National Undergraduate Literature Conference

So for the past three days I have been at the National Undergraduate Literature Conference (NULC) at Weber State University in Ogden (UT). I had the opportunity to attend this conference because while I was feeling whimsical one week I submitted a paper and it got accepted (during the same week I signed up to be on the Scroll Readers' Panel for my school newspaper and did a couple of random surveys in hopes of winning some prize. I did end up with a $5 gift certificate to Jambe Juice. Booyah.). My paper was on T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land which I had written as my final paper for my American Realism and Modernism Literature course. I'll post it later once I'm back in Rexburg with my own computer.
Anyway, some notes about the conference:
We attended six sessions of readings spread over two days. Students read works of poetry, American literature, British literature, and World literature analysis; original poetry; original fiction; creative non-ficition; and there was one session dedicated to a French author (Moliere) and one session of Spanish compositions. These sessions gave me a lot of confidence about my writing, and also motivated me to read more (I am ridiculously illiterate for an English major).
In one of the sessions I went to, we began a superfluous debate about the importance of poetry in the world, and how it is dying out, and also the lack of motivated and qualified teachers in the world. You'd think all English teachers are motivated, qualified, and especially inspiring if you watched all the "education drama" films out there. But the truth is, they aren't. I was very blessed in my high school years to have only English teachers who were extremely passionate about language and literature, and it was one of them, Mrs. Lawrence, who inspired my current career path. But this debate made me feel more strongly about the possibility of pursuing a teaching career, because heaven knows I am passionate about language and literature, and also that I have natural teaching skills. Also as a part of the debate we discussed the use of the internet ot spread poetry, and I'd like to note that it is National Poetry Month, and I am receiving a poem-a-day from poets.org. Brilliant. April 30th is Poem-in-Your-Pocket Day, when you are supposed to carry a poem in yoru pocket and share it with someone at some point in the day. So get ready!
Beyond the student readings, we also had three authors speak to us. I missed the session with Maile Maloy, but I heard twice from Michael Chabon, who is a brilliant novelist. His writing reminded me of my friend Remington's, which is awesome, because Chabon has won the Pulitzer prize, and Remington is a goofy 19-year-old and a very dear friend of mine. So someday I will be very happy when he wins a pulitzer prize as well. His writing was jaw-dropping. We also had a poetry reading from Michael Sowder, who wasn't my particular favorite, but he did read one poem about the moon that was inspiring. He has won the T.S. Eliot Poetry prize and teaches at USU (of all places...hahaha).
Beyond that, I got to hang out with a bunch of English majors from my school! During dinner Friday night, we discussed our favorite words. One girl's favorite was pulchritudinous, which means beautiful. Mine is inevitable, and has been ever since I read Jack London's White Fang when I was 10. I love hanging out with English Majors.
One a light note, I saw Monsters vs. Aliens which was brilliant! So funny.
And in an effort to spread more poetry around, I will post my poem I wrote on the way down to the conference. This is the first draft, so don't expect anything good.

Deutsche Bahn (working title)
I miss long train rides
Watching the colorful flashes swing by
INF
I never knew what that meant
But I know now
That I want it back.
Fields beckoning
To my imagination
Thick and green
And ready to swallow me.
And I am ready to be swallowed.
My forehead leaned
On the cool Plexiglas pane.
Naechste Halt
Koeln Sued.
And everything is pleasant.
I don't have to talk to anybody.
Because they don't want to
Talk to me.
I've got music
And the fields
And graffiti.