Welcome back to the blog. I’ve been quiet for quite a while and there really isn’t much excuse for that. It’s been a little hectic with family life and work but really a great summer. I finished the first draft on a new short story and have begun working on a science fantasy project. I’m excited to see where that is going to take me, as I explore topics of diversity, racial hatred, and compassion.
The spring also brought some great opportunities and challenges. I taught my first course, Fantasy Writing, at my alma mater of Washington University in St. Louis. I will say this. There are times in life when you start something new and it fits. You realize that this is what God built you to do. It just fits your skin perfectly and you can’t imagine giving it up and doing anything else. That was and is teaching for me. I spent a couple months planning out this course. Each week I would stress over my powerpoint slides and my lecture notes. But the moment I stood in front of the class, the world slowed down. Time became this arbitrary medium that no longer affected us. For those two and a half hours with those ten students, all that mattered was the words on the pages and the information I was imparting to them. We all learned something new each and every class period. It was intoxicating, this feeling of having the students’ complete attention as I shared my passions with them. With that feeling firmly rooted in me now, I can never imagine doing anything else. I love teaching. I must teach, to maintain that feeling.
I can happily say that as of today, I will be teaching again this coming spring. It looks like I will be teaching a Horror Writing Course and once more, I find myself stressing over the syllabus, wondering if this story is better here or there. But the benefit of having a semester under my belt already is that I know I can do this. I know what is to come when I finally step in front of this new batch of students. And I can’t wait.
Kristopher L. Campa 