First Blog: about me

My name is Sam Fulmer and I am a sophomore here at St. Lawerence. So far I really enjoy going to school up here in Canton and I am having a great time studying English--it's my major. I am definitely more interested in creative writing as opposed to constant reading of literature in my English classes, but so far I seemed to have found a good balance of doing both and enjoying both. Creative writing is fun for me because I have found a way to make my non-fiction writing entertaining, at least to me, and also be able to write papers on things that I love. For some of my writing classes I have been able to write about my family and friends and the adventures we make, and also I have been able to write about music and what music I love to follow. For me, these types of papers and writing pieces are not homework, they have really grown to be fun for me.

I am from Rye, New York, a small town about half and hour outside of New York City and I have lived there my whole life--only in two different houses. I've been really close with my friends from home forever and even now when we all get back into town from school and work we have a great time as if we've been with each other all along. Rye provided a great place to make good friends, play sports at a fairly high level and link up with people who share the same passion for music as me.

Besides writing my hobbies include sports for the most part, watching them (go Giants, Yankees and Rangers) and more importantly playing them. I was a football player and lacrosse player in high school and played two seasons of football here at St. Lawrence, however I do not play anymore. Recently I've found myself playing different kinds of sports like softball (intramural champions last year) and I've become a big fan of playing paddle tennis. Besides sports I guess my favorite thing to do is to see live music. I've been going to all sorts of concerts and festivals since I was in 7th grade. This would kind of be my dream job, that is, going to shows and other events and being able to write about them maybe for a magazine or some other form of print.

At school I have done workshop classes and I really have had only good experiences with them. Not only do you learn to be politely honest with other people, you also learn how to take criticism and use it for your own benefit.

As far as poetry goes, I have never really been a person who reads poetry on my own time, but because of the direction my academics have gone I have been introduced to many poets and authors who have helped me grow to like poetry and see that it is a lot more than just rhyming.

I've learned that poetry is a great way to express an event or feeling a person has experienced without being so blunt or obvious about what it is. Poetry is almost like a puzzle sometimes and I like that. You really have to break down and look deeper at a poem to see what its all about. I really like this fact because it forces writers and readers to be really creative.

I'm excited for this class and although I'm not sure exactly what I am in for, I feel as though I;m definitely going to enjoy it and learn more about writing and poetry. I guess what I really hope to learn is how to make poems interesting for readers, and how to make small phrases resonate with people on a larger scale. I'm pumped to start the class, it seems like it will be an interesting course for sure.