A group of us English types gathered and read from published and in-progress works Friday night. It’s always an inspiring time, and Friday was another great example of why it’s great to work with people you admire. Jim Bishop’s poem “Renaming the Parts” was clever, risky, and pretty much perfect. I also heard Ross Gresham read for the first time and was greatly impressed. Brandon Lingle read his piece “Quakes”, which appeared in the Mississippi Review, and I was reminded of his brillance in the non-fiction world. I read two pieces, the last part of “Safety” and “Run Time”. As I tell my students, it’s always important to read your work out loud. You hear the tones and pacing, and when people listen, you take public accountability for your art.