Welcome to the blog for the Villanova English department! Visit often for updates on department events, guest speakers, faculty and student accomplishments, and reviews and musings from professors and undergraduates alike.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Poetry Slam Featuring Guest Poet Rudy Francisco!

Fifteen students competed in two Poetry Slam rounds on April 19 to win prize money.  The three winners were Gracie Stagliano, Henry Irwin, and Isaiah Alicea.
Rudy Francisco performing in Belle Air Terrace
Poetry Slam winners- Henry Irwin, Gracie Stagliano, and Isaiah Alicea! 
Villanova Poetry Society eboard with Rudy Francisco! (Gracie Stagliano, Casey McIntyre, Rudy Francisco, Alex Forgione, Viktoriya Kucherak)





Sunday, April 22, 2018

Archive Trip with Dr. Jean Lutes and Undergraduates

Dr. Jean Lutes is working this semester with a research team of three first-year undergraduates, Gia Beaton, Jackie Solomon and Lucy Mileto, on a literary recovery project centered on Alice Dunbar Nelson, an African American writer, educator, and activist who wrote in many genres–poetry, fiction, essay, memoir–in the late 19th and early 20th century. Her papers are a treasure trove, and they are housed nearby in the Department of Special Collections at the University of Delaware. On Friday April 20, 2018, thanks to special funding from Dean Adele Lindenmeyr’s discretionary fund, Dr. Lutes spent the day working in the Dunbar-Nelson archive with her students, examining manuscripts (both handwritten and typed drafts of her work) and correspondence.

Although the group only had time to look at a few items in the extensive collection--as one of the students declared, “the time is flying by here!”--the students made some exciting discoveries, which they will present as part of an undergraduate research symposium at Villanova in September 2018.

During the visit, Dr. Lutes and the students also spoke with senior assistant librarian Curtis Small about how rare book collections are evolving in the digital age. And they got a special preview of an exciting new multi-media research project on Dunbar Nelson, which is being produced by Jesse Erickson, postdoctoral researcher in Special Collections and Digital Humanities at the University of Delaware. Dr. Erickson showed the group his own work, which documents Dunbar-Nelson’s reading practices through a digital presentation with innovative visual and audio elements. He also shared the early version of the work of his doctoral students, who, under his supervision, are producing a striking digital and analog scrapbook of Dunbar-Nelson’s work, based on the scrapbooks that Dunbar-Nelson herself kept.

Jesse Erickson, postdoctoral researcher in Special Collections and Digital Humanities at the University of Delaware, with students. 
University of Delaware senior assistant librarian Curtis Small with students
Lucy Mileto
Gia Beaton 
Jackie Solomon



Open House: April 21 Candidates' Day

Caroline Rini, Olivia Sigmund, Alex Forgione and Elias Papakostas with prospective Villanovans.
Future English majors?


Advisory Committee End-of-Year Lunch Meeting



Thursday, April 12, 2018

Frankenstein Party!









4/17 Open Mic Event in Falvey


Editorial Job Opportunity at Wayfair

Recent Villanova graduate and English major Maria McGeary has been working as a copyeditor at tech company Wayfair in Boston and has contacted us about a newly-available position as Associate Copyeditor.

Maria writes that it's "a demanding role that interfaces with several departments, including Marketing, Brand, Product Design, Engineering, and Product Management. Wayfair's copyeditors are incredible, sharp experts on the brand's voice and tone, and act as gatekeepers to Wayfair's audience, ensuring that our content and copy is consistently excellent. Editorial roles at a tech company like Wayfair are fantastic opportunities to exercise strong writing and critical thinking skills while learning about product management and tech.  Wayfair, notes Maria, is also "an awesome place to start out after graduation. The office is in the heart of Boston, the culture is ambitious, collaborative, and fun. Coworkers are friends, and the company has a great reputation."   Please feel free to contact Maria at mmcgeary@villanova.edu for further information.




Susquehanna Review Call for Submissions

Susquehanna Review, an online and in-print literary journal, is calling for submissions of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, translations, and art from any and all undergraduate students.

Please check out the online version of the review for examples of what the journal is looking for.  To be considered for the 2018-2019 issue, please submit your fiction, non-fiction, and poetry by April 25th, 2018 via the journal's online submissions manager.   In your cover letter, please be sure to include the name of your undergraduate institution, as well as any of your previous publications, for purposes of inclusion in author biographies.


Sunday, April 8, 2018

The London Experience: Margaret Joel, "The Power of the Exhibition"

Walking into London’s Victoria and Albert Museum can be a bit overwhelming. Ornately decorated arches line the structure’s grandiose doors, making way to a domed atrium that branches off into marble corridors containing endless works of art. Such a powerful entryway has the ability to make one feel so small. Yet, on this specific day, not even the intimidating nature of such a historic landmark could deter me. I was on a mission. This mission bore the name: “Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion.”

Only those who know me best truly understand the passion I have for design, and the impact that it has had on my life. Growing up, I was always an avid dreamer, who let my creativity wander amongst the possibilities of the future. While my friends in school were outdoors, flirting with boys or braiding each other’s hair, I would stay in the art studio and sketch, fantasizing ideas for my own fashion line. I would politely decline after-school hangouts, much preferring to perfect my sewing skills for hours in my basement. Whereas most children would ask for new games or technology for their birthday, I would beg my mom to take me to the fabric store so I could get new material for my latest creations. Whether it be sewing dresses to wear to school dances, or sketching designs for gowns that I dreamt of creating, I was hooked on this love for fashion. However, in the past, I failed to see design as anything more than a menial hobby, and felt the pressures that corresponded with growing older. Consequently, as I entered my freshmen year of college, overwhelmed with new experiences, schedules, and people, I left my artistic passions behind, and tried to bury their existence in my past.

However, walking into the V&A museum on this specific chilly day in London, eager to see the display of late work from legendary designer Cristòbal Balenciaga, I was overwhelmed by the feelings that came back to me. I believe fashion has the ability to reveal so much about one’s culture, history, and character, and since I’ve been in London, I have recognized my passion once again, and understood the power of clothing to bring people together, tear people apart, or disclose things about individuals that dive below surface level assumptions. Fashion, and being able to fully explore its capabilities, have helped me to find myself, and to grow as an individual who isn’t afraid to take risks or push the limits of my dreams.

Upon entering the exhibition room, one gets an understanding of Balenciaga’s early days in fashion. The exhibit information emphasizes the Spanish influence, sculptural quality, clever manipulation of textiles, and vivid use of pigment and texture in his work. The dimly lit space and detailed mosaic floors gave the impression of antiquity and tradition, while still highlighting the delicate nature of the textiles on display. Upstairs, the detailed architecture of the V&A Museum was covered by crisp white paneling, sleek display cases, and pillars shielded with digital images, creating a modern oasis in contrast to the vintage environment downstairs.

Nevertheless, the real centerpiece of this experience was the emphasis on the process of making garments and its impact on someone like me, who appreciates the work that goes into sewing and design. Vintage pieces are shown alongside their x-ray counterparts from patternmaking, along with technical sketches, fabric swatches, and photographs of each piece worn by its original fit model. This gave me the impression of working alongside Balenciaga in his workshop, and the beauty that corresponds with viewing the development of clothing from conceptualization to reality. As I stood staring at exquisitely tailored vintage gowns, and remained astonished by the stages of Balenciaga’s work, I was inspired to continue with my efforts to make my fashion dreams a reality.

I never imagined that a place in the world could help me recognize so much about myself and my ambitions in life, yet being in London, and utilizing the city as an outlet for my creativity, has inspired me to not let my passion escape from my daily life. Since I visited this exhibit and analyzed the variety and quality of fabric, the importance of pattern-cutting, and the significance of tailoring, I have continued with the designs that brought me joy earlier in life. Many people diminish fashion as an art and see it as merely a materialistic commodity, yet there is so much to learn from clothing, and so much that it can reveal about oneself. The ability of such an exhibit’s curation to influence not only my thoughts but my actions, truly shows that fashion has the artistic ability to make one understand and contemplate the past, present, and future.
At the Museum
Margaret Joel is studying in London this semester as part of the English department's
"London Experience" program.




Friday, April 6, 2018

English Majors at the Victory Parade

Gracie Stagliano and Alex Forgione
Morgan Hazel (r) and friends
Reagan Wish (r) and future (non-English!) roommates