :-)

Strengths: Not sure.

What I want help on: line breaks; getting out of strict adherence to grammar; stretching topics away from things in my life

Themes: loss - from up close and far away; prayers; sad bastard break-up poetry; the occasional amusing one

Addendum: I should add that I only tend to write when I feel really emotionally worked up about something - which usually means mad or sad, which in turn means that my writing by turns is dark, wallowing in self-pity, and/or just pathetic. Also, when I say "prayers" up there, they're usually of the kind whereby I'm yelling at God or just telling him that I think he's generally fouled things up; I'll probably post a few here for y'all to play with.