Kairosnews

"Psychedelic Pie" is a psychedelic video with a psychedelic sound-track, created from materials found on the Web. You can see the video on YouTube  at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS4Wpx5QKXc, or on my site at http://edwardpicot.com/psychedelicpie.mov. Attributions: backward guitar and psychedelic viola by Robinhood76; psychedelic percussion by Satoration; sitar by Kaiho - all from www.freesound.org. Morning traffic timelapse by MegaTokkie, YouTube. Blackrock Sunrise (community video); London Underground (community video); and Haleakala Sunset by Mike McCabe - www.archive.org.

Also new: my review of "The Last Collaboration" by Martha Deed and Millie Niss. The review can be seen on the Furtherfield site at http://www.furtherfield.org/features/articles/last-collaboration, and the book itself can be seen at http://www.furtherfield.org/friendsofspork/lastcollaboration.html. Millie Niss was a writer and new media artist who died in November 2010. Martha Deed is a poet and psychologist, also Millie's mother and long-time collaborator. "The Last Collaboration" is about Millie's last days in hospital. It's acutely insightful, and it's also a significant work of art.

The Graduate Research Network (GRN) invites proposals for its 2012 workshop, May 17, 2012, at the Computers and Writing Conference hosted by North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. 

The C&W Graduate Research Network is an all-day pre-conference event, open to all registered conference participants at no charge. Roundtable discussions group those with similar interests and discussion leaders who facilitate discussion and offer suggestions for developing research projects and for finding suitable venues for publication.  We encourage anyone interested or involved in graduate education and scholarship--students, professors, mentors, and interested others--to participate in this important event. The GRN welcomes those pursuing work at any stage, from those just beginning to consider ideas to those whose projects are ready to pursue publication. Participants are also invited to apply for travel funding through the CW/GRN Travel Grant Fund.

Deadline for submissions is April 25, 2012.  For more information or to submit a proposal, visit our Web site at http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/writling/GRN/2011/index.html or email Janice Walker at jwalker@georgiasouthern.edu.

The twelfth in a series of 10-minute videos about the adventures and frustrations of an ordinary (but rather hirsute) General Practitioner. Dr Hairy attempts to work out how to deal with a case of possible domestic violence - with hilarious results!

To view the video on my site, go to http://www.edwardpicot.com/drhairy/childsafety.mov ; or you can see it on YouTube at http://youtu.be/nx3Bh3L7tIc ; or it should be on DVblog (http://dvblog.org) in the near future.

The whole Dr Hairy series is now available at http://drhairy.org

- Edward Picot
http://edwardpicot.com - personal website
http://hyperex.co.uk - The Hyperliterature Exchange

Other items of interest:

Welcome to Pine Point (http://www.pinepoint.nfb.ca) - Amongst the shortlisted entries for the 2011 New Media Writing Prize (http://www.newmediawritingprize.co.uk) was this, a mixture of documentary and reminiscence about a mining town in Canada which simply closed down and vanished when the mine itself was shut down. Long on atmosphere and nostalgia, sense of history and sense of place, and reminiscent of both Garrison Keillor and Twin Peaks, it's beautifully written, beautifully assembled, unshowy and completely absorbing.

Occupy London - with Cartoons (http://occupylondon-withcartoons.org/) - This project was set up by the cartoonist Dave Miller as an online expression of solidarity with the anti-capitalist tented occupation at St Paul's Cathedral in the autumn of 2011. Dave explains: "At the Occupy London Stock Exchange site at St Pauls, London, there are many drawings and paintings sellotaped to the walls; the area has become a public Art gallery. Works full of slogans and messages, full of passion. While visiting the site, it occurred to me that many people want to express their views in this way, and contribute their own art work to share with Occupy London, to express their support and solidarity; but they can't physically be at St Pauls." He has therefore set up a project which allows you to select from a range of characters and backgrounds, then add your own text. It's rough-and-ready but well worth having a go, and it has attracted contributions from The Guardian's Martin Rowson, amongst many others.
 

I recently touched up an old handout, and would welcome feedback.

How to Write a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is the single, specific claim that your essay supports. A strong thesis answers the question you want to raise; it does so by presenting a topic, your precise opinion on the topic, and a reasoning blueprint that sketches out the organization for the rest of the paper. A good thesis is not merely a factual statement, an observation, a personal opinion or preference, or the question you plan to answer.

• Black Elk Speaks accurately represents Indian lifestyle through its attention to cultural detail, its use of Indian words, and its direct quotes from Black Elk.
• Topic: The representation of Indian lifestyle in the book Black Elk Speaks
• Precise Opinion: the book is accurate
• Reasoning Blueprint: the book pays attention to cultural detail, it uses Indian words, and it uses direct quotations from Black Elk. (The rest of the paper will establish the truth of teach of these supporting points, and then explain why they add up to support the truth of the thesis statement.)

Hi All:

Sorry to be gone for so long. BUT . . . I do have a job announcement that I hope will be of interest to some knews readers.

Please let me know if you have questions or know of anyone who might be interested in joining our program!

Yours,
Bob

Position Announcement

Instructor of Writing Enriched Curriculum

Center for Writing and Rhetoric

University of Mississippi

The Center for Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi invites applications for an Instructor of Writing Enriched Curriculum. This is a non-tenure track, 12-month teaching position and begins July 1, 2012.

Pursuant to its 2009 QEP, the Center for Writing and Rhetoric seeks an instructor to lead its interaction with faculty across our campus who are interested in writing instruction. The WEC Instructor will lead the University community in exploring local writing values across campus, collaboratively designing effective academic plans for the teaching of writing in a variety of disciplines, and making that work visible to the community. Duties will include:

•  Leading collaborative workshops with departments across the campus to explore and articulate local writing values;
• Developing and directing ten Graduate Writing Fellows to support student learning of writing in a variety of disciplines;
• Developing and directing a Faculty Writing Fellows program to assist faculty in a variety of disciplines revising their teaching practices to incorporate and enhance writing;
• Creating a culture of professional development among writing instructional staff through multiple activities, including leading a Teaching Development Group; and
• Directing a curriculum committee for an interdisciplinary freshman writing seminar.

Qualifications/Skills

A Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric, English with a focus in Composition and Rhetoric, or a similarly-defined field is required; ABD's are encouraged to apply. Evidence of accomplished teaching of writing through at least three years as instructor of record beyond graduate school, as well as experience and research in the field of composition and rhetoric, writing across the curriculum, or writing in the disciplines, is especially valuable.

The University of Mississippi is a public, comprehensive, research institution. As the oldest public institution of higher learning in the state and as a Carnegie Research University (high research activity), the institution's primary functions are the creation, dissemination, and application of knowledge through a variety of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs and public service activities. The university's main campus at Oxford emphasizes a traditional, residential educational experience, with a central College of Liberal Arts and seven professional schools. In 2010, Forbes ranked UM 20th among public universities in the United States. The town of Oxford, located in northern Mississippi near Memphis, has 12,500 residents and boasts public schools ranked in the top 100 by Offspring magazine. Oxford was cited by the Washington Post as "cosmopolitan, sophisticated, even trendy," and by USA Today as one of the top six college towns in the nation.

Interested candidates should apply online at http://jobs.olemiss.edu to position 11209993-092911 by submitting a letter of interest addressing the candidate's apt education and experience and curriculum vitae, along with three letters of recommendation. These materials should be attached to the on-line application. The search committee will begin reviewing applications immediately, and the position will be open until filled or until an adequate applicant pool is established. Initial interviews will be held at the annual MLA conference in Seattle, WA, January 5-8, 2012. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply. The University of Mississippi is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ ADEA employer.