When we first meet Sam he is a figure to be despised. He is such a weakling and a coward that he has given up his birthright without a fight and been banished to the Night’s Watch where he is unable to defend himself during arm’s practice with other raw recruits using dulled weapons. These actions made him such a target for bullies he might have been driven mad or suicidal if Jon Snow had not stepped in to both protect him and recruit other protectors. And yet, over the course of both the books and the television series, we see Sam grow and transform into a force to be reckoned with – a  hero determined to save the world. So what is the thing about Samwell Tarley that makes him so important?

He is not a born hero. He is not an obvious hero. He is everyman. He is awkward and clumsy both physically and socially. He is distracted from his work by his personal interests. He is often lazy and sometimes greedy. He is jealous of his friends who are better looking, stronger, fitter, and more competent. In short, he is every one of us normal folk. This is important for stories, because while we can admire and love heroes we can get tired of their awesomeness too. It is human frailty and struggle that resonates with us and gives us hope that we too can overcome the challenges that life throws our way (even if we will hopefully never be forced to defend ourselves against White Walkers and Thenns).

It is all these traits that he shares with us non-heroes that makes Sam such an unlikely hero – and yet he is a better person than many of us and that is what makes him so heroic and someone we should all emulate. We early on see the important character traits that make Sam the remarkable person he is – even if he is not a classic hero. He is curious and thoughtful – always seeking knowledge. It becomes a standing joke among his friends that he knows things because he “read about it in a book.” However, he does more than read. He listens and observes. This is how he convinces Jon that being chosen to be the Lord Commander’s steward is actually a mark of favor and a clear indication he is being groomed for command. This is also how he convinces his brethren to elect Jon as Lord Commander.

As Sam grows into his own he becomes Jon Snow’s advisor and moral compass. Sam possesses a strong moral code. While he often does not follow the letter of the law (when it comes to his Night’s Watch Oath, for example), he does take the spirit of the law or oath very much to heart. For him, the key part of that oath is:

I am the sword in the darkness

I am the watcher on the walls

I am the shield that guards the realm of men

For Sam, that is both the big picture and the impetus for his decisions on a small scale, such as saving Gilly and her baby that she always carries in his bob 2016 revolution flex stroller. It is his moral code that helps Sam save Jon when he tries to abandon his post on the Wall to join Robb Stark’s march to war. Not only does Sam save Jon from betraying his own vows, but he likely saved his life (think about the fate of the others who rode South with Robb). Sam is so open-hearted and kind that it is no wonder Gilly tries to recruit him to escape Craster’s Keep, but he also recognizes that she is more than a daughter-wife or a wildling – something our heroes do not. When Jon admonishes Sam about “stealing” Gilly. Sam’s response is simple: “It’s not stealing. She’s a person not a goat.”

However, it is this kindness and love for his friends and family that helps Sam become more heroic. Although he proves time and again unable to save himself from attack by bullies, wildlings, or White Walkers, when Gilly and her baby are threatened he wields his sword and when that is destroyed he grabs the next available weapon to continue to fight. He did not know he could win that fight, but he was willing to fight to the bitter end for someone else. Through his efforts to protect Gilly, and others, he learns “I’m not nothing anymore” and he stops cowering while others do his fighting for him. He picks up the weapons at hand to fight against the darkness and guard the realms of men. As Jon Snow notes in the show: “I’m glad the end of the world is working out for someone.” The end of the world is definitely working out for Sam who grows from a cowering boy into a fierce hero.

While it may well be that the popular theory that Samwell Tarley is in fact the narrator of the the Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones) is true, that is not why I believe he is the most important character. I believe he is important because he represents us (the reader/viewer) through his human frailties, his wonderful heart, his character arc, and his heroic fight for the most important things. Do you believe Samwell Tarley is the most important Game of Thrones character? What do you think we can all learn from Samwell Tarley?

Photo credit: HBO

Pay Attention

This is the most important life skill and one we all need to remember. Pay attention to the details. Details matter whether we are simply trying to evaluate the words of another or we need to make a personal decision. Too often we don’t take the time to study a person or situation as fully as we should. We collect a few details and jump to a conclusion. We rush to judgment and all too often that leads to mistakes. If we all took more time to collect the details and if we all paid more attention to those details the world would be a much better place.

Start Fresh

Humans are essentially lazy. We like to take shortcuts. But Sherlock Holmes reminds us that it is important to gather all the information before we make a decision or form a theory. Not only do we need to pay attention to details, but we need to ask questions and work to gather as much information as possible before we move to act on our knowledge. Too often we assume that we rely on superficial information or our past experience. We allow our prejudice and preconceived ideas to drive our actions rather than coming fresh to each situation.

Don’t Go It Alone

Although it often appears that Sherlock Holmes is a solitary brilliant detective, in truth, he is surrounded by a team, or community, to support him in his endeavors. Of course, the key member of that support team is Dr. Watson who serves as friend, sounding board, foil, and dogsbody as well as providing invaluable expertise from time to time. However, there are others who provide support and challenge in a variety of ways as both allies and enemies (and sometimes both). It is important to remember that even someone as self-sufficient as Sherlock Holmes cannot survive alone. He relies on others to survive and succeed.

Be Creative

One of the fascinating things about Sherlock Holmes is that he is a multidisciplinary expert. He has so many different and varied skills to draw from, but he also willing to draw in a variety of experts to supplement his own skillset. He knows when to ask for help and information from other experts. Holmes’ creative approaches to thinking and problem solving always amaze and surprise Dr. Watson and the audience, but we can all learn from this idea. We would all be much more successful in life if we used our imagination to consider multiple approaches to life’s problems. Not every approach will lead to a successful outcome – but we only need one that works.

Be All In

Sherlock Holmes never does anything by half measures. It is one of the traits that drives those around him insane because he will dive into a project and focus to the exclusion of everything and everyone else. While this does not make him a good friend or tenant, it does make him supremely successful at what he does. This is a quality that children possess, but somehow, on the path to adulthood we train this trait out of ourselves. Think about what you could achieve in life, at home, and at work if you truly threw yourself into something.

Sherlock Holmes, in his various incarnations, is not always someone we should emulate, certain of his life choices are questionable to be sure, but there are many lessons we can learn from him. If we were more attentive to details, did not rush to judgment, asked for and accepted help, fostered creativity, and went all in then we would all be more successful in life.

Superheroes provide an ideal for us. While at first glance many superheroes are perfect, once we delve into their stories we learn that they are not perfect, because, even when they are gods, they struggle with the same human frailties that plague the rest of us mere mortals. They are jealous and tempted and often unlikeable. Yet they continue to strive to be better and to do better. Superheroes represent our idealized selves and give us a model for a hero that we can apply to our everyday lives and those extraordinary occasions when something truly terrible occurs.

Superhero stories challenge and inspire us to live more moral and ethical lives, because we see how giving in to temptation can twist and destroy, how compassion for others can uplift us all, and some things are worth sacrificing to protect or achieve. Superheroes teach us the importance of taking responsibility for the gifts we have been given and that we are responsible for the world and the others inhabiting it. Superheroes teach us that we all have been given unique gifts and it is our responsibility to fulfill our purpose.

Perhaps the most powerful effect of superheroes is what they teach us about hope and potential.  It is no accident of fate that we see the rise of superheroes in particular points in history. It is no accident that certain ages are more drawn to these stories and that sometimes the popular conception of these stories shifts over time. Superhero stories show us over and over that we must persist even through tragedy and that we can overcome great loss if we look beyond ourselves and our suffering. Superheroes teach us to believe in a higher power or at least serving the greater good. It is the humanity of our superheroes that teaches us about the potential of humanity to be heroic.

Superheroes provide an ideal we can strive to achieve, models for coping with adversity and loss, and hope for our own potential. Why do you think people are drawn to superheroes and their stories? Do you think superheroes serve important purposes in our lives?

The story is simple and one that resonates with lovers of history and dystopian fiction. Humanity made tremendous technical progress, but encountered many problems caused by these innovations. Struggling to survive and overcome these challenges, humanity spread beyond earth then barely survived a brutal war with an alien race. A group of colonists chose Pern to escape both the ongoing problems of Earth (and its near colonies) and to establish a new world not so reliant on technology that could offer a fresh start where the hard-won lessons of Earth could be applied. They select Pern (name adopted from its classification as a Parallel Earth, Resources Negligible). At first things go well for the fledgling colony, but then the planet is attacked by a space born spore that destroys anything organic. Their limited technological resources are not up to a long-term battle and so they must find another way to survive.

It is this struggle against enormous odds to survive that makes this series so appealing to me and many others. I know this is an element that always draws me to fantasy, science fiction, and dystopian stories. The will to survive is one of humanity’s most intriguing and appealing traits. We see it over and over again in our history books and we celebrate it in so much of our fiction. Reading these stories inspires us to push through our own challenges because things may be bad in our world, but they aren’t space alien bad! We also draw comfort from reminders of human ingenuity and determination. Maybe we aren’t geniuses ourselves, but we know there are innovative and inventive humans nearby – and they just might be able to save us all.

One of the reasons I like to use popular fiction in my humanities classes is because we can see that the same questions that have always intrigued mankind from the first storytellers gathered around fires with prehistoric man to the comics and movies created today. McCaffrey explores these questions, important questions about the essence of humanity, throughout her series. Questions such as what makes a human human and what is the role of law and government in society. These are important questions that we can never take for granted and must continue to explore and evaluate to stem the chaos and conflict that can result. These are questions that we continue to grapple with in our modern lives because humans are complicated both individually and collectively.

The best stories also teach how to make our way in our world as we safely consider the essential challenges of being a human who lives with other humans. Throughout the stories of Pern we encounter struggles with family dynamics, rigid societal structure, and character flaws highlighted by stress and tragedy. There are many lessons we can draw from these stories about the way we choose to live our life and interact with others. That is one of the traits of good fiction that is important to me.

Are you a Pern fan? Have you ever wished you could be a dragonrider? What can we learn from science fiction?

I am a huge Joss Whedon fan and one major reason is the creation of his short-lived, but amazing, television series Firefly. The Sci-Fi Western is set in the distant future when humanity has fled the “used up” Earth to a new universe with many planets. This series of worlds is recovering from a civil war between the highly-technical and autocratic society of the Alliance and the defeated rebels. Whedon explains that his story explores “how politics affect people personally…When there are shifts in a planet, those tiny little guys are the ones who are affected. So let’s hang out with them—not the Federation heads or the Jedi Council.'”

Firefly‘s heroes are nine crew members and passengers aboard a ramshackle spaceship called Serenity (a major battle that signaled the rebel’s defeat and the name of the movie that provided closure for the Firefly series). Cobbling together a tenuous freedom through smuggling, transport fees, and shuttle rental, the crew includes many archetypes and in fact, find many character’s inspired by John Ford’s iconic 1939 movie Stagecoach, whose characters similarly cross open and fairly unsettled frontier.

One of Whedon’s favorite archetypes is the loner with a distinct sense of justice, that may not reflect the accepted society standard of right and wrong. Malcolm Reynolds, the captain of Serenity, is a hero who is everything a hero is not and yet he has a strong personal code that displays itself in his loyalty to his crew (see this clip from Safe), his championship of the underdog and downtrodden (see this clip from Heart of Gold), and sacrifice for others (see this clip from Train Job). Safe is a great example of the lengths he will go to for his crew, his family, because in this same episode he must risk entering the lion’s den, an Alliance cruiser, to save one person then stages a dramatic rescue of the Doctor and his sister, who were left behind in the rush to save the Preacher. Heart of Gold highlights the strong sense of justice that sent him off to fight for the Browncoats. He just doesn’t believe that the rich and powerful should be allowed to run roughshod over everyone else. However, it is the Train Job that truly emphasizes how much he is willing to put the greater good first. He knows that delivering that medicine to the people who need it rather than the man who hired him to steal it will put himself, and likely his entire crew, at tremendous risk.

While offering an entertaining scope from humorous to poignant, Firefly is at its heart a morality play about the ethics and morality that should govern society, especially that the ends do not justify the means. We can all learn a great deal about ethics from Malcolm Reynolds and the way that he puts the good of others before himself while asking only that he be allowed the freedom to live the life that he chooses. When was the last time you witnessed true heroism? It doesn’t always arrive on a spaceship and wielding a big gun, sometimes it is simply doing the right thing. That is a code we should all live by.

Have you explored the ethics of the Firefly universe? How has Malcolm Reynolds inspired your own personal code of ethics?

This fear of “others” who are different from ourselves is an essentially human trait, but the measure of our humanity and civilization is how we respond to this trait. Over and over again throughout human history we have seen oppression and genocide occur simply because we felt threatened by those of another race, ethnicity, religion, or ability. Everyone likes to talk about the Nazi’s but we have plenty of examples right here in the United States (Native Americans, African Americans, Japanese Americans).

The history of racism and prejudice undergirds so many of the conflicts and injustices in America today that we need to know more and understand better, but so often attempts to talk about these issues are so fraught they are doomed to fail. That is not an excuse to stop trying, but rather a warning to tread carefully.

I invite you to watch X-Men or read the X-Men comics with fresh eyes and use it to jumpstart an important conversation with your family, friends, or students. I fear that we are facing a dangerous time in American history. This is not new or unprecedented – not only the horrific tragedies listed above but also during the McCarthy era and other times both before and after McCarthy — this seems to be a lesson we do not learn. Immigrants have always been viewed with suspicion throughout U.S. history from the Italians to the Irish and it has always been worse for immigrants who are different in some way whether ethnicity or religion or culture – and further exacerbated by events happening elsewhere in the world.

That is why it is so important to remember our history and our place within it as well as closely examine our motivation. It is always easy to blame our problems, both personal and societal, on a particular group of swamp dwellers or bad hombres, but a lot more challenging to examine how much we are to blame for this mess. That is why I love having these challenging conversations in the context of an imaginary world and I believe that the world of the X-Men is an important place to consider just now.

Mutants are symbolic of much more than the mysterious “other” that always frightens us. They represent oppression in all its many forms from our expectation that everyone conform – both externally and internally. The conflicts between mutants and humans in the X-Men universe can serve as a stand-in for discussions about gender politics, sexuality, race, religion, and much more. The X-Men stories are stories of bigotry and prejudice. It is more comfortable to have conversations about this prejudice when we are talking about handsome Hugh Jackman, the amazing Jean Gray, tragic Rogue, and the good James McAvoy or Patrick Stewart (both delicious in their own right). The X-Men draw our attention to the problems inherent to prejudice and help us make connections between these characters and their lives and the challenges that “others” face in our world. Through the X-Men stories we see the world through the eyes of these “others” as they experience bigotry and hatred and hopefully these experiences shake our complacency about our world and our views of those different from ourselves – and best of all to help us understand how much we are alike even though we come from a different background or look superficially different.

What have the X-Men taught you about life and humanity? How can we learn from the X-Men?

There are many powerful themes to explore in the Harry Potter series, but I am always struck by Rowling’s exploration of the idea of “otherness” – viewing or treating another person or group as different from, alien even, to oneself. Othering is essential to the belief in the superiority of certain ethnic or religious groups. It is much easier to tolerate discrimination and oppression if you believe that others are lesser because of obvious differences in their appearance, practices, or norms. However, as we have witnessed time and again throughout history, these beliefs and the actions tolerated and promoted by them have created political divisions at best and conflict and violence at worst. Othering causes war and genocide and the worst crimes perpetrated by humanity.

We are not born with prejudice, but we do learn it at an early age from our families. At first this bias is passive as we learn to prefer those who look like us and those with which we are most familiar – of course for most of us that means those who look like us. There are many ways to combat this inherent prejudice and othering, but among my favorites is reading, which has been linked to greater empathy in many studies. Last year research findings concluded that, in particular, Harry Potter books helped combat bias and prejudice by fostering this empathy for the oppressed.

I believe every day is a great day to immerse yourself in magical stories, but perhaps right now, in this moment, we all need to spend some time in the Potterverse to escape but also to remember what happens when we allow prejudice and discrimination to dictate our emotions and beliefs – not to mention our laws. Under Voldemort’s influence, the Ministry of Magic created the Muggle-Born Registry Commission which accused muggle-born witches and wizards of stealing their wands and sent them to Azkaban (a particularly horrible prison if you haven’t read the books). Voldemort was only one of many in the wizarding world who revered pure blood and disdained, even hated, anyone possessing non-magical (muggle) blood – using the derogatory word “mudblood” to describe them. In fact, this prejudice led to two different wizarding wars, according to the History of Magic. While muggle-born witches and wizards did enjoy full privilege in the modern magical world, there was still widespread intolerance of nonhumans and half-breeds throughout the series and, indeed, anyone viewed as different was viewed with suspicion or hatred. Think about how many times we have seen such stories play out in our own history from the Spanish Conversos to Japanese-American Internment Camps.

Othering is a choice. We can choose not to tolerate othering ourselves and others. As Albus Dumbledore once said (in The Chamber of Secrets): “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Harry Potter chooses his friends with little or no regard to the circumstances of their birth (whether centaur or half-giant) or the circumstances that shaped their life (werewolf bite). But the true lesson about choices is that it is the choices we make in our words and deeds that show the world, and ourselves, who we truly are. That is the power of stories, because, in the end, we all want to be like Harry Potter and no one wants to be Voldemort.

How do the Harry Potter stories promote empathy and tolerance? What are your favorite scenes and quotes from Harry Potter that support empathy and tolerance? What Harry Potter characters do you identify with the most?

There is always a price

We learn this lesson over and over again in fantasy stories, but it is explicitly laid out in the Obsidian Trilogy. One of the primary magic wielders in the books are the Wildmages who can perform amazing feats of healing and other magic, but the key to any Wild Magic spell is that it must be paid for. There is always a price. Wild Magic is about balance and in order for there to be a gain there must also be a loss. Sometimes it is a simple task involving physical labor and sometimes it is an emotional task requiring forgiveness of an enemy and sometimes it is the ultimate sacrifice. What is interesting is that the cost can be shared by agreement, sometimes deferred, but it is usually inconvenient and difficult – challenging even. Even when the price is simple it is never easy. This means that magic never provides an easy solution to every problem and is rarely wielded without thought by Wildmages. This is something that another group of mages in the book, the High Mages, have forgotten because they have found a way to steal magic without paying for it. Ultimately, the High Mages find that there is a price to pay for their theft and it almost costs them everything. I cannot help but make a comparison to our modern luxuries as well as political power. If we really had to pay the true price of all our modern conveniences would we be more frugal and sparing with them? What would happen to our politicians if they had to pay the price for the power they have stolen from us? What is the true cost of convenience and expedience?

Others Are People Too

At the beginning of the story told by the Obsidian Trilogy, many groups have separated to such an extent that they either don’t believe in the existence of the other groups or have instead embraced a set of prejudicial beliefs and myths about those groups as truth. Part of the character arc for the hero is learning that looks can be deceiving, long-held beliefs are not the same as facts, and people are just people with both strengths and weaknesses in different combinations. Clearly these are lessons we could all learn and benefit from. Throughout his journey he learns that “others” can be wonderful and terrible, generous and cruel, and loyal and selfish – and no one “race” owns a monopoly on any of these qualities. Through his relationship with these “others” who are so unlike himself he learns more about himself and his humanity. I found these books an useful reminder that the more we learn about others the more we can learn about ourselves – lessons that can only benefit all humanity. One of the “others” the hero relied on throughout his journey was his particular unicorn friend and I only wished that I had a unicorn to guide me through my journey to adulthood. I can only imagine what a different place our world would be with more unicorns to love and fight for us while requiring us to be more chaste and pure in both mind and deed. The books are filled with examples of characters discovering the simple fact that “others” might not look the same or share our beliefs, but they are real people with feelings and lives that matter – and sometimes they are better people than we are because they did not need the lesson — we are all people of equal value and importance and we forget that to our own peril.

We are all connected

Living in a country where intolerance for those with different skin color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or beliefs, is increasingly painful for me, so it was refreshing to escape to a world where intolerance and judgment were rewarded by karma in so many delightful ways. The Obsidian trilogy reminds us, again and again, that prejudice is taught and that our ways are not the norm or better just because “others” live their lives with different customs and beliefs. We have reached a point in our country when it seems impossible to have a reasoned honest discussion about race or religion and all the myriad of ways these two differences play out in our daily lives and the laws and policies of our country. Yet in these books we see race, as represented by different beings from elves to centaurs to unicorns to dragons, and religion (wild vs. high magic) dividing the forces of good until, in the nick of time, it becomes clear that in order to survive they must overcome their differences and work together. Throughout the books we see time and again that despite their apparent differences they have much in common and depend on each other to survive and thrive. Again it is all about balance and harmony. Something our world needs. Something we need as individuals as well. We are inhabitants of Earth and we need each other to survive — we are all connected.

These three lessons can be learned from fantasy books in general as well as the Obsidian Trilogy in specific. Sometimes it is easier to have difficult conversations, such as those about race and religion, in a make-believe world. Sometimes it is easier to empathize and open our minds when we are being entertained. Sometimes it is easier to challenge our beliefs when we are comfortable and safe.

Artwork – Thanks to Brad Takei for sharing this wonderful graphic which we believe sums up the essence of this post

For good or ill, the Western represents the American Dream of equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative – even when the stories (especially when?) resemble nothing like reality – they are the way we picture the American story. We want to believe that good can overcome evil, justice will triumph, and a hero will always arrive in the nick of time. This is our mythos and explains our national optimism, politics, and foreign policy (see McClintock). As long as there is an America and American Dream, there will be Westerns.

As they represent our story, we can, and do, remake the Western in our modern image (see Firefly). Westerns offer us the opportunity to question ourselves as individuals and as a collective. Westerns challenge us to examine our “manifest destiny” and its costs for ourselves and the “others” we are saving at home and abroad not to mention the “others” we destroy along the way. Westerns have critiqued, and continue to critique, our national moral code, ethics, and justice system. In fact, Westerns, as a cultural representation of American mythos, continue to serve this purpose in other genres. We need the Western to help us understand ourselves.

Although many Westerns are formulaic, these are familiar formulas that we have seen throughout the millennia. The hero’s journey and archetypes of powerful stories are easily located in many of the most powerful representations of the Western genre. From the solitary mysterious gunman with unclear motivation to the fierce western fighting to protect his home, we recognize the traditional codes of storytelling from the Greek tragedy to the anti-hero (see Unforgiven). The Western provides a familiar backdrop and characters where we can explore the great philosophical questions.

Why do you think Westerns were so important to our American identity? Do you agree that Westerns continue to inform as well as entertain?

Photo shared on Pixabay

I adore these books on so many levels that I knew I needed to recommend them strongly to my fellow readers, to my fellow writers, and to my fellow teachers. Yes, they are that good and work on that many levels. Just the title of the collection is marvelous: Dreamsongs as it evokes for me the Aboriginal practice of singing dreamsongs to celebrate their sacred interrelation with the land and all its inhabitants (see Aboriginal movement and Aboriginal culture).

First of all, they are full of stories about Stories. This is the sort of Metastory I wish I had lived and written, but alas my life took a different path (and became a Metawriter and Metateacher instead). Martin tracks his life as a reader from early childhood and explains how those early stories (and Stories) shaped the person he became as well as his career as a writer. Many of the stories (most/all?) he has chosen to include in Dreamsongs work on multiple levels. They are entertaining journeys in fiction from horror to science fiction to fantasy with lots of fun little side trips here and there into fictional cul de sacs where the genre is a bit unclear but that doesn’t matter. If you are a genre purist then this might be a struggle, but for someone like me who focuses on the story and the characters more than the package it was all fun. However, more than sheer entertainment, these are Stories about people, about humanity, about the human condition. These are Stories that transcend genre but stay with you and make you think about big questions and big ideas. For example, he wrote “The Hero” while in college and submitted it to his draft board as part of his application for conscientious objector status and reading it today (many wars and decades later) I still found it relevant and thought -provoking. And interesting fact, “The Hero” was his first sale as a writer.

I honestly think this is a great reader for a creative writing class and any writer interested in writing fiction as a career should study these stories, Martin’s publication history, and really read all the commentary. That commentary is important for writers because he includes many details of his career progression. I have always tried to stress to other would-be authors how much luck and sheer hard work play a role in publishing success — much more so than talent. As a writer and a reader, I found it fascinating to understand the making of the writer who created so many delightful characters and worlds (yes, folks, he wrote more than A Song of Fire and Ice aka Game of Thrones). Without the stories, the commentary makes a compelling and interesting story about the forces that feed and shape a writer of this caliber and with the stories you can learn so much more about how to become a published author by journeying a long and difficult path. His career is no overnight success story and he held a wide variety of jobs to support himself on this journey. Also, as noted above, the collection includes a variety of genres and cross-genre examples which could make for a delightful study of how a story earns one genre label over another.

Finally, in addition to being useful for creative writing classes, I think Dreamsongs could be wonderfully useful for a variety of thematic classes from literature to writing to liberal arts. I currently teach a First Year Seminar class focused on comic archetypes, but I am already thinking about how I could teach a Dreamsongs FYS as it encompasses so many interesting themes from war and peace, equality and racism, environmental issues, and law and government as well as our core need to understand humanity (and inhumanity).

Have you read Dreamsongs yet? I strongly recommend reading these books if you are a reader, writer, or teacher!