In this first of two posts, we — the 2018-2019 Executive Committee of the Writing Center at K-State — talk about the role kindness plays in writing center work, including welcoming visitors, tutoring, front desk work, and outreach to campus. Through empathetic observation, writing center tutors and front desk staff have the unique opportunity to … Continue reading Cultivating Kindness in the Writing Center – Part I
— Karin Westman, Department Head
Our second colloquium of the 2019 spring semester took us back to the future. Organized by Associate Professor Wendy Matlock for the Graduate Track in Literature, “Blessed Fruits: Readings and Implications of Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale” featured short, five-minute “lightning” talks by faculty and students on Atwood's novel and its adaptations. As the highlights below … Continue reading Blessed Fruits
Internships have proved to be extremely valuable for me in defining all the things I don’t want to be and all the industries I don’t want to go into. I had two major internships over my college years, both in Technical Writing. It’s not exactly a sexy job, but it’s surprisingly reliable. I always wanted … Continue reading Undergrad Student Spotlight: Jackson Wright
With graduation almost T-minus two months away, I, like the rest of the graduating M.A. students, have been haunted by the specter of impending unemployment more often than usual lately. But, even though the job-finding process is intimidating, K-State has given me everything that I need to pursue a meaningful career, in part through the … Continue reading Grad Student Spotlight: Alyssa Cook
One thing that struck me as I combed through our 2017 Graduate Alumni data last spring was how many graduates from our M.A. program currently have jobs that require them to write for the web in some way or other. For some alumni, their main professional responsibility is web content or social media management. For … Continue reading “Fresh Threads of Connection”: Blogging the Victorians
Since 1942, the BBC’s Desert Island Discs program has invited guests (known as “castaways”) to divulge which eight recordings they would take, were they stranded on a desert island. Though the BBC program has never asked members of Kansas State University’s English Department, we are nonetheless offering our answers — starting with Philip Nel, University Distinguished … Continue reading Desert Island Discs: Philip Nel
English Department alums Tom Webb (MA '16, above left) and Rob Probst (MA '16, above right) explain how their internship experience as graduate students helped land them their first jobs — and why you should consider enrolling in English 759 "Studies in Technical Communication." Tom Webb (MA '16) First job after graduation: Grant Coordinator … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Tom Webb and Rob Probst
On February 19, students in English conducted a workshop on code-switching and the 2018 KSBN selection and best-seller Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give to a packed crowd of 80 high school and community college students attending the 6th Annual Black Student Union Statewide Leadership Conference. The presentation grew out of a class teaching project … Continue reading “Keep Ya Head Up”: Owning Your Space by Owning Your Language
Getting an “adult job” can be absolutely terrifying—but it doesn’t have to be. If you can get started with internships or part-time jobs while you’re a student, you’ll have an advantage when it’s time to find that first job. In my experience, securing an on-campus position or two led directly to securing an “adult job” … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Malorie Wagner
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