This Week in English | March 12 – March 18, 2018
UMaine at CCCCs Convention in Kansas City This Week: Updated
As I mentioned in last week’s bulletin, the annual meeting of the College Composition and Communication Conference (CCCC) takes place March 14 -17 in Kansas City. The robust roster of UMaine participants includes Abigail Adent, Joanna Crouse, Ryan Dippre, Dylan Dryer, Kelly Hartwell, Nicholas Sanders, and Elizabeth Zavodny.
At the Friday evening Awards and Recognition Ceremony, Dylan Dryer will receive an award for his co-authored article “Measuring Quality, Evaluating Curricular Change” (first noted here on February 5). And the College Composition Program will receive its National Certificate of Excellence (first noted here on December 5), honoring the hard work of long-time program director Patricia Burnes, current program director Ryan Dippre, and assessment director Dylan Dryer.
New Issue of Paideuma Published
A new issue of the annual scholarly journal Paideuma, edited by Benjamin Friedlander and published by the National Poetry Foundation, was mailed to subscribers last week (cover and table of contents attached). The issue features a gallery of Helen Adam collages curated by Alison Fraser, a 2010 alum of our Master’s program who went on to doctoral work at University at Buffalo and is currently the Assistant Librarian at the Poetry Collection. In addition to articles on modernist poets H.D., T.S. Eliot, and Ezra Pound, the issue also includes archival material related to Federico Garcia Lorca, Charles Olson, and John Clarke. Check out a display copy in the Wicks Room!
English Major Taylor Houdlette Awarded Mitchell Scholarship
Third-year English major Taylor Michele Houdlette has been awarded a George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship to spend the fall 2018 semester at the University College Cork in Ireland. According to a March 9 press release, “The competitive merit-based scholarship is made possible by an agreement between Maine and Ireland for a student exchange at the university level. It honors the 1998 Northern Ireland peace accord brokered by Sen. Mitchell between Ireland and the United Kingdom.” Professors Caroline Bicks and Elizabeth Neiman supported Houdlette in the application process. “To be selected for the George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship, students’ applications are reviewed by a University of Maine System committee comprised of study abroad professionals. Selection criteria includes high academic achievements, leadership skills, commitment to community service and the ability to promote the scholarship to the academic and wider community.” We congratulate Taylor on her accomplishment and look forward to hearing about her time abroad.
On a related note, English Major Kimberly Crowley sent along a virtual “postcard” from Cork in the November 13 installment of this bulletin.
Margo Lukens Receives Faculty International Development Award
Margaret (Margo) Lukens has been granted a Faculty International Development Award by the University Studies Abroad Consortium that will allow her to undertake immersive Spanish language instruction this summer in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Lukens plans to offer a study abroad in Cuba opportunity to UMaine students in the winter term 2018-2019 (look for English 381 in the fall schedule of classes) and this grant will greatly facilitate that teaching experience.
Elaine Ford Stories: Events and Press
Arthur Boatin writes with the following update:
Bob Keyes, arts correspondent of the Portland Press Herald, will publish a feature article on Elaine Ford and her new book, This Time Might Be Different: Stories of Maine, in the Audience section of the Maine Sunday Telegram of March 18. The article arrives a few days after official publication of the book by Islandport Press (March 13) and one week before a book launch event being held at Curtis Library, Brunswick (March 25, 2 p.m.).
From within the dwindling interval between March blizzards, warm best wishes to all!
Steve Evans
English Department Chair
This Week in English 21 was circulated to faculty, students, and friends of the department on Monday, March 12, 2018. If you would rather not receive these weekly bulletins, please reply with <unsubscribe> in your subject line. Earlier installments are archived on our website.