Can YA Fiction Predict the Future? Political Mimicry in Kiera Cass’s The Selection Series

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Original illustration by author Kiera Cass of her characters America and Maxon from Happily Ever After: Companion to the Selection Series (2015) Today we share the second of six pieces of public writing selected for publication from an assignment in ENGL 801 “Graduate Studies in English”: a piece of public scholarship (700-1,000 words) which tailors … Continue reading Can YA Fiction Predict the Future? Political Mimicry in Kiera Cass’s The Selection Series

Learning, Unlearning, and the Freedom to Read

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On December 10, 2022, University Distinguished Professor Phil Nel provided the commencement address for the College of Arts and Sciences at Kansas State University. Below is the text of his speech. Many thanks to Phil for allowing us to share it here. (You can view his presentation through the university’s archived video at 16:00.) Good … Continue reading Learning, Unlearning, and the Freedom to Read

Signs, Signs, Everywhere…The Hidden Depth of Japanese Signs in Spirited Away

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From Spirited Away (2002) In ENGL 801 "Graduate Studies in English," a required course for incoming M.A. students, we have always asked our graduate students to develop an original contribution to a current scholarly conversation about a literary or cultural text. Starting in 2020, we added a final writing assignment: we asked our graduate students … Continue reading Signs, Signs, Everywhere…The Hidden Depth of Japanese Signs in Spirited Away

November 2022 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

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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

From the Archive: A Master’s Project … in Stitch Gifs

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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: A Master’s Project … in Stitch Gifs

Alumni Spotlight: Dene Dryden

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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

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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

Grad Wildcats Write: Writing Groups, Community Building, and an Invitation to Join Us

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“Collaborative workshops and writers' peer groups hadn't been invented when I was young. They're a wonderful invention. They put the writer into a community of people all working at the same art, the kind of group musicians and painters and dancers have always had.”  ― Ursula K. Le Guin, Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions … Continue reading Grad Wildcats Write: Writing Groups, Community Building, and an Invitation to Join Us

Release Party for Aaron Burch’s Year of the Buffalo

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On Tuesday night, we held a Zoom release party for Aaron Burch and his debut novel, Year of the Buffalo, the first book from American Buffalo Books, a brand-new independent press affiliated with Kansas State's English Department. We did all the usual book-release things: we heard Aaron read (excellently) from his new book (also excellent), … Continue reading Release Party for Aaron Burch’s Year of the Buffalo