I start here with one of two blog posts on teaching and reading the apocalypse during a moment when dystopia, which our class so often joked about in those innocent days of January and February, became the stuff of our daily lives. Part I (below) sketches out the initial seven weeks of a class on … Continue reading On Teaching and Reading the Apocalypse . . . in the Apocalypse — Part I
As finals week for Spring 2020 comes to a close, we offer some inspiration from Shakespeare's Henry V (Act IV, Scene iii, 18–67), read by alums from K-State English and by other K-Staters. Be sure to watch until the end -- and thanks to Dan Hoyt for orchestrating the reading and the appearance by our … Continue reading Poetry Reading: “Band of Brothers”
Ask almost anyone in Manhattan and they’ll tell you a story about Richard Pitts. They might tell you about how his Wonder Workshop — a museum/day camp/afterschool hangout — instilled in some child a love of learning. Or they’ll tell you about his tours of the Underground Railroad and Kansas’s abolitionist history. They might have … Continue reading Remembering Richard Pitts
— Karin Westman, Department Head
— Anne Longmuir, Director of Graduate Studies, and Karin Westman, Department Head
This evening -- Friday, May 1, 2020 -- should have found us at the Alumni Center for dinner, conversation, and celebration. We always look forward to recognizing our award winners at our Annual Awards Banquet. However, due to this year's outbreak of Covid-19 and the university's restrictions on events, we are not able to hold … Continue reading 2019-2020 Annual Awards
For the last day of National Poetry Month, we offer a collaborative reading of Maggie Smith's "Good Bones" from her collection Good Bones, published by Tupelo Press. Be sure to watch until the end -- and thanks to Dan Hoyt for orchestrating the reading and the appearance by our special guest. Enjoy! — Karin … Continue reading Poetry Reading: Good Bones
If someone would have told me when I graduated from Red Cloud High School in Red Cloud, NE (pop. 1020) in 1998 that the 40 year-old version of me would be working in my hometown, I would have been dismayed. “What catastrophe could possibly have happened to put me in such a situation?” is what … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Jarrod McCartney
While many of our graduate students serve as Graduate Teaching Assistants and complete the M.A. degree full-time, others continue to pursue their current jobs while also taking graduate courses. Rachael Cox (M.A. '21) is one of several high school teachers who pursue the M.A. in English in order to enrich their personal and professional lives. … Continue reading Grad Student Spotlight: Rachael Cox
“I dreamt of water again last night.” When I first wrote that sentence in Dan Hoyt’s English 771 novel writing class, I wasn’t expecting it to sprout into a project that would lead to an independent study. In fact, when I first started The River Within Us, the novel’s current working title, I only … Continue reading Undergrad Student Spotlight: Molly James
K-State English 