I’ve been tagged in a meme by the estimable blogger Erin C., and while I don’t like to participate in memes because – like the chain letters of old – I hate passing them on to others, I feel I must acknowledge this one. Why? Because Erin is wonderful, I have a lot of respect for her writing and her work with social media, and because I am not going to Enders Island tomorrow and she is,  and I will miss her and all the other people who are still students with my MFA program. Also because I can’t resist the lure of answering personal questions.

The meme asks each blogger to post 11 things about themselves, to answer questions set by the blogger who tagged them and then to pose 11 questions of their own. So I’m going to meet it half-way. I’m going to list 11 things about me and then have done it with.

Fellow bloggers, if you read this, and you want to participate, consider yourself tagged:

11 Facts About Myself

1. As a teenager, I spent a lot of time attending and participating in poetry slams.
2. I’ve lived with  trichotillomania since early childhood.
3. I once interviewed Bill Cosby and will tell that story to anyone who will listen.
4. I cannot choose between dogs and cats. I don’t think anyone should have to.
5. I swear I have a psychic link to world news. Sometimes I think of an event or a person and a story about the event or the person breaks within 24 hours. Unfortunately, I never know which premonition will yield a story.
6. I hate macaroni and cheese.
7. I was once in a band. You’ve ever heard of it. With any luck, this is the last you’ll hear of it.
8. I have an e-book coming out next month.
9. I have practiced beginners’ yoga for a decade.
10. I used to speak Spanish. Todavía hablo en español a veces. But not well.
11. My students spent a semester trying to teach me how to use “swag” in conversation.