Project "New Eyes"

I just came from a Steve-style dinner with the PNE 2008 group. Although the evening lasted past my bedtime, it was lovely to meet the students and hear their stories. And to hear Steve's, which I understand more and more.

Chickens

We've had our six baby chicks at home for a week and a day. This picture was taken on Easter Sunday. They seem to grow by the hour. Already this little Araucana is twice as big with full wing feathers. Eggs in the fall!

Winter Soldier

The fifth anniversary of this misbegotten occupation is marked by too many tragic numbers.

Soldiers are speaking out about their experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. Last past weekend IVAW hosted a series of independent hearings called "Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan". Watch these testimonies.

Destination Sušice!!!

My reservation is booked with window seats. We are on our way to Sušice for Project "New Eyes" 2008!

I will fly to Prague on May 1, where I will meet up with Steve. From Prague, we will drive to Sušice. The students will arrive one week later.

Now that the project is a reality, I feel like I'm swimming through it. I have begun the online Phase I of the course, the first time I have taught online. It is a different animal, I realize already. Every day seems suddenly filled with preparation, with reading and writing, while maintaining regular life, Salt Flats stuff, and my other classes. But everything is falling into place.

The students seem enthusiastic and interesting, from what I can read of them, and I certainly am thrilled to be teaching creative writing again in a project like this.

What I know of our destination is very little, as is evident in this paragraph. Sušice is a small city in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the edge of the Bohemian Forest (Šumava in Czech), Sušice has a population of approximately 11,600. The Otava River runs through the city.

Project "New Eyes" 2007 was the first incarnation of this cross-cultural adventure, which was conceived by Dr. Steven Sternfeld. The project was implemented by Steve and Mike Polacek, a Salt Lake resident who was born in Czech Republic. Additionally, several graduate students participated as co-teachers of sorts. Two were filmmakers who chronicled the experience in this video.

The Thinning Veil will chronicle my journey to, through, and from Sušice over the next few months. We will be writing and writing.