February 2023 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Cover image for Issue 108 of Quarterly West (2023), where Traci Brimhall's poem "Will & Testament" appears 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 up … Continue reading February 2023 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Undergrad Student Spotlight: Zach Zoeller

M.M. Carrigan reads at the 10th Annual Rock and Roll Reading at AWP in Seattle, WA (8 March 2023) I was almost late to the 10th Annual Rock and Roll Reading, which, if you know anything about rock and roll readings, would’ve been about the most punk thing I could’ve pulled. I’d been on a … Continue reading Undergrad Student Spotlight: Zach Zoeller

Grad Student Spotlight: Ben Trickey

I’m a big fan of fiction that dares to take the perspectives of young people seriously. My favorite childhood reads didn’t ask their protagonists to wait until they were older for their adventures to begin. Characters like Lyra Belacqua (from Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series) or Jared Grace (from Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi’s The Spiderwick Chronicles books) … Continue reading Grad Student Spotlight: Ben Trickey

Winter 2022-2023 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Opening paragraph for "Constricted" (Bending Genres, 2022) by Ania Payne 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 up on past successes or to find future … Continue reading Winter 2022-2023 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Alumni Spotlight: Dustin Vann

Dustin Vann (BA '16, MA '20) I approached my latest job search with more calm and practicality than even I thought I could muster. Unlike previous searches, where the stakes were higher to find a job due to the end of a lease or a global pandemic, this time around, I wanted to have more … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Dustin Vann

“Ad Astra” by Traci Brimhall

Traci Brimhall reads her poem "Ad Astra" on the south steps of the Statehouse in Topeka during the inauguration of Governor Laura Kelly (9 January 2022) In her new role as the Poet Laureate of Kansas (2023-2026), Traci Brimhall attended the inauguration of Governor Laura Kelly on January 9, 2023, and read a poem written … Continue reading “Ad Astra” by Traci Brimhall

Spring Preview

Spring Lilacs in Manhattan, KS (2022) Welcome to the spring semester! We hope that you are keeping well and safe as 2023 gets underway. Here are some of the events -- some online only, some HyFlex, some only in person -- that we're looking forward to in the months ahead. Please join us for community, … Continue reading Spring Preview

November 2022 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Cover image for The SAGE Encyclopedia of Filipina/x/o American Studies (SAGE, 2022), where Tom Sarmiento has published under the letter M “Midwest, Filipina/x/o Americans in the.”  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, … Continue reading November 2022 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Alumni Spotlight: Dene Dryden

Why I Stuck with English When Journalism Became My Calling When I started my K-State experience in 2016, I was excited to see what career path I would eventually end up on while earning my English degree. I made the decision to study English well before I applied to attend K-State, and I had to … Continue reading Alumni Spotlight: Dene Dryden

From the Archive: Some Advice on Applying to MFA Programs

Since our blog debuted in 2017, we have published 300+ 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 or that address topics of continuing … Continue reading From the Archive: Some Advice on Applying to MFA Programs