The Newsletter of the Department of English and Languages
East Central University, Ada, Oklahoma
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1 News from the Third Floor Fall 2011
Original Matters
Mary Newport
Three upper-division English majors have been selected for internships with the Originals magazine for the academic year, 2011-12. Sarah Berger, Nathan Griffin, and Daphine Peck (appearing left to right in the photo) will serve as general editors for the 2012 publication, and will make key decisions regarding content, style, and layout.
“This is the second year of the internships,” according to Dr. Mark Walling, Originals faculty advisor. “It has been a great success. It allows students an opportunity to utilize all of their hard-earned skills on a major project.”
To qualify for internship status, students do not have to be English majors, but they must complete ENG 2713 Publications Practicum, which is offered each fall. Students enrolled in this course form the staff for Originals.
The 2012 magazine is currently accepting submissions in the genres of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and drama. Only currently-enrolled students may submit. Each student may submit a maximum of seven individual works. Each prose entry should not exceed 6,000 words. Poems should not exceed 100 lines. Submit all works to . Deadline for submissions is October 24. For more information contact Dr. Walling at 559-5440 or .
Bonjour à Notre Nouveau Professeur de Français et Espagnol!
Amber Huffman
For those of us who don’t speak French, the headline reads “Welcome to our new French and Spanish teacher!” Dr. Yolanda Forero-Villegas is our new Assistant Professor in the English and Languages Department. A native of Bogotá, Colombia, she teaches both French and Spanish.
Dr. Forero-Villegas holds a Ph.D and M.A. in Spanish from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an M.A. in French from the Université de Paris III and a B.A. in English and French from the UniversidadPedagógica Nacional de Bogotá. She also holds certificates for teaching French from the Université Paul-Valéry, and specialization in Spanish linguistics from Instituto Caro y Cuervo. She has had several articles published in refereed journals and book chapters, as well as a book, Uneslabón perdido: la novela de los años cuarenta(1941-1949).
She has travelled in western Europe and various parts of the United States, including Texas and South Carolina. When asked about her first impressions of Oklahoma, she stated that she hasn’t had a chance to get a taste of Oklahoma because it is too hot to go outside and explore. Dr. Forero-Villegas is still settling in, so if you see her around, you can greet her by saying “bonjour,” “hola,” or “how are you?”
Not so New!
Kim Haegele and
Daphine Peck
The East Central University Department of English and Languages is proud to welcome Dr. Jason Murray to its elite faculty list. Dr. Murray is no stranger to our illustrious halls; he received his Bachelor of English in 1996 from East Central University. Later, he built upon his education by adding a master’s degree from Northeastern Oklahoma State University, then earning his doctoratefrom the University of South Dakota. He has taught at Bacone College and Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa.
Dr. Murray brings a story with him that is a true testament to the insight he hopes to offer his students. He is a first generation student – not just as a college graduate, but also as a first generation high school graduate. He knows the obstacles associated with being a scholar and an average person. He offers words of advice to current and future college students: “Desire is as important as intelligence. If you have desire, you can overcome any barrier if the want is strong enough.”
Currently, Dr. Murray’s professional desire is to continue to teach. He hopes to contribute what he feels is “the essence of teaching” so he may inspire students to continue to build on their education.
He would like to eventually gain tenure and focus on his area of specialty, Native American literature, about which he would like to eventually publish a book. His personal goals include continuing to spend time with his two nephews and his niece, who believe him to be “The Greatest Uncle in the World.”
Students Talk about Teachers
Preston Marshall and
Nathan Griffin
One of the highlights of this semester for the Department of English and Languages will include an all-day conference, titled Rotten Apples: A Symposium on What American Popular Culture Gets Wrong (and Right) About Educators. The goal of the symposiumis for participants to take an in-depth look at depictions of educators in film and fiction. Submissions addressing any aspect of educators in film and/or fiction will be accepted for review. Submissions are especially solicited from undergraduate students. Submissions from academic professionals and graduate students are also welcome.
The mission of the symposium is inspired by research explored by Dr. Steve Benton, Assistant Professor of English and Languages. Dr. Benton’s dissertation focused on the tendency of fiction and films about educators to identify an exceptional educator who is typically isolated in a sea of teachers that are, frankly, bad. Dr. Benton concluded that these works, rather than celebrating educators, degrade the intellectual community as a whole. This fall, Dr. Benton is teaching an upper-division course on this subject, and the conference is being created and organized by students in the course.
The Rotten Apples Leadership Team includes studentsMacy McDonald, Brock Parsons, Erin Roberson, Paula Wiest, and Jaime Worden, as well as Dr. Benton. Students in Dr. Benton’s American Literature class are designing a website dedicated to analysis of depictions of educators in popular fiction and film.Kaylie Blackwell, Lindsi Bonar, Jaclyn Duvall, and Cody Stephens are on the website design leadership team.
The symposium will include academic presentations followed by discussion, readings of short stories and personal writing,and screening of a feature film followed by a panel discussion.
Categories of submissions include essays that analyze depictions of educators in American fiction and film (presentations of the essays are expected to last between 10 and 15 minutes; 6 - 8 pages); short fiction that includes depictions of educators (6 to 8 pages); and personal essays from Freshman Composition I students which convey personal experiences with educators (3 to 4 pages).
To submit academic essays, send abstracts of 150-250 words to . To submit short fiction or a personal essay,send an excerpt of 150-250 words to the same address. The deadline for submissions is midnight, October 13, 2011.
Please notify the leadership team of your school affiliation (if any) and your status as undergraduate, graduate student, or educator.
All abstracts received before the deadline will be reviewed and their authors notified via email of their selection on or before October 18, 2011. All papers selected for presentation at the symposium will be eligible for inclusion in our published proceedings.
Literati Greets a New Year with a New Sponsor
Caitlin Giles
Are you interested in reading, writing, or any aspect of literature and language? If you answered yes, then Literati is for you!
Literati is a group sponsored by the English and Languages department and led by Dr. Teresa Rothrock. The group does a number of activities, which in the past have included poetry readings,Halloween night movies, and discussions about various books. Don’t worry if you aren’t an English major; everyone is welcome to join!
This year, Literati welcomes a new co-sponsor, Dr. Robin Murphy. Literati has many exciting plans for the year, including partnering with the Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English to host a state-wide competition for young writers.
Don’t be worried that being a member of Literati will be more work on top of your already busy schedule. The meetings are fun and members aren’t required to do anything they don’t want to do.
It costs $5 to become a member of Literati. Meeting times will be determined September 6th at the “Welcome Back” picnic.For more information and up-to-date announcements, students should visit the Literati bulletin board outside Suite 336 in Horace Mann.
Scissortail Creative Writing Festival
Hailey Wansick and
JaclynDuvall
The 7th annual Scissortail Creative Writing Festival is set to begin Thursday, April 5 and end Saturday, April 7, 2012 with featured authors Norbert Krapf and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey as headliners.
Each spring, writers from across the country gather to celebrate creative writing.
“I consider it a rendezvous where writers can get together and share creative insight,” says Dr. Ken Hada, the director of the festival. “The Scissortail Festival has received notoriety from across the country and has brought great prestige to this campus.”
Previous years for the festival have been huge successes, but according to Dr. Hada, more needs to be done.
“We need more donations and money so that we can get more authors,” he said. “We also need more support from the students.”
Writers who participate in the festival, approximately 50 each year, must go through a screening process before being selected to read their work. All submissions are collectively screened by Dr. Hada and a panel of readers. Once selected, writers are given a window of time during the festival to read their work. Dr. Hada arranges the panels so that each session offers a variety of work from experienced and inexperienced writers.
Each year, Scissortail hosts a creative writing contest for high school students. The Darryl Fisher Creative Writing Contest, which accepts poetry and short fiction, is Oklahoma’s most prestigious and competitive writing competition. Students can earn cash prizes up to $250 for their creative works.
For more information about the Scissortail Festival, contact Dr. Hada at , or visit
It’s OLAF Time Again
Mary Newport
The East Central University Department of English and Languages and the Center of Continuing Education and Community Services will host the 16th annual Oklahoma Literary Arts Festival on November 10. The festival, which is held for Oklahoma high school students and their teachers, educates participants about subjects such as foreign culture, poetry, writing techniques and literary comprehension.
The students attend two morning workshops on subjects of their choice. Presenters include senior ECU students or faculty of the English and Languages department.
High school teachers do n ot attend these workshops, but instead have the opportunity to attend a morning session strictly for them. After lunch, both students and teachers move to a noon session, which is open to the general public.
“It’s meant to be a form of enrichment, not just another lesson,” Dr. Teresa Rothrock, Assistant Professor of English and Languages and ECU Director of Assessment, said. “It’s a way for our department to reach out.”
Although each workshop will be different, this year’s general session will be Mark Twain-themed. Henry Sweet of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home Museum will lead the teacher session. The noon session, which has previously hosted renowned artists such as Taylor Mali, will feature Mark Twain impersonator Dave Elhert. In addition, Henry Sweet will hold an evening book discussion, and several items from the Mark Twain Boyhood Home Museum will be on display in the Bill S. Cole University Center. The display will run November 4 through 10.
Rothrock said she expects roughly 200 students to attend the festival with each school allowed to bring 25 students.
“We can handle around 250,” she said, “but school budget cuts have decreased attendance.”
The festival also features a flash fiction competition.The entries will be judged by volunteers from the English and Languages department.
“We have pretty much everyone involved,” Dr. Rothrock said.
French Film Festival
Sarah Berger, Lindsi Bonar and Jaime Worden
This past February marked the first occurrence of the French Film Festival. Hosted by Sigma Tau Delta, the French Film Festival was made possible through a grant from the non-profit organization FACE, the French American Cultural Exchange. According to their website, FACE is “dedicated to nurturing French-American relations through innovative international projects in the arts, education, and cultural exchange.”
Every Friday throughout the month of February, contemporary French films were shown in ECU's Raymond Estep Multimedia Center, with film students and faculty members introducing the films and staying afterward for discussion. At the conclusion of each film, door prizes such as books by French authors and French films, chocolates and artwork were given. On the last day of the festival, the grand prize of dinner for two at La Baguette Bistro in Oklahoma City was awarded.
More than two hundred people attended the festival. The films Persepolis, The Class, Shall We Kiss, Roman De Gare, and Tell No One were shown. Sigma Tau Delta hopes to host the French Film Festival again this year. Dr. Steve Benton, co-director of the festival and faculty sponsor for Sigma Tau Delta, is currently writing a grant proposal in the hope that ECU will receive the necessary funding for a 2012 festival. For more information, contact Dr. Benton at sbenton@ ecok.edu.
Sigma Tau Delta
Lindsi Bonar, Tosha Deal and Jaime Worden
ECU’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta (STD), the International English Honors Society, will be meeting in the Tower Room of the University Center on the first Friday of every month this fall semester. Attendance ranges from five to twenty-five, and everyone is welcome. Discussion is facilitated by the group’s faculty sponsors, Drs. Steve Benton and Joshua Grasso.
“[The group] has become more inclusive and tries to foster community and discussion among all English majors and other interested parties,” Dr. Grasso said.
Meetings that once involved cloak and dagger candle-lighting ceremonies are now casual gatherings to discuss everything from books and films to current events and how to get into graduate school.
In February, STD received a grant from the non-profit group FACE, the French American Cultural Exchange, which funded the French Film Festival. Sigma Tau Delta also hosts the Better World Book Drive, a program which collects used and new books and textbooks that are distributed in foreign countries. Last spring, the group also hosted the second annual Page One Literary Art Gallery, held during the Scissortail Creative Writing Festival. Immensely successful, the gallery included works from not only East Central students but also from students at Cameron University, the University of Oklahoma, North Texas University, Seminole State College and area high schools. Participation was nearly doubled from the previous year.
For more information on either officially joining Sigma Tau Delta, or just learning what STD is all about, contact Dr. Benton or Dr. Grasso.
English Talk
Jaclyn Duvall and Tosha Deal
For news and other goings-on in the ECU English department, check out the ECU website, which provides pages and links for each academic department. At the ECU main page, click Academics then scroll down. The department’s link will appear on the left. Degree requirements, organizations, activities, and other information can be found there.
Also, check out
talk.blogspot.com.The site, maintained by Dr. Steve Benton, is updated regularly with news, events and other interesting tidbits pertaining to English majors and minors currently enrolled at ECU.
It gives students information about opportunities for submitting creative works, news about ECU English and Languages instructors and ways for students to become more involved in the community. Comments are more than welcome!
Faculty Accomplishments
Dr. Steve Benton presented papers at the Literature/History Association Conference in Milwaukee, WI, the American Studies Association of Texas Conference in Commerce, TX, and the Popular Culture Association/ American Culture Association Conference in San Antonio, TX. He also publishedwork in Masterplots, Fourth Revised Edition.
Dr. Kevin Davis, along with Lisa Ede of Oregon State Univ., co-presented at the closing plenary session of the South Central Writing Centers Association Conference at the Univ. of Houston in April.Dr. Davis alsopresented the keynote address at the International Writing Centers Association Summer Institute for new WC directors in July. His article, “This Is the Story of How We Begin to Forget: Zen and the Art of Not Teaching Writing,” appeared in the May issue of Teaching English in the Two-Year College.He is now serving as vice president of the South Central Writing Centers Association.
Dr. Joshua Grasso, who was granted tenure in Spring 2011, published an article on Elspeth Huxley's Life and Works(Anglo-African writer) for Scribner's British Writers Supplement Volume XIX (forthcoming Spring 2012). His proposal was accepted to write a chapter for MLA's Approaches
to Teaching the Novels of Henry Fielding (forthcoming Fall 2012).