[Tim Murphy]

Lucky Tim, Cally. Though when I do get up and recite without text for forty minutes, the kids quit whining about having to memorize one sonnet. Truth is, with Alan gone, I've got a big hole in my heart to fill. I've never taught before, except here or as a visiting lecturer, and it's just great to have 394 kids at my command. Thanks, Maryann and David. I've written and placed about 150 poems in the last 18 months, and I well remember the years when ten poems was a bumper harvest.

[Roger Slater]

Wow! I'd admire your energy just for submitting 150 poems in that time span, let alone writing them and getting them accepted in all those fancy places. Well done and bravo, Tim.

[Adam Elgar]

Yes that output is as impressive as the acceptances - and the teaching!
Congratulations, Tim!

[Julie Steiner]

...and I well remember the years when ten poems was a bumper harvest.

Heh! I'm still in those years. You give me hope. Congratulations!

[Tim Murphy]

To give you an idea of what the kids are like, after I taught Yeats, explaining that I'd memorized 10,000 lines of him as a kid and explaining his paralyzing effect on so many of his successors, this was the exchange with my 15 year olds.

Boy 1: Mr. Murphy, how did you overcome the influence of Yeats in your twenties.

Teacher: I wrote some very funny parodies of him when I was about 25 and got over him.

Boy 2: Mr. Murphy, I've googled you and I want to know what kind of shotgun do you shoot.

Teacher: A Winchester Model 23 that has both .20 and .28 guage barrels.

Boy 2: Wow! Would you bring it to class and show us?

Teacher: Sorry, I'd go to jail.

Girl 1: Mr. Murphy, why don't you adore Yeats now as much as you did when you were our age?

Pretty grown up interchange for a bunch of high school freshman.

[Catherine Chandler]

Great news, Tim! Dappled Things has, of course, also published my essay on Alan's Psalm 11. I'm expecting my copy of the issue any day now!

[Tim Murphy]

Ouch, Cathy. Of course your essay on Psalm 11. That was on a different yellow pad. Like I said, hard to keep track of all this stuff. Les Murray might have accepted 55 and 57 for Quadrant too. Can't find the post card from New South Wales, but your yellow pad says Accept. I suppose I really should start keeping track of all this stuff on a computer. Just had a case, only my second ever, of dual submission and dual acceptance. Well, things could be worse.

[Gail White]

What wonderful success you're having, Tim, and very well deserved!

I hope the Alabama Lit Review is shortly going to publish 2 poems of mine that they've had for ages, including my bakeoff sonnet and one I wrote for you during your illness a while back.