Monday I will be in front of a university class for the first time in over 15 years. I spent 10 years in graduate school to get a Ph.D. with the plan of being a university professor. I got the degree, but not the job. I've been reinventing myself and my life since then, but I've never lost my desire to be in front of a classroom again. Now I have my chance; for 75 min on Monday afternoon I will be a university lecturer once more. The funny thing is, I have a Ph.D. in art history. The class I'll be teaching, its on flamenco music. Flamenco was one of those things I used to fill the hole left in me when academia let me know it had no place for me (and 75% of the other Ph.D.s in my field those three years I tried to get a job). So, here I am about 15 years later, an expert in modern flamenco and flamenco fusion. Not much of a call for that in the U.S. Except that my former flamenco dance teacher is an adjunct professor at Duke and teaches a course about flamenco every now and then. It turns out, I'm the expert on modern flamenco singing, not her. So, here's my big chance. Barring technical failure (I don't even want to go there), I anticipate 75 minutes of fun for me and 19 undergraduate Dukies on Monday.
Hopefully, I'll have some funny stories to share with y'all Monday night.
In Memoriam Leslie Cheung 1956-2003 Our Leslie, beautiful like a flower. I love you today and always-- a part of my heart beats for you alone, tonight a