From August to May, I teach. I work with with music and art education majors, Latine/Chicane Studies students, doctoral candidates studying literacy and research methods, and master’s students getting their teacher certification in secondary English ed. I also go to faculty meetings and make lots of calls to my senator to ask him to abolish ICE. You can call yours, too! From about mid-May to late July, in addition to continuing to call my reps, I become an art monster. This summer I am hoping to finish two books that I’ve been working on, in some form or other, for 11 years and 7 years respectively (good god). Here is me in my PJs at my desk in the dining room, about to get that final chapter just right – for real this time—on Single in Five Languages. There’s a poem by my friend and writing-group mate, Dana Maya, on the wall. It’s called “The Disobedience of Words,” and makes great company for revising. I also have a desk in my bedroom (I built both myself!), which is more insta-pretty, with rocks and seeds and shells from Massachusetts, Caldas, Colombia, and other places (and people) that are special to me. I’m a morning-pager. I journal and meditate there in the early mornings and then after getting the kid off to school, move myself to the more public dining room desk to write for an audience beyond myself. (fb)

Hi! Kate Vieira here for the SAF takeover this week! I'm a single mom, writer, researcher, and educator at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. My official title is “Susan J Cellmer distinguished chair in literacy.” In my academic life, I study how everyday people use writing to advocate for themselves and their communities. I’m currently working on a collaborative project with poets and educators in Colombia who are teaching poetry for peace in areas impacted by armed conflict. In my creative life, I publish personal essays about single parenting, sex, and divorce. You can find some of my writing in The Sun and Guernica. I am seeking representation for my memoir, Single in Five Languages, a tri-continental adventure story about my failed relationships. I like to think of it as part divorce memoir and part portrait of the anthropologist as a young woman, with a good dose of mid-life academic horniness. In my family life, I have full custody of a fabulous teenager with a big beautiful spirit. That’s us and our scrambled eggs yesterday during our weekly Sunday brunch. A big thanks to SAF for hosting me and for their advocacy of parent writers. More here! @vieirakate and www.katevieira.com (fb)