Summer Solstice, Seattle Style

Please excuse the hiatus; grading and kid duty got the best of me the last couple of weeks. But grades were finally, finally submitted, and then it was time to turn my attention to the Fremont District's 2010 Solstice Parade. It was raining and 53 degrees, but every time a naked cycler sang out "Happy Solstice!" I could feel every ounce of the excitement. Here in Seattle we live, from late Nov through late Jan, with seven or so hours of daylight, so it definitely makes sense to me that our quirkiest neighborhood celebrates the return of the sun by birthday-suitin' it up.

When I wasn't grading papers or being a lava monster these last few weeks, I was reading the poems of Kevin Clark, a poet recommended to me by Kristin Henry, a recent graduate from PLU's Rainier Writers Workshop. Kristin, who worked with Clark while she completed her master's thesis and urged me to Google him asap. When I did, I found one of the best poems about teaching I've come across: Class Politics.

Also, I've finally had a chance to dip into some of the poetry books I purchased at AWP, including Erica Dawson's Big-Eyed Afraid and Keetje Kuiper's Beautiful in the Mouth. They are both wonderful books.

Happy solstice, everyone. May the good vibes of Solstice Parade 2010 keep us aloft through the summer months.