Well, we’ve come to the end of the road–at least for this particular class and semester. I’ll be reminding you of deadlines and the like soon, but first, I want to say a few things to this class:
We’ve been through an experience this semester that has been challenging, frustrating, and, for many of us–if not all–depressing. All of those emotions (and any I haven’t mentioned) are totally valid. I’ve had conversations with many of you over the semester, and during each one I’ve tried to say (however awkwardly) how awesome you are and how impressed I am with you. Even if I haven’t spoken to you one-on-one, I still want you to know I think these things about each of you. Seriously.
I hope all of us will have a chance to catch our breath for a moment when this semester is finally closed and let ourselves feel strong in the knowledge that we’ve survived a moment of unparalleled time in recent history. It’s not over–not by a long shot–but we’ve weathered some serious shit thus far. (I hope I don’t get in trouble for using that term!)
I’m honored to have been able to facilitate your creative writing. Writing is obviously a passion of each person in this class. I’ve laughed, shouted, and smiled with pride as I’ve read your journals, posts, and major writing assignments.
I want each of you to continue writing. Writers share thoughts that define a time–any time–but this is a time I think history will want to study.
I also want each of you to keep in touch. I’ve loved running into my students in the halls of City Tech long after they’ve been in my class. I hope we’ll be in physical halls again soon, but until that happens, we’ll have to run into each other in virtual halls by other means. My personal email address is jessica.penner@gmail.com. I Instagram a lot. I also have a website: jessicadawnpenner.com. I’ll admit, it’s a work-in-progress, but you can see some of my writing there.
I have one more writing assignment, which is detailed on the Assignment page. It’s very simple and easy to do. It’s a letter to students next semester who are going to take this class.
Okay, I’ll stop and get down to particulars:
Poetry & Dialogues
I’ve read and evaluated all the poetry, and I’ve just gotten into the dialogues. I’ve posted my comments on your poetry pages. Let me tell you I LOVED all of them. You all shared pieces of your lives with me and your Cohorts, and I totally appreciate that. If you don’t see my comments on your poetry, let me know and send the URL to me. I might have missed them in my hurry to finish evaluating everything before turning to the dialogues.
Final Portfolios (aka Chapbooks)
Please look at this post from Week 15 for details on the chapbooks, which are standing in for the final exam for this class. There are many details–please follow them closely. This helps me grade more efficiently, and is something that’ll help your overall grade, because if you don’t follow these details, I’ll deduct 10% off your Final Portfolio/Chapbook grade.
REMEMBER THE DUE DATE:
December 16, 2020!
I’ve been generous on deadlines this semester because of the situation we’ve all been through, but this deadline is real, folks, because I have to turn in grades soon after this date. I don’t have time to locate you and your work.
If you don’t turn in a chapbook by 11:59 PM on December 16, 2020, you’ll lose 250 points (this is worth 30% of your overall grade).
Even if your chapbook isn’t complete or as finished as you’d like, know that this is the agony of any writer–student or otherwise–we never feel it’s perfect, so submit what you’ve got by December 16!
If you have questions or concerns, contact me and we can talk during office hours on Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 pm. I can work in other times, but you’ll have to email me 24 hours in advance.
Final Grades
Grades must be posted by all City Tech faculty by December 27, so your grade for this class will be up soon after this date. I have 70 students’ final projects to grade, then I have to calculate grades, etc., so there’s a lot that has to happen between the last day of class and that date. I post all grades at once, so please don’t expect your grade to be up any sooner than this.
Finally…
I wanted to have a reading on the last day of class, but that won’t be possible. Instead, I encourage you to look at our Final Portfolio page after December 16. You and your classmates have been through an amazing few months, and I think everyone would get a kick out of seeing the finished product of your labor! I also suggest you send your chapbooks to your Cohort. This isn’t a requirement, but I think it’d be a fun way to end this semester.
Be sure to go to the Assignment page!
Stay safe & be well!
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