zorn receives travel grant

Bill Zorn, Ph.D. student in English/Playwriting, is the recipient of a WMU Graduate College Travel Grant.

switchgrass books gives publishing tips to local authors

Kazoo Books, an independent bookstore owned by Gloria Tiller in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has invited Switchgrass Books, the fiction imprint of Northern Illinois University Press, to participate in a publishing discussion for local authors entitled “You’ve Written a Book—Now What?” The event will take place at the Portage Public Library on March 3, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. Director of Switchgrass Books, J. Alex Schwartz, will inform authors about the publishing process: what an editor looks for in a submission, how to write an appropriate proposal letter, what to expect from a publishing contract, etc. “I love to talk about publishing and am excited to offer advice to local authors who are ready to learn how to polish their manuscripts, submit them to a publisher, and reach the goal of a signed contract,” Schwartz commented. Also participating in the event will be Ann Arbor author Donald Lystra, who published his debut novel Season of Water and Ice with Switchgrass Books in 2009. Lystra will discuss his experience as a first-time author and help the attendees understand what to expect from a publisher. Lystra said, “Though I had published short stories, I learned that maneuvering in the world of publishing where a novel is concerned is much different. The process can be challenging but rewarding, and I look forward to sharing this with other authors.” The event is free and open to the public. Local authors interested in learning how to publish their books should attend this unique event in which they can learn from a publisher and a local published author. “Attendees should find the evening to be incredibly informative, whether they have only considered publishing a book or have already been published. Having insight from a regional publisher and a recently published author will be invaluable,” stated Tiller. If you have questions, please contact Gloria at Kazoo Books at gloria@kazoobooks.com.For more information about the participants in the event, please visit Switchgrass Books at www.switchgrass.niu.edu and Donald Lystra at www.donaldlystra.com.

"Poets in Print" Reading Series at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center -- Featuring David Dodd Lee and Mary Ann Samyn

New Issues Poets David Dodd Lee and Mary Ann Samyn will present readings from their work on Saturday, March 13,2010 at 7 p.m. Broadsides featuring the poet's work will be created by KBAC artists. The broadsides and other works by the poets will be available during the event for sale and signing. Broadsides from other "Poets in Print" events and other book arts creations are also available for sale. This event is free and refreshments are served. Doors open at 6:30.


David Dodd Lee is the author of The Nervous Filaments (2010, Four Way Books), a book of Ashbery erasure poems, which is forthcoming from Blazevox, and Orphan, Indiana, which is forthcoming from U. of Akron Press. His four other books of poetry include: Downsides of Fish Culture (1997, New Issues), Arrow Pointing North (2002), and Abrupt Rural (2004, New Issues).

Mary Ann Samyn is the author of several collections of poetry, including Beauty Breaks In (New Issues, 2009) and The Boom of a Small Cannon (Dancing Girl Press, 2010). She teaches in the MFA program at West Virginia University where she is also the Bolton Professor for Teaching and Mentoring.

The Poets in Print Reading Series
Kalamazoo Book Arts Center
Suite 103A, Park Trades Center
326 W. Kalamazoo Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

This in from Dr. Russ Bodi (Owens College):
"One of my favorite roles as director of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference’s 2010 meeting is to invite colleagues to attend our annual conference. I am happy to turn to my neighbors to the north with a special invitation to join us a short distance over the line. This year's event will take place from October 14-16th at nearby Owens College in Toledo, Ohio. Perhaps your critical work or that of your WMU colleagues lies within the purview of this year’s theme, “Shakespeare’s Loose Ends.” Within the Loose Ends topic, there are many “undecidable” aspects of plot, character, staging, response, and editing that stimulate our discussions and often lead to calculated conjecture. We are already seeing a variety of interpretations of this year's conference theme.
The Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference, formerly the Ohio Shakespeare Conference, has been the site for some notable critical work from our profession’s best critical voices. David Bevington, Rebecca Bushnell, Laurie  Shannon,  Peter Holland, Lars Engle, Ania Loomba, Leah Marcus, and Paul Yachnin are a few of the speakers at recent conferences. Past topics have  included the Nature of Shakespeare, Post-Colonial  Shakespeare, Shakespeare and the Law, Working Shakespeares, Appropriating Shakespeare and last year’s Shakespeare on Screen. We usually draw a large number of scholarly presenters from the Midwest, as well as from across the nation.
This year’s plenary speakers will be Katharine E. Maus and Matthew Wikander, both of whom are enthusiastic about sharing their work with us. In addition to the conference sessions, we will also feature the National Players’ version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a live performance on Friday night, and the Toledo Repertory Theatre will present a staged reading of A Merry Regiment of Women on Thursday evening. We also plan to have our annual banquet, all for a very affordable conference fee.
I hope that your participation in this year’s event will draw other scholars and students from Western Michigan University. Deadlines for submission and information about the student essay contests are attached. While our call for papers is already posted in Shakesper and other online and print media, I would appreciate it if you would post and/or circulate the attached cfp. You can also visit our website
http://www.marietta.edu/~engl/OVSC/."

Child & Adolescent Sexualities Conference/Monash-Prato Centre

The Age of Sex: A Two-Day International, Interdisciplinary Conference on Child and Adolescent Sexualities

Organized in co-operation with Monash University, Australia and GREP (Graduate Research and Education Programme in Gender, Culture and Identity), University College Dublin and University of Limerick, Ireland.

Place: Monash University Prato Centre, Prato, Italy

(http://www.ita.monash.edu/)

Dates: Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th May 2010

Conveners: Steven Angelides (Monash University, Australia), Deirdre Daly (University College Dublin, Ireland), Anne Mulhall (University College Dublin, Ireland), and Michael O’Rourke (Independent Colleges, Dublin).

Keynote Speakers:

Dr Steven Angelides (Centre for Women’s Studies and Gender Research & Sociology, Monash University, Australia)
Professor Kathryn Bond Stockton (Department of English, University of Utah, USA)
Professor Barbara DeGenevieve (School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA)
Dr Helmut Graupner (Attorney at Law, Vienna, Austria)
Dr Peter Hegarty (Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, UK)
Dr Nicole Vitellone (School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Liverpool, UK)

Description:

This will be a two day conference focusing on often contentious issues such as paedophilia, child pornography, child sexuality, pederasty, teen sexuality among other topics relating to the study of child and adolescent sexuality. Day one of the conference will feature keynote addresses and discussions of trigger papers which will be distributed to all conference participants in advance. Day two will consist of a postgraduate workshop divided into three thematic strands (literature/film; criminology/Law; sociology/psychology) where postgraduates will deliver short (15 minute) presentations on their current research and receive feedback and advice in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.

Places available: 35 delegates (including 15 postgraduate presenters). Please ensure to register early as spaces will be strictly limited.

Registration Fee: €50 for non-postgraduates (this will cover tea, coffee and lunch on both days).

Student Bursaries: There will be 14 bursaries of €400 each available for postgraduates who are selected to present at the conference.

Accommodation: There are no rooms available at the centre but there are several affordable hotels and residences within 10 minutes walking distance. A list can be found here:

http://www.ita.monash.edu/visit/accommodation/

Flights: We recommend that delegates fly to Florence airport which is 20-25 minutes by train from Prato. Maps and other travel details can be found here:

http://www.ita.monash.edu/visit/gettingthere.html

*CALL FOR PAPERS: Open Forum/Workshop for Postgraduates in the Fields of Child and Adolescent Sexuality*

This session is designed to be a forum where scholars in the early stages of their careers will have an opportunity to present brief papers (10-15 minutes) that are relevant to the different strands of the conference as well as receiving feedback from the keynote speakers and the other conference delegates.

There will be three thematic strands:

1. Literature/film/ Art/Representations of Child and Adolescent Sexuality
2. Sociology/Psychology: Social Scientific research on child and adolescent sexuality
3. Law/Criminology: Legal Issues surrounding child and adolescent sexuality.

Student bursaries of €400 will be available for the fourteen postgraduate/early career researchers chosen to present at the workshop.

The organizers invite those interested to submit an abstract (300-500 words) and a short biographical note (100-200 words outlining research topic and interests).

Please send proposals no later than 19 March 2010 to each of the organizing committee:

Anne Mulhall (anne.mulhall@ucd.ie),
Deirdre Daly (deedeedaly21@gmail.com),
Steven Angelides (Steven.Angelides@arts.monash.edu.au)
and Michael O’Rourke (tranquilised_icon@yahoo.com)

Dr. Ilana Nash Publishes New Essay On Filmic Virgins

Dr. Ilana Nash has published her essay "The Innocent Is a Broad: American Virgins in a Global Context," in the newly-released collection _Virgin Territory: Representing Sexual Innocence in Film_, ed. Tamar Jeffers McDonald (Wayne State University Press, 2010). Nash's essay analyzes four comedic films -- two from the World War II era, and two from the Cold War era -- to demonstrate how American films have used the virginal female body, during periods of global conflict, as a symbol for national ideals and national safety.

motivate michigan project offers opportunities for students

We [i.e., the organizers of Motivate Michigan] recently launched a project that may be of interest to you, to members of your family, and/or to your friends.  It is an online competition for college students to earn one of ten scholarships.  The objective is to uncover a “Big Idea” for economic improvement in Michigan – The project is called “Motivate Michigan”. We are asking college students to submit their ideas at www.MotivateMichigan.org.  The ideas will be judged based on three criteria:  creativity/innovation; feasibility for implementation; and, potential impact on the State economy.  At this time our sponsors include:  Comerica Bank, The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Meijer Stores, and the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan.  CBS and the Free Press are our media partners.  And, the project has been endorsed by Governor Granholm, the Detroit Economic Club, Automation Alley, and others.  We are also accepting additional sponsors to help us reach our goal of a $100,000 scholarship fund.  Please let me know if you are aware of any organizations that may be interested in becoming a sponsor of this exciting project. And here is an interesting twist…  In partnership with the student that wins the competition, CIBER will develop the implementation plan and feasibility analysis for the idea, and present the idea to a leader in the State for funding and support.  We want to help transform the winning idea to “reality”. If you would like to learn more, you can visit www.MotivateMichigan.org.

Randy Wyatt Reads Tomorrow Night 8PM in Bernhard Ctr. 105-107

Janet Heller at Artifactory

Janet Heller will read her poems "Losing My Father," "On Eating Raspberries from Our Garden in January," and "Snow Woman in Portage" at Artifactory, a special event on February 28, 2010, at 1:30 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. The poems were chosen by Curator Tom Dietz in a local competition for poems that are about Kalamazoo and also relate to items at the museum. Elizabeth Kerlikowske coordinated the contest.

New Issue of Comparative Drama Arrives

The newest issue of Comparative Drama arrived this week. The Winter 2009 issue, volume 43.4, includes the following essays and reviews:

Essays
Sumptuously Re-edified: The Reformation of Sacred Space in Titus Andronicus
Helga L. Duncan

Voices of Violence: Medieval French Farce and the Dover Cliff Scene in King Lear
Edward Wheatley

“You were an actor with your handkerchief”: Women, Windows, and Moral Agency
Cynthia Lewis

Doing the Usual Things: Gender, Race, and Inwardness in Harley Granville Barker’s The Marrying of Ann Leete and The Secret Life
Christopher Wixson


Reviews
The Discourse of Courtly Love in Seventeenth-Century Spanish Theater
by Robert Bayliss
Reviewed by Hilaire Kallendorf

The Swastika and the Stage: German Theatre and Society, 1933-1945
by Gerwin Strobl
Reviewed by John London

Playing a Part in History: The York Mysteries, 1951-2006
by Margaret Rogerson
Reviewed by Nicole R. Rice

Shakespeare and Elizabeth: The Meeting of Two Myths
by Helen Hackett
Reviewed by Linda Shenk

Utz remembers K. H. Göller

        Richard Utz recently published a eulogy on his academic teacher and thesis advisor, Karl Heinz Göller, in Perspicuitas.

Writing Competitions: Keats-Shelley Memorial Association

[J. Severn, ‘Keats Listening to the Nightingale on Hampstead Heath’, c. 1845]

THE KEATS – SHELLEY MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION

invites applications for the

Keats – Shelley Prize 2010

Two competitions, open to all: an essay ~ a poem

£3,000 IN PRIZES. The winners’ work will be published.
The essay can be on any aspect of the lives and works of John Keats, P B Shelley, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron and their circles. It should be of 2,000 - 3,000 words, including quotations. Preference will be given to entries showing originality of thought and written in a clear and accessible style. All sources must be acknowledged.
The poem (which may be a narrative) must be original, unpublished and not a parody. It should focus on the theme ‘Ice’. It may be of any length up to 50 lines.
Judges’ Panel Chair: Jack Mapanje is a distinguished Malawian poet, linguist, editor and scholar. Formerly Head of English at Chancellor College, University of Malawi; he was also Poet in Residence at Dove Cottage, Senior Lecturer in English at Newcastle University and now lives in York. He has published five books of poetry including Beasts of Nalunga (2007), which was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for best collection. For Of Chameleons and Gods (1981) he was imprisoned for four years by Hastings Banda of Malawi.

Poetry Panel: John Hartley Williams and Matthew Sweeney.
Essay Panel: Professor Simon Bainbridge (Lancaster University) and Professor Sharon Ruston (Salford University).

© City of London/Keats House.
Sponsored by The Cowley Foundation,
The School of English, University of St Andrews,
City of London/Keats House, and The Liberal

Other conditions of entry:
1. Three copies of your entry should be sent to KSMA Competition Secretary, School of English, The University, St Andrews, KY16 9AR, Scotland. Please enclose an SAE if you want your entry to be acknowledged. Copies of entries cannot be returned and no correspondence will be entered into. For all further information regarding shortlists, date of Awards, etc., please see the KSMA website, www.keats-shelley.com
2. All entries must be received by 30 June 2010. Prize winner and a runner-up in each category will be notified in August. There will be a presentation ceremony at the British Academy, London, on 13 October 2010. The winners will be announced at that time on the KSMA website, www.keats-shelley.com
3. You may enter both categories. There is a fee of £5 sterling for a single entry, plus a further £5 for each additional entry in either category up to a maximum of two poems and two essays. Payment must be enclosed, made by cheque, postal order or international money order in favour of the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association, or by sterling bank notes. All first-time entrants who are not already Friends of the KSMA will become Honorary Friends for one year.
4. All entries must be typed or word-processed on A4 or foolscap paper, and attached with a paper clip to a typed sheet giving the following: your name, address, a contact telephone number, the title of your essay or poem, and how you heard about the prize. Your entrance fee should also be attached. Please do not use staples, and kindly ensure that your name does not appear on the entry itself.
5. Essays and poems must be in English and your own original and unpublished work, and must not have been submitted to us in a former competition. Copyright remains with you as author, but your entry will be deemed to give consent to first publication in journals nominated by the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association.
6. The submission of an entry will be deemed to indicate full acceptance of the above conditions of entry to the competition.

Please support our Centenary Appeal: go to www.keats-shelley.com

Support Sigma Tau Delta and Outstanding WMU Students: Donate to the Sigma Tau Delta Fund

2009-10 chapter officers (l-r) Patrick Love (president), Meghan Dykema (VP),
Laura Citino (communications officer), and Patric Nuttall (treasurer).

The Alpha Nu Pi chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society, now extends free membership to all students who are eligible to join, paid for by the Sigma Tau Delta fund. Please support Sigma Tau Delta and outstanding WMU students by donating to the fund.

Click here to donate online or read on for more information.

The Sigma Tau Delta Fund was launched in 2009 to make membership free to every student who meets the honor society's academic standards, beginning with the 39 members of the Fall 2009 induction class and continuing for all new inductees hereafter. Funding for free membership comes from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of English at WMU, as well as from the generous donations of faculty, staff, alumni, and other friends of Sigma Tau Delta.

Sigma Tau Delta recognizes outstanding academic achievement in English studies by undergraduate and graduate students. The WMU chapter has twice been named an Outstanding Chapter and has been recognized as “one of the most active and vital chapters in the country” by the parent organization.

Students who qualify for membership in Sigma Tau Delta must pay a one-time fee of $50 ($37 to the national organization and $13 to the local chapter at WMU), which entitles them to lifetime membership.

In the past, a number of qualified students have had to decline membership because they could not afford this fee. In response, we launched the Sigma Tau Delta Fund, with the goal of offering free membership to every student who meets the society's academic standards, beginning with our Fall 2009 induction class and for all new inductees thereafter.

Your tax-deductible donation of any amount will help fund these lifetime memberships. If we are able to amass a substantial endowment that guarantees funding for all memberships for the foreseeable future, we hope that donors will want also to support the academic activities of WMU Sigma Tau Delta students, such as helping to fund student trips to present work at the national conventions, where WMU students have earned national recognition for their scholarly and creative work. At this time, students spend much of the spring semester each year raising money for this purpose.

Contributions can be made online to the WMU Foundation by clicking here. They may also be mailed in to the Foundation or the Department of English, and WMU employees can opt for payroll deduction. Please designate your gift to the Department of English -- Sigma Tau Delta. If it is not designated to Department of English -- Sigma Tau Delta, your gift will not be directed to Sigma Tau Delta.

Please visit the Sigma Tau Delta website to learn more about ΣΤΔ at Western Michigan University and about the achievements of our members on the WMU campus and beyond.

Membership in Sigma Tau Delta opens an impressive range of exciting new opportunities to students. With your support, the sky is the limit for these outstanding students.

Nagle Joins ERR

Chris Nagle has been asked to serve as a referee for European Romantic Review, the official journal of the North American Society for the Study of Romanticism (NASSR).

Celebrate our Creative Writing Students

Third Coast Grad Student Readings, tonight, Friday, February 5!

Faculty and students - come out to support these fine writers:
Amy Newday
Dan Mancilla
Dustin Hoffman.

Starts at 7:00 in Brown 3025. Refreshments provided. Brought to you by AGES. See you there!

Preparing Your HSIRB Protocol: What Researchers Need To Know

The Graduate Center for Research and Retention is sponsoring a special presentation for graduate students preparing to submit HSIRB protocols to conduct research for the thesis, dissertation, or special project.

Please join us on Thursday, February 11, in the Putney Lecture Hall, Fetzer Center, from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., when Dr. Amy Naugle, Chair, Human Subjects Institutional Review Board, and Victoria Janson, Coordinator, Research Compliance, present "Preparing Your HSIRB Protocol: What Researchers Need to Know."

This is an excellent opportunity for students about to embark upon research or for those still at the course work/comprehensive examination stage who are interested in exposure to the IRB process. In addition, the presentation is of value to new faculty, preparing to serve as advisors or committee members, and also to more seasoned faculty who simply want a refresher. Everyone is welcome.

The program is free of charge and registration is easy and quick. Visit the following URL and simply register on-line: www.wmich.edu/grad

Any other questions can be directed to:

Marianne Di Pierro, Ph.D.
Director, Graduate Center for Research and Retention
The Graduate College
260-W Walwood Hall
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5242
269-387-8249 FAX: 269-387-8232

Novel Progress

This news in from Dr. Thomas Martin:

Since completing my PhD In English at WMU I have been teaching literature and fiction writing at James Madison University. Two excerpts from my novel, In Guatemala, have been published in Flyway and Passages North. "Live Bait," a short story, is forthcoming in the Spring 2010 edition of Yale Anglers' Journal.

You may reach Thomas by email at : martintm@jmu.edu

Thanks, Everyone

English Department Colleagues, Students, and Friends:

I'm just about two days out from beginning of my deployment. I'm pretty much packed and ready to go. I figured this would be a good time to express my deep gratitude to the entire department -- not only for the amazingly generous gifts of the Kindle and Amazon gift cards (extra thanks to Karen and Gwen for organizing it), but also for the outpouring of friendship and concern. That's something that I'll definitely take that with me (along with the Kindle).

Once I get settled in, I'll drop the department a note with my contact information.

Thanks again,

Jonathan Bush

English swipes CAS Faculty Awards

Like last year the Great Department of English swiped two of the six annual College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Achievement Awards: The award in Professional and Community Service goes to Lisa Minnick, and the award in Research and Creative Activity to Katherine Joslin.

Prague Summer Program Reminder

Applications for the Prague Summer Program are still being accepted. Anyone with questions regarding this program should contact:

Richard Katrovas
katrovas@aol.com
(269) 267-5404

-or-

Margaret von Steinen
prague@wmich.edu

Information is also provided on the program's website at www.praguesummer.com

Bonnie Jo Campbell & Andy Mozina Read February 4!