Advising


By 9:00 a.m. on the day of our meeting, send your requests for the advising session. Acceptable requests include:

A. Could we discuss the attached piece, especially in terms of form/sonority/political implications/sentence construction/etc.?

B. I’d like to talk about this author or artist or movie you recommended or that I asked you at a previous date to look at.

C. I would like to do some exercises to generate some new work.

D. I am worried about some aspect of my creative or academic life and would like suggestions and reassurance.

E. I would like to skip the meeting because large, dramatic conditions (projectile vomiting, coma) make it impossible for me to come.

F. I would like to skip the meeting because I am busy and have nothing to say. (You get one of these.)

G. I have no idea what I would like to do and will rely on your experienced and excellent judgement.



If I see no email from you, I will assume the request is G and plan the session accordingly.


Unacceptable requests include: “Can I bring the work with me,” or “Can I email it later this morning?” –Unless you’re running into the problem of not being able to email large sound or image files.

I don’t usually carry a cell phone, and since I’m in meetings most of the afternoon, checking my email is a problem as well. If you have a last minute emergency, please call the office and ask them to give me the message directly or put it on my door.

The sessions are officially forty-five minutes, but I’ll give you the full hour if I can. Do let me know if you’re coming from work or another class and need to start a few minutes late.

If you think you might need a recommendation someday, keep a file of the work you’ve shown me, and keep in mind that things like promptness and notice of cancellations are as important as the quality of your work.