The YAWP: Villanova's Graduate English Program Blog

When : Monday 2/5 at 6pm Where : Jack McShea's Pub in Ardmore We'll have Irish dancers, Irish trad musicians, and open mic readings. Come out for some great craic!

The collapse of Ireland's economic bubble in 2008 brought to an end the fifteen-year era of prosperity known as the Celtic Tiger. Dr. Sarah Townsend (University of New Mexico) explores Irish fiction and drama in the decade following the financial crash, showing how the upswing and its aftermath have remapped narratives about risk, aspiration, and human potential. When : Thursday, February 8, 5:30 PM Where : SAC 300

UVA has issued a CFP for their upcoming Graduate Student Conference on “Constructing Experience: Narrative Innovations Across Time and Media,” which takes place March 23-24, 2018. Note that the deadline for proposals is Jan. 31. Visit our posting on the Conference Opportunities page for all the details. As always, remember that if you decide to submit proposals to any conferences, be sure to consider applying for funding. See the Graduate Studies Office’s webpage on Conference Travel Funding . And remember that you have to apply for the funding before you attend the conference. (In recent years, the funding has tended to run out early in the spring semester.)

Still interested in the Irish Theatre Summer Studio? You should be! Be sure to come to the LAST info session this coming Monday, January 22, at 3:30 in SAC 300.  Ready to apply?  Visit this page  for more info and click on the "Apply Now" in the right-hand column to start your application.    Background Info: From the studio to the stage, students will study the workings and history of Ireland's world-class national theatre while developing their own theatre skills, knowledge, and practice. Students from Villanova will work alongside students from Irish and other universities and be taught by practitioners and professors from the U.S. and Ireland. Student work will culminate in a showing of final work at the Lir, Ireland's National Academy of Dramatic Art and guided by Abbey Theatre professionals. The Abbey Theatre, the national theatre of Ireland, has long showcased great Irish drama. Emerging out of theatre societies founded by W.B. Yeats, Edw...

CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia is hosting an upcoming public seminar, "Cultural Narratives and National Identities: Revisiting Rodney King, the Film The Fugitive , The Gulf Wars, and Disney’s Aladdin , " with Professor Alan Nadel (a prominent literary/cultural critic). The seminar is a one-day event, on Saturday, February 10, from 10am-3pm. Visit their website for more information! Also, please note that if you register and attend the seminar, the department will reimburse you for the registration fee.

Dr.  Christine Muller  graduated from Villanova's English MA program in 2002 and went on to earn her PhD in American Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Muller is now the Dean of Saybrook College, a residential college at Yale. She is also a lecturer in American Studies at Yale. In January of 2017, Dr. Muller published a book entitled  September 11, 2001 as a Cultural Trauma: A Case Study through Popular Culture.  Lia Mrozinski, a current first-year graduate student, had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Muller about her new book, her experience in academia, and more: LM: I read on Palgrave Macmillan that your recently published book,  September 11, 2001 as a Cultural Trauma: A Case Study through Popular Culture , explores cultural trauma in the early twenty-first century. What catalyzed your interest in this field? CM: Immediately after September 11, 2001, the idea that the “world had changed” circulated pervasively. I felt viscera...

The University of Connecticut is hosting a one-day graduate student Irish Studies conference, "Emerging Voices in Irish Studies," on March 3, 2018. Visit our posting on the Conference Opportunities page for all the information. As always, remember that if you decide to submit proposals to any conferences, be sure to consider applying for funding. See the Graduate Studies Office’s webpage on  Conference Travel Funding . And remember that you have to apply for the funding before you attend the conference. (In recent years, the funding has tended to run out early in the spring semester.) If necessary, they might also seek funding through their departments and the Center for Irish Studies.

English Graduate Student Association at Rutgers, Camden has issued a call for papers for its conference “Haunted Heritage: Confronting a Culture of Specters,” which will take place on April 14, 2018. Visit our posting on the Conference Opportunities page for all the information. As always, remember that if you decide to submit proposals to any conferences, be sure to consider applying for funding. See the Graduate Studies Office’s webpage on  Conference Travel Funding . And remember that you have to apply for the funding before you attend the conference. (In recent years, the funding has tended to run out early in the spring semester.)