Goodness gracious! Time flies. I'm fixing to go to my last class as an undergraduate, ever. It's a make-up for 1960's class...there'll be food, I'm thinking it will be more like a party than a class.

Concept is out. My fiction editor Rebecca said it was like having a baby and I completely agree. We are so very proud of it, I honestly think it's the best one to come out in a while and I'm not just saying that because I did it. Now the search for the new editor is underway and I'm happy to pass the torch. There are a lot of things I wish I'd done better on, but I just have to cut myself some slack and remember that next year's issue is going to be even better since the editor will actually have some experience with the journal.

The Hub-Bub College Street Team has had two magnificent events. The first was swing dancing at the Hub-Bub Showroom. That was April 30th but I forgot to mention it last time. It was a swing lesson followed by a freeform dance, like they do at the Handlebar on Tuesday nights. There were college kids, older folks, a family with a toddler, and several seasoned swingers, some all the way from Clemson. Oh, and some dudes from Norway. We all had a blast, and we're talking about making it a monthly thing in Spartanburg. Paul Hoke is awesome.

Then this past Saturday was the jam at Morgan Square. A bunch of musicians got together, mostly college students, and made music. There were a ton of people walking by who were like "what the heck is that?" We had so much fun. The Bards played some Irish stuff, this awesome girl named Kerry played some stuff she'd written, and we also just kind of started a chord progression and everyone joined in. If you didn't consider yourself a musician, we'd hand you a pair of maracas or finger symbols or something. There were these two adorable little boys who came with their parents and wanted to play every single one of our instruments. It was especially cute when they got on the harmonicas while we were playing a boogie.

I met some great people who were really excited and committed to making it a regular event, so it looks like we'll be having another one on May 24. It's so exciting to be at the start of things like this. Kind of scary, though, when I've suddenly become the point man for something much bigger than myself.

Speaking of starting things, I wanted to tell you about this new program that Converse and Wofford are doing. It's called SPARK! and it's basically a 5-week summer residency for creative students to get together and dream big. The first week they conduct research and brainstorm, then they start hatching a plan for some kind of big project that will improve some aspect of Spartanburg life/development. It ends with a presentation of a polished proposal to the powers that be, and if it's well received, the students will be given the resources to execute their plan in the fall as well as a $1000 scholarship each. 

Yeah, it all sounds vague, but that's because it hasn't been done before. Sometimes you just have to take those first few steps into the complete unknown. This is such an exciting thing for Spartanburg, and for Converse. It'll introduce students to all the resources available to them, and help them develop new ways of thinking and planning that will have an irreplaceable impact on their approach to life and work. I am so there.

Life after Converse is coming at me fast. I still have a paper to write and a graphic design project, which are both, as far as schoolwork goes, relatively fun projects, but it's hard to get a grip on them. They're already fading into a past life...the life of academics & school & grades...it's so weird, that's been my life for so very, very long. I'm graduating in 5 days.