Winter is coming. It is that crazy time of year when everything speeds up. Count on very busy few weeks ahead, to close out our Fall 2022 semester.

About where we have been, and what is next…

I want to thank Edna & Brandon for a thoughtful evening. Both of their thesis projects incorporate memoir in provocative and powerful ways. I am so pleased to see their individual use of research, blended effectively with personal narrative to claim a unique self-empowered voice. I sincerely enjoyed our conversations last night. There is so much potential emerging in all of your work.

I am glad we have now completed our first round of “thesis-in-progress” presentations. When we take up a second round of your in-progress thesis after the new year, you will come to realize how much your work evolves over time. I look forward to this second glimpse during Spring semester.

I want each of you in these last couple of weeks of the semester to focus on apprehending your accomplishments in the first half of thesis class. You should be able to stand back a bit and see the forest from the trees at this stage, understanding what is coming into broader view.

Please make sure you are mapping out an agenda for the work you can do independently over the Winter break. The stretch of time from the close of this year, until we get going again in late January, is critical. Be dedicated to this project and make sure you are working hard on a regular basis – writing, researching, refining. You must plan for a surge of production in the early days of the new year as well.

I look forward to reading your formal proposals and lit review materials over the holiday. Next up – I will discuss these submissions to be completed by the close of this semester. See you next on Dec. 14th for our final class.

Dr. Zamora