Joonna's update after one year
Joonna's one year update.
I have just returned from a wonderful conference in the mountains of Colorado with AEPL--an organization which promotes "expanded perspectives" on learning, including spirituality. It's a great group and it was lovely to spend several days with Peter Elbow and others. From there I traveled to Milledgeville, GA, for an NEH Institute on Flannery O'Connor in her home town. Huge impact on me! I'm hoping to teach O'Connor in the Spring. I also have three people recruiting me for jobs at their respective schools from that institute.
I'm thinking of going on the job market this year. I'm a bit heartsick by some things that happened at our college last year, and I'm finding that I'm not getting over it. I wonder if it is time to go? I would miss the Christian College world, and I doubt that I would make a switch to another Christian college--although one never knows....
Sarah Gordon, former editor of the Flannery O'Connnor annual listened to my book project and actually became excited. She says that she will recommend it to U of Georgia Press if I can pull a proposal together. So, that's my next big thing. I do have a deadline of Sept. 1 for my Octavia Butler article. And I have to pull together a paper on Comenius for a conference at Calvin this fall.
At the Institute, I read one of my short stories and had the crowd laughing their heads off. That was nice. I'm thinking of applying to be editor of a journal in my field. It's hard to know what to do...
Most of all, I miss our interactions and think of you all often. My best to everyone.
Joonna
2 comments:
Thank you for this, Joonna. The word "heartsick" makes me "heartsick" for you. I think I know how that feels. I wish for you healing and grace.
Thanks Debra. It's difficult to be at a Christian college, buy so heavily into the mission and vision of the college and see that practices do not measure up to the rhetoric. I know we are not alone in this, but I'm just naivee enough to believe that we could be better, could be so much more. Change here is in the offing, and who knows? Maybe change will help. Thanks for your concern.
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