Say Hello To: Allie Diehl

Last week, I had the privilege of interviewing one of the English Department's Secondary Education majors, Allie Diehl. We chatted over email about what brought her to Bloom, her experience with the department so far, and her future plans. 

Credit to Allie Diehl 

When Allie decided to go to BU to major in secondary education English, she knew she wanted to be in the education department. Growing up, she told me about how she watched her mother’s passion for teaching and quickly decided to follow her mother’s example. Allie remembers she loved to play school, made worksheets for her “students,” and even set up her bedroom to be a makeshift classroom. Besides her obvious childhood love of all things teaching, Allie said it helped that many of her friends had taken classes and majored in education. It also helped that the BU education program is recognized as one of the best in the state.

What Allie didn’t know then was how the English Department would challenge her to improve her overall writing, critical thinking, and analysis skills.  Allie expressed this to me when she said, “I’ve only had a few classes in the department so far, but they’ve all been outstanding. Many of the professors I’ve had have left such great impressions upon me that I’ve gone out of my way to take a class with them again.”

Another aspect of the English department also prompted her to look into becoming a WALES consultant. Her curiosity peaked, Allie decided to look into what WALES’ mission was and became very interested in working there. After contacting Dr. Roggenbuck, she was informed most students are recommended to the program by faculty and the training requires a 1-credit course. Allie remembered, “Once a professor recommended me to WALES, I was so excited. I’m currently taking the training course, and I’m loving it so far. I love the principles WALES stands upon, and I’m looking forward to joining the staff this fall.”

When I asked Allie about why she choose Secondary Education over the other tracks, she told me that she wants to inspire students to become the best individuals they can be and give them a good foundation for their future. She also stressed her love of writing. She did say that she has become more interested in literature since starting college thanks to the department here at BU.

At the end of our interview, I asked about what her future goals were, Allie, said, “Not all my future students will love English the way I do, and that’s perfectly okay. My goal is to have students recognize the value in English studies and allow them to express themselves through what we do in the classroom”. She went on to say that she believes teaching students the content they need to be successful is of the utmost importance. But she stressed the importance of developing ways that were creative and impactful ways she could find that would teach her students to grow both inside and outside of the classroom. 

All credit to Allie Diehl.  

Get To Know Your Department

Get To Know Your Department: Michael Martin Edition 

Credit to Bloomsburg University Faculty Page  

Of all the possible jobs he could end up in, Michael Martin never thought he would be a professor. For his undergraduate studies, he received his bachelors’ degree in History and Humanities from Dana College in Nebraska in 1983. After this, he was on track to become a parish pastor. But obviously, life had other plans. He left the clergy roster to go back to school and get his doctorate at Michigan Technological University in Houghton in Rhetoric and Technical Communication, which boasts one of the top five rhetoric programs in the country. He also received an invitation to do his Ph.D. in Theology at Princeton but turned it down. After earning his doctorate in 2003, he taught as an assistant professor of Technical Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Stout for six years, before receiving a job as an assistant professor and director of the Digital Rhetoric and Professional Writing Program in 2009. Dr. Michael Martin is now the full-time associate professor of Professional and Technical Writing Program in the English major here at Bloomsburg University.

While the good doctor is clearly accomplished academically, his passion for helping his students succeed is equal to his skill in rhetoric and writing. Dr. Martin strives to be there for every individual student that he has, no matter the issue. But during my interview with him, he told me that he had to grow into that role. He explained about the first teaching job he had at the University of Wisconsin being a huge learning curve for himself personally. He told me that through that job, he gained the understanding that being understanding and flexible towards students didn’t mean lowering his standards; it was merely finding the balance of challenging the student to develop their skills while being understanding of circumstances.

On an average day, you can find Dr. Martin juggling his classes, both upper level, and GEP classes, helping high school seniors create resumes and cover letters, advising his student advisees, and overseeing the English Department’s internships, all while making time for not just current students, but alumni as well. Dr. Martin expressed that, “We need to continue to cultivate our relationships with alumni, even after they’ve gone, so they know they’re not forgotten.” He makes a point of staying in contact with many of his former students and alumni as a testament to this belief.

As we finished our interview, I asked Dr. Martin about what he felt the biggest change was that came with teaching students fully online? He replied with this, “The biggest difference for us (educators) is to prepare them for the technologically advanced world that they are going into. We are trying to navigate it at the same time, so how do we prepare them for a world that has been turned upside down? We do so by equipping them with the skills needed to be successful at their jobs when they leave the academic and transition to into the professional.” This is what the English Department and Bloomsburg are all about; providing students with the knowledge needed to not only be successful but to inspire change in the world around them.     

Meet Our Students: Liana Amadeo

What's your name? Liana (Lee) Rosalie Amadeo
Where are you from? Central Islip, Long Island, NY
What's your major? English, Secondary Education
Minor? Literature
Year? Senior
Literary Strengths? Writing Analysis
Favorite books and/or TV shows? My favorite book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Why did you become an English major? In 8th grade I had a really caring English teacher who pushed me to be the best I can be and showed me that I was actually good at something when I didn’t truly see any of my strengths. He is one of the many reasons I chose this profession.
Favorite class(es) ever taken? Creative Writing with Professor Koch and Literature for Young Adults with Dr. Stuart
What organizations are you a part of? Warren Literary and Art Journal, Sigma Tau Delta
Favorite subjects to write about, formally or informally? I love writing memoir pieces about my own life. I also like to write about Marvel and Transformers in my free time.
Quick, create a title for a book you’d like to write: A Marvelous Transformation
Now a title for a book about you: Little Lee
Dream job? 12th grade English teacher
Any advice for incoming freshmen or students thinking about taking more English classes? Take something that isn’t in your comfort zone. You may be surprised by how much you love the challenge.

Liana is the Managing editor of Warren Literary and Art Journal, which is currently taking submissions! Check out their social media to learn more: 

Instagram: @warrenbu49

Twitter: @warrenbu49

Email: litmag@bloomu.edu

Department Blogger and Social Media Internship Opportunity

The English Department is seeking applications for a 3-credit internship for spring 2020 (8-10 hours of work per week).  The intern will create English Department blog posts (i.e. posts like these!), update the website and Twitter, post about the department to social media, keep an internship journal, create an ePortfolio of your work, write a reflection essay about the experience, and perform other duties to promote the department as needed, including possibly critiquing the department’s existing promotional efforts.  The intern will report to the English Department chair (Dr. Entzminger).

Requirements:

• Minimum 60 credits and 3.0 GPA by end of fall 2019
• English Major in Literature, Creative Writing, or Professional Writing and Digital Rhetoric
• Strong writing skills
• Experience creating blog posts or editing web pages
• No previous internship credits
• Good work ethic and initiative

Don't miss out on the opportunity to run this blog! To apply, send a resume and cover letter explaining why you are interested in the position and detailing your qualifications by December 1 to Dr. Entzminger at bentzmin@bloomu.edu.  In addition, ask one BU professor to email a letter of recommendation on your behalf to Dr. Entzminger.  

COLA Symposium

If you’re taking any English class whatsoever (and I hope you are!), you probably know about the 4th annual College of Liberal Arts Symposium. Make sure to check out the schedule found here to see what lectures you want to see the most—like our multiple English Department alumni. The event is taking place this Thursday and Friday in multiple buildings around campus, so be sure to attend.

NCTE Book Club!

Check this out:

Meet Our Professors: Prof Jerry Wemple

Where are you from?

I grew up in the nearby towns of Danville and Sunbury, but also spent part of my childhood in southwest Florida. As an adult, I have lived in several different parts of the US and visited about 12 countries. I left after high school and only came back to this area when I got a job at BU.

Where did you graduate from?

I have an MFA in English from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

What kinds of publications have you written for?

I have three published poetry collections and I co-edited a poetry anthology that was published by Penn State Press. My poetry and creative nonfiction have appeared in lots of journals and anthologies.

How long have you taught at Bloomsburg?

Twenty years.

What classes do you usually teach?

I teach a lot of different courses. I teach the poetry workshop and the nonfiction workshop, also The Practice of Creative Writing, which is a junior-year seminar for majors. I taught the poetry literature course, African American literature, and American Ethnic Lit. Of course, I also teach English 101.

Involved in any other organizations?

I am the director the Visual and Performing Arts Learning Community. That can be a lot of fun. Recently we went on a weekend field trip and were able to get a guided tour of the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. There is some wild stuff in there.

What are your personal favorite kinds of books/shows?

I read a little bit of everything. I read poetry, of course, but I am interested in creative nonfiction and history, too. I am also always looking for new books to teach in class. For example, right now I am reading The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui. It is graphic memoir depicting an immigrant Vietnamese family. I may use in my American Ethnic Lit class in the spring.

If you could create your own class to teach, without restriction and about anything you want, what would it be?

One of the nice things about our English Department is that professors have a lot of academic freedom. I can shape my courses in a way that works for my students and me. I am kind of always teaching the course that I want, but I am always looking to keep it fresh. Even in English 101 I will not use the same books and approach more than a few semesters.

What is the best advice someone has ever given you about English?

In high school, one of my English teachers told me “good writing is good writing.” What he meant was to not limit oneself to a particular genre or style, but simply strive to be a good writer. When I worked for newspapers, I wrote sports, local news, and about crime. I was essentially a technical writer when I was in the Navy. Those types of writing definitely informed my creative writing. Working toward being a good writer in any genre will generally help your writing overall.

Quick, create a title of a book you’d like to write:

I just finished a new poetry collection. It is called “Ridge and Valley.” My poetry is often about place, and we are in the ridge and valley zone.

Now create the title of a book about you:

“Damn”

What would you like to see for the English department?  (Both short- and long-term)

In both the short-term and long-term I think the department needs to get the word out even more about the successes of our graduates. I’d like to see more students (and their parents) recognize what an English major can do for them. We have graduates from all of our tracks who go on to do amazing things and earn good salaries. However, too many people have a vocational mindset when it comes to higher education. If you want to be an accountant or a nurse, then by all means pursue those majors. But English teaches people to analyze diverse and often difficult literatures, research multiple sources, to synthesize, and to write effectively. In creative writing classes, we are always problem solving. For example, writing a sonnet is problematic: a sonnet should conform to a certain meter and rhyme scheme. It also has a rhetorical structure. The poet must set up and solve a problem in 14 lines, and do it in an inventive manner that appeals to readers. That is a lot of problem solving, and those skills lead to creative thinking. English majors who work hard during their college years are prepared to succeed and to adapt. Studies show that STEM grads generally start out with higher salaries, but liberal arts grads eventually catch up and surpass them.

(Hear some of Prof Wemple's and Dr. Lawrence's works at the next Big Dog Reading Series event!)

Rosemont College Info Session

Interested in grad school? A representative from Rosemont College is visiting to talk about their program options. Check it out here:

Chaucer Class Trip to Met Cloisters

This past Sunday, Dr. Francis’s Chaucer class took a trip to the Met Cloisters and Renaissance Faire in Fort Tryon Park NYC.



The Met Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that’s devoted to medieval Europe art and architecture. The building includes traditional sculpture and architectural elements from France, containing three cloisters (enclosed courtyards), and chapels from Spain and France. The artwork within the museum can be traced from all over Europe.



Some of the great works from history the class was able to see were the Reliquary Cross, claimed to hold a piece of the true cross of Christ, The Annuncuation Triptych, several illuminated manuscripts, and the famed Unicorn tapestries.

                
       (The Unicorn in Captivity)                                 (The Unicorn Purifies Water)

The class went to study medieval history and artwork for their class, as well as interact with characters from a medieval setting at the renaissance faire held around the museum. According to Dr. Francis, the faire has grown since she’s last taken a class on this trip, but the larger crowd provided more attractions.



For those who don’t know, Renaissance Faires generally follow a medieval story, and the troupe at this faire featured the story of Robin Hood. The day included demonstrations from the Armored Combat League, aerial acrobatics, human chess, traditional music, falconry demonstrations, and jousting tournaments.



The trip was jam-packed with information, excitement and fun, and was an overall success for the class.

Department Events This Thursday 4/9

Hello everyone!
We have two great events coming up on Thursday.

At 5:30 PM in Bakeless 207, Dr. Entzminger will be reading a non-fiction essay about her great aunt's interesting marriage.

At 6:30 PM at Monty's Upper Campus, the Big Dog Reading Series will host Daryl Sznyter and Brian Fanelli, two poets.

Be sure to attend these events and show your support!

Meet Our Professors: Dr. Costanzo

Dr. Angelo Costanzo, Associate Professor of English

“My grandfather was a coal miner. He came to this country to work in the mines. He’s from Pittston. I grew up hearing about all these places, and to finally be here and doing research in them, it kind of feels like I’m meant to be here. Basically, I’m studying my grandfather. And that’s so cool.” 

Q. You studied linguistics during your undergraduate, what introduced you to this subject?
A. I’ve always been interested in languages. I got into linguistics through studying other languages; I studied Spanish for a really long time and a teacher suggested that I look into linguistics, as an undergraduate. When I started my undergraduate degree I was a major in Aerospace Engineering and I did not like that, so I went back to what I liked which was languages and linguistics.


Q. What has been your favorite course to teach so far?
A. I really like teaching History of English, because it’s the closest match up to what I’ve studied in the past. My background is mostly not in english, it’s in other languages, and I get to incorporate a lot of what I know of other languages in the History of English, because if you go back far enough a bunch of other languages used to all be one language. I also really enjoy teaching Structure of English, which I teach as kind of an introductory linguistics class.


Q. What brought you to BloomU?
A. What’s interesting is that when my family came to America they settled in this region. I was raised in Southern California, but I ended up coming back to where my family originally was from, which is kind of cool, it’s kind of come full circle. I like the area; I like Northeastern Pennsylvania. I feel like I belong here, even though I grew up some place very different from here.


Q. What projects are you currently working on? 
A. I’m working on a bunch of stuff right now, what I really want to be focusing on is a study of linguistic variation in the coal region. I have a personal connection the coal region; I like to do research wherever I am, I think it’s important to engage the community with the research. So I’m looking forward to in the future doing a lot of research in the coal region. I also have projects I’m working on based off my dissertation, which is based on Romania. So I do a lot of study of Romanian, the verb system, which is pretty boring, but I’m really excited to finally work on the coal region.


Q. What do you do in your spare time?
A. I have three children, so most of my spare time is spent with them. I enjoy cooking; I watch basketball a lot. Yeah, mostly try to spend time with my children. Every year I try to go to the Linguistic Society of America conference.


Q. If you were sponsored to travel anywhere to study linguistics for an extended period of time, where would you choose to go?
A. My favorite place, the place I’m most interested in, that I’ve spent some time in the past is the Balkans. I would love to go back to places like Macedonia and Albania, and study linguistics there. That area of the world interests me a lot. The culture is really, really interesting. It’s such a mixture...I found that was fascinating. I was lucky enough to spend some time there already; I fell in love with the area.


Q. What is your favorite thing about teaching at Bloom?
A. I think the students are great. The students are interested, they’re enthusiastic, they’re willing to mess around with language. A lot of learning linguistics is messing around, doing puzzles. I found the students here are willing to try.


Q. Do you have any visions for the linguistics program at Bloom?
A.  I want there to be more collaboration with other departments. The linguistics minor is already a collaboration between our department and Speech Pathology, I would love for there to be opportunities to make those connections stronger. I think co-teaching classes, these kinds of collaborations...We have so many interesting faculty doing so many interesting things.


Thank you to Dr. Costanzo for the interview!

Taste of the Arts Today!

This is just a reminder that the Taste of the Arts will be held today (Saturday 3/2) from 2pm to 5pm at the Greenly Center, 50 E Main St. This is an event sponsored by the BU College of Liberal Arts and the Center for Visual and Performing Arts, and it will feature performances by student musicians, video productions from mass comm majors, poetry/prose, and art gallery demonstrations.
Be sure to stop by and check it out!

Faculty News: WLN Online Edition

We are happy to announce that our WALES Director, Dr. Roggenbuck, is a co-editor for the WLN Digital Edited Collection, a journal for Writing Center Scholarship.  This digital collection is aimed at making this content even more accessible for writing centers around the globe. 

Interested in learning more about WLN and its scholarship?  You can check out their website here. 

Diversity Conference News

Last Wednesday, November 14th, Bloomsburg proudly hosted the 16th Annual High School Diversity Conference under the theme "Empowering Your Voices," aimed at encouraging young students to feel confident in sharing their stories and speaking out.  Over 100 high school students and faculty from several school districts surrounding Bloomsburg showed up for a series of panels on issues on communication and diversity.

Of our English Department, Dr. Christina Francis gave one of the six versions of the final panel, designed to discuss the challenges and ways to navigate speaking out in their schools and communities.  Several of our English majors, including Nancy Zola, Kearstin Calhoun, Sarah M. Goulet, Brittany Stephenson, Jonathan Beaver, Alissa Heatherington, Morgan Mickavicz, Breyana Rolon, and Sherri Boyles, helped facilitate these final panels.  Additionally, another one of our majors, Angela Montaño, participated in the panel "Unity within Diversity."  Wonderful job, everyone!

Even more excitingly, the local news station, WBRE, featured a one-minute clip on the conference. Dr. Francis is a featured voice in this clip.  Please check it out here!

NCTE Annoucements

To all NCTE members and interested students:

The third meeting of the semester will be held on Tuesday, November 13 at 7:00-8:00 P.M. in Bakeless 104. At this meeting, they will discuss:

• Milton Book Drive
• Diversity Conference 
• Restaurant Night Fundraiser
• Hot Topic: Incorporating Technology

Also, there is still time to participate in the Milton Book Drive! Milton School District is in need of new books for 3rd-5th grade students. If you are unsure about what books to donate, consult the Amazon wishlist: http://a.co/6teLil0.

The book drive ends November 19th. Book donors will receive 1 community service hour for every 3 books donated. Please bring all donations to the CLE Office (Ground Floor, Northumberland Hall).When bringing books to the CLE, you must make sure to fill out the clipboard with your information (name, BU ID#, email) to get credit for your donations.

You may also make monetary donations to Milton Area School District. Checks can be made payable to Milton Area School District with "Book Drive" written in the memo. Check donations can be given to Nancy Rothermel in the English Department.

Be sure to spread the word in your classes about the meeting!

More About Rosemont College

Last week, Dr. Teresa FitzPatrick visited our campus to offer more information about Rosemont College's double-Masters programs for Creative Writing and Publishing.

The Creative Writing Master's is focused not on writing that the professors ask, but on the concentrations you want to focus on as a professional.  Students have the opportunity to promote their writing, participate in monthly readings, and find publication opportunities before graduation.

Rosemont Creative Writing students have been published, won awards, and taught in places all over the Philadelphia area and beyond.

The Creative Writing MFA offers concentrations in:

• Creative Nonfiction
• Short Fiction
• Novel Writing
• Dramatic Writing 
• Poetry
• Children's and YA Writing

The Business of Publishing MFA program focuses on the always-evolving and highly demanding profession.  Students work with not only professors but professionals from the industry.  92% of Rosemont grad students find employment five months after graduating, and 90% work in a publishing-related field!  These students similarly benefit from a close working relationship with the Creative Writing MFA, and Rosemont's double-degree program for a dual Master's in Publishing and Creative Writing is one of the only of its kind.

The Business of Publishing MFA offers concentrations in:

• Business of Publishing 
• Children's and YA Publication
• Design
• Editorial

The Double Degree Program requires the following:

• 27 Major/MFA Course Credits (9 Courses)
• 27 Publishing Class Credits (9 Courses)
• A Double Thesis (6 Credits)

Interested in applying?  Since Rosemont College and Bloomsburg University have completed an affiliate agreement, Bloomsburg students with a 3.0 receive a streamlined application process - and students with a 3.5 GPA are eligible for a 25% tuition reduction upon acceptance.  Additional awards and assistantship positions are available for further financial aid.  

Applicants  must submit all undergraduate official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a writing sample.  (No GRE tests are required!)  Creative Writing students must submit a writing sample of up to 20 pages for nonfiction/fiction, five poems, or the first 20 pages of a dramatic work. Publishing students must submit a writing sample of professional nonfiction writing, such as literary papers, reviews, or other technical writings.  

Want to learn more?  Visit https://www.rosemont.edu/academics/graduate/index.php. 

News: Upcoming NCTE Events

The Official NCTE Convention Banner

Why Join NCTE?

Officer Positions Available

• Secretary
• Fundraising Board
• Social media

 In-Depth Conversations About Your Major/Concentration

We will:

1. discuss teaching of reading and writing  as well as hot trends in education
2. talk about safety in schools in light of events in Parkland and area school
3. receive tech training: this semester we’ll look at OneNote at our first meeting

Other Benefits

Ability to Shape Our Group

Ed Tech Training Eligibility

Upcoming Conferences and Events

The NCTE conference in Baltimore, Maryland -- November 21-24, 2019

       Exclusive access to upperclassmen!

Access to Summer Professional Development emails Chris Rozelle sent out last year

Resume-building Opportunities

Officer/Member experiences

Career Day: Saturday, March 23, 2019

• mock interviews
• professional development workshops
• free books for classroom library

Diversity Conference: Wednesday, November 14, 2018

      An opportunity to facilitate lesson with high school students from area schools

First Meeting of Fall 2018 semester: Tuesday, September 11 from 7-8pm in Bakeless 103

Contact Nancy at nmz18561@huskies.bloomu.edu to sign up!