sjbr

i am sad at the passing of Burt Hatlen. he was a groundbreaking scholar, a subtle and beautiful poet, and, as a teacher, generous and kind. his gigantic stature (and reputation) obscured an unassuming genius. after my first "serious" meeting with Burt, i felt honored to be one of the few people who got to find this out; now i see that we are not few at all. so i'm taking this opportunity to thank Burt from my quiet little corner, and plan to continue to do so regularly throughout my career and my life.