The Fall 2021 semester is underway, partly online but mostly in person — a big change from this time last year, thanks to plentiful vaccines, K-State’s temporary mask requirement, and everyone’s efforts to keep each other safe.
This fall, our events will be mostly online, so we can accommodate colleagues and students who may not be able to travel or gather safely in person. An advantage of this format: we can welcome to our virtual space our out-of-town alumni, students, and friends who otherwise wouldn’t be able to join us. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!
Below are some of our upcoming events to add to your calendar:
~ Our Visiting Writers Series brings two authors to campus this fall. We’ll first hear from YA author Jim Klise on Friday September 17 at 3:30pm on Zoom (register at https://tinyurl.com/klisekstate), followed by poet and non-fiction author Molly McCully Brown on Friday October 1 at 3:30pm on Zoom (register at https://tinyurl.com/mccullybrownkstate).
~ Cherie Dimaline, author of the 2021 K-State First Book selection The Marrow Thieves, will offer a virtual lecture for K-Staters on Thursday September 23 at 7:00pm. While Dimaline’s talk will require a K-State eID and password for access, other programming is open to the public. Two highlights: a showing of two episodes from the streaming series Rutherford Falls followed by a virtual Q&A with show-runner and show creator Sierra Teller Ornelas as part of Movies on the Grass on Sunday September 12, and a lecture by Debbie Reese on “Indigenous Peoples: Past, Present, and Future,” co-sponsored by the College of Education and the Department of English (register at https://tinyurl.com/ksfbreeseoct20). More information about all 2021 KSFB events is available from K-State First Book.
~ Pulitzer Prize winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen will read from his work on Friday October 22 at 4:00pm on Zoom. Viet and his family came to the United States as refugees during the Vietnam War in 1975. As he grew up, he began to notice that most movies and books about the war focused on Americans while the Vietnamese were silenced and erased. He was inspired by this lack of representation to write about the war from a Vietnamese perspective, re-imagining what we thought we knew about the conflict. His presentation will be live-streamed at www.ksu.edu/english/visit and is co-sponsored by the Department of English, the Student Association of Graduates in English (SAGE), and the K-State Student Governing Association (SGA).
~ Explore the theory and practice of cultural studies with our 2021 Cultural Studies Mini-Seminar. Sponsored by the Cultural Studies Track, the mini-seminars will take place on Fridays this fall on Zoom. Contact Tom Sarmiento, Track Head for Cultural Studies, at tsarmiento@ksu.edu for more information.
~ K-State scholarly and creative expertise in English will be on display for our Fall 2021 Colloquia Series on Wednesday October 27 and Wednesday December 1 at 3:30pm on Zoom. Watch our social media feeds on Facebook, Twitter , and Instagram and our online calendar to learn which faculty members and graduate students will present!
Keep up to date on all events — and find links for the Zoom sessions mentioned above — at our online calendar. You can also and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for photos and recaps — and check back here each week for highlights of research and creative activity from our faculty and students, perspectives from our current students and alumni, glimpses into the department’s past, and plans for its future.
— Karin Westman, Associate Professor and Department Head
K-State English 