Prof. Catherine Staples Publishes Three New Poems

Check out the three new poems that the prolific Prof. Catherine Staples has just published, all of which can be read online: "Survivor, Wreck of the Jason" in Commonweal Magazine, "Letter to America" on Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built + Natural Environments, and "If the Room Spoke Back" on poets.org. Congratulations, Cathy!

Villanova English Hosts Finals Week Study Session

Villanova English hosted its first ever Finals Week Study Session on Monday. English Majors worked on their papers and prepared for exams while munching on sandwiches and cookies. Many thanks to graduate student Alex Brodin, who was on hand to answer questions and help students with their writing, and to special guest Truffle, Dr. Hicks's dog, for the cuteness.

Left to right: Eli Papakostas, Alex Brodin, Caroline Rini, Olivia Sigmund, Sal DeMaggio

Truffle makes friends with Caroline Rini

 Left to Right: Sal DeMaggio, Eli Papakostas, Alex Brodin, Caroline Rini, Gracie Stagliano, Olivia Sigmund, Reagan Wish

Dr. Kamran Javadizadeh on Keats's Letters

Dr. Kamran Javadizadeh today published an essay, "Improper Time," as part of The Keats Letter Project, an online series of essays on the epistolary writing of the Romantic poet John Keats. Each essay is about a single letter by Keats and is published along with the letter on the 200th anniversary of its original composition. Dr. Javadizadeh's essay reflects on the letter the poet wrote to his brother George, who had recently moved to America, informing him of the death of their younger brother Tom on December 16, 1818. You can read the full essay here.

Dr. Tsering Wangmo's Course on "Narrated Lives of the Undocumented" featured in Villanova Media Room

Dr. Tsering Wangmo's class, "Narrative Lives of the Undocumented," was featured this week in the Villanova Media Room's "Captivating Courses" series. Students in Dr. Wangmo's course read works in many different genres -- memoir, poetry, a graphic novel, creative and critical essays -- and used them to approach several urgent contemporary issues around human rights, immigration, political asylum, citizenship, the nation-state, race, and memory. You can find the full article here.

2019 Gender and Women's Studies Research Conference - Call for Papers

The 30th Annual Gender & Women’s Studies Student Research Conference will be on Friday, April 5, 2019. 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. Essays and creative work must engage gender, sexuality, or feminist theories. All papers must have been written during Spring or Fall 2018 or written specifically for the conference.

Every spring, the Gender and Women’s Studies program organizes the Gender and Women's Studies Student Research Conference to highlight and celebrate gender focused work produced by students from across the university during the previous year. Undergraduate and graduate students present their work on panels or through performance. The afternoon culminates with a keynote address by a nationally recognized scholar or performer. The conference is free and open to the public. 

Paper Eligibility and Submission Guidelines:

http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/gws/ecs_conference/papers.html

Submission Deadline: Friday, February 8, 2019

Conference presented by Villanova's Gender & Women's Studies Program and The Greater Philadelphia Women's Studies Consortium. 

Questions? Email gws@villanova.edu

Dr. Lauren Shohet publishes article on Milton and Frankenstein

Dr. Shohet's article, "Reading Milton in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein," was just published in Milton Studies 60 (2018).

Dr. Shohet's essay suggests that Frankenstein engages Paradise Lost with more consistency and nuance than critics have previously acknowledged. Rather than a straightforwardly agonistic response, the novel instead classifies different kinds of Miltonic readers through its characters: the Milton-literate Creature, the Milton-oblivious Robert Walton, and the aware but studiously avoidant Victor Frankenstein. Redistributing labor from Milton’s Adam, Eve, Satan, and Father to Frankenstein’s various characters, Dr. Shohet argues, the novel raises questions about the world of its characters and of Milton’s epic. Practicing both adaptation and critique, Frankenstein dissents from some other Romantic responses to prove surprisingly sympathetic to aspects of Milton’s Reformist ethos.

Dr. Lisa Sewell's Graduate Class Meets Jeff Bridges!

Members of Dr. Lisa Sewell’s Ecopoetry and Environmental Criticism class, who recently attended the on-campus screening of the documentary Living in the Future’s Past, were treated to a special event last week. Two of the documentary's "luminaries," Susan Kucera (director) and Jeff Bridges (producer and narrator) met with Dr. Sewell’s class via video chat to discuss various aspects of the film. You heard that right: the group got to virtually “meet” The Dude himself!

Lisa Sewell's Ecopoetry & Environmental Criticism Graduate Class 

Living in the Future’s Past, which is described on its website as a “beautifully photographed tour de force of original thinking on who we are and the environmental challenges we face,” explores the pressing environmental issues facing our world today. The film, which includes expert commentary from an impressive group of psychologists, anthropologists, philosophers (including Timothy Morton!), and more, is driven by its core question: “What kind of future would you like to see?” LITFP has received overwhelming critical praise, and also recently qualified for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the Academy Awards.

Producer and Narrator Jeff Bridges (on video chat)

Students were able to ask Bridges and Kucera a range of questions about filming strategies, the creative choices behind the visual components of the film, the team’s process for arriving at the film’s positive and even hopeful tone, plans for future promotion of the film, and more. Students learned that in addition to promoting an environmental awareness message via her film work, Kucera also practices environmentalism in her personal life: she edited LITFP using exclusively solar power. The class also learned that Bridges is hopeful the documentary will be widely incorporated into the curricula of various educational institutions, since its message is educational and empowering for positive change.

Director Susan Kucera (on video chat)

The screening, which took place on November 14, was co-sponsored by English, Geography & the Environment, Honors, Global & Interdisciplinary Studies, Ethics, Philosophy, Peace & Justice, and Gender & Women's Studies.

You can visit the film’s website (or ask Dr. Sewell and her students) to learn more! The film is also available to watch on iTunes and Prime Video.

2019 ETS English Language Learning Summer Institute:

Paid Summer Associate Positions Available

The English Language Learning (ELL) group in the Assessment Development Division of Educational Testing Service (ETS) expects to hire approximately 22 summer associates for the summer of 2019.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

ELL summer associates will produce materials for use on large-scale, high-stakes standardized tests of English language proficiency. Each summer associate will work on one of the following:

• TOEFL iBT^® Test

The TOEFL iBT test is taken by nonnative speakers of English who are planning to apply to a college or university in an English-speaking country.

• TOEIC^® Tests

The TOEIC tests are taken principally by people who need to communicate with both native and nonnative speakers of English in the context of the global workplace.

The test development work is intellectually challenging and rewarding. The work may include:

• writing items that test knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension
• identifying academic texts which are suitable for testing reading comprehension
• creating conversations and talks that test listening comprehension
• developing scenarios and prompts that allow candidates to demonstrate their speaking or writing skills

PROGRAM DETAILS:

The program runs from July 8 through August 16 (6 weeks) for all test sections. Summer associates are expected to work 8:30–5:00, Monday through Friday, for the whole program, and will receive attractive compensation. All work is conducted at the ETS Rosedale campus in Princeton, New Jersey. Summer associates must provide or arrange their own housing and transportation.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

The TOEFL iBT test and the TOEIC tests are global measures, so ETS actively seeks candidates who can bring diverse experiences and perspectives to the work. The ELL Summer Institute workforce includes people from a variety of backgrounds, such as undergraduate students, graduate students, teachers, professors, and professional writers. Applicants must have completed at least some undergraduate work in order to be considered.

All summer associates must have appropriate authorization to work in the United States. If you do not currently have U.S. work authorization, please note: Some candidates who receive an offer to be a summer associate may be able to apply for a CPT or an OPT work authorization visa if enrolled at a U.S. university. Check with your university’s international student services office or program coordinator for eligibility before applying to the ELL Summer Institute. CPT visas can usually be acquired quickly, while OPT visas typically take longer. Candidates who receive an offer and who need a CPT or an OPT visa should apply for one of these visas immediately upon accepting our offer. Summer associates must have a very high degree of fluency in English but do not need to be native speakers.

All summer associates must have excellent writing skills. The work requires:

•           verbal precision and sensitivity to nuance

•           analytic skill

•           attention to detail

•           receptiveness to instruction

Additionally, summer associates must be able to:

•           work well individually and collaboratively

•           carefully consider constructive feedback

•           manage their time effectively to meet targets

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Each of the test sections hiring for the summer is associated with a specific work sample. You will need to complete and submit a separate work sample for each test section for which you would like to be considered. Directions for completing and submitting your work sample(s), along with a cover letter and résumé, will be posted on the ELL Summer Institute at https://www.ets.org/careers/ell_summer_institute beginning Saturday, December 1, 2018.

Applications are due Thursday, January 31, 2019. Applicants are selected mainly on the basis of their performance on the work samples. Work samples will be evaluated in February and March, and you will be notified of your status by Friday, March 15, 2019. For questions, please contact Recruiting Consultant Monica Hopkins at mhopkins@ets.org.

SCHEDULE OVERVIEW:

December 1, 2018	Application process opens
January 31, 2019	Application deadline
March 15, 2019	Applicants notified of decisions
July 8, 2019	First day of the ELL Summer Institute for all test sections
August 16, 2019	Last day of the ELL Summer Institute

Holidays are Here!

Thanks to everyone who came out on Thursday to help decorate the department office. It looks great!

From left to right: Carina Silvermoon, Corina Scott, Caroline Rini, and Nora Manosca.

Department Holiday Decorating Party!! - November 29

Ellipsis, Villanova Art & Literary Magazine Wants Submissions

Do you have some great poetry or artsy pics that you're dying to share? Ellipsis, Villanova's Art and Literary Magazine, is now accepting submissions of artwork, photography, poetry, short stories and prose for its 2018-19 edition. The editors are accepting until mid-March.

If you have any questions or want to submit a piece, please send to vuellipsis@gmail.com.

Job Opportunity! Law Professor Looking to Hire Student to Help Train Immigrant Advocates

Professor Michele Pistone in Villanova's School of Law is looking to hire a student assistant for VIISTA, a new educational program being designed by an interdisciplinary team of Villanova faculty members looking to train non-lawyer immigrant advocates to help immigrants in court and with applications before the Department of Homeland Security.

The position's responsibilities include helping with social media, marketing, writing, graphic design, and general organization. The student will be expected to work 10 hours a week for $10 an hour.

Prof. Pistone encourages applications from students with a strong work ethic and an eye for to detail, who have been told that they have good writing skills. The position may be of particular interest if you are considering a career in law, communications, international relations, or peace and justice, or otherwise want to learn about and work on immigration-related issues.

For more information, including details on how to apply, see here.

Department Teaching Roundtable

On Thursday, November 1, students and faculty met over pizza to discuss various topics related to teaching. The event began with thoughts from graduate students who are participating in (or who recently participated in) the English department’s Teaching Internship program, and the conversation ranged from the differences between teaching high school students and college students to ways of generating class discussion.

Illustrations for Children's Books in Prof. Foster's Senior Seminar

As part of their attempt to learn how to interpret and study illustrations in children’s literature, Professor Foster’s senior seminar read Molly Bang’s Picture This: How Pictures Work and then worked in groups to make their own. All four depict “Birds Attacking a Victim.”

Anthology of Appalachian Writers

The Anthology of Appalachian Writers is a publication that encourages a long-established tradition of storytelling, love of language, and creative expression associated broadly with Appalachia. Though the principal mission of the anthology is to provide a venue for publication of new writers, it also provides a collection of literature and scholarship that contributes to an understanding and appreciation for the region, as well as evincing some connection to the 2018 Appalachian Heritage Writer, Karen Spears Zacharias. Poetry, fiction, memoir, creative nonfiction, essays, heritage writers, as well as new voices appear in each annual volume of the anthology. The anthology is supported by the Shepherd University Foundation and The West Virginia Center for the Book. 

Submissions: To submit any original, unpublished work of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, memoir, or essay for consideration by the editors for the Anthology of Appalachian Writers, Karen Spears Zacharias Volume XI, send an electronic copy, along with the information below, to Dr. S. Bailey Shurbutt: sshurbut@shepherd.edu. All submissions must be in the submission format below:

Name:____________________________________________________________________

Title of Submission:_________________________________________________________

Address:__________________________________________________________________

E-mail:________________________________________ Phone:_____________________

Brief Biography (limit 100 words):_____________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Format for Submissions:  No page numbers, double spacing, Garamond, 5000-word maximum limit. 

For more information, see here.

Screening of Living in the Future's Past - 11/14

Join the English Department for a screening of Living in the Future's Past. Academy Award Winner Jeff Bridges presents a beautifully photographed tour de force of original thinking on who we are and the environmental challenges we face. Alongside prominent philosophers, scientists, spiritual leaders, politicians and military leaders, director Susan Kucera weaves a story that helps us understand our place among the species of Earth's household.

The screening is at 7.00pm on Wednesday, November 14 in Mendel 213.

The event is co-sponsored by Geography & the Environment, Honors, GIS, Ethics, Philosophy, Peace & Justice, and GWS.

Photos from Pre-Registration Reception!

Thanks to everyone who came out for our pre-registration reception on Friday. Here are some photos of the event, including ones of our raffle winners and our first ever poetry busking table!

Campus Organizers Needed to Help Get Students Out to Vote in Next Month's Election

The Feminist Majority is recruiting hardworking and passionate Pennsylvania community college and university students and recent graduates to be campus organizers for our student-led voter education and mobilization campaign to encourage student turnout for feminist candidates in the elections in November.

Organizers will be working through Election Day, November 6th, for 5-20 hours per week, at $15 an hour. Applications will be accepted on a rolling-basis beginning in late-August, through October.

QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal applicant is able to multi-task and work in fast-paced situations, both independently and as part of a team. They are reliable and detail-oriented, and have strong written and oral communication skills.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested applicants should complete an online application at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/fmpennsylvaniaorganizers. After completing the application, a resume and cover letter should be emailed to Emma Behr at emmabehr@feministmajority.org. For more information, feel free to email, text, or call Emma Behr at 814.470.3252.

FEMINIST MAJORITY

The Feminist Majority (feministmajority.org) is a nonprofit organization that works to empower feminists and win equality for women at the state and national level.

The Feminist Majority is an equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity.