January 30, 2020

Thursday afternoon, Classical trumpet music from downstairs. Attended what might be–what will probably be–my last departmental promotion/tenure meeting. There was some controversy, not that much about the candidate, but about another colleague who felt badly served by the process in the past and kept directing our attention to the unfairness we showed her, making sure we were at least equally unfair to our present candidate.  That, at least, is over. Two astonishingly excellent stories from the creative writing class. Everyone languishes around in transports of exhaustion. Someone told them this is an excuse for not doing their work.  An Age of Silver came out at blinding speed even for me, though in fairness it has been gestating since Exeter. From time to time I follow the advice I give my students– let go, let the story lead you. I have no interest in singing Disney at rehearsal tonight. I think I will tell the studio people that I will not pay rent until they fix the roof. If they throw me out, then that decision will be made without my having made it.

Reading an email from SS I realized how to finish Invisible Husbands.