InGrandW Valley Writing Departmentriting | Fall 2016 | Vol 10.2 In This Issue Poetry Night 1 Distinguished Alum 2 New Faculty 3 Activism Writing 4 Watkins & Palacio 5 Donovan Hohn 6 Community Internship 7 Writing in the Margins 8 Grad School Night 9 Internship Night 9 Alumni News 12 Tracy K. Smith reads her poems and speaks on social justice. (photo: Todd Kaneko) Contributors Ashley Benedict “Perhaps What We Seek Sarah Cauzillo Riley Collins Lives Outside of Speech” EJ Fowler Lindsey Krawczak Maria McKee Annie Livingston ights dimmed and the packed room fell about when considering who to invite to Maria McKee silent on October 13, as faculty, students, the event. It is no surprise that de la Paz Eliza Ruffner and poetry lovers from West Michigan and Smith were received so warmly by Abby Schnell Lgathered downtown at GVSU’s L.V. Eberhard those in attendance. Center for the 14th annual Poetry Night. An “What an attractive crowd,” said Oliver Laura Thaxton installation of the annual Fall Arts Celebra- de la Paz as he approached the stage with Teresa Williams tion, poetry night has been known as one of laughter. He prefaced his reading with the foremost literary events in West Michigan smiles and jokes, but the room changed for some time, bringing renowned writers from when he began his first poem: a more across the country to share their work. This year, political piece that drew on his personal GVSU welcomed poets Oliver de la Paz and history. Originally from the Philippines, Tracy K. Smith to read their work for students, de la Paz and his family moved to Oregon faculty, and members of the local poetry when he was young. One particularly community. impactful moment was when de la Paz The event began with opening remarks by Full read, “Like bats spiraling along a mustard Professor Patricia Clark, who has led Poetry crowd…the angels for those of us who Night since its beginning in 2002. Clark said she turns to the books she’s reading and excited See PERHAPS on page 10 InWriting—2 Writing with Alum Mike Salibury Annie Livingston raduating writing students are to his own writing. developing in our curriculum translate often faced with the question: Despite having a toddler to take care in a variety of ways that might not be what happens next? GVSU Alum of, he still creates time to write every day. immediately apparent to them.” Seeing and GMike Salisbury advises students: “Don’t let He says that being a successful writer hearing from successful alumni is part of people make your world small.” Ever since means you need to know how to build your what empowers students to reach for bigger Salisbury graduated from GVSU in 2006 “lifestyle around your writing.” Among and brighter opportunities and to grow with a dual degree in Communications and many others, his fiction has been published their world of possibilities, instead of letting Writing, he has lived by these words. On in Black Warrior Review, Crab Orchard anyone “make their world small.” October 11, Salisbury, this year’s CLAS Review, and Midwestern Gothic. In 2012, Alumni-in-Residence, returned to campus his short story “Horizontal Accidents” was and spoke to a room full of writing majors adapted into a film by GVSU’s Film/Video and minors, professors, and writing-minded Department’s Summer Film Project. folks alike. On the nature of writing and what a While life after university can seem difficult beast it can be, Salisbury is nothing overwhelming, Salisbury’s experience short of inspirational. He knows that should assure students of the amazing “storytelling is core to our being, it’s in opportunities and experiences with which our DNA.” Learning how to channel this their degree can provide them. Salisbury’s storytelling in his career has been beyond success post-GVSU is a testament to how rewarding. It is what led him into the world advantageous the writing degree is. Salis- of publishing and a life dedicated to writing. bury works with individuals and leading “As a student, Mike was a talented writer publishers like Hachette, HarperCollins, and a generous critic of his classmates work,” says Associate Professor Chris Haven and longtime friend of Salisbury. “But what is most remarkable is how much “Being a successful he loved to read, both inside and outside of writer means you need class. It’s his love of reading that has fueled to know how to build his success in writing and publishing.” Since Salisbury graduated in 2006, GVSU your ‘lifestyle around has grown as a university in many ways. your writing.’” “There were a lot more cornfields,” Salisbury laughed regarding his own time here. But New Chair of the besides the sheer appearance of campus, it Writing Department: is hard to see a contrast between the GVSU and Penguin Random House. As Salisbury Salisbury described and the one students Christoper Toth puts it, a degree in writing can be as know today. especially within the Writing versatile as students need it to be. Department. The caliber of the faculty at The Writing Department is After attending Pacific University of pleased to announce that Associate Oregon’s MFA program in 2012, he became Professor Christopher Toth has assumed the role of department a literary agent for Yates & Yates, and “Storytelling is core to has worked with extraordinary writing, chair as of Fall 2016. like New York Times bestselling authors. our being, it’s in our Salisbury considers himself as someone DNA.’’ Dr. Toth holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric whose “communication and creative and Professional Communication collide.” While many writing students may from Iowa State University and be under the impression that a degree in GVSU and the amount of time given to has been teaching at GVSU for writing necessitates a career in academia, pure student-faculty connection is a staple seven years. Salisbury said he “always knew I didn’t want that has remained since day one. Salisbury to be a professor.” Instead, working in the credits much of his passion for writing to Look for a full profile of Dr. Toth world of publishing has been rewarding and the talented faculty at GVSU. and his first year as the chair of inspiring for him. In addition to assisting “He shared with students the wide the Writing Department in the others in the telling and spreading of their relevance of the major,” Haven said of Winter Issue of InWriting. stories, Salisbury strives to dedicate himself Salisbury’s visit, “and how the skills they’re InWriting—3 New Faculty: Amy Ferdinandt Stolley Eliza Ruffner my Ferdinandt Stolley has a Tarez Samra Graban, and Kathleen J. Ryan. vivacious spirit for teaching writing The book received the Council of Writing and a passion for getting students Program Administrator’s Best Book Award toA think critically. She has joined the GVSU in 2014. Writing Department as an Associate Throughout her education, Stolley Professor of first-year writing and, as of has consistently centered herself around January 2017, will serve as director of the developing a student-minded writing First-Year Writing Program. pedagogy. Her research has surrounded Stolley makes it clear that she is not the writing program administration. In type of professor that wants students to combination with her writing center work see her as superior to them. “I want my experiences, she has been enabled to see the classroom to be a place where students value that comes from talking with students are free to ask questions,” she says, “where face-to-face about their writing. students are challenged or pushed beyond “Most of us are better writers when what they were expecting.” we are talking to other people about the Stolley received her Ph.D in English with writing we are trying to do. When we talk a concentration in Rhetoric and Compo- to each other the act of writing becomes sition from Purdue University. In addition, communal,” Stolley says. She is a professor Stolley is an accomplished published and administrator that sees writing as a writer. She has been published in WPA: powerful tool made better by community. Writing Program Administration and has “My belief is that all writing—regardless of co-authored a book, GenAdmin: Theorizing purpose—is an act of civic engagement.” WPA Identities in the Twenty-First Century, with Colin Charlton, Jonnika Charlton, Associate Professor Amy Ferdinandt Stolley New Faculty: Aiman Wesley Mueller EJ Fowler etting involved in the Writing in creative writing as an undergraduate, Department as an undergradu- Mueller became more involved with ate can lead to a career with the the department than just taking writing Guniversity. No one knows that more than classes. He was a contributor to InWriting Affiliate Professor Aiman Wesley Mueller, and worked as a writing consultant at who has joined the Writing Department the Fredrick Meijer Center for Writing. as a first-year writing professor this fall. His experiences at the Writing Center Mueller has a long history with GVSU, contributed to his passion for teaching. “I both as an alum and as an educator. Born look at it [the Writing Center] as almost and raised in Jackson, Michigan, Professor like another degree,” he says, “because of Mueller spent the first three years of his the interactions there.” The Writing Center undergraduate career at Calvin College was such a strong influence on Mueller that studying engineering. After transferring he continued to work there as a graduate to GVSU, he shifted his focus to linguis- assistant while pursuing his Masters of tics and creative writing and was drawn Education in Literacy Studies with an to Writing Department.