The YAWP: Villanova's Graduate English Program Blog

From the Director of Writing Programs over at U Sciences in Philadelphia... This is just a friendly reminder that we are still accepting chapter proposals for our book, *Exigence in the Anthropocene: Teaching Ecocomposition in the Age of Climate Change.* For this edited collection, we are seeking essays on the climate crisis as both a concept and context for teaching writing today. Since this is a very busy week from many of us, we’ve decided to extend the submission deadline to: Sunday, December 29, 2019 .  Abstracts should be no more than 1,000 words, with eventual chapter submissions being 6,000-8,000 words. Abstracts should be submitted as a Word Doc to: Ecocomp2021@gmail.com . Notifications of acceptance will be shared by March 1, 2020. The full CFP can be found at https://www.tinyurl.com/ EcoComp2021 . All the best,   Justin Everett & Russell Mayo, Co-Editors of *Exigence in the Anthropocene* Ecocomp2021@gm...

This one has a rapidly-approaching deadline (the 16th), but it's well worth checking out for grad students with writing center interests or experience. The MAWCA listserv also posts job opportunities from time to time. https://mawca.org/2020-cfp

The Irish Studies Graduate Students of Boston College, in conjunction with the Center for Irish Programs, are pleased to be hosting the third annual Comhfhios Boston College conference. Comhfhios (pronounced “co-is”) meaning “knowledge together,” or “open to all knowledge,” invites emerging scholars in all Irish Studies fields to gather again in Boston. This year, we will discuss the role of women ( mná , pronounced “ma-naw”) in Irish Studies; from history to social media, literature to politics, activism to academia, we will focus on the impact women have had on Ireland. The conference will feature a keynote address by Leeann Lane (Dublin City University) and will include a panel presentation as well as roundtables. We invite proposals for presentations from any Irish Studies discipline pertaining to this year’s theme, “In Awe of all Mná : A Study of Irish Women.” We especially encourage submissions from junior scholars, recent graduates, and current graduate students. Topic...

scholarly paper submissions critical engagement with genders and sexualities from all academic disciplines intersectional explorations of feminist and queer studies 3000 word maximum formatting and citations in APA style creative submissions critical engagement with genders and sexualities in any of the following formats:  text files (e.g., poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction): 3000 words maximum  audio files (e.g., spoken word, interview): 10 minutes maximum  image files (e.g., photograph, painting)  video files (e.g., short film, animation): 10 minutes maximum  include a short statement (500 words maximum) explaining how the work is informed by and/or contributes to intersectional explorations of feminist and queer studies submissions must be authored/created by undergraduate students, recent graduates (undergraduate degrees completed within the last year), or graduate students in their first year of graduate studies. please send submission...

Each year the Villanova Gender and Women’s Studies Program hosts a student research conference.  It is an exciting opportunity to showcase your work, discuss your interests with students and faculty from Villanova and other area universities, and see the broad range of intellectual disciplines encompassed by Gender and Women’s Studies. Submit your paper to compete for a  CASH AWARD  in one of the following three categories: 1.        Papers or creative works by first-year undergraduates (4-10 pages) 2.        Papers or creative works by sophomores, juniors, and seniors (5-20 pages) 3.        Papers or creative works by graduate students (12-30 pages) The Barbara Wall Award for Feminist Praxis may be given to a paper that demonstrates a commitment to practical applications of feminist theory. Eligibility Essays and creative work must engage gende...

Huge congratulations to Dr. Kamran Javadizadeh, who has been awarded this year's William Riley Parker Prize for the best article published in  PMLA , the leading journal for literary studies!  His article “The Atlantic Ocean Breaking on Our Heads: Claudia Rankine, Robert Lowell, and the Whiteness of the Lyric Subject” appeared in the May 2019 issue of  PMLA .  Dr. Javadizadeh will  be presented with his award on 11 January 2020, during the association’s annual convention, to be held in Seattle. The members of the selection committee were Elizabeth Bearden (Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison); Christopher D. Castiglia (Penn State Univ., University Park), chair; Beth Piatote (Univ. of California, Berkeley); Melissa E. Sanchez (Univ. of Pennsylvania); and John H. Smith (Univ. of California, Irvine). In their citation the committee wrote: "' The Atlantic Ocean Breaking on Our Heads' rose gracefully from a comparison of a line appearing in poems written by Claudia Rankin...

The ETS Summer Institute program at Educational Testing Service (ETS) is hiring for positions in English Language Learning (TOEFL iBT ® and TOEIC ® ) and GRE ® (Verbal). The English Language Learning Summer Institute is open to undergraduate students, graduate students, teachers, professors, and professional writers. The GRE Verbal program is open to Master’s-level students and professors. The application process for summer associates is now open. The application process will close on January 31, 2020, and all the details needed to apply are stated below.       2020 ETS English Language Learning & GRE ® Verbal Summer Institute: Paid Summer Associate Positions Available   The English Language Learning (ELL) group and the GRE ® Verbal group in the Assessment and Learning Technology Development Division of Educational Testing Service (ETS) expect to hire approximately 24 summer associates for the summer of...

First-year grad students Mary Cordisco and Olivia Stowell recently had their poetry published in Kissing Dynamite: A Journal of Poetry.  Mary's poem "sometime, summer 2002" was published in Issue 12, themed "Cityscape." Olivia's poem "Keep, Meaning" was included in Issue 11, themed "Hold On."  You can read Mary's poem here and Olivia's poem here . Congrats to Mary and Olivia!

Where are you from? I'm from Wayne, PA. What do you do outside of grad school? Where do you work, and what are some of your hobbies? I'm a high school English and French teacher in Center City Philadelphia. Outside of school,  I love to write creatively--I write poetry and creative nonfiction, primarily. I also like going hiking, and I like to sing.  Favorite text you’ve read in a class this semester?  I really liked "Ahistorical" by Valerie Rohy, which we read for Mary Mullen's session on Historicism, Presentism, and Anachronism in the Theory course. It was a really interesting reading of "Ligeia"--personally, I wouldn't have thought to read the text that way and I appreciated doing a queer reading of such a classic text. What are some areas of study you're considering? I've become really interested in the idea of the archive and the limitations of the traditional archive in its dominant structural form, as well as tran...

The Graduate English Organization at the University of Maryland - College Park would like to invite graduate students to submit an abstract to the interdisciplinary 13th Annual Graduate English Conference. The title of this year's conference is “Radical Visions: Abolition as Praxis in Literature, Rhetoric, and Culture," and it will take place on February 28-29, 2020 . Abstracts can be submitted to conference.geo@gmail.com by December 30, 2019 . More Information: Call for Proposals: 13th Annual Graduate English Organization Conference  Radical Visions: Abolition as Praxis in Literature, Rhetoric, and Culture Department of English University of Maryland February 28-29, 2020 What needs to be abolished in your discipline? What can emerge to take its place? Starting from the intellectual posture of prison abolition and encompassing diverse, interdisciplinary methodologies and periods, this conference seeks to identify justice-centered approaches to the study of literature ...

In October, second year MA student Sarah Beth Gilbert served on two panels and presented at the first Multiverse Con, an inclusive science fiction/fantasy conference. Sarah Beth served on the panels, “Beyond Gender: LGBTQ+ Representations in Science Fiction” and “Female Agency in Wielding Power,” at which she presented her paper, “Institutionalized Control of Female Agency: Knowledge and Power of Witches in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Penny Dreadful .” You can read more about Sarah Beth's research and Multiverse Con here . Congrats, Sarah Beth!

Spots still available! Contact Mike Malloy or Joseph Lennon for more information!

This post by guest blogger and professor Dr. Adrienne Perry. What does a career in publishing look like? How does someone interested in jobs or internships in publishing get started?  On Monday night, a packed room gathered to hear four high-powered Villanova alumni answer these and other questions. Cece Ryan, Publisher of  People  magazine and Senior VP at Meredith Corporation underscored that there are lots of different kinds of publishing (hint: it’s not all about books). According to Ryan, finding fulfilling work after Villanova should be an exhilarating process. Villanova students can feel both proud and prepared to meet their futures. Gary Urda, Senior VP for Sales at Simon and Schuster, reminded the audience that publishing is a 26 billion dollar a year industry on the cutting edge of art and culture. Given the size of the industry, what percentage of jobs in this field are editorial? At Simon and Schuster, Urda estimated about 10%. He then discussed the dynami...

This post by guest blogger and first year grad student Caitlyn Dittmeier. This past Monday I had the opportunity to interview Professor Jill McCorkel, a professor of Sociology and Criminology at Villanova, for the Irish Studies Anniversary podcast series. As a former Irish studies minor and now a graduate student continuing my studies in Irish literature, I was so interested to learn more about her research in Ireland last year. Professor McCorkel has been investigating the U.S. criminal justice system for many years, visiting prisons and serving as an advocate and consultant for wrongful conviction cases. For any new place McCorkel travels to, she makes sure to visit the prisons in the area-performing participant observation and having honest interviews with prisoners and prison staff. I really admire her ethnographic approach to research because it allows her to listen closely to the individual stories and experiences that speak to larger issues of injustice. As Professor McC...

This past Monday, four Villanova alumni shared their experience in publishing at the Publishing Matters: Careers in Publishing Alumni Panel event. Bob Bender (Simon & Schuster), Cece Ryan (People and Meredith Corporation), Gary Urda (Simon & Schuster), and Kelly Moran (Macmillan/St. Martin's Press) shared their experiences in book and magazine publishing, as well as their thoughts on what it takes to launch a successful publishing career. The four panelists also shared how a Villanova education has influenced their work. Thanks to everyone who attended!

The lineup has been announced for Villanova's 22nd Annual Literary Festival! Save the dates for readings with Brenda Shaughnessy, Dinaw Mengestu, Bryan Washington, and Robin Coste Lewis. All readings begin at 7 PM, and are free to attend. Readings are followed by a reception and book signing. For more information, check out the Lit Fest's info page.

Left to right: Zac Richards, Kristen Wallace, Shea Szpila, and Matthew Ryan Last night, our grad students and faculty met over pizza to informally discuss teaching. Matthew Ryan, currently doing an internship in teaching English, was able to present on that opportunity. A good time (and good pizza) were had by all.  Left to right: Dr. Heather Hicks, Kyle Bernadyn, Lauren Wilke, Caitlyn Dittmeier, Sam Dugan, and Zac Richards

This post by guest blogger and first year grad student Lauren Wilke. This past Thursday evening, students and faculty from the English Department met for a Teaching Roundtable event to discuss teaching techniques, share advice on the subject, and to enjoy some tomato pie. Dr. Evan Radcliffe and Dr. Heather Hicks attended to share valuable insight into their personal experiences with teaching throughout the years. Second-year graduate student Matthew Ryan talked in-depth about his current position as a teaching intern and what it has taught him. He had tips and ideas that ranged from collaborating with a faculty member to classroom management techniques. Everyone with teaching experience was able to share ideas and advice for those who are interested in pursuing a teaching career.

A few students from Kamran Javadizadeh's What Is Poetry course attended an event this past Monday featuring Charles Davis, a professor of Architectural History, and Solmaz Sharif, a poet and Creative Writing professor, in conversation around architectural utopianism in postwar African-American writing, the work of June Jordan, and the intersections of poetics and power. The What Is Poetry class just finished reading Sharif's first collection, LOOK , and the event was a wonderful opportunity to hear Sharif read poems from the collection in person. Students also got to briefly meet and chat with Sharif following the event. Solmaz Sharif reading from her collection Students Caitlyn Dittmeier and Olivia Stowell meeting Sharif 

The Master of Arts in American Studies Program at Stockton  University is proud to announce its second graduate student conference in American Studies. This conference aims to provide  students enrolled in M.A. and Ph.D. programs the opportunity to present their research in a formal academic setting. Participants may submit proposals for panels or for individual presentations.  While the main theme of the conference is “Activism, Resistance,  & Revolt,” we invite proposals addressing all research subjects in American Studies.  The conference will take place on April 16, 2020 at Stockton University, 101 Vera King Farris Drive, Galloway, NJ 08205. Please send an abstract with title (1-page max) and short biography (1-page max) to amstsociety-club@go.stockton.edu by February 16, 2020 with the subject line: Proposal for Stockton University MAAS Conference. In the body of the email please include your name, graduate program, university, and email address. If ...

The Referent of Ireland in the Nineteenth Century February 21, 2020 9:30 AM -5:00 PM Reception at 5 Villanova University Garey Hall 10A Register in Advance here This conference builds on fresh work on reference—or how the text refers to a world outside of the text—in order to rethink the aesthetics and politics of nineteenth-century Irish literature. Responding to a set of shared readings, participants will ask big questions: What does literature about nineteenth-century Ireland refer to, and what are its habits of reference? Does the referent change for readers across time? Now that old saws about Ireland’s failed realism have been put to bed, what purposes might be served by thinking about Irish referential habits? Does thinking about Ireland and reference strand nineteenth-century Ireland in old paradigms of representation that preclude us thinking about mediation ? How does the nineteenth-century literature and culture of Ireland refer to our own culture and...

This past Thursday, October 30, the department hosted Dr. María Josefina Saldaña-Portillo from NYU for our semester colloquium! Dr. Saldaña-Portillo's talk, entitled "What is the Time of the Decolonial? Who Speaks for the Dispossessed? Roma and the White Settler Colonial Paradigm," discussed Alfonso Cuarón's 2018 film, exploring dynamics of colonialism and decoloniality, politics and power, spiral time, the film's use of sound, and the depiction of the film's central character, Cleo. Dr. Saldaña-Portillo presents her paper Thanks to everyone who attended the colloquium!

Enlightenment Sexualities *This course will fulfill the pre-1800 British/Irish literature requirement. ENG 8460 Dr. Joseph Drury CRN 32794 Tuesday 5:20-7:20pm The age of Enlightenment was also the age of the libertine. A freethinking philosophy of pleasure and individual freedom, libertinism emerged in seventeenth-century France before crossing over to England with the restoration of the monarchy after the Civil War. Turning their bakcs on what they saw as repressive religious and moral dogmas, libertine authors drew on contemporary philosophical materialism to write witty, cynical, and sometimes obscene works celebrating sexual promiscuity and hedonism. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, libertine ideas began to find their way into Enlightenment political projects aimed at restoring human nature to its "primitive" purity or emancipating women from patriarchal oppression. At the same time, however, libertinism and sexual deviance of various kinds also...