“Kansas Women Have Done It”: Visiting America’s First Woman Mayor in Argonia, Kansas

Posted on by englishkstate

A couple of weeks ago, I climbed into my bright blue Ford Focus, filled up the gas tank (thank you English Department!), and turned on a murder podcast to pass the time for the three-hour drive to Argonia, Kansas. Located about an hour southwest of Wichita, Argonia dominated national news in 1887 when the small … Continue reading “Kansas Women Have Done It”: Visiting America’s First Woman Mayor in Argonia, Kansas

Surviving 1607

Posted on by englishkstate

Would you be able to survive the year 1607 as an early colonist? Last Friday (February 14), undergraduate students enrolled in ENGL 381 "American Survey I" with Associate Professor Steffi Dippold took a field trip to the Flint Hills Discovery Center to answer that question. "American Adventure," on exhibit until May 10 in the Tallgrass … Continue reading Surviving 1607

Alumni Spotlight: Brenna Leahy

Posted on by englishkstate

I love the library, but it is possible the library doesn’t love me back. Two weeks after I was hired to be the communications student for K-State Libraries, Hale Library caught on fire and was shut down for repairs for an indefinite amount of time. I definitely expected to receive an email telling me that … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Brenna Leahy

Winter 2019-2020 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Posted on by englishkstate

As promised in the posts from last September, October, November, and December, here's our next installment of faculty, student, and alumni achievements in research, scholarship, and creative activity. Looking to catch up on past success or to find future announcements? Visit our archive of Reading Matters, our monthly newsletter. Have news to report? Email us … Continue reading Winter 2019-2020 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Undergrad Student Spotlight: Skyler Lindquist

Posted on by englishkstate

I was seventeen years old when I had the pleasure of seeing my older brother step onto the McCain stage in a musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol. With a dreadfully avaricious protagonist and an omnipresence of memento mori portrayed through the story’s visiting ghosts and terminally ill child, A Christmas Carol is often viewed … Continue reading Undergrad Student Spotlight: Skyler Lindquist

The Art and Craft of Literary Analysis

Posted on by englishkstate

Among the outstanding students in Elementary Education who have pursued our relatively new minor in Children’s and Adolescent Literature and Culture, Katie Buhler (BS '20, Education) is especially impressive. In Professor Naomi Wood’s ENGL 384 “Multicultural Children’s Literature,” Professor Wendy Matlock’s ENGL 445 “Romance and Fairy Tales,” and my ENGL 355 “Literature for Children” and … Continue reading The Art and Craft of Literary Analysis

Undergrad Student Spotlight: Lillian Brownlee

Posted on by englishkstate

“Remembering is not a passionate or dispassionate retelling of a reality that is no more, but a new birth of the past, when time goes in reverse. Above all it is creativity.” ~ Svetlana Alexievich, The Unwomanly Face of War (xvii) I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and paused at a National Geographic photo … Continue reading Undergrad Student Spotlight: Lillian Brownlee

Ope! Midwesterners Venture to the West Coast to Talk about Language Change

Posted on by englishkstate

  Every year linguists come together to talk about what’s changing in language and how best to study it at the New Ways of Analyzing Language (NWAV) conference. This year, Lynsey Akin (BA '20) and I got the chance to join them in Eugene, Oregon, to share what we’ve been up to in the Kansas … Continue reading Ope! Midwesterners Venture to the West Coast to Talk about Language Change

Undergrad Student Spotlight: Savannah Winkler

Posted on by englishkstate

Over the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of being part of K-State’s McNair Scholars Program. As a first-generation college student, the program has given me the direction and confidence that I lacked during my freshman year. The opportunities offered by the program are endless, but the summer-long research project is what undoubtedly had … Continue reading Undergrad Student Spotlight: Savannah Winkler

Standing Up to Censorship: Banned Books Week 2019

Posted on by englishkstate

  When do you think of censorship, what do you think of? Where do you think it takes place? According to the American Library Association (ALA), 483 books were challenged or banned in the U.S. in 2018 alone, and most of the challenges and bans came from public libraries. And those are just the ones … Continue reading Standing Up to Censorship: Banned Books Week 2019