Knowing that people drop thousands of dollars to attend the Tin House Writer's Conference in beautiful PDX in the summer + that a large Phish-like following of Aimee Bender fans follow her wherever she goes, especially when she hits Skylight books to strut her stuff in the most charming, self-effacing way an author can strut her stuff, I've realized three weeks into this fall semester that I'm one lucky motherfucker. Think about it: I get to send Aimee twenty pages from The Ninjas of My Greater Self every week + chat about it with her, while learning ways to improve chapters, sustain conflict, develop character chemistry + stoke tension, things I could always use more help with. Anyway, even though I have to read like a million novels in the next three months, teach + pound out the remaining five chapters of my novel, I have to say that I feel so goddamn fortunate to work with such a good critic, reader, fabulist, stylist, writer + editor as Aimee Bender. She's the real dope, not to mention a friend of mine too.