To encourage Ann in her possibly imminent publishing pursuits
To begin in earnest sequel to Dear Layla—I just bought three black Moleskines, first objective, fill them with daydreams of what’s going on with Carla Nguyen
To show up wherever Fatima’s going to be
To send Brittany postcards when she’s at the beach
To begin a serene decade-length project called, The Teachings Are Infinite
To pester Nebu to write a draft of a novel in the spirit of his Kerala elder Arundhati Roy (before he graduates from medical school)
To resume work with Dianne on Hedy’s political memoir
To scribble 30 pages in notebooks with Libby, top-floor, South Grand Gelateria
To cheer on Emily & Kelley & Lindsay in their great “Sisters are doing it for themselves” project
To do several writing mini-marathons with Tony, Josh, and Laura in Dogtown environs
To mail out 30 one-page gratitude notes a month to friends, Americans, countrymenandwomen, lend me your eyes
To revel with Jenn in her multitudes emerging in oral and written forms
To start a Writing to Wake Up class in spring, if only for people who missed the fall one
To write one response a week to current events and/or books on U.S. policy and circulate to my amigas y compañeros
To read whatever inner/outer journey essays Tony wants to send me
To host a potluck at 4514 for the fall class and the spring class—no writing, unless someone starts spontaneously to declaim—just good food and drink, a relaxing evening
To accompany Lindsay in her slowness project
To listen to Dianne read me poems the way she did Ferlinghetti’s “The Old Italians Dying”
To brainstorm incandescent ideas with Emily while sitting on the bathroom floor of some café
To remind Priya of the jewels in her accumulating notebooks that are worthy of a wide readership
To cheer on Justin to compile and then circulate a chapbook for the benefit of all sentient beings
To write glowing letters of recommendation for Lindsey who’s headed for life outside the United States of Amnesia
To discuss Robert Fisk a few times with Kelley at Central Café, al-Tarboush, and the Vine
To assure Cami that a 35-page collection of Appalachian-story-moments is possible
To buy 20 copies of Book of Mev, give them away to people under 30
— expanded from draft written at 2167 Spring Avenue, Thursday 29 November 2012, last class of Writing to Wake up
Mark, you’ve touched my life so much in the year that I’ve known you. You are an inspiration with your self-motivation and your genuine care and support of all you know and love. Thank you for all you do. I can’t wait to see and hear how all your projects–both with writing and with loving–flourish this year.