News, Publications, and Presentations
Fletcher Bonin's (M.A. candidate) second novel, Glass Bottle Season, has been accepted for publication through Bound to Brew Press. The narrative takes place over the course of one summer in Newport, Rhode Island, where Raymond Domingo's new job as a shelf-stocker/delivery driver at a ritzy wine shop soon thrusts him into the company - and the ire - of New England's oldest and wealthiest families, who are hesitant to welcome outsiders like himself. The novel is based in part on Fletcher's own experiences.
Dr Lilla Kopár’s article, “The Rise and Fall of Anglo-Saxon Runic Stone Monuments: Runic Inscriptions and the Development of Sculpture in Early Medieval England, “ was published in Reading Runes. Proceedings of the Eighth International Symposium on Runes and Runic Inscriptions, Nyköping, Sweden, 2–6 September 2014. Ed. by Mindy MacLeod, Marco Bianchi, and Henrik Williams. Uppsala: Institutionen för nordiska språk vid Uppsala universitet. Runrön 24. 2021, 143–156. (DOI: 10.33063/diva-438873)
Javier Mazariegos (English and Philosophy '23) delivered a paper on the Canterbury Tales at the undergraduate conference for the Association for Core Texts and Courses on April 2021. His paper was inspired by his experience in Dr. Megan Murton's course, ENG 351
Mallory Nygard (B.A. English ‘16) published her first collection of poetry, entitled Pelican. Written partly in response to the clerical sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, the poems in the explore faith, membership, sin, expectation, and freedom. The book is available through Amazon, IndieBound, and her website.
Dr. Kevin Rulo's book Satiric Modernism is now available from Clemson University Press.
Jessica Schnepp (Ph.D. candidate) published "Sacraments and Social Justice: An Interview with Poet, Scholar, and Editor Philip C. Kolin" in the 2021 issue of Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry.
The English department was represented at University Research Day on April 15th by two senior English majors:
Anna Mowery (B.A. English & History '21) presented "A Dissonance of Expectations: Literature and Disillusionment in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway" (Advisor: Dr. Gregory Baker) in Poster Session I.
Rachel Wood (B.A. English & Theology '21) presented "Giving Students the Time they Need: The Possibility and Potential Benefits of Longer Writing Center Appointments" (Advisor: Dr. Taryn Okuma) in Poster Session K.
Phi Beta Kappa Inductees
The following students in English have been elected to Phi Beta Kappa:
Madeline Allard
Elizabeth Hughes
Anna Stephens
Allison Straub (minor)
Rachel Wood
Graduate Teaching Awards
Each January the English faculty nominates graduate students for two departmental awards. The recipients of the 2020-21 English Department Graduate Teaching Awards are as follows:
Capstone Award: Hannah Bormann
The Capstone Award is for a Ph.D. student who is within one year of finishing the degree and who has demonstrated excellence in teaching throughout his or her career as a Ph.D. student at CUA
Excellence in Teaching Award: Robert Sherron
The Excellence in Teaching Award is for a Ph.D. student who has completed at least two semesters of teaching at the Ph.D. level and has, even at this early point in his or her career, established a strong record of teaching
CUA English at The Robert Penn Warren Circle
The English department enjoyed another banner year at this year’s (virtual) gathering of the Robert Penn Warren Circle.
Fletcher Bonin (M.A. candidate) won the Eleanor Clark Award for the best essay by a junior scholar for “Alcohol and the Delay of Self-Resolution in All the King’s Men.” He was part of an outstanding panel that also featured papers by Jane Forsyth (Ph.D. candidate) and Emily Grace (M.A. candidate).
Joan Romano-Shifflett, who teaches at the US Naval Academy and who earned her Ph.D. at CUA in 2013, won the Brooks-Warren prize for best academic book that practices the art of close reading for Warren, Jarrell, and Lowell: Collaboration in the Reshaping of American Poetry (LSU Press, 2020).
And the new issue of Robert Penn Warren Studies features essays by Jane Forsyth and Mary Cuff (Ph.D. '18). Both essays were winners of the Eleanor Clark Award — Cuff’s in 2017 and Forsyth’s in 2019.
The Writing Center
The Writing Center will continue to offer virtual writing consultations through the end of finals week and also during the summer sessions. The Mullen Library location will remain closed through the summer.
Students have the option of synchronous or asynchronous sessions. Synchronous sessions will be conducted via Zoom. Synchronous sessions can be either 30 or 60 minutes. For 60 minute sessions, students can make two 30-minute appointments back-to-back. For asynchronous sessions, students will submit their papers and receive written feedback. Both types of appointments can be made via the Writing Center website and the EAB scheduler. Please see the website for more details. The Writing Center staff looks forward to helping students with their writing needs in these final weeks of spring and over the summer as well!
Inventio
Call for Submissions to Inventio
Submissions for the Spring 2022 volume are due May 15th, 2021.
Inventio accepts submissions of original research in philosophy, theology, the humanities, the arts, and the social sciences conducted and written by undergraduate students at The Catholic University of America.
Call for Applicants to the Student Editorial Board
Applications for the Student Editorial Board are due Oct. 15th, 2021.
Inventio is now accepting applications for the 2021-22 Student Editorial Board. If you are interested in learning more about the publishing process, apply to join the board! about the publishing process, apply to join the board!