The YAWP: Villanova's Graduate English Program Blog

The Free Library of Philadelphia invites prominent authors to speak in a densely-packed season of events. Tickets for Fall 2014 Author Events are currently on sale. Subscription Orders We're pleased to continue to offer Flexible Subscription Packages. Purchasing a subscription package is a great way to show your support for this award-winning program. Please note that your event selection is subject to ticket availability. Call 215-567-4341 to place your subscription order. Single Ticket Orders Order single tickets online at freelibrary.org/authorevents or by phone at 1-800-595-4TIX (4849). Free Events No tickets or reservations are required for free Author Events. Seating is first come, first seated. Visit us online for details about all of these events and more. See you at the Library! ----------------------------------- Ticketed Author Event Series Highlights David Lynch | The Unified Field Thursday, September 11, 2014 at 12:00 PM A discussion about The Un

We recently received the following update from one of our alumni, Ashley Esposito, who graduated in December of 2013: This coming August I will begin as the Collection Development and Assessment Librarian at Shippensburg University (a tenure-track, faculty position). Since I finished my Villanova degree last summer, I will be able to enter at the Assistant Professor level.  I'm not sure if Lauren mentioned it to you, but she was kind enough to serve as one of my references. I just wanted to thank you and the graduate English department for everything you've done. I know that I couldn't have attained this goal without the additional credentials afforded by your program. I also strongly believe (though I couldn't have known at the time) that not getting the Falvey position worked out for the best, since this is really an excellent opportunity for me and will certainly set me on a career path to grow professionally and possibly even become a library administrator at

Chiji Akoma has been elected President of the International Society for the Oral Literatures of Africa (ISOLA), at the Society's 10th biannual conference at Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire in June 2014. Akoma also presented a paper at the conference titled "Language, Orality, and Nigerian Popular Music." Akoma was also in Nigeria this summer for research on Igbo popular theatre. While in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, he made two television appearances: one in the Igbo language show, "Ugegbe," where he was interviewed on his research work on Igbo drama and on the subject of Igbo as an endangered indigenous language. He also appeared on the English language Sunday breakfast show, "A.M. Express," on that country's national television network, to speak on the publishing challenges facing younger writers in Africa.

In July, Megan Quigley's article, “Why ‘East Coker’ is Still Shocking: The Annual East Coker Lecture” was published in The Journal of the T. S. Eliot Society. (2014) 34-49. http://www.eliotsociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Journal-2014-contents.pdf

Joseph Lennon, PhD, published a suite of 23 haiku, "Flatland Haiku Summer" in Midwest Quarterly (Winter 2014 (55:2) pp 78-80). He also presented a paper at the 2014 American Conference for Irish Studies, entitled "Old Hungers, New Politics: Late 19th Century Fasts and Food Strikes" (June 14) and delivered an invited lecture at the Chester Beatty Library, entitled "Irish Orientalism: Origin Legends to Celtic Revivals" (June 27).

Eric Doyle presented a paper, titled "Race and Mythic Landscape in Ben Bova's Mars" at Mythcon, the annual Mythopoeic Society conference, on August 10, 2014.

In conjunction with her 2014 summer research grant, Sam delivered a 60-minute presentation on evolutionary discourses in J.R.R. Tolkien's work at at Mythcon, the annual Mythopoeic Society conference, on August 10th, 2014.

Teddi presented a paper on Harriet Jacobs and the Gothic at the National Association of African American Studies annual conference (February 2014) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.