Ben Jonson: "The Entertaynment Perfect"

INVITING A FRIEND TO SUPPER

To-night, grave sir, both my poore house, and I 
Doe equally desire your companie : 
Not that we thinke us worthy such a guest, 
But that your worth will dignifie our feast, 
With those that come ; whose grace may make that seeme 
Something, which, else, could hope for no esteeme. 
It is the faire acceptance, Sir, creates 
The entertaynment perfect : not the cates. 
Yet shall you have, to rectifie your palate, 
An olive, capers, or some better sallad 
Ushring the mutton ; with a short-leg'd hen, 
If we can get her, full of eggs, and then, 
Limons, and wine for sauce : to these, a coney 
Is not to be despair'd of, for our money ; 
And, though fowle, now, be scarce, yet there are clerkes, 
The skie not falling, thinke we may have larkes. 
I'll tell you of more, and lye, so you will come : 
Of partrich, pheasant, wood-cock, of which some 
May yet be there ; and godwit, if we can : 
Knat, raile, and ruffe too. How so e'er, my man 
Shall reade a piece of VIRGIL, TACITUS, 
LIVIE, or of some better booke to us, 
Of which wee'll speake our minds, amidst our meate ; 
And I'll professe no verses to repeate : 
To this, if ought appeare, which I know not of, 
That will the pastrie, not my paper, show of. 
Digestive cheese, and fruit there sure will bee; 
But that, which most doth take my Muse, and mee, 
Is a pure cup of rich Canary-wine, 
Which is the Mermaids, now, but shall be mine : 
Of which had HORACE, or ANACREON tasted, 
Their lives, as doe their lines, till now had lasted. 
Tabacco, Nectar, or the Thespian spring, 
Are all but LUTHERS beere, to this I sing. 
Of this we will sup free, but moderately, 
And we will have no Pooly, or Parrot by ; 
Nor shall our cups make any guiltie men : 
But, at our parting, we will be, as when 
We innocently met. No simple word 
That shall be utter'd at our mirthfull board 
Shall make us sad next morning : or affright 
The libertie, that we'll enjoy to-night.

--Ben Jonson

Come On Out! The Water's Fine!

Well, it's a bit cold, but come on out.
And, the viz is poor, too, only 6-10 feet tops.
I don't think I can see my fins even, but we've dove in worse.

We'll just need to feel our way on the bottom.

C'mon!

(Thinking of my buddy Keith: RIP, man.)

Quick Fiction: An Overview and An Invitation

Quick Fiction in 100-150 Words: A Project for Your Classes, A Project for Yourself?

I often use creative writing projects in my classes, especially English 1B, because I've found that most people read differently, read more effectively, if they think of themselves as--you guessed it, how obvious--as writers. I've found that creative writing assignments tap into a special self-vision of being a writer for my students--and for myself, frankly--that expository writing assignments just don't quite reach in the same way. English 1B, with the emphasis on literature and critical thinking, is a key place to tap into personal creativity for the most obvious relevance to the work of the course.Short-short stories, Fast-Reads, Quick Fiction--whatever the label, this is the genre I've found most effective with my students.

We read a collection from a "Fast Read" contest in The Monterey Weekly from a few years ago (that I chanced upon while on a dive trip); the Fast-Reads call for stories in "101 words or less." We discuss and analyze those stories, and then we write some of our own. I request two short-short stories, 100-150 words in length, from every student. One of those stories is presented anonymously to the class. Together, we read, discuss, and analyze the class stories. We don't hold a contest for best of set, but we do look for good titles, good opening lines, good moves, good striking descriptions, characters, plots, and so forth: the standard right words in the right places. I emphasize looking for the good stuff in any and every piece to create a crucial supportive environment and to curtail easy criticism and cynicism. Why not look for what works well, first, in any and every piece of writing? I also write short-short stories and contribute my own, anonymously, with the rest of the class. Why not?

And why not share short-short stories as fellow members of our department, or as fellow members of the blog-universe?

I originally posted a version of this entry on "Clean Thine Ears," the CCSF English Department's blog-site. I wanted to place it here also for clarity and for the invitation: Share your stories!