Found Object: Spooky Season on Screen

Location: 2nd Floor, English Counseling Services BuildingObject: Whiteboard (October 2024)Observations: 1) Since last academic year, the whiteboard on the 2nd floor of ECS has continued to pose questions, ask for opinions, and prompt stories.  2) For the past two weeks, it has been collecting favorite moments on screen to get ready for Hallloween. 3) From … Continue reading Found Object: Spooky Season on Screen

Alumni Spotlight: Phil Weitl

Phil Weitl (MA '04) It was September, 2002.  I was walking across campus toward my car in the lot on the other side of Denison Avenue when I met Professor Dave Smit walking in the opposite direction.  He was the Director of the Expository Writing Program, and I was one of the English Department’s new … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Phil Weitl

Undergrad Student Spotlight: Catherine Torkelson

Catherine Torkelson (BA '24) As I approached the final stretch of my undergraduate degree, a certain question started looming, one I had been pointedly avoiding: what next? There are so many possible destinations for an English major—technical writing, screen writing, magazine editing, library sciences, law school, and so much more—but I didn’t know which one … Continue reading Undergrad Student Spotlight: Catherine Torkelson

September 2024 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Traci Brimhall poses with her contribution to the collection of poems "Poetry Harvest: Poems for the Kansas State Fair" (2024) Each month during the academic year, we assemble a newsletter of the department's recent publications, presentations, announcements, and awards. We're happy to recognize the recent successes in research, scholarship, and creative activity outlined below.  Want … Continue reading September 2024 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Undergrad Student Spotlight: Nichole Maryse Harris

Nichole Maryse Harris (BA '25) (photo by Sophie Osborn) Telling people my major in college has become a repetitive process. There’s a moment where they ask me, innocently and habitually curious, and there’s a half-second where I debate whether or not I should lie. Sometimes, depending on the person, I do. Old people at work, … Continue reading Undergrad Student Spotlight: Nichole Maryse Harris

From the Archive: Literature and Climate

Glacier comparison at Svalbard, early 1900s and 2017, by Christian Åslund. Source: National Geographic Since our blog debuted in 2017, we have published 500+ posts.  While some of you may have been with us from the start (thank you, loyal readers!), others may have joined us more recently. As a result, we're highlighting some of … Continue reading From the Archive: Literature and Climate

Bold TIP Tip: In Search of a Trigger Warning Alternative

Dennis Etzel, Jr (MA ’06) Dennis Etzel, Jr. (he/they, MA ‘06) offers another post on Trauma-Informed Pedagogy (TIP) to accompany the one published earlier this year on "Bold TIP Tips: How Learning Happens." Dennis serves as a Senior Lecturer in English at Washburn University and working on a book about “quiltwork pedagogy.” Background: As I … Continue reading Bold TIP Tip: In Search of a Trigger Warning Alternative

What Makes a Great Book? Answers in Infographic Arguments

ENGL 287 "Great Books" (Spring 2024) The Spring ‘24 in-person section of English 287 “Great Books” asked the question, “What Makes a Great Book?” We read novels, a short story, a graphic memoir, and a collection of poetry, and students wrote final papers addressed to a specific audience that explained what made one of those … Continue reading What Makes a Great Book? Answers in Infographic Arguments

Alumni Spotlight: Andi Schubert

Andi Schubert (MA '16) at Cambridge One or Two Things I Learned for Sure at the KSU English Department (After Dorothy Allison’s Two or Three Things I Know for Sure)   There’s one or two things I learnt for sure at KSU, and one of them is that I can cry. It’s not something I … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Andi Schubert

Faculty Spotlight: Anne Longmuir

Cover for Anne Longmuir’s John Ruskin and the Victorian Woman Writer (Routledge, 2025) Art galleries are not just great places for first dates, they’re also great places to observe other people on first dates. It’s November 2021 and the Omicron variant is racing through Britain, like much of the rest of the world. I’m on … Continue reading Faculty Spotlight: Anne Longmuir