The Fall 2023 semester is underway — and it sure is toasty here in the Little Apple! Kudos to the students, faculty, and staff who are navigating record-setting heat as classes begin, and we’ll look forward to temps below 100 degrees in the days ahead.
This fall, our events will be Hyflex (in-person with a concurrent streaming option), so we can accommodate colleagues and students who may not be able to travel or be able to gather safely in person as the pandemic fully enters its endemic phase. A continuing advantage of this format: we can welcome to a shared 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 includes two authors this fall. We’ll first hear Kij Johnson, award-winning writer of speculative and experimental short fiction and novels, on Friday September 8 at 3:30pm in Union Wildcat Chamber and on Zoom (register at https://tinyurl.com/kijkstate), followed by poet and essayist Taylor Brorby on Friday November 3 at 3:30pm in Union Wildcat Chamber and on Zoom (register at https://tinyurl.com/brorbykstate).
~ Going to the 2023 Kansas Book Festival on Saturday September 16 in Topeka? K-State English will be there! We’re looking forward to a range of panels and conversations.
~ George Takei, author of the 2023 K-State First Book selection They Called Us Enemy, will offer a lecture on Wednesday September 27 at 7:00pm for K-State students, faculty, and staff. (Not a current K-State student, faculty member, or staff member? He will also be visiting the Stiefel Theatre in Salina during his visit to Kansas.) Additional programming about They Called Us Enemy is open to the public throughout the fall semester. More information about all 2023 KSFB events is available from K-State First Book.
~ Monday October 9 brings K-State’s 8th Annual Indigenous Peoples Day. This year’s theme is “Writing, Singing, and Shaping the Future: Indigenous Film, Art, and Performance,” and presentations will run from 9:00am to 3:30pm, in person and live-streamed. Leaders from the Kaw Nation, Osage Nation, Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, Prairie Band Potawatomi, Kickapoo Nation of Kansas, and lowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska will speak on a range of topics alongside guest artists and performers, including Kickapoo writer, singer, children’s book illustrator and comic book creator Arigon Starr and Comanche playwright and film scholar Dustin Tahmahkera. Visit the event web site in September to complete a free registration.
~ Explore the theory and practice of cultural studies with our 2023 Cultural Studies Mini-Seminar. Sponsored by the Cultural Studies Track, the mini-seminars will take place this fall on the theme of “The Midwest” in anticipation of the 33rd Annual Cultural Studies Symposium in February featuring scholar Dr. Monica Trieu. Contact Greg Eiselein, Track Head for Cultural Studies, at eiselei@ksu.edu for more information.
~ K-State scholarly and creative expertise in English will be on display for our Fall 2023 Colloquia Series on Wednesday October 11 and Wednesday November 29 at 3:30pm. 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 online 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, Department Head
K-State English 