I’ve backed away from creative writing in the past years because I have been pursuing a PhD to become a professor of writing. I am sure that this is what I want to do and consequently this program has been a joy, intellectually, and it is void of many of the dramas stresses of my first graduate degree. I’ve also been practicing and teaching yoga for several years now. I have taken to heart, sort of by osmosis, some of the philosophy and as a result have become increasingly uncomfortable with some of the most egotistical(?) elements of what creative writing was for me–a constant effort to describe my experience and express myself, present myself, and represent myself. I recognize that creative writing does not have to be these things, and once my PhD is over, I do plan to dedicating larger portions of my time and energy toward writing in a way that is not so saturated with…me. I’m probably failing to describe it here. Lets just say that I understand a little bit better what my writing needs to do. That is going to take some time and energy, and I’ll have to get back to it a little later.