Your course was recommeded to me by my mentor, Sarah Turner who is also a member of the English Department at UVM. Since, I have no familiarity with Canadian Literature, it seemed to be a good choice for me. I have a wide variety of reading interests. Just when I think I have found my favorite author, I read another book and all I want to do is read more by that author. Living so close to Canada, I want to learn more and am excited about the books we have been assigned to read. This is really the first course that I have had to blog on a regular basis and am looking forward to the experience.

Okay, so I'm from an island in Maine and sail more than half of the days I decide to wake up. If you want to know more about me, just ask. I've been to Canada once, which is pretty sad for a Mainer. My sister went to college up there (Mount Allison) for a year and I visited once. I was in seventh grade and spent like half an hour outside her dorm bathroom crossing my legs and trying to find out if it was men's or women's. It was co-ed. I speak French, but I learned in France, so I bet I would sound pretty funny to Canadians with my dual accent. I like boring old white men memoir literature, like Hemingway and especially Tobias Wolff, and funny f-d up modern stuff like Vonnegut and Palahniuk.

My name is Danielle and I am senior. My major is Sociology and my minor is English. I never really read a lot but over the years I have found a real passion for it. Last semester I took a course with Paul and I was introduced to a whole new category of books. I found myself really enjoying the novels and it was great being able to go to class and talk about it. I learned a lot about First Nation peoples last semester and I'm open to learn more about Canadian literature. I find myself going up to Montreal and Ottawa a lot, just to escape everything and I feel as though I am starting to form a relationship with Canada. I'm taking this course because I enjoy Paul's way of teaching and I loved most of the books his last course introduced me to.

Hello,
My name is Brian, and I am currently a senior in the Secondary Education program here at UVM. I grew up right outside of Boston in a small town called Lynnfield. My knowledge of Canadian literature is none and I am looking forward to my introduction to the material. The only time I have been to Canada is when I went with my friends for a weekend in freshman year, and as I recall spent most of that time getting acquainted with the local bar scenes. For some reason I have a desire to visit Nova Scotia. In past summers I worked with a whole crew of guys from there, and I have heard so much about it that I find myself wanting to go there. I probably would go there soon if it weren't a 12 hour drive up through Canada. So ya, that is my knowledge of the country of Canada.
I have recently started to read a book by the author David Foster Wallace. I picked up one of his books after a friend had demanded that I read some of his work. The most recent book I read before that was Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, and I thought was amazing. During the school year I don't get get to read as much for fun because I am already reading so much for my other classes. Anyways, that's a little about myself, and I look forward to seeing you all in class.

I've never been one much for blogging; as opinionated as I can be, it never occurred to me to share my thoughts with just anyone, let alone post them online. So there's that. I'm a senior, graduating in December, and having pretty mixed emotions about it. I'm from Kansas City and upon taking my mother's good advice came east for college. I'm a Psychology major and an English minor. In retrospect I probably could have double majored, but hindsight is 20/20. I always wanted to be one of those avid readers, but never quite got there. In the last two years I've discovered a new found appreciation for literature and the peace and quiet that accompanies indulging in a good book. I'm not too picky when it comes to genres, just no sci-fi, it's not really my thing. Anyway, I'm looking forward to this class and to eventually getting used to the idea of blogging.

I took Paul's TAP Canadian Lit class three years ago and recently took on English as a second minor. Taking another Canadian Lit course with Paul was a no brainer. I'm a senior history major and am also minoring in French. I was born and raised outside Rochester, NY, yet I've been to about every major city in the Northeast except NYC. Canada is awesome, I'm a regular visitor of Abino Bay in Ontario, Montreal, and especially Toronto. Kids in the Hall, Neil Young, and Molson Stock Ale are among Canada's finest exports. Oh yeah, and hockey. In this course I'm mostly hoping to read some good books and explore more of the finer things that Canada has to offer. I like a whole range of genres, from Charles Bukowski and Kurt Vonnegut, to 19th century Russian literature. I think that's all the pertinent information. Goodnight.

Hey guys, my name is Alexander, but my mother started calling me Sandy when I was too young to either affirm or protest the name, and too young to notice the difference when my friends started calling me Sandy as well. I am a senior English major at UVM this year. Last year, I studied abroad with UVM's Buckham Overseas Program in Canterbury, England, using the opportunity to travel throughout England and Europe as much as I could. Despite that, I have done very little travel in our dear Northerly neighbor, Canada. One trip to Toronto as a youngster, and two weekends spent in Montreal during my college years sum up the entirety of my time there. I'd like to learn a bit more about Canada history in this course, particularly Canadian folklore and stories, exploring the countries' tribal native roots.

Hi, I am an elementary education major with a concentration in english. I live in newport vermont, which is about 5 miles from the canadian border. It is pretty far North..My grandmother actually lives in canada so we are often vistiting.
Throughout, my past semesters at UVM I have taken many different literature courses. My favorite one so far has to be my African American lit class. I know nothing about canadian literature and had no idea what to expect when I signed up for the class. I am interested to see what books we will be reading and what the class is all about!

I was part of Paul’s TAP Intro to Canada class two years ago, as well as a charter member of the Canada House suite in Living/Learning. Although it is somewhat unsettling to be living in the exact same room I did freshman year (it’s also like a million degrees as I post this) Canada House is a lovely place to live, filled with other Faux Canadians. I’m not quite sure where my fascination with Canada came from, but I think that my sister going to school at McGill probably played a big role in influencing me (that and her obsession with the Barenaked Ladies). Currently I’m a junior, one of those strange December graduates (assuming all goes to plan). I’m double majoring in political science and history (with an emphasis on Canada of course). As far as reading goes, I enjoy all sorts of books, the most recent one I liked was The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

Having already taken a course with Paul dealing with recent fiction by First Nation Canadian authors, I’m looking forward to more of a broader survey of Canadian literature. Although I didn’t love all of the selections I have read for Paul in the past, I think that he does a great job in selecting interesting novels that at least keep people’s attention while they read them and that often times lead to lively class discussions.

Hello there. My name is Jonathan, but it is easier to just use the first letter of my name, although I'll usually answer to anything. It's hard to place my interest for Canada and Canadian literature, but after taking 182 I started to really appreciate the literature. I don't know what it is about contemporary Canadian writers, but I feel that their work is so genuine. I like to read many types of lit, from Hunter S. Thompson to Robert Creeley, and even some Hemingway. I am a junior and a secondary education major / psych minor.

Hello there. My name is Jonathan, but it is easier to just use the first letter of my name, although I'll usually answer to anything. It's hard to place my interest for Canada and Canadian literature, but after taking 182 I started to really appreciate the literature. I don't know what it is about contemporary Canadian writers, but I feel that their work is so genuine. I like to read many types of lit, from Hunter S. Thompson to Robert Creeley, and even some Hemingway. I am a junior and a secondary education major / psych minor.

Hi everyone, my name is Christopher Garafola and I'm a business major with a discipline in English. I'm originally from Ludlow Vermont where the popular ski mountain Okemo resides. I'm in a coed acapella group here on campus called the UVM Hit Paws. Music is my life. Being in the Hit Paws is a great get away for me from the daily stresses of classes, however its very time consuming and as classes become more difficult so will being in the group. Also, i've been a professional disk jockey since the 8th grade. I hate to say it but I really don't know anything about Canada. I suppose it's alright however because my intentions for taking this course were because I wanted to learn more. My favorite writer would have to be Hemingway.

Hi, I'm Megan, and I grew up in Delaware (the second smallest state). I am a sophomore English major and am hoping to either double major or minor in Environmental Studies. I originally enrolled in this course because I had a TAP class with Paul Martin last fall and I am really fond of his teaching techniques. Also, we read some works by a few Canadian authors and I enjoyed each individual's style. I hope to gain a broader knowledge of the literature of Canada and perhaps find a favorite author that I can read into further. I don't have many connections with Canada, although I have traveled to Quebec and Ontario a handful of times. I love to read fiction and books that just make you think and reevaluate your life; I usually choose from a broad range of authors, but I would say that John Steinbeck and Daniel Quinn are my favorites.

Hi, I'm Megan, and I grew up in Delaware (the second smallest state). I am a sophomore English major and am hoping to either double major or minor in Environmental Studies. I originally enrolled in this course because I had a TAP class with Paul Martin last fall and I am really fond of his teaching techniques. Also, we read some works by a few Canadian authors and I enjoyed each individual's style. I hope to gain a broader knowledge of the literature of Canada and perhaps find a favorite author that I can read into further. I don't have many connections with Canada, although I have traveled to Quebec and Ontario a handful of times. I love to read fiction and books that just make you think and reevaluate your life; I usually choose from a broad range of authors, but I would say that John Steinbeck and Daniel Quinn are my favorites.

Hi there. My name is Talbrey. I'm a transfer student from Minnesota, and so far I am totally loving Vermont!! I am a English and Accounting major and I took this class because it sounded like fun to learn more about Canadian literature. I frequent Canada quite a bit and love it. I am a big fan of skiing and chilling outside, so yeah. I'm also pretty open about what I read. Right now I'm kinda on the old school classics kick. Thats about all. Can't wait for a fun semester with all of you. Also if you have any suggestions for awesome things/places in the area please fill me in!

I'm Liz, from New Jersey. I'm a senior majoring in English and minoring in film and television studies. I've been to Canada once- tried another time but the car in which I was traveling broke down directly on the border. I love to read a wide variety of things from trashy thrillers to Steinbeck to Toni Morrison. I love music and going to see it is one of my favorite things to do.

Hi everyone. I'm a junior Sociology major, English minor. I was born and raised in Essex, Vermont, which is about 10 minutes from UVM. Burlington is a wonderful city that I have spent a good portion of my life involved in. I appreciate it much more now that I'm completely immersed in everything it has to offer as a full time college student, and it's not as big and scary as I thought it was when I was younger. I enjoy all types of literature. My most recent great read was The Professor's Daughter by Emily Raboteau. As far as my experience with Canada goes, it's not much to talk about. I've been to Montreal three times; once for a softball tournament when I was in high school, and twice this summer to see concerts (Warped Tour and Osheaga). I signed up for this class hoping to explore some literature outside of the norm. Looking forward to having everyone accompany me along the way! :)

Hey, my name's Lauren, from Pittsburgh PA hollerrrr for the rust belt, and i just recently declared my major in English, so I'm pretty psyched to finally know what I'm doing (hopefully?). But yeah, I've only been to Canada a couple times, once to nanny for this family with a lake house in the Muskoka lake region--gorgeous. Other than the fact that that tiny town is dope (and the fact that there is a town in north ontario... and all Neil Young's changes were there) I don't really know anything about our northern neighbor, and the class seems interesting, so here go's! As far as what kind of lit I'm into, I just took a class with Phil Baruth on postmodern novels (mostly written from the 50's-now), and it kinda sorta blew my mind.

Hi, I'm Lindsey and a junior in the secondary education program with an English concentration. I don't have any connections to Canada at all except my step great grandmother lives there. The little I know about Canada is what I am able to remember from stuff I learned previous to a class trip to Montreal in elementary school. I like to read all sorts of books, generally fiction over non-fiction, but there have been some that are amazing. I am still unable to pick a favorite author, there are just too many that I love. In this class I am hoping to learn pretty much anything new about Canada and get exposed to some literature from that area that might be different from stuff that I have read before.

*Sorry I accidently posted that last comment without finishing it.

As far as my background in Canadian literature, I have virtually none. I am just hoping to get to read some good books by authors I would not normally read and figured this course would be a great chance for that.

*Sorry I accidently posted that last comment without finishing it.

As far as my background in Canadian literature, I have virtually none. I am just hoping to get to read some good books by authors I would not normally read and figured this course would be a great chance for that.

Hi everyone. My name is Christianne, I'm a junior, History major, English Minor. I'm from New Rochelle, NY. I've been to Canada a bunch of times, actually went on the Ottawa trip last year with another class and it was sweet, so you should defiantly go. I'm really into reading stuff that has been recommended to me, mostly fiction and biographies. I recently went to London a took 2 English courses on British lit so, I'm psyched to read all of these books and be introduced to Canadian literature.

hey guys! my name is maggie, im from manhattan. im a junior and am so excited to finally be off campus!. Im also a history major and an english minor. I took history of canada last year and went on the ottawa trip which was soo much funn so everyone should definitly go. Im really excited for this class..I've never blogged before! I went to london over the summer for study abroad and actually read some great books from the edwardian period such as great expectations and tess of the d'ubervilles. anyways, so excited for the course!

Hey I am Janell. I am from a small boring town in northwestern Ma. I am a sophomore and currently a Political Science and Canadian Studies Major. I became interested in Canadian Studies after randomly deciding to take a TAP class on the subject last year. I knew I wanted to do some sort of cultural studies in my college career and that TAP class directed me towards Canadian Studies. I have quite a few friends who opted to attend Universities in Canada (Dalhousie, Mcgill, and Toronto), which has sparked many US vs Canadian education debates.
As far as literature goes, I am a big fan of poetry (and as of recent South American Poetry) . Also recently, I have read a lot of Tom Robbins. Some of my favorites are Lorca, Bukowski, and Vonnegut.

My name is Jess and I'm a junior. I am an Elementary Education major with a concentration in English. I've been to Canada many times to visit relatives. My Dad and both of his parents were born in Quebec. I am really excited to take this course because I've never really learned too much about Canada and since my Dad is from there, I'd like to know more.

Hi my name is Will,
I am a senior from Colchester Vermont. I am a recreation Management major with an English minor and I am really excited to be looking at Canada this semester. I have always been interested in Canadian Literature and I cant wait to sink my teeth into this course. I am also excited because I have never blogged before this will be an interesting experience.

Hi,
So my name is Stephanie and I am going to be a junior this year. It's funny because I've grown up in Vermont and Canada seems as foreign to me as Asia. I know next to nothing about its history and culture. So I guess I am taking this class to learn...which isn't that profound a statement. But look forward to it. And I read mostly memoirs because I find people very interesting and when it's true for some reason it strikes me differently. word. lookin forward to it..

Hi everyone. My name is Talbrey and I am a sophomore transfer student from Minnesota. I go to Canada quite often in the summer just because I spend my summers so close the border. I am an English major and Accounting minor. I am also considering minoring in studio art as well. I took this class because it looked like a great chance to just read a bunch of novels. I am pretty open when it comes to what I read. Lately I have been on a kick of reading only the classics, so this is a nice change of pace. I'm really excited to be spending the semester with you all, so if you have any suggestions of awesome places/things to do around here please don't hesitate to let me know!!

Hello everyone, I'm Justin. I am a sophomore this year with a major in English and a minor in Political Science. I have been to Canada a few times (Quebec and Ontario), most recently with Paul Martin on last year's trip to Ottawa. I am a big hockey fan, so naturally Canada is an interest of mine. I enjoy reading all types of literature, and Canadian authors such as Margaret Atwood, Stephen Leacock, Alistair Macleod, Richard Harrison, and others. I learned a lot about Canadian geography, politics, literature, and history in my TAP class last year and I look forward to learning more about our neighbor to the north.

Okay, it's about bloody time I posted my introduction here too. My name's Mark, and I am an English, Political Science, and History major. No original intention to major in three fields, but I ended up being close enough in both history and english that it made no sense to simply minor in either - after all, ten years after you graduate, no one cares what you minored in. This is my second Canada-centric class here at UVM, having taken Canadian Politics with Ayers back in the Spring.

Hey, Skylar here (finally). I am an English major who just transferred to UVM from Champlain College. My minor is Anthropology. I really don't know much about Canada considering how close it is and figured that a Canadian Literature class would be a great way to learn more about this subject as well as its artistic output. I enjoy reading all types of literature, but love to read NonFiction. Again, sorry this introduction took so long!

My name is Conor. I'm a senior from Fair Haven, Vermont. I am an English major with a Poly-Sci minor. I have a little bit of French Canadian ancestry on my mother's side, but other than that no real connections to Canada. It's strange how little you hear about Canada given its close proximity. I'm definately learning new things that I wasn't aware of. I only really became interested in literature last year, but I really like Poe and Hemingway. T. Coraghessan Boyle's Greasy Lake was one of my favorite short stories. Sorry about the late post.