Mark West

Seven Sisters Constellation

Founding Mothers — Given that March is Women’s History Month, now is an especially apropos time to celebrate the women who played key roles in the early history of our Department of English.  Since the establishment of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1965, the English Department has benefited from the leadership and dedication of many women, but there are seven women whom I see as the department’s founding mothers.  Listed below are the names and a little information about each of these women.

Margaret Bryan joined the department in the early 1970s and played a central role in developing and teaching the department’s writing courses.   She believed in the integration of literature and writing, and this approach is reflected in a textbook that she and Boyd Davis co-authored titled Writing about Literature and Film.

Ann Carver helped establish Shakespeare Studies as a strength of the English Department.  She often brought UNC Charlotte students to Great Britain to study Shakespeare and attend Shakespeare plays.  She encouraged students to study Shakespeare’s plays in a performance context, and this approach is still reflected in the way in which Shakespeare is taught in the department today.

Boyd Davis joined the English Department in 1971, and she is still teaching in the department today.  She has played a central role in making applied linguistics one of the department’s core strengths, and she has been a mentor to all of our current faculty members in linguistics.  She has also served as the department’s leader in obtaining external funding for research projects.

Mary Harper played a key role in developing and teaching African American literature courses in the English Department.  She also helped establish the department that is now known as the Africana Studies Department.  Her leadership prepared the way for other faculty members to teach courses in African American literature.  These faculty members include Sandra Govan, Malin Pereira, Jeffrey Leak, and Janaka Lewis.

Kay Horne served as the main administrative assistant in the English Department for approximately two decades, during which time she worked with several department chairs.  Her wisdom and administrative know-how helped make the English Department a well-run unit.  She has served as a role model for the department’s subsequent administrative assistants, including Eleanor Stafford and Angie Williams.

Anita Moss became a member of the English Department in the mid-1970s, and she immediately set about to build the department’s offerings in the area of children’s and young adult literature.  As a result of her leadership, the English Department became known internationally for its children’s literature program.  She also played a pivotal role in hiring the faculty member who is serving as the department’s current chair.

Anne R. Newman taught many of the English Department’s core literature courses, especially American literature courses.  She developed a course on the Literature of the South, which she taught repeatedly.  Her pioneering curricular work in Southern literature set the stage for other faculty members to teach in this area, including Paula Eckard.

These seven women all knew each other and supported one another. Like the Seven Sisters from Greek mythology, these women make up a constellation of stars.

National Council for Black Studies Annual Conference — The Africana Studies Department (with support from the English Department) will host the fortieth annual conference of theNational Council for Black Studies (NCBS) from March 17th through 19th at the Omni Hotel (132 E Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202). The theme is Forty Years of Black Studies in the Local, National and Global Spaces: Past Accomplishments and New Directions.  As part of this conference Janaka Lewis will be giving a presentation on “Black Women and Lessons of Freedom” at NCBS this Friday at 3pm.

The conference is open and free to UNC Charlotte faculty, staff, and students. Registration is required for attendees who are not affiliated with UNC Charlotte. This can be completed at http://www.ncbsonline.org/.

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:

Alan Rauch recently presented a paper titled “Environmental Sensibility and Despair in Hudson’s Green Mansions” at the Interdisciplinary Nineteenth-Century Studies Conference, which took place in Asheville.

Maya Socolovsky recently presented a paper titled “Running and Reading: Border Crossings and Migrant Workers in U.S. Latino/a Children’s Picture Books,”  and was part of a roundtable panel presentation on “Global Diasporas and Multi-ethnic Studies at The Society of Multi Ethnic Literatures of the United States (MELUS), Charleston SC.

Lara Vetter‘s article “H.D., India, and Gendered Narratives of Imperialism” recently appeared in Review of English Studies 67.278 (2016).

Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is a date to keep in mind:
March 18 — Dr. Chris Bongartz, who many of you may remember from her time in the English department at UNCC, will be visiting Charlotte and is scheduled to give a talk for us this Fridayafternoon.  Here are the details:

Title: “The Role of Narratives in Bilingual Teaching”

Date: Friday, March 18

Time: 4:15-5:30

Location: 290B Fretwell

March 22  —  This year’s English Major Day will take place on March 22 (Tuesday) in Fretwell 290B.  This annual event will feature three workshops. The first workshop is titled “The English Major as Preparation for a 21st-Century Career,” and it will run from 11:00 to 12:15.  The second workshop is titled “Publishing a Book,” and it will run from 12:30 to 1:45.  The third workshop is on “Preparing for Graduate School,” and it will run from 2:00 to 3:15.  Please encourage your students to participate in this event.

Quirky Quiz Question —  The Seven Sisters form a famous constellation.  What is the name of this constellation?

Last week’s answer: Emily Dickinson

Myles Hassell taught courses in technical and professional communication in the Department of English, but he had a wide range of interests.  He and Joan collected antiques, and he had a passion for the history of New Orleans.  He also enjoyed literature. He wrote his English M.A. thesis on a famous nineteenth-century American poet who wrote the following poem:

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain:
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

In Memory of Myles Aric Hassell — Myles Hassell, a Lecturer in the Department of English, died unexpectedly from a pulmonary edema on March 2, 2015.  A few days before his death, Myles and I had a long conversation during which he informed me that he had prevailed in his battle against cancer.  He thanked me and the members of the department for supporting him during this struggle.  He talked about how much better he felt, and he wanted to touch base with me about some new ideas he had related to his teaching.

For most of his life, Myles lived in New Orleans.  After graduating from East Jefferson High in Metairie, LA, Myles followed his love of music as a writer, lead vocalist, and guitar player in a band called The Local Traffic, performing shows in the greater New Orleans area. He received both his B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of New Orleans, where he also earned his M.B.A.  He taught as an instructor at UNO in traditional, blended, and online learning environments for many years.  His workplace experience included caseload management for the Louisiana Division of Family Services; employment counseling for Snelling Personnel Services; and retail, national account, and government sales of office machines and systems, representing manufacturers such as Pitney Bowes, Canon, and Sharp. As an entrepreneur for over 15 years, he composed extensive support materials for business textbooks and study guides.

Myles and his wife of 24 years, Joan Hassell, moved to the Charlotte area after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their home in New Orleans.  After teaching at UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler  MBA program, he started teaching in UNC Charlotte’s Department of English as an adjunct faculty member in 2012; in 2014 he became a full-time Lecturer in the area of technical and professional communication.

In 2015 Myles was diagnosed with cancer, but he continued to teach throughout his treatment process. Even though I encouraged him to take a medical leave, he wanted to keep teaching.  We talked on numerous occasions about his treatment process, and I could tell that he was absolutely determined to win his battle against cancer.  He succeeded.  His passing should not take away from his hard-fought victory.

During what proved to be our final conversation, I was struck by Myles’s courage, optimism, consideration, collegiality, and dedication to his students.   He will be missed.

Promoting Literacy — The fifth annual Seuss-a-Thon will take place this coming Saturday, March 5, at Park Road Books (4139 Park Road) from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. During this event, participants will read Dr. Seuss books aloud to children in a marathon fashion for four continuous hours. Children will also have opportunities to do Dr. Seuss-related craft projects.

In organizing the Seuss-a-Thons, I am trying to promote literacy in the Charlotte community. For me, literacy involves much more than teaching children how to read and write. A literate person, in my opinion, not only has the ability to read and write but also has an appreciation of the written word. By facilitating the sharing of Dr. Seuss books with children, I hope, in some small way, to help children develop an appreciation for stories and to encourage them to play with words. I hope to see you there.

English Major Day — This year’s English Major Day will take place on March 22 (Tuesday) in Fretwell 290B. This annual event will feature three workshops. The first workshop is titled “The English Major as Preparation for a 21st-Century Career,” and it will run from 11:00 to 12:15. The second workshop is titled “Publishing a Book,” and it will run from 12:30 to 1:45. The third workshop is on “Preparing for Graduate School,” and it will run from 2:00 to 3:15. Please encourage your students to participate in this event. My thanks go to Kirk Melnikoff and the members of the Undergraduate Committee for organizing this event.

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:

Paula Connolly’s Slavery in American Children’s Literature, 1790-2010 just received a very positive review. The review appeared in American Literature (87.2) 2015.

Bonnie Shishko, one of our part-time faculty members, recently published a book review of Dickens and the Imagined Child. The review appeared in the Children’s Literature Association Quarterly.

Quirky Quiz Question — A new Dr. Seuss book was just published last year. Does anybody know the title of this new picture book?

Last week’s answer: Truman Capote

Harper Lee based some of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird on real people. The character of Dill is based on her childhood friend who went on to become a famous author. Does anybody know the name of the real person upon whom the character of Dill is based?

To Kill a Mockingbird and Childhood Memories — The recent death of Harper Lee brought up many memories of my various encounters with To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel originally published in 1960.  About five years after the book came out, my father decided to read it aloud to my brother, my sister, and me.  We were all attending a small elementary school in the mountains of Colorado at the time, and none of us had ever visited the South or knew much about the history of racial prejudice, but the book still resonated with all three of us.  I contacted my brother and sister after learning of Lee’s death, and I asked them if they remembered Dad reading the book to us.  They both were able to bring up memories from our first encounter with Lee’s classic story.

My most distinct memories of hearing the book read aloud all involve the child characters in the story:  Scout, the protagonist; Jem, Scout’s older brother; and Dill, their neighbor.  I generally identified with boy characters during my childhood, but I remember liking Scout the most of all of the characters in the book.  I liked Scout’s inquisitiveness, her playfulness, and her sense of fairness.   Her willingness to be daring appealed to me as a boy and still appeals to me.  In fact, Scout was one of my favorite fictional characters from my childhood.

There was also something special about having my father read this book aloud to my siblings and me.   As everyone knows who has read this book, To Kill a Mockingbird celebrates the relationship between a father and his children.  The fact that my father chose to share this book with my siblings and me caused me to associate my father with Scout’s father–Atticus Finch.   My father was an eccentric dentist, not a small-town lawyer like Atticus, but I know that my father shared Atticus’s sense of decency and commitment to due process.  Even as a child, I understood that this book clearly meant a great deal to my father, and in my childhood mind, I sort of conflated Atticus Finch and my father.

I have since reread the book several times as an adult, and a few years ago I taught it in a graduate seminar on Growing Up in the South.  As an adult, I am more aware of the historical and political elements in the book, but I still think that Lee’s depiction of child characters is one the most appealing aspects of Lee’s novel.  Her child characters ring true.  Scout, Jem and Dill still seem like real people to me.  I will always feel a sense of debt to my father for introducing me to my friend Scout.  As far as I am concerned, Scout and I are still friends.

CLGO Book Drive — Recently the Children’s Literature Graduate Organization (CLGO) has partnered with Smart Start of Mecklenburg County to promote child and adolescent literacy by hosting a book drive. CLGO will be receiving new or gently used books throughout the end of February and beginning of March. Students, faculty and staff can deliver new or gently used books to the Department of English in the box designated “CLGO Book Drive.”

All donated books will be delivered to Smart Start of Mecklenburg County as part of their Reach Out and Read program- a national evidence-based model that makes early literacy a standard part of pediatric primary care with a special emphasis on children who grow up in low-income communities. More specifically, books will be delivered directly to CMC North Park where medical physicians partner with families to develop critical early reading skills in children.

Quirky Quiz Question — Harper Lee based some of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird on real people.  The character of Dill is based on her childhood friend who went on to become a famous author.  Does anybody know the name of the real person upon whom the character of Dill is based?

Last week’s answer: The Audacity of Hope

President Obama’s Dreams from My Father is not the only book he wrote.  In 2006 he published a book about “reclaiming the American dream.”  Does anybody know the title of this book?

Presidents’ Day — When one thinks of academics who study the American Presidency, political scientists and historians usually come to mind, but not English professors. However, several members of our English Department have taken a scholarly interest in particular American Presidents. Given that today is Presidents’ Day, I will provide some information about these professors’ contributions to our understanding of the American Presidency.

Jeffrey Leak regularly teaches a course titled “Reading and Writing the Black Self: Twentieth- and Twenty-First Century African American Autobiography.” One of the autobiographies that he uses in this course is President Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. In a recent email message, Jeffrey discussed his reasons for teaching this text: “The memoir introduces students to a kind of black identity that is literally global. The very idea of the term ‘African American’ is reconfigured through Obama’s African father and white American mother. It pushes students, whatever their racial backgrounds, to think in more thoughtful terms about racial and cultural identity–which in turn complicates their understanding of American identity and citizenship.”

Daniel Shealy has taken a strong interest in President Abraham Lincoln. Daniel’s interest in President Lincoln is tied to his ongoing research on role that Concord, Massachusetts, played in the American Civil War. In November 2014, the Concord Free Public Library opened an exhibit on President Lincoln’s connections to Concord, and they invited Daniel to deliver the keynote lecture for the grand opening of the exhibit. Titled “‘The Pulse of 20 Millions Throbbing in His Heart’: Abraham Lincoln and Concord’s Civil War,” this lecture attracted a large an appreciative audience as well as local media attention.

Both Jeffrey and Daniel have shown how the study of American Presidents can help us gain a better understanding of the larger political and cultural forces that shape our history. Of course, this is quite a challenge, but this is not a job for Superman–it’s a job for English professors.

CLGO Spring Colloquium — The Children’s Literature Graduate Organization (CLGO) is holding its Spring Colloquium on Friday, February 19 from 9:00 to 2:00 in the Center for Graduate Life (Cone 268). Titled “Difference, Other, and Activism: A Colloquium on Expressions of Identity in Children’s and Young Adult Literature,” this event will feature presentations by several of our graduate students as well as an MA student from the University of New Hampshire, and two Ph.D. students from UNC Chapel Hill. The event will also include a faculty panel, featuring Paula Connolly, Janaka Lewis, and Sarah Minslow.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:

February 16 — Sigma Tau Delta is sponsoring a social event called Pizza & Paperbacks. The event will take place in on Tuesday, February 16, from 11:30 to 1:30 in Fretwell 290B. Participants are asked to bring a paperback version of one of their favorite books along with a note explaining why they like the book. Participants will then exchange their book with another person’s book. Free pizza will be provided.

February 16 — Jeffrey Leak will deliver a presentation on his book Visible Man: The Life of Henry Dumas as part of the Personally Speaking Series. The event will take place at UNC Charlotte Center City on Tuesday, February 16, at 6:30 pm.

February 16 — The UNC Charlotte Faculty and Staff production, “Tales From Down There” featuring the work of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues & A Memory, Monologue, Rant & Prayer, will be presented on Tuesday, February 16 at 7pm in McKnight Hall, Cone Center. The performers include Angie Williams, Janaka Lewis, and Tiffany Morin from the English Department as well as Alison Walsh, honorary English Department member.

Quirky Quiz Question — President Obama’s Dreams from My Father is not the only book he wrote. In 2006 he published a book about “reclaiming the American dream.” Does anybody know the title of this book?

Last week’s answer: the monkey

There is always an animal associated with the Chinese New Year. These animals are tied to the Chinese Zodiac. What animal is associated with this Chinese New Year?

The Year of Jeffrey Leak — The Chinese New Year is celebrated today. This February is also special because it has 29 days, which means that this is Leap Year. For those of us in the English Department, however, the Chinese New Year and Leap Year are overshadowed by the Year of Jeffrey Leak.

This is a special year for Jeffrey. Not only is he serving as the Faculty President this year, but he is also representing the English Department in this year’s Personally Speaking Series. Co-sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and J. Murrey Atkins Library, the Personally Speaking Series features CLAS authors who recently published books. Jeffrey will be delivering a presentation about his book Visible Man: The Life of Henry Dumas. The event will take place at UNC Charlotte Center City on Tuesday, February 16, at 6:30 pm. The event is free but reservations are requested. To RSVP, please click on the following link: http://clas.uncc.edu/engagement/personally-speaking/visible-man

Susan Gardner’s Big Move — As most of you know, Susan Gardner retired from the English Department several years ago, but she has been teaching as an adjunct faculty member for the English Department and the American Studies Program since her retirement. However, Susan is about to make a big change in her life. This Friday she will move to a retirement community in New Hampshire. I know that I speak on behalf of the English Department in wishing her all the best as she relocates to New Hampshire.

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:

Sarah Minslow is being honored today at a university-wide reception to recognize the faculty and staff who received the most nominations for making “the most significant, positive contribution to their education.” Sarah was nominated by 19 students.

Jen Munroe was named the English Graduate Student Association’s Professor of the Year. This award recognizes an English professor who does an excellent job of teaching and mentoring graduate students. The winner is selected by our own graduate students. Jen was presented this award at the 16th Annual EGSA Conference, which took place on February 5, 2016.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is a date to keep in mind:

February 16 — The UNC Charlotte Faculty and Staff production, “Tales From Down There” featuring the work of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues & A Memory, Monologue, Rant & Prayer, will be presented on Tuesday, February 16 at 7pm in McKnight Hall, Cone Center. The performers include Angie Williams, Janaka Lewis, and Tiffany Morin from the English Department as well as Alison Walsh, honorary English Department member.

Quirky Quiz Question — There is always an animal associated with the Chinese New Year. These animals are tied to the Chinese Zodiac. What animal is associated with this Chinese New Year?

Last week’s answer: Julian Mason
Dr. Mary Harper was not the only member of the English Department to focus on African American literature during the department’s early years. Another faculty member from this time period became well known for editing The Poems of Phillis Wheatley. Can you name this former faculty member?

Given that February is African American History Month, I think it is fitting to devote today’s Monday Missive to celebrating Dr. Mary Harper’s lasting contributions to the history of our English Department. Dr. Harper joined the English Department in the early 1970s and continued to teach in our department until her retirement in the early 1990s. She played a pivotal role in creating and teaching the first African American literature classes in our department. I contacted two faculty members who worked with Dr. Harper and asked them to comment on her contributions to our department and the larger university.

In her comments, Dr. Sandra Govan stressed Dr. Harper’s commitment to teaching:

As the “first” Black full-time faculty member in the English Department, Mary’s contributions were many and varied. She was a consummate classroom teacher, always thoroughly prepared to not just provide information to her students but to hold them accountable for their learning. Back in the day, we did not have the toys and tools that people use now. The relationship between student and teacher was one of trust and teamwork. Part of that team effort is that students understood that learning is a participatory two-way process. As a great teacher, Mary built foundations with students. They understood that a large part of her role was to challenge them, to have expectations of them, and to demand in her classrooms that students rise to meet those expectations. Their best effort was what she demanded. Mary was creative and responsive in the classroom. Her students read and wrote many different types of assignments, and Mary responded to everything they wrote–multiple papers, presentations, and classroom projects.

In her comments, Dr. Boyd Davis recalls how Dr. Harper’s commitment to teaching benefited her fellow faculty members as well as the students:

I want to talk about how Mary raised the bar for everyone teaching lower division courses – and in those days, that was literally everyone in the department. I was lucky enough to team teach a course with her. What was most exciting was the way Mary planned each segment of the course and each presentation to incorporate music, art, history and science as necessary components for fully literate comprehension of a topic. Every writing assignment, in each and every draft, was fully contextualized. Were we working with a play by Shakespeare or Marlowe? Then the students had to create the broadsides reviewing the plays and players, warning about current diseases, reminding of current food shortages, admonishing raucous behavior at the playhouses. Were we working with a short story, such as “Sonny’s Blues”? Mary brought in carefully chosen paintings from her own collection of emerging artists, and we invited local musicians to play the blues. Students interviewed each other about the experiences they had had, comparing them to the powerful images in the short story.

Mary was and is wickedly funny, a colleague and dear friend. Her students still come back to see her, their mentor. She either scared them or loved them into excellence, they were never quite sure which – but they revered her then and now. And so do those of us who worked with her.

Dr. Harper also worked with faculty members from other departments, including Dr. Herman Thomas from the Department of Religious Studies. The two of them often collaborated on programs and projects, and now they are being jointly honored with the establishment of the Harper-Thomas Legacy Endowment for Study Abroad. This fund will be a perpetual merit-based award to support students’ international educational experiences with preference given to self-identified first-generation college students from underrepresented populations. Depending on the demand for the scholarship and the strength of the applications, the award could support up to six scholars. To donate with a credit card, please go to giving.uncc.edu and select “College of Liberal Arts & Sciences” from the dropdown field and click the “Submit” button. On the following page, select “Harper-Thomas Legacy Endowment (H10401)” from the dropdown field, enter the amount you wish to donate and click the “Proceed to the next step” button to complete your donation online. For more information about the Harper-Thomas Legacy Endowment, please click on the following link: http://clas.uncc.edu/alumni-friends/harper-thomas-legacy-endowment

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:

Jarred Hamilton, a senior English major, presented the paper titled “Delacroix and His Portrayal of the African Servant” at the 5th Annual Undergraduate Art History Symposium celebrated at UNC Charlotte’s campus last Friday.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here is a date to keep in mind:

February 5 — The English Graduate Student Association is hosting its 16th annual conference this upcoming Friday, February 5th at the Student Union. Registration begins at 9:30.

Quirky Quiz Question — Dr. Mary Harper was not the only member of the English Department to focus on African American literature during the department’s early years. Another faculty member from this time period became well known for editing The Poems of Phillis Wheatley. Can you name this former faculty member?

Last week’s answer: HAMLET

Shakespeare once wrote the following line: “The play’s the thing.” Can you name the work by Shakespeare in which this line appears?

The Rise and Fall of a Tower — As I walked back to Fretwell after visiting Atkins Library last week, I encountered a tour group led by one of the backwards-walking students employed by the admissions office.  “Here,” said the backwards-walking student, “is where the Belk Tower used to be.”  I could tell that she wanted to give the rest of her Belk Tower spiel, but she just paused for a few awkward moments and then carried on with her tour. Like the backwards-walking student, I feel a bit disoriented by the sudden disappearance of the Belk Tower.

Built in 1970, the Belk Tower served as a campus focal point for nearly a half-century.  In many ways, however, its history extended back much, much further into the past.  The historical roots of the Belk Tower can be traced back to the soaring obelisks that the ancient Egyptians built.  These obelisks were part of the Egyptians’ passion for monumental architecture.  By building structures that soared into the heavens, the Egyptians expressed their ambitions and staked their claim to greatness.  Ever since, such structures have played similar roles but in many different contexts.  It is no coincidence that the Washington Monument resembles an Egyptian obelisk.  The Belk Tower, although not an obelisk, also served as an expression of ambition and a claim to greatness.  My hope is that the symbolism associated with the Belk Tower will continue to resonate with the members of our campus even though the tower itself is now memory.

Last week’s answer: Austin City Limits

In addition to hosting this year’s MLA Convention, Austin is featured in a popular music program that is televised on PBS.  What is the name of this program?