Writing Questions Writing Questions

For this series, made especially for my Writing for Engineers students, I interview working engineers to find out about what writing looks like in their working lives.

For this series, made especially for my Writing for Engineers students, I interview working engineers to find out about what writing looks like in their working lives.

This week I force my friend Dustin to write a poem while we listen. Dustin Pearson is the Managing Editor of Hayden’s Ferry Review, He has a master’s degree from Clemson University, he has been published in a bunch of places, and he was awarded the 2015 Katherine C. Turner Prize from the Academy of American Poets.

Here’s the final text of the first rough version of this poem:

If I Keep This
By Dustin Pearson

I want to tell you
that I think I’ve been dying.
I’ve seen that there’s a threat
Of a shooting today,
But that’s not why
I say this to you.
I’ve been told that the young dying
Are rare.
I believe that.
Just with all the things
Spread between the TV and internet
It’s become the rarity
That happens every day.
So which route to take?
I’ve been told death
Will come for us at 12:30.
Should I take what I’ve been
Feeling outside,
or should I have the courage
To sit and wait for other dangers?
I want to ask you
When you see danger coming from all angles
Is it your first instinct to meet it?
Who would you ask?
I have to tell you
That I ask because I want to know
If between the threats outside
And what’s seen on the internet or TV,
If the moment following is short
I want to spend it
Getting close to knowing who you are.

Find Dustin’s profile on the Poets and Writers directory here:
http://www.pw.org/content/dustin_pearson

Find the anthology Pariahs: Writing Outside the Margins here:
http://amzn.com/1622881001

Music for this episode comes from twinmusicom.org.

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If you’d like to comment on the episode you can do that on our soundcloud page or send an email to me at stevenwhopkins@gmail.com or send me a message on twitter @seemylittleknee.

This is part 2 of the Dr. Jody Shipka visit sponsored by RSA, ASUGPSA, and the ASU Department of English.

We go shopping for old stuff and don't find anything, but we learn to see like Dr. Shipka sees.

Zeugma Podcast episodes with Dr. Shipka: http://zeugma.dwrl.utexas.edu/shipka

Dr. Shipka's website: http://remediatethis.com/index.html

Email me at Stevenwhopkins@gmail.com

Tweet to me @seemylittleknee https://twitter.com/seemylittleknee

Script available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AsVvU6f0EFfMJb4HSvqbIDkFyTyT0wB8nfOIsVEeM08/edit?usp=sharing

Hooah! This week we talk with Captain Peter Nguyen of the United States Army about the traditions, expectations, and frustrations of being a writer in the Army.

You can find Peter's work telling audio stories here: https://soundcloud.com/peter-nguyen-215

Transcript available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1735RdiV43CWa5PnlbqZX3utAIg3leKaxA6bXSPGiPUA/edit?usp=sharing

Dr. Brian McNely of the University of Kentucky discusses a recent research project attempting to catalog literally everything that exists on the 1.7 mile commute he takes everyday.

The transcript is available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dD-UBEc0NUHiz1o6xS-fOWjD50ej9V669aNji9xoNNA/edit

Music from Soundcloud user CuruxaUK (https://soundcloud.com/curuxauk), twinmusicom.org and incompetech.com.

Contact Dr. McNely at http://brianjmcnely.com/, on twitter @bmcnely, or by email brian.mcnely@uky.edu.
Contact me stevenwhopkins@gmail.com or on twitter @seemylittleknee