Neal Whitman spent 37 years teaching medical school faculty how to be better teachers. Thus, as s a Doctor of Education, his students were Doctors of Medicine. In hit last ten years as a medical school professor, Dr. Whitman gave special attention to demonstrating
+ more bio informationMove a Mountain, but Not a Molehill It's odd what poetry can do for us, and doesn't do. It can save lives individually, but not collectively. [Charles Wright. from his Introduction to The Best American Poetry, 2008. Scribner Poetry, 2008.] I am not an English professor, but a writer and reader holding deep beliefs about poet... More..
Too Much Information After reciting a poem about growing up on a farm in Watsonville, California, an audience member asked me about this farm town. He was surprised that the closest I had come to rural life was as a little boy riding the swan boats in Boston's Public Gardens. I am a Poetry Professor no, not a college teacher... More..
"It's Good to Be Bad" Yes, we have no bananas. And, yes, it is good to be bad for one good reason: CONNOISSEURSHIP. You can be a connoisseur of about anything - wine, even beer. So, why not of poetry? What makes a connoisseur a connoisseur is (a) knowledge, (b) experience, and (c) enthusiasm. So, for example, wine and beer c... More..
Circling the Drain Poetry could matter in the 21st century, but too many poets today hold the Common Reader (I hold myself to be one) in well, le't's put it this way. Look up the English department in a college catalogue and you will see a listed course abbreviated as Contemp. Poetry." But, if the Registrar followed the Trut... More..
My Profession Society needs poets? Society high, middle, low is a division of labor. We work. We need to work to make a living. But, poets help us answer the question, "How do I make a life?" Poets, along with the Dreamers and the Saints, are essential to Society we need to know why we work. What is the purpose of it all? An... More..
"She Thought of Him" She thought of him. Click. Clack. Her fingers moved in rhythm knitting by the window. Winter afternoon. She looked out the window. and could tell it was a cold day. There on the beach he had cast his line only twice and left. for good Looking down at her tangle she decided to rip back, to start anew and ... More..
Never Give Up You are not am not a bottom feeder when writing for common readers: readers who don't need footnotes to know if a poem emotes academics let's call obscurist write for whom they consider purest: purest readers who make matters worse don't know their elbow from bad verse You spare no words to rhyme or reason. But... More..
"Circling the Drain" I predict that 21st century poetry will circle the drain and be flushed down the Wait, a sec. Block that metaphor. Let's be more poetic. Okay, 21 century poetry will take the first commercial space shuttle to Neptune where its only readers will be residing. Back to the "circling" metaphor for a moment. L... More..
"Creative Teaching Is Novel and Useful" The key to creative teaching lies in finding the second right approach, and the third and the fourth and so on to every educational forum, whether yours is the classroom, the laboratory, the work place. The reinforcing key is to approach teaching situations as if you were applying for ... More..
"Giving Feedback that Makes a Difference" Feedback happens to be the shortest word in the English language that contains each of the first six letters of the alphabet. It also happens to be the most powerful way to make a difference. Is there someone who is not doing what needs to be done, the way it needs to be done, when i... More..
Neal Whitman
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