Site Updates and Teacher News

Summer is fast approaching; it's hard to believe we're only a few weeks away from another school year complete. April and I are planning some trips in the next few months:

• Memphis. We've always wanted to make a pilgrammage to Graceland, but we're also looking forward to seeing Sun Studios and the National Civil Rights Museum.


• Paris, Ontario (just outside Toronto). We'll visit our old friends Dan and Amy, and among other sights and sounds, check out nearby Niagra Falls. In fact, we're getting our passport IDs today.


• Outer Banks, NC. We've been wanting to get to a beach and see a lighthouse in person ever since Ayla was born, so we're finally going to do both. As a lover of Shakespeare, checking out the Fort Raleigh National Historical Site (with its Elizabethan Gardens) is a given, but we also can't wait to see the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, the Wright Brothers National Memorial, and maybe a wild horse or two:

In other news . . .





I've updated my personal site and Jackpot Tiger:





For my personal site, I fixed some broken links, updated the Bio, added YouTube links to "Occasional Poisonings from the Kitchen" to the Showcase page, and updated the Press Room to reflect some of the latest teacher news.





For Jackpot Tiger, I updated About Us and fixed some broken links.





And now for the latest teacher news. First, our class podcasting site (Dragon Booktalk) made the cover of the April 2009 issue of Kentucky Teacher! The issue is archived as a PDF; click here for a link to download it, and look on pages 8 and 11. Here's the cover:

Last but not least, my colleagues and faculty have voted me as South Oldham's 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year. I am very flattered and humbled to get the award, and will work hard to earn it.

With being busy wrapping up the school year, I probably won't have a chance to blog until summer. At the very least, I'll try to give updates after our vacations and post a pic or two. Until then, enjoy the end of spring!

"Occasional..." on YouTube

Two months! Ahhh, Tiempo Padre. As our spring break is about to end, wanted to take a few minutes to write an entry.

Since I last blogged, the Honest Abe Festival ended. It was an incredible experience; I was so glad and honored to work with Juergen and Bunbury again.

On one of the last shows, I videotaped the evening and ended up producing and editing a DVD of the Festival. From that footage, I did something for the first time: posted an original video on YouTube. The entire play is posted in four parts totalling about a half-hour. Here are the links:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Another article about our podcasting site is in the works; this one will definitely be available online, so I'll post when it is published.

Happy Easter to all who celebrate it!

----Adam

Honest Abe Review, and 35th Birthday Shenanigans

Cory Vaughn, over at Theatre Louisville, posted a review of the Honest Abe Festival. In short, he enjoyed it! You can read it here:

http://theatrelouisville.org/reviews2009/cv_honestabe.php

It's hard to get reviewed in this town unless you're Kentucky Center, so I appreciate Mr. Vaughn taking the time to do so.

I saw the show Saturday, and was pleasantly surprised when Dan and Amy, two friends from Canada, were sitting in the audience! April had somehow coordinated the logistics to get them here. It was a great birthday surprise.

I had not had a chance to see the show from start to finish, so it was a treat. It was obvious how much hard work had been put into the plays. I enjoyed myself, and when my play was staged, I still got that funny tickle of disbelief that actors down there were saying my lines. Thank you, Juergen, for giving me this wonderful opportunity. And thank you to the cast and crew of the Festival, who did a marvelous job.

Afterwards, the four of us went to 21c Museum Hotel for the night. (We had already had reservations, but somehow, April had also arranged for Dan and Amy's room as well. Unbelievable.) This was our second stay. You would think it's impossible for a hotel to be beautiful, modern, intriguing, have a sense of humor, have friendly staff, and NOT be snooty, but 21c manages to attain the delicate balance. We also had dinner there at Proof on Main, and Tyrone Cotton, you were right: the Bison Burger is pretty darn good.

I could not ask for a more fantastic 35th birthday. April, you're amazing. I love you.

My last plea on behalf of Bunbury and myself: if you haven't come to see the plays, BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW! Two more weeks!

Articles, NCTE, Opening Night

It has been a whirlwind week. First, let's talk about our class podcasting project, Dragon Booktalk. Some major bullets:

• So far, two authors -- Larry Colton (Counting Coup) and Michael D'Antonio (Hershey) -- have contacted me about Dragon Booktalk. They listened to the podcasts and sent their kudos to the students for their work. As if that wasn't enough . . .
• Dragon Booktalk was mentioned in a NCTE INBOX e-newsletter (with 115,000 subscribers), and the site and C-J article was discussed at length in a corresponding blog entry. This has led to . . .
• A lot of hits. It took three months to get the first 400 hits at the site. In the course of 48 hours, we've climbed over 1000. In addition, I've received emails from all over the United States, as well as a Canadian associate professor and a teacher in China!

I'm thrilled for the students, who are getting the opportunity to reach a global audience.

The Honest Abe Festival opened last night, and John Foster interviewed and photographed myself, Matt Orme, Dale Strange, and Juergen Tossmann for a feature article. No pictures online, but you can read the text of the article here, which came out in yesterday's edition.

Oh, and I turn 35 this weekend. What better way to celebrate a birthday than the opening of my play?

More thoughts on the production later . . .

Come to Bunbury! The three week run begins NOW!

Courier-Journal article on Festival!

Apparently, Bunbury is not the only theater with Lincoln on the stage!

I just read the Courier-Journal article online from Sunday's paper. Our Festival is thoroughly discussed; Nancy Gall-Clayton (playwright) and Matt Orme (actor protraying Lincoln in all the plays) are quoted at length; and Nancy is beautifully pictured at her desk.

Read it here:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090125/SCENE05/901250326/1047/SCENE05

Two more days!

Oldham Era article, and How I Feel About Electricity

First things first: having no electricity, to put it gently, sucks. But I won't complain too loudly. Our house was without power for only two days, and considering as of this post that 100,000 are still in the dark, I consider myself lucky. Also, I had a week off of school, which I spent hanging out with family, so I was glad for the mini-break.

The press release for the Honest Abe Festival actually came out a few weeks ago; I posted links for it at both my personal and Jackpot Tiger site. But in case you missed it, click here.

I've been going to, on average, about one play rehearsal a week. I have to say, I'm very excited about the actors' work, Juergen's direction, and the set and lighting design. (Here would be a good time to give the actors a well-deserved shout-out: Matt Orme, Dale Strange, Ted Lesley, and Mike Burmester.) Actually, I'm impressed with the overall quality of the writing, directing, and acting of all of the plays in the Festival. Counting down to Thursday, February 5 -- the Festival's opening night -- and Saturday, February 7 -- my 35th birthday!

Yesterday, John Foster from the Oldham Era came to interview myself and Juergen, as well as take photographs. The article should run in this Wednesday's paper (February 4). Find a copy in Oldham County anywhere newspapers are sold.

At this point, I'll probably not post until after opening night, but let's hope for broken legs and no more ice storms.

Podcasting Article in The Courier-Journal

My students work hard. And it's great when they get a chance to shine.

Sara Cunningham from The Courier-Journal came out a few weeks ago to interview myself and my students about a podcasting site we incorporate into the classroom. In short, they record literature circle discussions, and as a culminating project, write, record and edit a "book commercial." It's like a "movie trailer" for the book.

Read the article for more information and a link to the podcasting site:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090121/ZONE09/901210362/-1/ZONE09

In play news, I've been to a few rehearsals, and I'm excited to see Juergen's ideas in action, as well as the actors bringing it to life. (As I told them last night, my favorite parts are the looks, reactions, and acting business they do between and around the lines -- after all, my words are just a scaffold!) We're hoping for some publicity opportunities, but I'll announce and/or link them here if and when they become definite.

Until then, the countdown continues to opening night February 5 . . .