Spotlight on Faculty, Fall 2025

Anne Longmuir, D. Kimball Smith, and Greg Eiselein at the inaugural "Spotlight on Faculty," with moderator and Director of Undergraduate Studies Tom Sarmiento (23 Oct 2025) On Thursday, October 23, 2025, students and faculty gathered in Hale Library to get a behind-the-scenes look at three English professors’ lives. The inaugural event, “Spotlight on Faculty,” featured … Continue reading Spotlight on Faculty, Fall 2025

Found Object: Best Part of Halloween / Dia de los Muertos

Location: 2nd Floor, English Counseling Services BuildingObject: Whiteboard (October 2025)Observations: 1) Since 2023, 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 to get ready for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. 3) … Continue reading Found Object: Best Part of Halloween / Dia de los Muertos

Students’ Views on AI in College, Part 2

Students in Anuja Madan's ENGL 580 "World Literature" (Fall 2025) Note: For Part I of this post, visit "Students' Views on AI in College, Part 1." Given the prevalence of AI in college since Chat GPT and generative AI emerged at the end of 2022, I had my students in "Selected World Literatures" (ENG 580) … Continue reading Students’ Views on AI in College, Part 2

Students’ Views on AI in College, Part 1

Students in Anuja Madan's ENGL 310 "Introduction to Literary Studies" (Fall 2025) Given the prevalence of AI in college since ChatGPT and generative AI emerged at the end of 2022, I had my students in "Introduction to Literary Studies" (ENGL 310) read three articles on AI and the decline in reading levels during the first … Continue reading Students’ Views on AI in College, Part 1

September 2025 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Cover for The Nature of Our Times: Poems on America's Landas, Waters, Wildlife, and Other Natural Wonders (Paloma Press, 2025), which includes a contribution from Traci Brimhall.  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, … Continue reading September 2025 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Recognizing Banned Books Week 2025 at K-State

Banned Books Week 2025 (Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association) Last night, I sat on my bed with the windows open, it was the first chilly Fall evening of the year. I'd felt the crisp air sliding over my skin and gently fluttering the pages of my reading journal. I was finishing filling in … Continue reading Recognizing Banned Books Week 2025 at K-State

Alumni Spotlight: Kevin Rabas

Kevin Rabas (MA '98) In Jonathan’s Office             for Jonathan Holden On Jonathan’s office wall, a chalkboardwith a big egg drawn. He motioned,and I sat down among the stacksof books and papers. One fan gustand the room would lift uplike a pigeon flock. Jonathanasked me if I spoke German,and I said I had been to … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Kevin Rabas

In Memoriam: Peter Elbow (April 14, 1935 – February 6, 2025)

On the night of September 25, the Graduate Concentration in Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication (WRTC) sponsored a virtual event to celebrate the life of Peter Elbow (Professor Emeritus, U Mass Amherst), who died on February 6 at the age of 89. Elbow was a towering figure in the teaching of writing, and many of … Continue reading In Memoriam: Peter Elbow (April 14, 1935 – February 6, 2025)

Alumni Spotlight: Molly Hamm-Rodriguez

Molly Hamm-Rodriguez (BA '10) When I tell people that I am from Kansas, they are usually surprised. How did I end up in a career focused on comparative and international education, given where I’m from? In response, I always point to my time as an English major at K-State. My interest in understanding the human … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Molly Hamm-Rodriguez

From the Archive: Grad Student Spotlight: Hannah Rollison

Hannah Rollison (MA ’22) (Photo: 2022) 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. So, we're highlighting periodically some of the posts that have garnered a lot of views … Continue reading From the Archive: Grad Student Spotlight: Hannah Rollison