Sarah Vowell among the crazies

During her campus visit yesterday, Sarah Vowell explained that she had once intended to be an Art History professor but her experience as a teaching assistant killed that dream: "Have you spent much time with young people lately? What kind of crazy person does that?"

Color me crazy, but I really enjoyed introducing some of my young people to Sarah Vowell's work earlier this week and to the author herself yesterday. What surprised me was how few of my students were interested in taking advantage of the opportunity, despite the lure of extra-credit points. Only about one-quarter of my comedy students showed up for either the small-group session with the author or the public reading. I have English majors who want to pursue writing careers but somehow can't take the time to seek insight from an actual writer. What kind of crazy person does that?

One of the things Ms. Vowell emphasized during the small-group session with students was the importance of revision, both in writing and in life. "I hate writing, but I love re-writing," she said. Describing her practice of writing multiple drafts, constantly whittling down sentences and tossing out sections that distract from the purpose, she said, "Most of what I do is wasted work." And yet the finished writing is stronger for her willingness to toss worthy passages into the recycle bin.

And she made it clear also that her life is stronger and richer for her willingness to abandon dreams and adapt to unexpected opportunities. By the time she understood that she would not be pursuing a career as an Art History professor, she'd held a variety of other jobs for newspapers and radio stations and knew that she could make a living as a writer. Goals are fine, she told our students, but knowing when to toss out the plan and try something different can lead to surprising rewards.

I hope my students were listening--those who bothered to attend. Because if we crazy profs decide to devote our lives to educating young people, we have to hold on to the hope that it's not mostly wasted work.