Back to school memoir:

Students at my school have a summer reading assignment, so I just finished re-reading Grendel by John Gardener, their summer book for British Literature I. In addition to reading, they are asked to write a short essay (500 words) and devise statements of community and isolation. I don't assign anything I can't do, and I did it quickly in the spring but wanted to do it well before I posted a sample for them. So, I drafted on paper yesterday, completed reconfigured my thesis, drafted in my head yesterday evening, slept on it and finished writing it this morning.

One of the great perks of my job is that I get to do things I love to do -- read great literature, think deeply, and write about it -- as my profession.

It'a a good gig.