event at alma mater
I went up to CCNY yesterday evening to hear Phillip Levine read as part of the annual memorial reading in memory of my mentor William Matthews. When I was a creative writing grad student at CCNY from 1990-92 (and when I continued attending Bill Mattews' workshop for two more years after I graduated) I usually took the F train to Jay St., the A train to 59th St., and the 1 train to 137th St and would walk up 138th St. one block to the Amsterdam Ave entrance of CCNY, but yesterday I stayed on the A to 145th St and St. Nicholas Ave, walked one block west on 145th St. and then seven blocks south on Convent Ave to the main entrance of CCNY. I had forgotten how lovely the brownstones on that stretch of Convent Ave are (especially with the trees in bloom), and again made a mental note while passing Alexander Hamilton's house to return there someday during hours when it's open. I could have driven, but decided I'd rather not drive during rush hour, and also wanted to read en route (I'm still reading David Biale's "Eros and the Jews"). It was a good reading, and I got to see a former classmate and some faculty members I hadn't seen in years. It was also good to see several dozen smart immigrant and minority students listen attentively and ask Levine about his writing process. A great city needs a great public university.