I want to clarify that my feelings on tourism are my own--my own reservations. In no way am I pointing a finger at anyone else. I don't want to dismiss anything--in fact, because it makes me uncomfortable, I want to think more about it. But I could tell there was frustration over lack of enthusiasm, & I wanted to give my own possible reasons for it (along w/scheduling nightmares & how to organize, etc.).

I'm curious about why we feel the need to include the local in the first place. Or why we automatically assume it is the right thing to do. Or how we think are the best ways of going about it. What does it mean? Are we automatically assuming our work isn't local, or that certain scenery will make it more so, or that we are more a part of where we live if we explore these things. I'm interested in the urge that leads us here to start with. It seems that we presuppose a feeling that we don't include local, or that we don't include it enough.. Am I way off base?

And then say we all agree that this is true. If so, I think that any attempts to include something, because one thinks one should, will lead to some complications. Not that this is bad, but for me I would need to address these issues. How do you include local without appropriation, without "local color" as scenery? How do you avoid being a tourist? This came up in discussion last night @ J's Fin de Siecle class. Truong Tran talked about his experiences going back to Vietnam with express purpose of writing about it (on a grant from Haas family fund, these people are descendents of Levi's family). He ended up putting a book together that apparently got slammed for being touristy, for "othering" the people of Vietnam, for creating distance. I want to know how this could be avoided.

Maybe this has nothing to do with project & I am just neurotic & you guys just want to take walks. But this is where the project has led me in my thinking.

Romney..I don't want you or anyone to be frustrated for trying to put something together & not getting feedback or support. These are my thoughts..are there others? Just because I am talking about my personal complications doesn't mean project should die or have dark cloud hanging over it.

Meg--I did say we could do both or neither or whatever we want..

I will talk to you guys more (over beers?) and narrow down my ideas for poem response project. Maybe I hate that word project. More to come.