Irises in bloom in Manhattan, KS ~ early evening, April 2023 Our annual awards celebration was back in person for the first time since 2019, now that the height of the COVID pandemic has passed and we could gather with greater safety. Rather than the sit-down banquet from the pre-COVID days, we opted for a … Continue reading 2022-2023 Annual Awards
Steven Tolson (MA '10) In 2022, I was invited to speak on an alumni panel to current K-State English students and faculty. What follows is an adapted version of that discussion. How did I end up in Kansas? My partner and I applied to Master's programs all over the country, and K-State gave us the … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Steven Tolson
Screenshot of the Comp/Rhet virtual reunion (21 April 2023) One of the benefits of not having a Ph.D. program is we’re able to focus on our M.A. students, getting to know them well as scholars and as people. The downside, of course, is that after two years, they move on to other opportunities. Many of … Continue reading Comp/Rhet Virtual Reunion
Don Hedrick and Katy Karlin at their joint retirement celebration at the K-State Alumni Center (26 April 2023) On Wednesday April 26, we gathered at the Alumni Center, with concurrent live-stream, to celebrate the contributions of Don Hedrick and Katy Karlin, two of our faculty members who are retiring this May after, respectively, 47 … Continue reading Our Thanks to Don Hedrick and Katy Karlin
Cooling Bierock surrounded by undergraduates Claire Adamyk, Chase Bauman, Melaina Gross, Jolyon Griffith, Sarah Hemenway, Anna Jirak, Bella Lane, Olivia McComb, Reagan Montgomery, Hailey Rush, Zyler Wyman, Rachel Zimmerman together with Jeanette Rohleder, Elisa Karkle, and Steffi Dippold, instructor for ENGL 210 “Honors English: How to Cook a Raccoon: The Memory Work of Cookbook Collections” … Continue reading Scrumptious Kansan Krauts: English Students Bake Bierock with Bakery Science
Professor Emeritus James (Jim) Machor during a presentation on Mark Twain at the English Department’s 2016 Fall Colloquium In 2008, a special issue of Time magazine called Mark Twain “the most widely known literary figure on the planet,” dubbing him America’s “first literary superstar.” Despite their journalistic hyperbole, such comments testify to Twain’s hypercanonical status … Continue reading Faculty Spotlight: James Machor
Justin Dickinson (BA '23) Over spring break, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Costa Rica with Tanya Gonzalez and Rebecca Paz for our Latin(x) Literature course, ENGL 389. The trip was service-work oriented and was geared toward first-generation students and first-time travelers abroad. I had never left the country before the trip, but … Continue reading Undergrad Student Spotlight: Justin Dickinson
Mel Hammond (MA '14) In August 2012, I drove through the golden-yellow Flint Hills for the first time. I’d applied to K-State’s Children’s Lit program because I wasn’t sure what else to do after college. I liked kid’s books and I liked school, and the thought of getting a job gave me existential dread. It … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Mel Hammond
Cover image for Jim Machor's new book The Mercurial Mark Twain(s): Reception, History and Iconic Authorship (Routledge, 2023) 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 to catch … Continue reading March 2023 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity
Location: The sidewalk to the ECS BuildingObject: Sidewalk chalkingObservations: 1) Early evening on Wednesday (April 5), members of Sigma Tau Delta, our student honorary society, prepared a welcome surprise for us on Thursday morning: literary messages of encouragement, celebration, and spring. 2) Ranging across centuries, nations, and genres, the selected quotes remind us to use … Continue reading Found Object: Sidewalk Chalk
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