NOTE (About retirement)

I retired July 2021. While I am working on a book of poem criticism, I am not as active as before in the public sense of my field (talks, symposiums, and so on). This may or may not make in a difference to committees that would read recommendation letters from me.

STEP ONE—Initial Contact

1. If possible, please ask me no later than two weeks before the due date. I check email only once every 7-14 days! Please calculate that in.
2. If I say "yes" then please send me a "TRACKING" email, following the below instructions. Please do not do this until you have heard from me.

STEP TWO—A reminder that is good for both of us

Please remind me two weeks ahead of your first deadline. This is very important.

STEP THREE—The "TRACKING" email from you to me

This is an email, not a message or a verbal conversation.

If you do not send a TRACKING email WITH TRACKING IN THE SUBJECT LINE, nothing will happen. You simply will never be put on my recletter to-do list.

TRACKING email content: the subject line

Please put these items in the subject line using the format in the examples: 

1. First recommendation letter due date as mm/dd/yyyy
2. The word "TRACKING" in all caps
3. Your "LAST NAME" in all caps
4. The first name you will use on the applications

Examples:

Jan 18 2025 TRACKING POLK Alicia

June 1 2025 TRACKING YAMADA Albert Tatsuo ("Tatsu")

TRACKING email content: the email itself

Cut-and-paste into your TRACKING email the below list, then complete the portions that have "lorem" following the instructions listed under the next section "TRACKING email content: details on each of the above"

RECOMMENTDATION LETTER LIST (replace "lorem" as appropriate)

1. LINKS and/or FORMS that Wallace should look for in his emails

lorem

2. CLASSES

Classes (course number, semester, year) you have taken with me:

lorem

3. PRIOR LETTERS

Have I written a letter for you before? (When): lorem

4. CONTACT INFO

Ways of contacting you on short notice in the week ahead of the due date:

lorem

5. RECLETTER START LINES (see instructions below)

lorem

COMMENTS TO ME (if anything of special note)

lorem

ATTACHMENTS (truly optional)

lorem

TRACKING email content: details on some of the above

RECOMMENTDATION LETTER LIST

List BY DATE WITH FIRST DUE AT THE TOP the institutions or enterprises to which I should be sending  recommendation letters. OR, if it is a letter service to which I send just one letter, list that but include, if you have time, more or less to which institutions you are supplying. In some cases this helps me tailor the language of the letter more effectively. In some other cases it doesn't. 

Use this template: Due date (explanation of due date) — Institution's name

Examples:

Feb 1 2025 (institution's due date) Wharton School University of Pennsylvania

First week of June, 2025 (rolling admissions, the earlier the better) Cambridge Judge Business School

November 15, 2025 (not actually due until December 15 but I hope you can can complete it earlier) Osaka University

Mid-July 2025 (reference listing only, nothing for Wallace to send, not sure exactly when they might contact you) Notable Labs Ltd (in the Bay Area)

PRIOR LETTERS

Tell me yes or no and, if yes, please give me some details. You don't need to give a full list or even be that accurate. I just want to know if I should be able to find something on my computer and if so, more or less where to look.

RECLETTER START LINES

Recletter initial lines, written by you, for each institution if the programs or degrees sought are different. I think it makes a stronger recommendation letter when I have exact information.

[address of the institution to which you are applying—if you do not include this, I do not include this. It looks better if there is an address]

Dear Admissions Committee,

[your full name as on the application] has asked that I write a letter in support of [his, her, or your preferred pronoun—if you use a gender neutral pronoun I will write the entire letter in gender neutral language) application to [name of institution]'s program in [name of program], to work towards a degree in [name of degree], beginning in [year the program begins or Fall / Spring plus the year the program begins].

If you are using a letter service instead of asking me to send to a specific institution:

[name of the letter service you are using]

Dear Admissions Committee,

[your full name as on the application] has asked that I write a letter in support of [his, her, or your preferred pronoun—if you use a gender neutral pronoun I will write the entire letter in gender neutral language) application to [name of degree] programs in [name of types of programs], to work towards a degree beginning in [year the program begins or Fall / Spring plus the year the program begins].

*NOTE: Don't worry about the "Admissions Committee" phrasing. Usually this is best but if it is an award or a fellowship or such I'll adjust it at my end (for example "Dear Selections Committee and Chair" or whatever).

My contact info

Please input this information when possible.

Title: Senior Lecturer, Emeritus (if space is limited, then just "Lecturer")

Relationship: Instructor

Tel: I'll do this.

Email: jwallace@berkeley.edu

The full address: I'll do this.

Reminders from you to me

I REALLY APPREACIATE A REMINDER TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE DUE DATE. This will insure there hasn't been any miscommunication between us.

You are also welcome to send me reminders at other times if you are nervous. I understand your concerns. I write 90% of my letters in the last 24 hours before they are due but I don't mind reminders. I might not reply to your email, but I'll read it for sure.

Special requests

It is nice to know how things turned out. :)