The YAWP: Villanova's Graduate English Program Blog

Cynthia Estremera, a first-year student in Villanova's Master's Program in English, presented a paper titled "'My President Is Black': Social Optimism in Obama-era Rap Music" on the Hip Hop and Race panel, at the first "In Media Res" Academic Symposium (Conversations on Race, Gender, Media and Popular Culture) at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. Conference dates were November 13-14, 2009. Cindy explains, "In this paper I discussed various positive allusions to political Black leadership in the United States within contemporary Hip Hop songs. I specifically examined Hip Hop artists who presently appeal directly to mainstream audiences and have a social/cultural impact on listeners through major media outlets. Thus in order to underscore the impact of socially optimistic messaging in Hip Hop, I excluded underground artists and their material and solely focused on artists Nas, Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, Common and Young Jeezy, some of whom have ...

Dr. Megan Quigley passes along this article by Louis Menand on "The Ph.D. Problem." http://harvardmagazine.com/2009/11/professionalization-in-academy?page=0,4

On Tuesday, April 13, 2010, poet Angie Mlinko will be at Villanova University as a participant in the 12th annual Villanova Literary Festival. Her two books, Matinees and Starred Wire , have been met with much acclaim, the latter receiving the 2004 National Poetry Series award. Her reading will be at 7pm in the Connelly Center and be followed by a reception and book signing.

The first annual Villanova Graduate English Thesis and Field Exam Symposium was a great success thanks to those who took the time to present and attend. Special thanks go out to Ashley Bentivoglio, who helped to organize the event, as well as the six presenters: Becca Burnett, John Keir, Laura Heinrich, Tiffany DeRewal, Ted Howell, and Andy Owens. Thank you to all in attendance for helping to make the event an enjoyable one!

Sarah Kelly recently sent us this post from New York: After finishing my MA in 2005, I thought I would try my hand as a Proofreader/Editor at Avenue A | Razorfish, an interactive advertising agency in Philadelphia. To my surprise, I gravitated more toward the business aspect of online advertising, and in 2007 took a job at Google New York as an Account Strategist. At Google, I make high-level strategic recommendations for Technology advertisers, with a focus on display and search engine marketing. I still don't consider myself a New Yorker, but I am enjoying all the city has to offer.