Sorry my recent columns have all had semi-chaotic energy: April is the busiest month for a professor who, in addition to all the usual grading, runs a Visiting Writers program and occasionally has to travel for work. This one comes to you from my usual spot (the wiggly dining room table), just much later than usual (sorry, Jessica): we threw a concert at the college tonight in which an alum and his producer pal spun experimental synthesizer beats, recited spoken-word poetry, and showed off how the poetry skills he learned in Creative Writing classes translate quite well to hip-hop.