A Piece of Poe History

By Anton Vander Zee | Published: April 28, 2012

Professor Scott Peeples took students in his senior seminar–Poe, Place and History–to Poe’s Tavern on Sullivan’s island, close to where the author was stationed on Fort Moultrie in 1827. Poe’s presence haunts the tavern: specialty burgers include the Pit & Pendulum and the Tell-Tale Heart, and the bathrooms are wallpapered in Poe’s prose. You can read more about Professor Peeples’s views on the new Poe film “The Raven” here, and check out the video documenting this literary field trip below.

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English Students Honored

By E. Rosko | Published: April 27, 2012

The faculty of the Department of English are delighted to congratulate the following individuals who have excelled in their academic studies as English majors at the College of Charleston.

Sigma Tau Delta National English Honor Society Inductees:
Hannah Albenesius
Rebecca Anderson
Shaina Anderson
Max Arpadi
Margaret Bacon
Simone Bodmer-Turner
Fiona Carlisle
Morgann Collins
William Cowley
Grace Evelyn
Sarah Goad
Cara Beth Heath
Morgan Mikolajczyk
Cherisse Tabb
Rebecca Turner
Kaitlyn Weldon

Departmental Honors
For students who earn 12 hours in English 399, 400, 404, 499 and a 3.5 GPA in all major coursework.
Crystal Frost
Barrett Lipkin
Katherine Sophia Russell

English Department’s HSS Scholars
Awarded to top students from each major within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Crystal Frost
Matt Pruitt

Anna B. Katona Award in American Literature
Crystal Frost

English Department’s 2011-2012 Outstanding Students
Autumn Bennett
Charles Carmody
Sophia Fitzpatrick
Crystal Frost
Anna Dorothea Hudson
Matt Pruitt
Raena Shirali
Emily Sorge

Transfer Student Academic Achievement Award
Jennifer Morgan Whiteside

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Students Move On to Grad School in Creative Writing

By E. Rosko | Published: April 24, 2012

Congratulations to the following English majors/Creative Writing concentrators who have been accepted to a graduate program in Creative Writing:

Jamie Carr (’12), Portland State University for an M.F.A. in Fiction.

Jennifer Julian,  University of Missouri for a Ph.D. in English & Creative Writing.

Morgan O’Grady (’12), West Virginia University for an M.F.A. in Poetry.

Amy Sauber (’10), University of New Hampshire for an M.F.A. in Fiction.

Raena Shirali (’12), Ohio State University for an M.F.A. in Poetry.

Emily Sorge, North Carolina State for an M.F.A. in Fiction.

 
We wish you all the best with your writing and studies!

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What Do English Professors Do?

By Anton Vander Zee | Published: February 29, 2012

Well, according to the title of a recent write-up (courtesy of the College of Charleston’s newswire) touting the 7 books that members of the Department have released this academic year alone: “English Professors Publish Books.”

Amongst other things, of course. But the no-nonsense title offers a useful reminder to our students–a ready excuse, of sorts, for those times that we take half a day to respond to an e-mail, or a few extra days to grade those response papers. Rest assured: what might seem to be a professor’s Hamlet-like delay (for word-puzzle fans out there, two key anagrams for “English Department” include “Endearment’s Plight” and, yes, “Pretending Hamlets”) is most likely some form of intense literary industry.

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Writer Lauren Krouse Accepted to the Prague Summer Program

By E. Rosko | Published: February 17, 2012

Lauren Krouse, a Junior in English/Creative Writing, has been accepted to the Prague Summer Program for nonfiction and poetry writing, and she was awarded the John Woods Scholarship to attend. This is a nationally competitive program, and it is a rare honor for an undergraduate to be accepted.  Congratulations, Lauren!

You can read Lauren’s essay, “A Taste of True Hospitality,” on her travels last May as part of the Creative Writing Study Abroad in Spoleto, Italy.

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English Student Cara Beth Heath’s Play Wins Big, Moves to Final Round

By Anton Vander Zee | Published: February 16, 2012

College of Charleston English Major Cara Beth Heath (’13) has won first prize in the regional competition of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival’s 10-minute play contest, which was held in Daytona the first week in February. Cara Beth, a student of the Honors College, earned a spot in the finals by competing against other student playwrights from all across the southeast.  Cara Beth will attend the KCACTF national conference at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. this summer where her winning play Bullet will be staged. Good luck, and congratulations to Cara Beth!

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The Latest Publication from the Writing Lab

By Anton Vander Zee | Published: February 5, 2012

Congratulations to English Professor Dr. Bonnie Devet on the most recent publication emerging from the Writing Lab (the latest of 17 and counting). Dr. Devet and former student consultant Alison Barbiero published their article, “Dear Labby: Stressing Interpersonal Relationships in a Writing Lab,” in the most recent issue of The Writing Lab Newsletter. To read more about this article and and how it reflects the collaborative ethos of the Writing Lab more generally, head over to the generous write-up over at College’s News and Events site.

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postmedieval awarded “Best New Journal”

By E. Rosko | Published: February 3, 2012

Congratulations to Dr. Myra Seaman, editor of the scholarly journal postmedieval: a journal of medieval cultural studies published by Palgrave Macmillan, which garnered the 2011 PROSE Award (sponsored by the Association of American Publishers) for “Best New Journal in Social Sciences and Humanities”!

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Charleston’s Post and Courier on Bret Lott’s forthcoming DEAD LOW TIDE

By Anton Vander Zee | Published: January 12, 2012

Too eager to wait for the official release of Bret Lott’s forthcoming Dead Low Tide (Random House), the Post and Courier‘s Bill Thompson sets the stage for the forthcoming novel–a long-awaited sequel to Lott’s The Hunt Club (1999)–and collects some of Lott’s thoughts on life, writing, and reading. Thompson also revisits a low-country education scandal of sorts that saw Lott’s previous book nearly banned locally. Such censorship, as any good English Professor knows, is the mark of many lasting works of literature, and, moreover, such books rarely disappoint. We’re looking forward to the sequel!  From Thompson’s write-up: Read More »

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Susan Farrell Publishes a CRITICAL COMPANION TO TIM O’BRIEN

By Anton Vander Zee | Published: November 7, 2011

The English Department celebrates the publication of yet another faculty title to be released this semester: Susan Farrell’s Critical Companion to Tim O’Brien, a comprehensive guide to the life and work of an author whose place in the canon of American literature is increasingly ensured by his works’ consistent appearance in college and high-school syllabi and by the growing body of critical reflection surrounding his work.

Farrell’s book contains: a concise biography; overviews of all O’Brien’s published work; entries on cultural, historical, geographical, and political background among other topical matters relating to O’Brien’s work; a complete chronology; and comprehensive biographies of O’Brien’s published work and critical studies addressing that work.

In her introduction to the volume, Farrell describes the scope of O’Brien’s accomplishment as a writer and explains why his work has been so influential–and why it will continue to resonate with readers in the decades to come: Read More »

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