My English Connection

It's true.  I was an English major.  My goal in college:  to write good prose.  What else can one do with an English degree?

As for literature, I studied copiously in both English and American literature . . . and yes, there is a difference.  A few of my favorite classes, as I recall, were:

The English Romantic Period (has nothing to do with love poetry)
Post-War English Literature
The Puritans (and Early American Literature)

I still shelve all of these text books, by the way, and my quiver is full of memorized poetry of the likes of T.S. Eliot (who actually wrote very little poetry), William Wordsworth, and Robert Frost.

Most recently, I've discovered a strong connection with some London editors, and next month I'll have yet another story published in England.  I'm grateful for the opportunity and these British editors seem to "get me".  Perhaps it is because I am a bit more formal in my fiction (?) or because I deal in themes that resonate with a British audience (?). Not sure.

My last story, however, deals wholly in American themes--and was actually something of a cartographic story about America . . . so I have to believe that the story was written well enough in its own right and wasn't just accepted for publication because it was deemed a geographical piece.

I like my English connection . . . and who knows . . . some day I might actually meet these fine people.  I might even make a phone call just to say "thank you."  Or do I say "Cheers?" 

I'll have to consult my English-to-English dictionary to find out.