I’m returning to my idea of an at home, self-directed MFA. But to broaden my horizons and seek new sources of inspiration, I might do a personalized curricum and study more than poetry. I’ll break the year up into quarters and then further break classes down by month.
I’d like to study Catholicism (obviously. I already am.) I’m reading the catechism and the books that are in the Catholic Bible and not the Protestant Bible. Then I’m reading Catholicism for Dummies for my OCIA class. Also, I want to learn about personality psychology. I’ve studied that before but forgot some of what I learned from the brain damage. I’d like to use journal articles, textbooks, regular books, lectures, podcasts, and film. For a third subject, I have a few ideas. Create a scrapbook. It could be hands on like that. I could print pretty papers and photos at home and use a vintage Lisa Frank folder to hold it together. Or I could create a chapbook or zine of poetry on a theme. Perhaps color or synesthesia or medieval women mystics. But to focus on things besides just poetry, I could study nonhuman communication- plant and animal. Or maybe something in oceanography. Christian mysticism, natural history, early church culture, the intersection of faith and creativity, and the horror genre are all other potential areas of study for this quarter period or the next.
In terms of resources, for the first month, there’s a lecture series on Great Courses on the psychology of personality. I’m exploring new books to read on kindle on all the subjects I’m considering. I downloaded some book samples to go through and buy some books to read on the flights. I want to read the 3rd section of the catechism specifically. I’m going to rely on some favorite podcasts for some of my science information and YouTube for informative videos. Google Scholar and the library will come in handy for journal articles and books.
I don’t have a second month planned out yet or a third subject chosen.
I could make zines about what I learn to help me remember it or present the information orally to my husband. I will definitely be taking notes. Copious notes! A powerpoint could be fun. Yes, I really said that. Yes, I meant it. No, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. But I love a good slide and seldom have the chance to make them as a housewife. I used to use Excel for a poetry project. I like office supplies and programs for their expressive possibilities.
Life at Home 