Storied Charlotte
Storied Charlotte
  • Home
  • Storied Charlotte
  • Monday Missive

Contact Me

Office: Fretwell 290D
Phone: 704-687-0618
Email: miwest@uncc.edu

Links

  • A Reader’s Guide to Fiction and Nonfiction books by Charlotte area authors
  • Charlotte book art
  • Charlotte Lit
  • Charlotte Readers Podcast
  • Charlotte Writers Club
  • Column on Reading Aloud
  • Department of English
  • JFK/Harry Golden column
  • Park Road Books
  • Storied Charlotte YouTube channel
  • The Charlotte History Tool Kit
  • The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Story

Archives

  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013

Monday Missive - March 5, 2018

March 05, 2018 by Mark West
Categories: Monday Missive
Movie Dates — Movie viewing figures in the development of many relationships, and the relationship between the English Department and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is no exception.  Our English Department has collaborated with the public library on a variety of individual projects over the years, but we have never collaborated on anything as ambitious as the upcoming film series tied to our joint project on “The Child in Southern Literature and Film.”  Supported by a major grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, this film series is being organized by Sam Shapiro, who serves as a Library Coordinator/Supervisor with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and who also teaches films courses in the English Department as a part-time faculty member.  The film series kicks off with a showing of Beasts of the Southern Wild on Saturday, March 10, at 2:00 p.m. in the Main Library’s Francis Auditorium.

Beasts of the Southern Wild made its debut in 2012 and went on to be nominated for four Academy Awards.  Set in an isolated community deep in the Louisiana bayou, this film deals with the impact of global warming through the experiences of a six-year-old girl named Hushpuppy.  The film has a dreamlike quality, but the central character is very true to life.  At its core, this film depicts a resilient child attempting to carve out a future in a world beset by problems that are not of her own making.

The film series will run through the middle of May. The next film in the series is To Kill a Mockingbird, which will be shown on March 24.  The third film, Sounder, will be shown on April 7, followed by The Reivers on April 14 and Night of the Hunter on May 12.  All of the films will be shown in the Main Library’s Francis Auditorium and will start at 2:00 p.m.  I hope these dates work for you and that I will see you at the movies.

Kudos  — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department.  Here is the latest news:

Boyd Davis recently published a co-authored article titled “A Triangulated Qualitative Study of Veteran Decision-Making to Seek Care During Heart Failure Exacerbation:  Implication of Dual Health System in Use,” which appeared in Inquiry:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29482411

Aaron Toscano
 recently presented a paper titled “The Video Game as Political Scapegoat: Anxieties, Contradictions, and Hyperbole” at the Popular Culture Association Conference held in Charleston, South Carolina.  

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about an upcoming event:

April 10 — The English Department will be hosting Leslie Howsam, one of the most renowned historians of the book in North America, to give an open talk titled: “Book History: a Niche for Nerds, or Essential Knowledge?” on April 10th at 4:00 pm in the Atkins Library (Halton Room).

Quirky Quiz Question —  One of the films featured in the upcoming film series is The Reivers.  Do you know the name of the author who wrote the novel upon which this film is based?

Last week’s answer: He spelled his name Geisel backwards publishing as Theo LeSieg.

Dr. Seuss is one of Theodor Seuss Giesel’s pen names, but it is not his only pen name.  He often used another pan name for the beginner books that he wrote but did not illustrate.  What pen name did he use for these books?  

Monday Missive - February 26, 2018

February 26, 2018 by Mark West
Categories: Monday Missive

Making Connections at the Seuss-a-Thon —  The Seventh Annual Seuss-a-Thon will take place this coming Saturday, March 3, at Park Road Books from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  This community event is co-sponsored by the English Department and Park Road Books, Charlotte’s only full-service, independent bookstore.  As such, it represents a cultural connection between our department and the larger Charlotte community.  However, there are many other ways in which the Seuss-a-Thon serves as a connecting point.

The Seuss-a-Thon brings children and adults together to share stories, celebrate word play, and collaborate on creative projects.  By reading Dr. Seuss stories aloud to children, the adult participants in the Seuss-a-Thon forge connections with the children who are listening to the stories.  We often think of reading as a solitary activity, but during the Suess-a-Thon reading is a shared experience.

Although the Seuss-a-Thon is organized by the English Department, it involves the participation of people who are not associated with the English Department but who feel connected to the work of our department.  Among this year’s participants are members of UNC Charlotte’s College of Education, including Ellen McIntyre, the Dean of the of the College of Education.  The event includes participants from the Charlotte Teachers Institute and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.  State Senator Jeff Jackson, a strong advocate for early childhood education programs, plans to participate.  Many people from the Charlotte community, including authors, teachers, and parents of young children, will be participating.

A number of our students are also contributing to this year’s Seuss-a-Thon.  The members of the Children’s Literature Graduate Organization and Sigma Tau Delta are taking charge of the arts-and-crafts table. These students will be at the Seuss-a-Thon for the entire four hours, helping children create Dr. Seuss-related art projects.

In a way, the Seuss-a-Thon is functioning as a sort of cultural catalyst.  It is bringing together people who appreciate imaginative stories, and in the process, it is creating a time and place for people to make their own connections with stories and with each other.

Kudos  — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department.  Here is the latest news:

Nadia Clifton, a recent graduate of our M.A, program, published a book review of Young Adult Literature, Libraries, and Conservative Activism in the most recent issue of the Children’s Literature Association Quarterly.  

Boyd Davis is the lead author of two recently published two articles.  One is titled “What We Can Learn from Mismatched and Unexpected Responses to Questions in Interviews with People Who Have TBI,” which appeared in the Journal of Interactional Communication Disorders.  The other is titled “Narrative and Ageing:  Exploring the Range of Narrative Types in Dementia Conversation,” which appeared in the European Journal of English Studies:  http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/i58ZM235YXmYixqnrtH3/full

Cara DeLoach, a recent graduate of our M.A program, published a book review of American Girls and Global Responsibility:  A New Relation to the World during the Early Cold Warin the most recent issue of the Children’s Literature Association Quarterly.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about an upcoming event:

March 5–10 — Spring Recess (no classes)

Quirky Quiz Question —  Dr. Seuss is one of Theodor Seuss Giesel’s pen names, but it is not his only pen name.  He often used another pan name for the beginner books that he wrote but did not illustrate.  What pen name did he use for these books?

Last week’s answer: Scott Gartlan

The English Department supports the Charlotte Teachers Institute by offering seminars and participating in other CTI events.  As a result, the English Department is in frequent contact with CTI’s  Executive Director.  What is this person’s name?

Monday Missive - February 19, 2018

February 19, 2018 by Mark West
Categories: Monday Missive

Educating Educators — Bobbie Cavnar, who received an M.A. in English from our department in 2011, has just been named the nation’s best teacher for 2018 by National Education Association (NEA).  Bobbie is an English teacher at South Point High School in Belmont, North Carolina.   Bobbie received this award on February 9, 2018, in Washington, D.C.  Here is the link to the NEA’s article about Bobbie’s award:  http://neatoday.org/2018/02/12/2018-nea-foundation-gala/

During his graduate studies in our English Department, Bobbie focused on English Renaissance literature, but he also took courses in other areas.  For example, he took my seminar on Children’s Literature Award Winners for which he wrote an excellent paper comparing Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book to Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.  All of us who had Bobbie in our classes remember his passion for literature–a passion that he now shares with the students in his high school English classes.  I know that I speak for the entire English Department in congratulating Bobbie on winning this prestigious and well-deserved award.

Bobbie’s latest award underscores for me our English Department’s connections with area educators.  For example, members of our department regularly lead seminars for area teachers through the Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI).  Over the years, Lil Brannon, Paula Connolly, Jeffrey Leak, Ron Lunsford, Alan Rauch, Ralf Thiede, and I have also led CTI seminars.  Next semester both Sarah Minslow and Alan Rauch will be leading CTI seminars.  Sarah’s seminar is titled “‘A Person’s a Person No Matter How Small’:  Teaching Human Rights,” and Alan’s seminar is titled “Animals, Culture, and Society.”

By regularly leading CTI seminars and by welcoming area teachers in both our undergraduate and graduate courses, our English Department has a long and proud record of educating educators.

Third Annual Transcribation —  The Early Modern Paleography Society (EMPS) will hold its Third Annual Transcribaton this Thursday, February 22, from 9:30 to 4:00 in the Atkins Library VisLab.  Breakfast and pizza will be provided.  At this year’s transcribathon, participants will be working on an anonymous cookbook, published around 1720, from the Folger Shakespeare Library.  The book is not very long, and members of EMPS are hoping to finish transcribing it on Thursday.  Also that day, the participants will finish making the ink that was started at last week’s EMPS meeting.  The ink is from an early modern recipe.

Kudos  — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department.  Here is the latest news:

Anita Moss recently published an article titled “In a Deep, Dark Wood:  The Forest in Folk Literature” in the current issue of RISE:  A Children’s Literacy Journal. 

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about an upcoming event:

February 19 — The Faculty/Staff performance of “Tales From Down There” will be on Monday, February 19 at 7pm in McKnight Hall. This performance will include appearances by the following people associated with the English Department: Janaka Lewis, Tiffany Morin, Angie Williams, Alison Walsh, and Shannon Bauerle. Advanced tickets can be purchased on-line at https://goo.gl/V6SYwq or with cash only at the door.

Quirky Quiz Question —  The English Department supports the Charlotte Teachers Institute by offering seminars and participating in other CTI events.  As a result, the English Department is in frequent contact with CTI’s  Executive Director.  What is this person’s name?

Last week’s answer: Antoni Gaudí

The upcoming panel presentation about the current situation in Catalonia reminds me of a trip my wife and took to this part of the world a few years ago. While we were there, we visited several buildings designed by Catalonia’s most famous architect.  Does anybody know the name of this famous architect?

 

Monday Missive - February 12, 2018

February 12, 2018 by Mark West
Categories: Monday Missive

Fostering International Understanding — Shortly after the end of World War II, J. William Fulbright, a senator from Arkansas, introduced a bill calling for the establishment of an international exchange program intended to promote “international good will” through the exchange of educators and students “in the fields of education, culture, and science.”   It passed, and in 1946 President Harry S. Truman signed the bill, known as the Fulbright Act, into law.  In the more than seventy years since then, the Fulbright Program has become, to quote from its official website, “the flagship international exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”  I mention this history not only because Liz Miller has just been awarded a 2018-19 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Grant, but also because the English Department regularly promotes the goals of the Fulbright Program.

For her Fulbright research project, Liz Miller will focus on the topic of second-language acquisition among immigrants in Germany.  This project relates directly to the research she did for her monograph titled The Language of Adult Immigrants:  Agency in the Making.  The research that she plans to do in Germany will nicely complement the research she has already completed on immigrants to the United States, and it will add a valuable international dimension to her research.

A few days after Liz learned the good news about her Fulbright, Juan Meneses brought a guest speaker from Russia to his classes.  Olga Nesmelova, a professor and chair of Russian and World Literature at Kazan Federal University in Russia, visited Juan’s world literature classes last week.  She gave a lecture titled “The Reception of American Literature in Russia,” in which she provided Juan’s students with an overview of how U.S. literature, particularly fiction, has been translated, read by the general public, and studied by academics in Russia throughout the last century.

This week Pilar Blitvich and Juan Meneses will be sharing their unique international insights into the current situation in Catalonia.  Both Pilar and Juan are serving as panelists on a public panel discussion titled “Catalonia:  A Panel Information Session about Spain’s Current Political Turmoil.”  Since Pilar and Juan both grew up in Spain and still have many personal and professional connections in Spain, they are in a particularly good position to comment on the political events that are currently unfolding in Spain.  The panel discussion will take place on February 13, 2018, at 5:15 in the Cone Center, Room 210A.  For more information, please click on the following link:  https://inside.uncc.edu/events/panelists-discuss-%E2%80%98political-turmoil%E2%80%99-around-catalonia-spain

As these three recent examples demonstrate, many members of the English Department try in their own way to support Senator Fulbright’s goal of fostering international understanding.

Kudos  — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department.  Here is the latest news:

Christine Arvidson recently published a poem titled “A Question of Definitions: What Dictionaries Can Tell Us About Unity” in the anthology Voices on Unity: Coming Together, Falling Apart, which is from Mountain State Press.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about an upcoming event:

February 19 — The Faculty/Staff performance of “Tales From Down There” will be on Monday, February 19 at 7pm in McKnight Hall. This performance will include appearances by the following people associated with the English Department: Janaka Lewis, Tiffany Morin, Angie Williams, Alison Walsh, and Shannon Bauerle. Advanced tickets can be purchased on-line at https://goo.gl/V6SYwq or with cash only at the door.

Quirky Quiz Question —  The upcoming panel presentation about the current situation in Catalonia reminds me of a trip my wife and took to this part of the world a few years ago. While we were there, we visited several buildings designed by Catalonia’s most famous architect.  Does anybody know the name of this famous architect?

Last week’s answer: Gaffney

South Carolina is not only the home to Dori Sanders’s peach farm, but it is also home to a famous peach-shaped water tower called the Peachoid.  In what town is the Peachoid located?

Monday Missive - February 5, 2018

February 05, 2018 by Mark West
Categories: Monday Missive

Dori Sanders’s Writings — February is Black History Month (also known as African American History Month), which makes this a fitting time to celebrate the writings of Dori Sanders, one of the Charlotte-area’s most influential African American authors.  Born just south of Charlotte in York County, South Carolina, Sanders has spent the majority of her life growing and selling peaches on land that her family has owned since 1915.  Although Sanders sees herself primarily as a peach farmer, she has written three notable books:  Clover, a children’s novel published in 1990; Her Own Place, a novel for adults published in 1993; and Dori Sanders’ Country Cooking:  Recipes and Stories from the Family Farm Stand, published in 1995.

The growing and preparation of food figures prominently in all three of Sanders’s books, but in Clover food takes on added significance.  In this novel, food functions as a nonverbal language.  The characters use food to communicate their feelings toward each other.  Ten-year-old Clover Hill, the novel’s central character, learns about her extended family through the medium of food.

This week Joanne Joy will discuss the importance of food in Clover as part of the kick-off for the program on “The Southern Child in Literature and Film.”  Joanne will deliver a presentation titled “Lessons at the Southern Table:  The Fusion of Childhood and Food in Dori Sanders’s Clover.”  This event will take place on Thursday, February 8, 2018, at 5:00 p.m. in the Atkins Library’s Halton Reading Room.  For more information about this event, please click on the following link:  https://exchange.uncc.edu/event/the-child-character-in-southern-literature-and-film/

Kudos  — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department.  Here is the latest news:

Bryn Chancellor’s novel Sycamore has just been released in paperback with Harper Perennial; it includes a P.S. section with discussion questions, an author Q&A, and author recommendations for books about small towns. Central Piedmont Community Colleges’ Levine Campus selected it for this spring’s inaugural Levine Reads program, a campus-wide common read, and Bryn will visit the campus as part of CPCC’s Sensoria arts and literature festival in April to discuss the book with students, faculty, and staff. https://sensoria.cpcc.edu/

Sara Eudy, one of our graduate students, recently published an article titled “The Language of Diaspora:  Multiraciality and Resistance in Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” in The Sigma Tau Delta Review.

Allison Hutchcraft and Juan Meneses have published four translations of contemporary Spanish poet Concha García’s poems in the Winter 2018 issue of West Branch.

Becky Roeder was named the Graduate Professor of the Year by the English Graduate Student Association at their 18th annual conference.

Sam Shapiro, one of our part-time faculty members, recently published a book review of Denis Johnson’s short story collection titled The Largesse of the Sea Maiden in the book section of The Raleigh News and Observer.  

Daniel Shealy recently published an article titled “‘Lost in the Hurly-Burly’:  Louisa May Alcott’s Jamie’s Wonder Book” in Resources for American Literary Scholarship.  

Lara Vetter‘s A Curious Peril: H.D.’s Late Modernist Prose, has just received a 2017 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award.  According to Choice, books that receive this award are selected for their excellence in scholarship and presentation, significance of contribution to the field, and value as an important—often first—treatment of their subject. Only nine percent of the titles reviewed by Choice during the past year, and two percent of the more than 25,000 titles submitted to Choice over the same period, constitute Outstanding Academic Titles.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about upcoming events and deadlines:

February 6 — The UNC Charlotte Alumni Association is sponsoring a program called “A Fireside Chat with Bryn Chancellor.”  During this event, Bryn will discuss her debut novel, Sycamore.  The event will take place on February 6, 2018, in the Harris Alumni Center from 5:30 to 7:00.  The event is free, but registration is required.  For more information, please click on the following link:  https://49eralumni.uncc.edu/s/1721/interior.aspx?sid=1721&pgid=1306&gid=2&cid=3574&ecid=3574&post_id=0

Quirky Quiz Question —  South Carolina is not only the home to Dori Sanders’s peach farm, but it is also home to a famous peach-shaped water tower called the Peachoid.  In what town is the Peachoid located?

Last week’s answer: Julian Mason

Every year the English Department gives an award to an outstanding graduate student with an interest in Southern literature.  Do you know the former faculty member for whom this award is named?

Monday Missive - January 29, 2018

January 29, 2018 by Mark West
Categories: Monday Missive

The Southern Child in Literature and Film — Our English Department has a long tradition of promoting the study of Southern literature and culture.  In 1977, the English Department officially added to the university catalog an upper-level course titled “Literature of the American South,” and ever since then, members of our faculty have been teaching courses and conducting scholarship on Southern literature.  In keeping with this forty-year history, the English Department is about to launch a series of cultural events under the heading of “The Southern Child in Literature and Film.”  Supported by a major grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council and co-sponsored by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, these events will be open to the public and will take place at various venues both on campus and in the Charlotte community.

The kick-off event will take place on Thursday, February 8, 2018, at 5:00 p.m. in the Atkins Library’s Halton Reading Room. This event is tied to a special issue of The Southern Quarterly that I recently guest edited on “Children in the South.”  Three of the contributors to this special issue will give presentations related to their articles.  Johnathan Alexander will give a talk titled “Outside Within:  Growing Up Gay in the South.”  Jan Susina will give a presentation titled “Alabama Bound:  Reading Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird While Southern,” and Joanne Joy will deliver a presentation titled “Lessons at the Southern Table:  The Fusion of Childhood and Food in Dori Sanders’s Clover.”  For more information about this event, please click on the following link:  https://exchange.uncc.edu/event/the-child-character-in-southern-literature-and-film/

This project also involves a film series featuring films set in the South in which child characters play significant roles.  The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is sponsoring this film series, and the films will be shown at library locations.  The details about this film series will be announced soon, but the tentative schedule is listed below:

March 10th:   BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

March 24th:   TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

April 7th:        SOUNDER

April 14th:      THE REIVERS

May 12th:       NIGHT OF THE HUNTER

Several members of the English Department are contributing to the planning and administrative aspects of this project.  Sarah Minslow is playing a key leadership role in all aspects of this project.  Paula Eckard is participating in all of the planning meetings and is coordinating the project’s connections with the American Studies Program.  Sam Shapiro, who teaches film courses for the English Department, is taking responsibility for the film series, and Angie Williams is handling the project’s budget.  We also have two students who are helping with the project–Kelly Brabec and Amy Arnott.  My thanks go to everyone who is helping to make this project a reality.

Kudos  — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department.  Here is the latest news:

Meghan Barnes has put together an impressive string of journal publications in the past few months.  Here is the list of her recent articles that she either wrote or co-wrote:

  • “Mediating the ‘Two-Worlds’ Pitfall Through Critical, Project-Based Clinical Experiences,”The New Educator
  • “Beyond Censorship:  Politics, Teens, and the ELA Teacher Candidates,” English Teaching:  Practice and Critique
  • “Encouraging Interaction and Striving for Reciprocity:  The Challenges of Community-Engaged Projects in Teacher Education,”Teacher and Teacher Education
  • “The Absent Dialogue:  Challenges of Building Reciprocity Through Community Engagement in Teacher Education,” eJournal of Community Engagement

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about upcoming events and deadlines:

February 2 —  The 18th Annual English Graduate Student Conference will take place on February 2, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in UNC Charlotte’s Student Union.

February 6 — The UNC Charlotte Alumni Association is sponsoring a program called “A Fireside Chat with Bryn Chancellor.”  During this event, Bryn will discuss her debut novel, Sycamore.  The event will take place on February 6, 2018, in the Harris Alumni Center from 5:30 to 7:00.  The event is free, but registration is required.  For more information, please click on the following link:  https://49eralumni.uncc.edu/s/1721/interior.aspx?sid=1721&pgid=1306&gid=2&cid=3574&ecid=3574&post_id=0

Quirky Quiz Question — Every year the English Department gives an award to an outstanding graduate student with an interest in Southern literature.  Do you know the former faculty member for whom this award is named?

Last week’s answer: Katie Hogan and Aaron Toscano

Not only are the current leaders of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the Humanities, Technology, and Science Program from the English Department, but so too were the immediate past leaders of these programs.  Can you identify the immediate past leaders of these two interdisciplinary programs?

Monday Missive - January 22, 2018

January 22, 2018 by Mark West
Categories: Monday Missive

Interdisciplinary Studies in the New Millennium — The theme for this year’s English Graduate Student Association (EGSA) conference is “All Roads Lead to Roam: Interdisciplinary Studies in the New Millennium.” The EGSA’s conference will take place on February 2, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in UNC Charlotte’s Student Union. In keeping with the conference theme, the thirty papers listed on the schedule incorporate various interdisciplinary approaches, including book history, film studies, gender studies, political discourse, and race studies. I applaud our graduate students for focusing their conference on interdisciplinary studies.

Narrowly defined academic disciplines took root in American universities during the late 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century. As various fields of study began separating themselves from other fields of study, knowledge became more fragmented and scholars became increasingly isolated from one another. For many years, however, members of our English Department have resisted this trend.

Our English Department has a long history of supporting interdisciplinary studies programs. The American Studies Program, the first interdisciplinary studies program established at UNC Charlotte, was started by Julian Mason, an English professor, in 1975. Members of the English Department have run this program for most of its history. Paula Eckard, for example, has served as the program’s director since 2002. English faculty members currently play leadership roles in several other interdisciplinary studies programs, including Janaka Lewis, who serves as the director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and Alan Rauch, who leads the program in Humanities, Technology, and Science.

The EGSA members made the decision on their own to focus their conference on interdisciplinary studies, but their decision reflects a departmental ethos–an ethos that welcomes interdisciplinary approaches to the study of language usage, literature, and the creation and interpretation of narratives of all sorts. Such is the nature of English studies as it has evolved in our department in the new millennium.

Kudos — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department. Here is the latest news:

Paula Eckard just brought out a new issue of The Thomas Wolfe Review, a journal for which she serves as the main editor.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about upcoming events and deadlines:

February 2 — The 18th Annual English Graduate Student Conference will take place on February 2, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. in UNC Charlotte’s Student Union.

February 6 — The UNC Charlotte Alumni Association is sponsoring a program called “A Fireside Chat with Bryn Chancellor.” During this event, Bryn will discuss her debut novel, Sycamore. The event will take place on February 6, 2018, in the Harris Alumni Center from 5:30 to 7:00. The event is free, but registration is required. For more information, please click on the following link: https://49eralumni.uncc.edu/s/1721/interior.aspx?sid=1721&pgid=1306&gid=2&cid=3574&ecid=3574&post_id=0

Quirky Quiz Question — Not only are the current leaders of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and the Humanities, Technology, and Science Program from the English Department, but so too were the immediate past leaders of these programs. Can you identify the immediate past leaders of these two interdisciplinary programs?

Last week’s answer: Atlanta

Coretta Scott King founded the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.  In what city is the King Center located? 

Monday Missive - January 15, 2018

January 16, 2018 by Mark West
Categories: Monday Missive

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his wife, Coretta Scott King, both cared deeply about the lives of children.  They both fought for the integration of schools, and they both worked to create a society where children could grow up without being judged “by the color of their skin.”  On this year’s Martin Luther King Day, I think it is important that we also honor Coretta Scott King and her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.  Her untiring efforts to advocate for equal educational opportunities for all children is an inspiration for those of us who work in the field of education.

In 1969, a small group of children’s librarians from New Jersey, led by Glyndon Flynt Greer and Mabel McKissick, decided to honor Coretta Scott King by naming a new award after her.   Called the Coretta Scott King Book Award, the award is given to African American authors of outstanding books for children and young adults.  Initially the award recognized only children’s authors, but in 1974 an illustrator award category was added.  In 1982, the American Library Association (ALA) designated the Coretta Scott King Book Awards as officially recognized ALA awards.  For a complete list of the books that have won these awards, please click on the following link:  http://www.ala.org/rt/emiert/coretta-scott-king-book-awards-all-recipients-1970-present

The librarians who founded the Coretta Scott King Books Awards have made a difference.  Not only have they help draw attention to excellent children’s books by African American authors and illustrators, but they have also helped to make sure that we remember and honor Coretta Scott King along with her legendary husband.

Kudos  — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department.  Here is the latest news:

Hiroaki (‘Henri’) Hatayama, who received an MA in English from our department, has just been elected as the new President of J. F. Oberlin University in Machida, a suburb of Tokyo.

Janaka Lewis recently had a chapter titled “Chesnutt’s Ghost” published in the book Approaches to Teaching the Works of Charles W. Chesnutt (MLA).

Alan Rauch recently has a review of The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge published in the Canadian Association of University Teachers Bulletin.  

Quirky Quiz Question — Coretta Scott King founded the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.  In what city is the King Center located?

Last week’s answer: Victor

The name Frankenstein is the last name of the scientist who is the main character in Mary Shelley’s novel.  Does anybody know the first name of this scientist? 

Monday Missive - January 8, 2018

January 08, 2018 by Mark West
Categories: Monday Missive

Celebrating Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the Contributions of Women to Scientific Discourse — Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus first saw print two hundred years ago this month. Written when Shelley was still a teenager, Frankenstein has long been classified as a Gothic novel, but in more recent years it has come to be seen as a pioneering work in the genre of science fiction. The term science fiction had not yet been coined when the book came out in 1818, but Frankenstein is clearly informed by the scientific discourse of its day. Like many contemporary works of science fiction, Frankenstein employs the conventions of fiction to delve into the motivations of scientists and to explore the possible ramifications of scientific research. As a woman writer and as the daughter of the famous feminist philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft, Shelley was keenly aware of gender-based biases, and she incorporated reflections on gender-related issues in Frankenstein. In some ways, Frankenstein is part of a larger conversation about the role of women with respect to scientific discourse.

Several faculty members in our English Department have a professional interest in Shelley’s Frankenstein. Matthew Rowney, for example, is using Frankenstein as the touchstone text of his Approaches to Literature class this semester. He will be applying the various theoretical approaches the course investigates to the novel. In conjunction with this class, he is arranging for a showing of one of the films towards the end of the semester. Alan Rauch is also using Frankenstein in his teaching. This semester he is including the novel as a required text in Writing about Literature. Alan’s interest in Shelley’s novel extends to his scholarship. Some years ago, he published an article titled “The Monstrous Body of Knowledge in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.”

Members of our department are also interested in topic of women’s contributions to scientific discourse. For example, this semester Jen Munroe is teaching an Honors Seminar (that includes some graduate students as well) titled “Gender, Science, and Nature,” which considers the gendering of “science” in the 17th century in England and reorients our understanding of the “rise of science” from the early through later 17th century to include women’s contributions as well as men’s. Jen has written extensively on this topic. Her published essays that deal with this topic include “Mary Somerset and Colonial Botany,” “First ‘Mother of Science’: Milton’s Eve, Knowledge, and Nature,” and “‘My Innocent Diversion of Gardening’: Mary Somerset’s Plants.” Moreover, she is addressing this topic in her current monograph project titled Mothers of Science: Women, Nature, and Writing in Early Modern England, which is an ecofeminist literary history of science that proposes a revaluing of the relationship between women’s everyday practices, nature, and writing in seventeenth-century England. Heather Vorhies is also interested in this topic. She recently taught a graduate seminar that looked at the Rhetoric of Science and that included women writers, and she is currently working on a scholarly project related to the contributions of women to medical communication during the early American republic.

For anyone who is interested in the connections between Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and women’s contributions to scientific discourse, I recommend Debra Benita Shaw’s Women, Science and Fiction: The Frankenstein Inheritance and Jane Donawerth’s Frankenstein’s Daughters: Women Writing Science Fiction.

Kudos — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department. Here is the latest news:

Bryn Chancellor was featured in an article titled “So You Want to Be an Author: Eight Charlotte Writers Tell How They Landed a Big Time Agent,” which recently appeared in The Charlotte Observer. Here is the link: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article193234679.html

Katie Hogan is the author of the following two papers presented at the MLA Conference held in New York City: “Moving Beyond the Urban/Rural Divide in Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home,” and “‘Examine Everything: On Being (a Former) Director of WGSS in a Neoliberal University.”

Lara Vetter presented a paper titled “Sexuality and the Inhuman in Storm Jameson’s In the Second Year” at the MLA Conference held in New York City. Her paper was on the Gender and Women’s Studies Society panel on “Gender, Representation, and Fascism.”

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about upcoming events and deadlines:

January 12 — The English Department meeting will take place on January 12 from 11:00 to 12:15 in the English Department Conference Room.

January 15 — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (university closed)

Quirky Quiz Question — The name Frankenstein is the last name of the scientist who is the main character in Mary Shelley’s novel. Does anybody know the first name of this scientist?

Last week’s answer: UNC Chapel Hill

The university libraries figured prominently in the relationship between Amy Dykeman and Alan Rauch, but a library also played a key role in the relationship between Dick Davis and Boyd Davis.   Dick and Boyd first met in the library at the university where they both earned their doctoral degrees.  Can you name this university?

Monday Missive - January 1, 2018

January 02, 2018 by Mark West
Categories: Monday Missive
Family Losses — I often think of our English Department as a large, extended family–a family that includes not only official members of the department but also many people who are affiliated with the department through their connections with the department’s faculty, staff, and students.  In recent days, our extended departmental family has experienced two losses.  Alan Rauch’s wife, Amy Dykeman, died on December 23, and Boyd Davis’s husband, Richard Davis, died on December 25.  Such losses have a way of bringing up memories.  Here are some of my memories related to Amy and Richard.

I met Amy when she came to UNC Charlotte to interview for the position of Dean of the J. Murray Atkins Library.  Within a few minutes of talking with her, I could tell that she cared deeply about the humanities.  During her years as the Dean of our library, she cultivated a special relationship with the English Department.  She promoted the development of the library’s holdings in literature and other areas related to the mission of the English Department.  As the Dean of the library, she presided over the acquisition of the library’s one millionth volume–a rare first edition of T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land.  Amy helped arrange for Julian and Elsie Mason to donate this volume to the library.  Because Julian taught in our department for many years and served as Chair during the late 1970s and early ’80s, the acquisition of this volume underscored for me Amy’s standing as a friend of our department.  Even after Amy stepped down as Dean because of her illness, I often saw her and Alan at Visarts, a video rental business then located near Amy and Alan’s home.  Amy loved films.

The last time I talked with Amy was at Visarts.  I was there with our son, Gavin.  She chatted with us and recommended a British comedy that she thought Gavin would enjoy watching.  I don’t remember the title of the film, but I remember renting it on her recommendation.  Amy was right.  Gavin enjoyed the film.  This memory sticks with me, for it captures Amy’s love of culture and her impulse to share her knowledge.  I think that Amy was born to be a librarian, and we were fortunate that she played such an important role in leading our library.

I first got to know Richard, who was generally known as Dick, at a gathering at Boyd and Dick’s home.  The gathering was tied to the hiring of Blair Rudes, a linguist who taught in our department for a number of years.  At one point during this event, the conversation turned to linguistics, and I had only a vague idea what everybody else was talking about.  Fortunately, Dick came to my rescue.  We ended up talking at length, during which I found out that he had taught American history at Queens College for many years before pursuing a career with the MecklenburgCounty government.   Dick and I discovered that we shared a concern about censorship, and we talked about this topic while everybody else was talking about linguistics.

The last time I talked with Dick was at one of the department parties that my wife and I host twice a year.  Dick was already in declining health, but he came to the party anyway.  He took up station on our back patio and watched the children play on the slide that is still located in our backyard.  At the time, we had an old golden retriever named Maggie.  Maggie found a friend in Dick, and she sat down next to him.  I remember seeing him pat Maggie as they both kept an eye on the children swooping down the slide.  They both seemed content in a quiet way.  From what Boyd tells me, Dick always cared about children and enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren.   Two of his grandchildren read their new books to him on the day that he died.  As I see it, this is a fitting conclusion to a story about a man who cared deeply about the members of the younger generation and their future.

I know that I speak for everyone in our departmental family in expressing our condolences to Alan and Boyd over the loss of their loved ones.

Kudos  — As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of the English Department.  Here is the latest news:

Sarah Minslow published a chapter titled “Developing Morality by Exploring Social Justice in the Works of Walter Dean Myers” in Critical Insights:  Social Justice and American Literature edited by Jeff Birkenstein and Robert C. Hauhart.

Upcoming Events and Deadlines — Here is information about upcoming events and deadlines:

January 8 — The first day of classes for the Spring 2018 semester is January 8.

January 12 —  The English Department meeting will take place on January 12 from 11:00 to 12:15 in the English Department Conference Room.

Quirky Quiz Question — The university libraries figured prominently in the relationship between Amy Dykeman and Alan Rauch, but a library also played a key role in the relationship between Dick Davis and Boyd Davis.   Dick and Boyd first met in the library at the university where they both earned their doctoral degrees.  Can you name this university?

Last week’s answer: Oh, The Places You Will Go
Dr. Seuss is the author of one of the most popular books given to recent graduates.  What is the title of this book?
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »
Skip to toolbar
  • Log In