The Week Ahead

Well, my bellydance performance went well yesterday (I was in a student recital for Santa Cruz Dancenter, at which I take lessons). I had a terrific time, and am glad there's a bit of recess now between performances (the next one is at a big hafla at the Pacific Cultural Center). However, my teacher for my folkloric bellydance class talked about how she's ordering swords (to balance on the head and dance around). Well, why not--as long as I don't do inadvertent surgery on myself.

I am now getting into serious agent-querying mode for The Strega's Story. There are some folks from my MFA program who have had terrible luck with agents--one person got an agent a couple of years ago, but I've heard nothing at all about whether his book is coming out, or anything like that. The very worst story I heard was when a Great Writer taught at San Jose State awhile back and promised a few people in class that he would recommend them to his agent (I wasn't one of those people, and was glad of it--I felt uncomfortable about it, even though Great Writer liked my work, to some degree). One student in particular was very excited about the agent contact--only to find later that Great Writer never followed through, never contacted his agent about these students who were sending their work along, ever, and the agent had not even heard from Great Writer himself in six months. My friend was so hurt when he told me this story--he said that he felt Great Writer screwed him over. I told him I believed in his work and that he really could find an agent and get his book published--and I hope he does.