Duquesne Doctoral Candidate Earns National Recognition
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News from the English Department Spring 2011 • Volume 4, Issue 1 IN THIS ISSUE: Award Winners .......................2 Terrance Hayes .......................3 Duquesne Doctoral Alumni Updates ......................4 Trinh Minh-ha and “Miles of Candidate Earns Strangeness” ..........................5 Theater Performances ..............5 National Recognition Doctoral Graduates .................6 Faculty Updates ......................6 Michelle B. Gaffey, a two-time Duquesne Caroline Bergvall Speaks at alumna, received the prestigious K. Patricia Duquesne ..............................7 Cross Future Leaders Award from the Association of American Colleges and Upcoming Events ....................7 Universities (AAC&U) in January 2011. The award, given annually to a handful Labriola Memorial Library of graduate students across the country, Fund ......................................8 recognizes those who, in the words of the AAC&U, “show exemplary promise as For questions or future leaders of higher education; who submissions, contact: demonstrate a commitment to developing academic and civic responsibility in Nora McBurney themselves and others; and whose work Administrative Assistant reflects a strong emphasis on teaching English Department and learning.” [email protected] (412) 396-1484 Michelle, currently a doctoral candidate in English, combines stellar leadership and accomplishment in teaching with a consistent dedication to community service. Her application materials outlined her “Community Listening Project” service-learning project, her work as a community anti-sweatshop organizer, and her role in developing and teaching Carlow University’s interdisciplinary course, MCANULTY COLLEGE AND GRADUATE “Women v. Sweatshops.” SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS continued on next page Michelle B. Gaffey Doctoral Candidate Earns National Recognition continued from page 1 At January’s annual meeting of the AAC&U, Michelle received her B.A. in English, B.S. in She has been so important to Duquesne for Michelle participated in a panel, “Faculty of Secondary Education, and M.A. in English so long that we in the English Department the Future: Voices from the Next Generation,” from Duquesne. She has been awarded fear that the university’s buildings as one of eight 2011 award recipients. (More a Graduate Certificate in Women’s themselves may collapse when Michelle information about the honorees is available and Gender Studies and a 2009–2010 graduates and moves on to bigger and at www.aacu.org.) Michelle is currently Dissertation Fellowship from the McAnulty better things. Join us in wishing her the best collaborating with several Cross Scholars Graduate School. Her dissertation, Subjects as she embarks on what is sure to be an to propose a panel for next year’s AAC&U of Economy,examines five contemporary illustrious, rewarding, and socially engaged convention that will describe and reflect photo-poetic projects that engage with career. upon the opportunities and support systems the social documentary book tradition for graduate teaching assistants at their and considers strategies for teaching these respective institutions of higher learning. texts, particularly within service-learning frameworks. Award Winners English Graduate English Department Students win CTE Awards Sweeps College Awards Erin Rentschler and Melissa Wehler, Ph.D. candidates in The Department of English did extremely well this year, the English Department, won both of the Graduate Student sweeping the 2011 McAnulty College and Graduate Excellence in Teaching awards given out to McAnulty College School of Liberal Arts’ annual awards in all three students by the Center for Teaching Excellence in April 2011. categories. Magali Cornier Michael won the Faculty The awards, inaugurated in 2003, recognize graduate Teaching Excellence in Scholarship Award, and doctoral Fellows who demonstrate mastery of the basics of teaching, student Beth Buhot Runquist won the Graduate engage in professional interactions about teaching with Excellence in Scholarship Award. Anne Brannen won colleagues and mentors, and reflect on their experiences in order the Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, and John to develop as teachers. Recipients receive public recognition Lane won the Faculty Excellence in Service Award. and $500. Melissa and Erin’s sweep continues a remarkable streak of success for English Teaching Fellows, who have won ten such awards. (All of the other departments in the College combined have won eight.) At least one English Teaching Fellow has won the award every year but one since the award was instituted. www.duq.edu/english 2 Terrance Hayes Terrance Hayes On Monday, April 4, acclaimed poet answered audience questions, many of Terrance Hayes gave a reading before a which focused on advice for young writers. standing-room only crowd in the Power Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Hayes Center Ballroom. Hayes is the author of received a B.A. from Coker College and four books of poetry, including Lighthead an M.F.A. from the University of Pittsburgh (Penguin), which won the 2010 National writing program. Hayes’ other books of Book Award for Poetry. At 39, he is one of poetry are Muscular Music (Carnegie the youngest people ever to win the award. Mellon Press, 1999), winner of the Kate Tufts The reading, sponsored by the English Discovery Award; Hip Logic (Penguin, 2002), Department, the First-Year Writing Program, which won the 2001 National Poetry Series and the Office of the Provost, brought and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times in students and faculty from all over the Book Award; and Wind in a Box (Penguin, University itself as well as Duquesne alumni, 2006). He has received many honors and students from surrounding universities and awards, including a Whiting Writers Award, a colleges, and local residents. 550 seats were Pushcart Prize, three Best American Poetry available, but people crowded the sides selections, and fellowships from the National and rear of the ballroom, eager to hear Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and Hayes, who did not disappoint. He read the Guggenheim Foundation. Currently, through many of the poems from his latest he teaches creative writing at Carnegie collection but also spent time providing the Mellon University and lives in Pittsburgh, context for several of the poems, offering Pennsylvania, with his wife Yona Harvey, who often humorous anecdotes about the directs the creative writing program at CMU inspiration and his own technique and and is also a poet, and their two children. style. When the reading was finished, he 3 Alumni Updates Cami Agan (Ph.D. 1997) published a such as L.A. Tim has never forgotten the day gave readings in Pittsburgh this February, chapter, “Frances Sheridan: A Case Study he and fellow English doctoral students Ellen and she is looking forward to meeting with for Mid-Eighteenth Century Comedy,” in Foster and Lynda Szabo petitioned late Professor Linda Kinnahan’s undergraduate Approaches to Teaching British Women Duquesne Provost Michael Weber for funds poetry class in the fall. Playwrights of the Restoration and to develop a conference. Provost Weber did Eighteenth Century (MLA Press). She also not hesitate, saying, “It sounds like a good Laurie McMillan (Ph.D. 2004) was granted presented a paper on Frances Sheridan’s idea; let’s do it!” tenure at Marywood University in Scranton, The Dupe at the 2011 American Society PA. In addition, she participated in two for Eighteenth Century Studies (ASECS) Lori Campbell (Ph.D. 2002) was an invited conferences with fellow Duquesne alums. conference in Vancouver B.C. speaker for the Harry Potter Symposium that First, she and Christine Cusick participated in was hosted by the Health Sciences Library a roundtable entitled Where Are We Now?: Claire Barbetti (Ph.D. 2009) will have her at the University of Pittsburgh in March Ecocriticism & Narrative Scholarship at the book, Ekphrastic Medieval Visions: A New 2011. She talked about a chapter from her MLA conference in Los Angeles (January Discussion in Interarts Theory, published book, Portals of Power: Magical Agency 2011). Laurie presented “Feminism & Place- by Palgrave Macmillan in “The New and Transformation in Literary Fantasy Based Criticism.” Next, she and Megan Middle Ages Series” edited by Bonnie (McFarland 2010). Using Harry Potter’s Swihart Jewell participated in a roundtable Wheeler. Her essay “Secret Designs/ character as an example, she discussed organized by Greg Barnhisel, entitled Writing Public Shapes: Ekphrastic Tensions in how the concept of the gateway or ‘portal’ Assessment Inside and Outside the English Hildegard’s Scivias” is forthcoming in the between real and magical worlds operates Department, at NEMLA in New Brunswick collection Reading Memory and Identity in contemporary fantasy writing. Her talk (April 2011). Laurie presented “Walking the in the Texts of Medieval European Holy demonstrated the ways in which magical Assessment Report Tightrope.” Women, edited by Margaret Cotter- nexus points and movement between these Lynch and Bradley Herzog, also in “The worlds are used throughout the 7-volume Ellen McGrath Smith (Ph.D. 2002) was New Middle Ages Series” by Palgrave Harry Potter series to illustrate real-world selected to be among 14 postdoctoral Macmillan. Last fall, she was a Featured power dynamics. university literature instructors participating Guest Writer for the Scrawl Writers Festival this summer in the National Humanities at Westminster College and, this winter, Cara Cilano (Ph.D. 2000) published