Career Day, again

Here I am doing my part to encourage these smart kids not to pursue a steady job with insurance and benefits. I'm here to help! I love how my page-a-day calendar is featured so prominently in this picture, but TBT is nowhere to be found. I also want to thank Mr. Brown (who was my eighth grade teacher) Ms. Dolan, and Ms. Elliston for letting me talk to their eighth grade classes. It was awesome.

Career Day!

I'll be back in the Q this week for my high school's Career Day, which sounds even more absurd to me than it possibly could to anyone else. How could I have said no? I'll also be visiting classrooms on Thursday and Friday. Oh, and don't think I won't be taking down a stuffed sopaipilla or two while I'm home.

Some housekeeping

Call it a resolution--and we all know how those tend to go--but I'm hoping to do a better job with the blog this year. Here's a link to an essay I wrote about some of the ways I use research. The book I'm working on now features a handful of scenes in a chicken processing plant, so the essay focuses on my experience conning my way onto a tour of a local plant. Needless to say, there are just some things you have to see with your own eyes (to say nothing of the other senses) if you're going to write about them. Thanks to David Yoo for sending this photo of the Young Adult shelf in the Border's in the Boston Airport. It's hard to see because the bookstore was closed when he took the picture. But seriously, if you squint just right, you might be able to make out The Brothers Torres down near the bottom left. An airport bookstore appearing to carry the book is good enough for me.

Thank you, West Mesa Mustangs

I've been a bit slow in posting these pictures (Slow is an understatement, I know. At least I got them up within a calendar year). This was my first school visit, with about 150 of Mrs. Sanchez's ESL students at West Mesa. I read for about fifteen minutes, then answered questions for another thirty. One of my favorite parts of the visit was the sound of pages turning as the students followed along with what I read. I was impressed by how closely the students had read the book and how emotionally invested they seemed to be in the outcome. After the Q & A, we hung out a bit, and I found myself engaging in a bit of smack talk about el fútbol mexicano. Despite Daniel's best efforts, I remain unconvinced about the virtues of switching my alliegances to Cruz Azul. Thanks again to Mrs. Sanchez and all her fantastic students!