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I had oral surgery many years ago by an excellent crack squad army of professional surgeons. The lead doctor, a first-generation American-born citizen, was very proud of his family of immigrants who moved to Raleigh many years ago. Perhaps you have been in this situation: the point, before the surgery, when the doctor explains how…
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When I teach composition at the college level, I tell my students on the first day: “If you have failed this course once, stay after class so you can make an appointment with me.” I hold office hours every day after all my classes for all my students. I give all my students 20 minutes…
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On the first day of class, I give my students the same direction: “This is the hand signal. [I show them a hand signal] When you see it, quietly gather your belongings and leave the room.” One time, when I saw a student having emotional problems, I used it. After the other students left the…
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Defense Lawyer, Alan Jackson: “Was the defendant gesticulating?” Katie McLaughlin, a firefighter and paramedic: “I don’t know what that means?” Alan Jackson: “Gesticulating?” McLaughlin: “Yes. I don’t know what that means.” Alan Jackson: “Was the defendant waving her arms?” __Testimony during the re-trial of Karen Read, Mass. vs. Read, May 2025. I was fortunate. The…
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My MFA graduation lecture at Bennington College was titled “Class Anxiety in Literature and Writing.” This morning, I was reminded that I am a creature of habit. Before we bought our current home, we rented a small house nearby. On most early mornings, you could see me on my lawn, fussing with plants and the…
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I think this iceberg image is a fine way to understand people and characters. After many years, for instance, I am reading a book written by someone whose ideas I still value, but nonetheless, he is an asshole, who years ago chose someone, allowed her to jump the velvet rope, because she gave him so…
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My husband and I have a problem where we live: our accents. We can’t hide the fact that we are from the North. We have another problem: unlike most of the other residents in North Carolina, we are bleeding-heart liberal Democrats. In a town as small as ours, as soon as Trump was re-elected, we…
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I have been a member of Interfolio since graduate school. I still use it whenever I am looking for a job. Current students should get an account now. Once you become a member, you can ask your teachers, professors for confidential letters of recommendation now, near the end of the semester, NOT years later. Waiting…
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BEING FEMALE AND HAVING TEETH Last week, my cracked two front teeth were finally corrected. Nothing made me more insecure than being close to someone and wondering if the person I was talking to could see them and judge me. In the photos, you can see how I tucked my top lip inside my bottom…
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Mary Louise Penaz 