Thursday, January 31

Today is Thursday of Week 3. For a lot of people, it is Storytelling Day: have fun with your new story! Here is a link to the Week 3 assignments.

Class Procedures and Reminders

My schedule today. I'll be out of the office for most of the day today, with intermittent access to email. So if you have a question, write me, and I'll be able to reply this evening if I don't get back to you during the day. Thank you for your patience with that!

Project Stack. I've replied to most of the assignments in the stack, with just a few items in there that were turned in on Wednesday. While you're waiting to hear back from me, you can check the stack to make sure I received your email.

Look for stories everywhere. You really can find storytelling ideas everywhere you look! Everyday household objects, things you see walking around campus, foods you eat, snatches of other people's conversations you overhear: there are story ideas lurking everywhere, and the more you use your imagination to dream up stories, the easier it will be to write stories for this class every week. You can learn to read like a writer, and you can also learn to look and listen like a writer too!

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog Stream. One of my favorite growth mindset challenges is when people make graphics for a growth mindset motto or acronym, and here's one that Cecilia made: You'll Eventually Triumph.

Free Book Online. Today's free book is Folktales of Kashmir by J. Hinton Knowles.

Free Audiobook. And todays' free audiobook is Eve's Diary by Mark Twain. This book could be a Storybook project for this class!

Featured Storybook. I'm sure some of you in Myth-Folklore are thinking about doing a Greek mythology project, so you might enjoy taking a look at this one: Demigod Daycare. It is a special occasion at Demigod Daycare: the Muses themselves have come to tell stories to little Heracles and Perseus and all the little sons and daughters of the gods and goddesses.

Myth Video. And as you ponder the marble statues of ancient Greece, think: COLOR, as you can see in this video: Tracing the Colors of Ancient Sculpture.

India Video. While reading the Ramayana in Indian Epics, you have met the heroic bird Jatayu; now learn about this gigantic Jatayu sculpture.

India Item. And here's a fun Ramayana article: Romantic Advice from Many Ramayanas.

Writing. And as you are writing your story this week, think of your imagination as an actual tool you can use; it's advice from Neil Gaiman.

And to keep your focus, you might want to close some tabs in your browser while you write: Too Many Tabs Open.

You can even join the Tabless Thursday movement.

Growth Mindset Cats. These cats know all about single-tasking: Stay focused and pay attention.

Event on Campus. OU NAACP will be hosting Dr. Rodney Bates to speak about Pockets of Wakanda and the importance of self care at 6PM in the Walker Storm Shelter (details).

Find out more about this and other events at the Campus Calendar online.

January 31: Alan Lomax. Today marks the birthday of Alan Lomax, one of America's great musicologists. He was born on January 31 in 1915 and died in 2002. You can read about his life and career at Wikipedia. After he graduated from college, Lomax traveled all over the country recording folksongs and recording interviews with musicians like Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly and Jelly Roll Morton. The image below is an album cover from his collection of Prison Songs:

Here is one of those songs in a YouTube video:

Check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day, or click here for past announcements.