Shit. I was bummed today to find out that David died. I need a recommendation, David! David was one of my favorite teachers at Evergreen, I still remember how exciting his classes were. He got pissed at some listlessness in our class once, and brought in a dead duck and slammed it down on the table. This recontextualization of "duck" caused some fear and anxiety in the class. Another time we listened to 'Me & Bobby McGee', over and over, something about a strand in American thought & ethos where freedom is getting away from civilization, he was comparing the song to Huck Finn. Reading Huck Finn again in his American History class was the first time I realized that that book had become part of me, part of my being, the way your parents are, or siblings, or place. But that's what I mean, reading in his classes became deep, and implicated us deeply. The classes I took with David were transformative. He was so well prepared for lectures, but open too, still in process of learning and making connections himself.
I have a question for his family: I was talking to David once and he mentioned that he was writing poetry, but that it would not be published until after he died. I forget why, now. But where is his poetry, and will it be published now (...)