Celebrating Our Part-Time Faculty Members — This weekend I received an email fro
m Paula Martinac informing me that her new novel, The Ada Decades, has just been published Bywater Books in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After congratulating her on this significant publication, I asked her for more information about her novel. She responded by sharing with me what she calls her “elevator speech.” The Ada Decades, she wrote,”is a historical novel-in-stories that looks at the intersections of race, class, and LGBT experience in the life of one North Carolina woman over seven decades. It takes place mostly in Charlotte.” She also informed me that there will be a reading and book celebration on Wed., April 26 at 7 p.m. at Charlotte Center for the Literary Arts, 1817 Central Avenue and all are welcome to attend.
The publication of Paula’s novel underscores for me what a talented and dedicated group of part-time faculty members we have in the English Department. I know that many administrators refer to such part-time faculty members as “adjunct faculty,” but I don’t like or use this term. My old copy of the Merriam Webster Dictionary defines adjunct as “something joined or added to another but not essentially a part of it.” As I see it, our part-time faculty members are an essential part of our English Department. Our part-time faculty members teach core courses in creative writing, technical and professional writing, children’s literature, literature surveys, general education, pedagogy, introductory linguistics, to name just some of the different types of courses that they cover on a regular basis. Our part-time faculty members regularly publish as is reflected in the publication of Paula’s novel. Our part-time faculty frequently participate in department events and projects. Our part-time faculty members might not teach on a full-time basis, but they are hardly adjuncts to the department.
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:
Kevin Chauncey, one of our graduate students, presented a paper at the SouthEastern Conference on Linguistics titled “The Effects of Stereotype Threat/Awareness on Accommodation in Turn-Taking Conversations.”
Sarah Minslow facilitated two workshops for North Carolina educators at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching last Saturday. The workshops were on using children’s literature to teach the Holocaust and contemporary conflict.
Ralf Thiede presented a paper at the SouthEastern Conference on Linguistics in Charleston titled “Baby Chomsky vs. Baby Aristotle: The Acquisition of Speech Sounds,” reconciling two opposing theories of language acquisition in cognitive science and linguistics. At the meeting, he assumed the presidency of SECOL for a two-year term.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is information about an upcoming event.
March 21– The next Personally Speaking Series event will take at 6:30 p.m.Tuesday, Mar. 21, at UNC Charlotte Center City. Peter Thorsheim will give a presentation based on his book titled Waste into Weapons: Recycling in Britain During the Second World War (Cambridge University Press).
The event is free, but registration is requested. (Register) A reception will follow. Complimentary parking is available at 422 E. 9th St. across Brevard from the Center City building. Information will be emailed about how to obtain a parking pass. This is the final Personally Speaking event of 2016-17, and the books and authors for the 2017-18 season will be announced.
Personally Speaking is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, J. Murrey Atkins Library and UNC Charlotte Center City. For more information, visit exchange.uncc.edu.
Quirky Quiz Question — Paula Martinac’s new novel is published by Bywater Books in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In addition to being the home of Bywater Books, Ann Arbor was home to famous chain of bookstores that once rivaled Barnes and Nobel. What is the name of this now defunct bookstore chain?
Last week’s answer: And To Think That I saw It On Mulberry Street.
At this year’s Seuss-a-Thon, Anita Moss read Dr. Seuss’s first book for children. What is the title of this book?