Brent Terry: “The frustrations, both financial and professional, of being an adjunct have been widely discussed, if not seriously addressed, in the media over the past couple of years, and trust me, I feel those frustrations acutely, though I must say that as adjuncting goes, Eastern Connecticut State University and its English department do their best to assuage these frustrations. Just as an oyster needs the irritant provided by a grain of sand to make a pearl, sometimes a lack of comfort or respect can be the irritant an artist needs to produce important work. Surely being ignored by the academic establishment can both generate an affirming anger and reinforce the notion that the work itself is the important thing. This is certainly true in my case.”
