This Week in English | September 16-22, 2024

Welcome Back, Everyone

As we enter the third week of the new academic year, the English Department is offering more than 130 class sections to approximately 2,250 students in subjects ranging from college composition to graduate seminars in Shakespearean-era poetry and prose, Restoration and 18th-Century British literature, and Canadian literature. 

Subsequent bulletins will offer glimpses into various classes throughout the curriculum, both from a faculty perspective and, whenever possible, from the standpoint of the students who are our reason for existing. 

To get us started, Ryan Dippre has this item about the one English class that most UMaine students are certain to take:

Eleven new graduate teaching assistants began their English 101 classes this week. Their students are reading about writing around UMaine, asking questions about the course and our portfolio review, and getting to know one another.  We’re looking forward to an exciting semester! 

Two New Books by Ryan Dippre

Sticking for a moment to the theme of excitement, this past summer was a big one for Professor Dippre. His second book, Burnin’ Daylight: Building a Principle-Driven Writing Program, was published with Utah State University Press. In addition, a collection of essays he co-edited with Talinn Phillips, Improvisations: Methods and Methodologies in Lifespan Writing Research was published by the WAC Clearinghouse.

Of Burnin’ Daylight, University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor Melvin Beavers says:

Ryan Dippre’s book intricately weaves anecdotes about his WPA life into his conceptions about what it means to lead a writing program while reminding the reader that a values-centered approach lies at the heart of writing program administration. Dippre demonstrates a keen understanding of the field, offering references to threshold concepts, labor issues, relevant position statements, and antiracist pedagogy. 

We’ll have more publication “brags” to share as the year marches on. And all readers of the bulletin—especially students and alums—are invited to share their good news with the community by just dropping a line.  

New Writing Series Fall Lineup

The New Writing Series is sponsored by the English Department in partnership with the Center for Poetry and Poetics (formerly the National Poetry Foundation). Since its inception in 1999, the series has hosted more than 400 creative writers in a wide range of genres for live readings on campus. This fall the series marks its 25th anniversary by offering seven events, all of which take place in the Fernald APPE Space in the IMRC (Stewart Commons 104) on Thursday afternoons starting at 4:30pm. They are free and open to the public.

The NWS kicks off two Thursdays from now, on September 26, with an event celebrating Chelsea Johanson’s recent translations of two volumes of poetry by Carlos Villacorta, Dark Matter and Book of Temptation and Oblivion. Johanson is pursuing a BA at UMaine with a double major in Spanish and International affairs and a minor in French. In the introduction to Dark Matter, Johanson writes:

Translation is becoming increasingly crucial as we consider the importance of a multicultural and globalized society. It can help us understand different perspectives and new ideas; it can help us gain a richer knowledge of surrounding cultures; and it can illuminate the idea of creating a wider audience for enjoying literature of different languages. Dr. Villacorta has given me the honor of translating two of his poetry books through a months-long research project; these books have never been translated into English before, so it is an amazing opportunity to be able to share them with more people.

Other authors featured this fall include Keith Rosson (introduced by Jeremy Parker), Rod Moody-Corbett (introduced by Hollie Adams), Dawn Lundy Martin (introduced by Jennifer Moxley), Babak Lakghomi (introduced by Greg Howard), Daisy Fried (introduced by Steve Evans), and Nick Rees Gardner (introduced by Morgan Talty).

Your Favorite Punctuation Mark? An Informal Poll

This morning in ENG 271: The Act of Interpretation, we got to talking about our favorite punctuation marks and some of the literary figures we identity with them—you know, Dickinson’s dash, Whitman’s ellipsis, Proust’s semicolon, Frank O’Hara’s exclamation point, Pound’s colon, and so forth. 

Do you have a favorite, dear reader of the bulletin? And if so, do you associate it with a particular writer? Just hit reply and we’ll compile results for the next installment!

This Week in English 154 was sent to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the department on September 16, 2024. If you would rather not receive these weekly bulletins, please reply with <unsubscribe> in your subject line. Earlier installments are archived on our website. If you’re on Facebook, please consider joining the English Department Group. We’re also (since March of 2024) on Linked In. To learn more about faculty members mentioned in this bulletin, visit our People page.

If you would like to support the mission of the English Department, please consider a donation to the Annual Fund through this secure online portal.  

University of Maine Language Acknowledgment