Saturday, November 7, 2015

We met my online instructor in Harvard Square



Professor New of Harvard University will in fact be offering Modernism (Modern Poetry) in the Spring.
Thank you to Leah Dennis for the warm welcome that she gave me in Harvard Square when I introduced myself as her online student. I finished an online class last night that she is involved with on The Book from HaravardX that covered antiquarian manuscripts. The first two certificates from American Poetry may have been my favorites, but I completed four classes in American poetry that Leah worked on and am currently in a series in which she was discussing Herman Melville's copy of the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson. It discussed the Oversoul, but the professor use the term the world-soul (sounds more like Hegel than Kant, doesn't it?).
We were on our way to Mount Auburn and I was going to to get tobacco when Leah was going in for an frozen yogurt, so I went in and asked "Is your name Leah" and she gave me a handshake. We were in a hurry, which allowed me to keep it short, especially since she may have been busy at the University with something. She asked," So you take a lot of these?" and I was going to explain that I like the fact that Coursera is an international campus platform, but then checked myself self and mentioned that I took another one from Harvard titled Intangible Things but didn't like it as much as those that were instructed by Professor New.
I have now met two of my MOOC instructors, Leah Dennis and Professor Robert Allison, of Suffolk University, who instructs a course on history on a different platform. We attended one of his lectures at the Old North Church and I got a handshake from him as well.
We were on way to Mount Auburn and the weather was Indian Summer. The secret to Mount Auburn Cemetary is that it is easy to get to as it is on a bus line from the subway. From the entrance we could see a flock of birds at a distance walking up the pavement. At first you would think they were geese, but I though they might be pheasants. We followed them toward the Chapel, which was closed, near the Sphinx. As it got later we made our way to the grave of Henry Wadsworth Longefellow before leaving.
I heard a sound I have never heard before and turned to see four wild turkeys coming out of the brush. Apparently, although wild, they are not skittish, and we got nearer to them. it ties in with my long anecdote of their being wild rabbits at the Longfellow House (museum).

Poscript, this video was in this blog earlier from a period when we were taking a bus passed Harvard Stadium weekly, so after meeting the instructor, I added the above revision.
One of my recent internet poetry tutors (mentors). Please allow a quick listen.

Scott Lord