Seuss-a-Thon — The third annual Seuss-a-Thon took place this past Saturday at Park Road Books, and the English Department was very well represented. Jeffrey Leak and his son did a great job of reading Green Eggs and Ham. The audience really had a sense that Jeffrey does not care for green eggs or ham or annoying people who keep pestering him with repetitive questions. Angie Williams read Horton Hears a Who, and her granddaughter hung on every word. Alan Rauch read If I Ran the Zoo. At one point he broke into a Russian accent, and it added a whole new dimension to Dr. Seuss. The children’s literature faculty all participated. Paula Connolly read The Sneetches, Beth Gargano read Horton Hatches the Egg, and Anita Moss read And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. Our advisors also showed up. Tiffany Morin kicked off the event by reading The Cat in the Hat, and Sarah Minslow practically performed The Butter Battle Book. Valerie Bright, one of our part-time faculty members, read Bartholomew and the Oobleck. Several of our graduate students and former graduate students also participated. In the publicity leading up to the Seuss-a-Thon, I described it as an English Department event. Well, to paraphrase a line from Horton Hatches the Egg, I meant what I said, and I said what I meant, Dr. Seuss is at home in English—one hundred per cent.
Dr. Jeffrey Leak and son reading Green Eggs and Ham
Kudos— As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department. Here is the latest news:
Brook Blaylock and Laura Erturk, two of our graduate students, have been invited to give presentations at the upcoming Graduate Research Symposium.
Paula Eckard was recently awarded a Publication Grant from the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies in support of a project related to her work with the Thomas Wolfe Review.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:
March 4 — The deadline for mid-term grades has been changed due to concerns from faculty about missed classes because of the inclement weather. The online entry of Unsatisfactory Grades submission deadline has been extended. The web will be open for grading until noon on Tuesday, March 4th..
March 11 and 12 — English Major Days. For more information about the this event, please click on the following link: http://english.uncc.edu/sites/english.uncc.edu/files/media/pdfs/English-Majors-Days-2.20.2014.pdf
Quirky Quiz Question — Dr. Seuss never completed a doctoral degree, but he did attend graduate school with the goal of earning a PhD in English. Where did Dr. Seuss go to graduate school? For extra credit, from what college did Dr. Seuss earn his BA in English?