Two Fiction Workshops

As most of you know, we live near the 

State University of New York at Brockport.

Several weeks ago I was contacted by Anne Panning, who teaches in the English Department,

to see if I would be interested in attending to two Fiction Workshops where I would be interviewed by her students.  I first met Anne when she was the main speaker at a fundraiser we were attending (at our local library) and was very impressed with what she had to say... so this sounded like a great opportunity for me.  Tonight I decided to learn a little more about her before writing this post.

She is an award winning writer of both fiction and non fiction and joined the English Department here in 1997.  In 2009 the Carnegie Foundation named her the New York Professor of the Year.
Needless to say, I was very flattered to be invited to her workshops.
The theme for this semester is "work" and I was selected as someone who is active in our community with a broad variety of interests.  Living on a farm involves a lot of work and it is part of my everyday life.  Could these students learn something from me? 
Who would never want to sleep-in since 1981 over horses?

I arrived at the Liberal Arts Building at 12:15.

Anne was waiting for me in the lobby.

This is the newest building on campus and I had never been there.

We started off with a brief tour.

 There was art everywhere...in the lobby, on the walls, benches and more.

 They even had a painting by my friend Helen Smagorinsky.

 Anne took me to her office (on the second floor)

 which was ideal.

 

 So many beautiful views.

 Conversation/work areas everywhere....being used by students.

 They even had outdoor terraces with tables and seating.

 Very inviting.

 The English Department had their own kitchen!

 Four students in each class had prepared questions and the others were able to join in.

By next Tuesday they are all expected to interview someone 

(regarding the work they do) and write about it.

Today, they were interviewing me.

They had been required to check out my Journal and read an article that was written about me in the local newspaper.  It was very obvious they had done both, based on the questions that were asked.  For me, it was a very comfortable situation and the kids were great!

 The class was small enough to meet in the Department Conference Room...

a huge table with comfortable chairs.  Not like the desks and chairs

I had to sit in when I was in college.

 Some of the questions were related to art and I would love to go back and present a

contour line drawing lesson.

 Time passed quickly and the second class arrived.

 Some new and different questions.

 I would really like to read their final assignments at the end of the semester...

and I would do this again in a heartbeat.

One of the students asked me a question about our animals and if any required more attention than the others (like children).  As it happens, all of our animals get along well with each other...and that is a reflection of the way we relate to them.  Here are some photos...guess who requires most of the attention.

 

Berlin

 Sidney and Little Wonder

 Phoebe

 Seymour

 Sophie

 Abbe

 Angel

 Maggie

 Our barns are over 150 years old and I love to spend time in them.

The beams are tree trunks and the light is beautiful in the late afternoon.

 Here are the sunflowers that I spoke about.

 and more....

 That's the Studio.

Thank you for letting me be part of your classes today.

A real pleasure.

Night all.

PS

In case you have not figured it out yet, I told the students I would be writing about them tonight and believe some will be checking this entry.