Waiting for Bieber

Check out Waiting for Bieber, a "real-time feed of Justin Bieber's fans trying to get him to follow them on Twitter." By isolating and cataloging this fan language, the designer, Mike Lacher, has effectively constructed a piece of conceptual writing. I could read this for hours!

Bryant Park Chapbook

I've decided to make a little collaborative publication based on our writing this semester, so that we have something to remember the workshop by. The chapbook will be based on our last Perecian description activity, Bryant Park. Here's what you need to do:

1. Revise your Bryant Park piece according to my feedback. Hand it in as a regular revision so that you get credit for it.

2. In addition, email me by Friday 5/28 with: two descriptions of people (the original assignment called for three, so choose your best two!) and the description of a pigeon.

3. I'll edit the book, choosing which descriptions are included. Everyone in the class will get to contribute at least one description of a person. I'll take the descriptions of pigeons and scatter them throughout.

4. This is a collaborative book, so instead of putting the authors' names on individual pieces, I'll just list all of the contributors' names on the back of the book. That way we're all "the author" of a single work, instead of each being the author of a short section.

I'll have these books printed and bring them to class before the end of the term.

Extra Credit: Rob's Word Shop

The poet Rob Fitterman is running a "word shop" on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11am-2pm, at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery in Manhattan). Rob will be selling words and letters at the shop. He'll consult with you about what words or letters you want to buy, and then he'll negotiate a price with you. (The prices are very, very low -- less than a dollar.)

I will give you extra credit if you visit Rob's Word Shop and buy a word or a letter, then write a short paragraph about the experience for me.

Some guidelines:

1. You can go to the shop and request a specific word or letter, but it might also be fun to ask Rob to recommend a word -- just like when you go to an unfamiliar restaurant, you might ask your waiter to recommend a dish based on your likes and dislikes. For example, you could give Rob some abstract qualities ("bright," "feels good in the mouth," "a good word to shout") or personal preferences ("I love the sound of the letters m, n, and c, but I think the vowel a sounds nasal and irritating") or some other kind of request ("I want to buy a word that rhymes with your middle name") and ask him to give you a word or a range of choices.

2. Don't be afraid to haggle! If Rob's price seems too high, negotiate a lower price. If you think the word is too cheap, offer to pay more.

3. Ask Rob about his project. Why is he doing this? What are the ideas behind this project? What kind of experience is he trying to provide? Is this art? Is it writing? Is he going to do something with all the words people buy, and if so, what?

Don't be shy. Rob is very friendly, and he will be delighted if you come to participate in his project.

Translation Event, 5/12

Below you'll find the announcement for the translation event I mentioned in class. We'll be working in small groups to translate a short poem by the US Poet Laureate, in preparation for her visit to the college this fall. As the announcement says, we already have some English and foreign-language speakers signed up, but we need more help!

English-only speakers are welcome!

People who speak another language but have limited English skills are welcome!

This is a special form of translation that is very collaborative and conversational, so there's no pressure to be an expert in English or any other language. Because it's so collaborative, it will also be a good opportunity to meet other students and faculty! As I stated in class, I will offer extra credit to anyone who attends the session and works in one of the translation groups.

This is also a unique opportunity: I learned this form of translation during a visit to Centre de Poésie et Traduction, just outside of Paris. It has been performed in the US only a few times, to my knowledge -- all of them involving the French inventors of the form. Not many people know about it, but it is highly interesting and a lot of fun.

The event will take place next Wednesday (5/12) at 2:15 in E-103, and I think it's going to be very exciting. I hope some of you can make it! Please email me to RSVP in advance, so we can be sure to order enough refreshments. (You'll find my email address on the front of the course pack.)

--

Announcement: Translation Event 5/12 at 2:15 Room E-103

The Creative Writing Committee of the English Department will be holding an event, "Collective Translation at LaGuardia," on Wednesday May 12 during club hours. Please come to E-103, Rosemarie's Room (the large conference room) at 2:15 and be ready to have serious. intellectual. fun.

Staff, students, faculty, and administrators are ALL WELCOME!

You do *not* need to be an expert in a language. The idea of collective translation is that we need people with different levels of language skill, in as many languages as possible. That's all. We need English speakers (I, for example, ONLY know English and I am running this event!); we need people with moderate knowledge of some other language (ANY language you know, or used to know, or are just getting to know, etc.); and we need people with expert knowledge in any language. Participants will work in groups according to which language they work with, and each group will attempt to translate the same short American poem into their language.

So far we have signed up:

French

German

Chinese

American Sign Language

But what about Spanish? Spanish is one of the most prevalent languages at LaGuardia!

And how about Arabic, Farsi, Korean, Japanese, Zulu, Hausa, Hindi, or any of the other 160 languages spoken at LaGuardia?

And what about people who only know English? Am I going to be the only one? Do not be afraid "English only" people...you have a friend!

Whatever your interest, if you are coming please RSVP so I can order enough food for us.

& feel free to email me with any questions.

Yours,
Kristen Gallagher
English Department