Prompt #1: Tory Adkisson

Hello class,

My name is Tory Adkisson and I am excited to be your instructor for English 110.01 this quarter. I am writing this blogpost as a way of introducing myself to you and to model the type of writing and tone we will be working with as a part of this project. In fact, the first assignment you will be required to do as part of this Writer's Blog will be to write your own self-introductions, so what I am writing here should give you some ideas about how best to take advantage of the blogging medium to introduce yourself to me and the rest of the class.

So here's a little bit about me: I am originally from a small town in the California High Desert called Adelanto. It means progress in Spanish, which is ironic, considering that Adelanto is a pretty insignificant, rundown little town in the middle of the desert, one of many such towns that are really just glorified pit stops for most anyone making their way from LA to Las Vegas.

After graduating from Silverado High School, I attended UCLA where I earned my B.A. in English Literature. Los Angeles is an amazing city with a number of beautiful, diverse neighborhoods: some of my favorites include Koreatown (where 고기구이 is plentiful and delicious), Sawtelle Boulevard, where Japanese restaurants line the street for several blocks and boba cafes stay open until 2:00 a.m. or later, and the Fairfax District, the central location for the Askenazi Jewish community in L.A. and home to probably the greatest Jewish deli/restaurant in the U.S., Canter's!

In case you haven't figured it out yet, food is a big part of my life: I am of Jewish and Mexican heritage, and being from California, I feel that I have been very lucky to grow up exposed to a variety of different cuisines and cultures. Of course, there are many other great attractions in the city if you aren't as excited about food as I am, including the Third Street Promenade for premium shopping and the always fabulous West Hollywood, for checking out man-candy.

Now I live in Columbus, where I attend the MFA program in creative writing program here, at OSU. My focus is in writing poetry, a subject I am deeply passionate about on all levels. I enjoy a number of different poems, but just to give you an idea about the kind of stuff I like, here are a five poems that have recently moved me: "More Blues and the Abstract Truth" by C.D. Wright, "The River of Bees" by W.S. Merwin (the current U.S. poet laureate), "He Lit a Fire with Icicles" by Kay Ryan (former U.S. poet laureate), "Strange Meeting" by Wilfred Owen, and "crossing into canaan" by D.A. Powell.

Let this introduction I've provided you serve as a model for the kind of writing you will be doing on your own blogs this quarter, and do take advantage of the myriad options for integrating supporting media and material that blogging can afford you. Use hyperlinks, embed videos, include pictures, use all of these and explore blogging to create your own individual expressions. I look forward to working with all of you this quarter!