Holli, keep an eye on this guy (woman?) He may well be one of the writing teachers whose goal is to turn out little clones of their own work.

It's snobbery, and stupid snobbery. Salman Rushdie is respectable but Jane Yolen is not. WhatEVer.

Don't tell anyone, but the week I read something of Rushdie's was the longest month of my life.

I love what I've finished of Rushdie's. He's a favourite of mine, except I could not make it through The Satanic Verses.

I suspect that any half-way decently written "genre story" will count as literary fiction so far as this teacher is concerned.

I really think this is the coding he's doing. Plus, you know. My mother came home one beginning of semester and said, The problem is that none of these students *reads* anymore, they just watch television. So all they bring to class are reformulated sitcoms and summer movies!

That could be what he means, too.

I can see how it's offensive, but mmph. (And, nsm with the effective! Just telling someone, a bunch of undergraduates, that it has to have a "literary" plot, is not the magical shorthand to having clear, masterfully-plotted prose. It's just going to be a lot of purple.) Bring in what you're writing, Holli; see if he says boo.

(cereal: Holli, have you been to the Writers House imprint yet, and met Kerry? She's an ex- professor/workshop-leader of mine. I'd love to come visit both of you sometime.)

Kerry Wright? She's actually one of my teachers. I have her on Tuesday.

She was Kerry Sherin as I knew her, but I guess she's using her husband's name now.

What's the class? I hope she's not the genre-hating cw professor....

That's her, Liz. The class is called Writers In Community-- she is *definitely* not the genre-hater-- and from the first class last week it looked really fun. You should totally come visit!

(banging head rhythmically against desk)

The publishing industry is driving me batshit.

That is all.

(returns to banging head rhythmically against desk)

What happened, Deb?