Bryn Chancellor Photographer: Christy Whitney
Bryn Chancellor Is in the House — I am pleased to report that Bryn Chancellor, our new creative writing professor, has arrived and is already settling into her new office. Bryn has had a very busy summer. She spent a month at the Jentel Artist Residency, a retreat for visual artists and writers in rural Wyoming. While there, she worked on a draft of a new novel and gave a reading as part of “Jentel Presents” in the nearby town of Sheridan, Wyoming. She was awarded this residency as part of the Poets & Writers Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award. Also this summer, she served on the fiction faculty at the Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference at the University of the South, working with talented high school age creative writers. Please join me in welcoming Bryn to the English Department.
Charlotte Research Scholars Program — This summer both Sarah Minslow and Malin Pereira mentored undergraduate students as part of the Charlotte Research Scholars Program. Sarah mentored Kenia Rios. Kenia’s research project examines how child soldiers are depicted in contemporary popular culture with a focus on some of the texts and films that have been among the most successful. This research specifically examines child soldiers in Ender’s Game, Harry Potter, The Walking Dead and The Hunger Games. Malin mentored Shanon Murray. Shanon titled her project “The Anatomy of Racism: Racial Oppression and Social Injustice in the Work of African American Poet Wanda Coleman (1946-2013).” She focused on Coleman’s “didactic poetics.” Both Kenia and Shanon gave poster presentations on their research at the Summer Research Symposium last month.
Sarah Minslow and Kenia Rios
Shanon Murray
News from Our Foreign Bureau — This summer I have been reporting on news about members of our department who have been globe trotting this summer. This week I am featuring Pilar Blitvich. I asked Pilar about her European adventures, and this morning she sent me the following report:
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:
Jeffrey Leak was a guest on WFAE’s Charlotte Talks last week. He participated in a panel discussion on the national debate over the display of the confederate battle flag and related issues.
Kirk Melnikoff gave the invited talk “Christopher Marlowe’s ‘Mighty Line’: Language and Power on the Elizabethan Stage” at the University of Cologne on July 2.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:
August 3 — Last day of classes for the second summer session.
August 10 — Grades due for all classes taught during the second summer session.
Quirky Quiz Question — Bryn Chancellor spent part of this summer writing in Wyoming. Bryn is not the only member of our department who has Wyoming connections. In fact, one member of our department has a BA degree from the University of Wyoming. Do you know whom this faculty member is?