Wake Up and Use the Resources!

In this week’s blog post, I wanted to call attention to a resource that we as students fail to use to its fullest extent: the Department of Alumni and Professional Engagement.

Last week, I had the pleasure to sit down and interview the Director for Career and Professional Development of the Dept. of Alumni and Professional Engagement, Wren Frisky. Ms. Fritsky has been with Bloomsburg University for over 5 years and serves as the CoST Liaison and TWC Campus Liaison for BU.

To start, I asked Ms. Fritsky to give me a brief rundown of what the Department of Alumni and Professional Engagement aims to do for students? She explained that the department has two main goals:

1)      To prepare students through networking practice, internships, career experiences, and professional development; they have a special grant, called a Professional Experience Grant (PEG) helps alleviate some of the costs associated with career experience.  

2)      To connect students to alumni so they can have a peek into various industries and make connections that will help them find employment after graduation.

To do this, the department provides workshops on everything from interview preparation to career coaching; from building a network to how to present yourself. The Department of Alumni and Professional Engagement also looks to host events to get alumni back to Bloomsburg to talk about their experience, and possibly connects them to career opportunities. One place you might have encountered the department’s handiwork is the COLA symposium and other BU college conferences. They help recruit and invite alumni to volunteer- as panelists, classroom speakers, experience hosts, and more.

The Department encourages students to get involved with networking platforms like Handshake and LinkedIn, which some of you might be very familiar with. The links below allow you to go directly to the login/account setup page for each of these platforms.  

·       LinkedIn: Log In or Sign Up

·       Students | Handshake (bloomu.joinhandshake.com)

 

Ms. Fritsky recommends that students utilize these resources as much as possible, calling them, “ A student’s best friend!” Social media platforms like these are especially helpful when wanting to build up your network, which the folks at A&PE say is everything when looking for a job or internship. This applies to all students, not just English majors.

Later in the interview, I asked if there were any specific scholarships or job placement for English majors? Her advice to me is to examine and reflect on yourself when you are looking for a job or field of study. Look at what you like or what you do not like. Reflect on your non-negotiables and broaden your search to include jobs with the type of skillset you have, not just what your major says. She also said to look for what makes you happy and to take every opportunity to push yourself to try things outside your comfort zone. Ms. Frtisky’s last point was to understand that college years should be used to try, fail, learn, and try again. In other words, take every opportunity that comes your way, even if you are a little afraid because you never know what can come of it.   

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with, Wren Fritsky or any of the department members at ProfessionalU@bloomu.edu. You can also find them at the Greenly Center 3F downtown.

Say Hello To: Destiny Lyda

 It's time for another "Say Hello To" blog piece!

Credit to Destiny Lyda 

This week I talked to a creative writing major, Destiny Lyda. Destiny is a sophomore here at Bloom. She originally started out as a secondary education major but was quickly drawn to the creative writing track. She told me that through one of her GenEd classes, Foundations of Writing, she became more interested in the English Department and what it had to offer. Destiny explained, "I had a great professor named Dr. Costanzo who talked about English and linguistics with such a passion, it sparked something in me!" She went on to tell me that she had always had a passion for writing and she had even thought about pursuing it but never thought she could. Destiny mentioned her concern to Dr. Costanzo. From there, he encouraged her to check out the other writing classes offered at Bloomsburg and see what happened. 

But what finally tipped the scales for Destiny was after going through field experience in the education major. She realized this was something she wasn't truly passionate about, so she made the decision to follow her dream of majoring in creative writing. 

The transition from one major to the other was smooth and easy. When Destiny entered the English department, her advisor Dr. Wemple helped her navigate the new major.  He added her with picking classes and gave her access to resources and emails if there was ever a question she needed answered. At the start of Fall 2020, Destiny officially became a part of the Creative Writing track here at Bloomsburg University. She told me, "Every single English class I have taken has been the best. I have learned so much and I get to write and read to my heart's content!"

Here at BU, every department strives for student success and encourages students to share their work with many organizations on and off-campus. The English department is no exception. While Destiny and  I chatted back and forth over email, I asked her what was it about the department she liked the most. She replied that organizations like Warren, the literary magazine here at Bloom, was one of those things that she was drawn to. She also commented on the opportunities that arise for amateur writers through contests put out by the English Department or organizations like Warren. 

Destiny also told me that she cannot wait for the semesters to come. She encourages those interested in literature and writing to consider a major or minor in English.  Destiny explained at the end of our communication that she can attest firsthand that English is not just books and writing.  The English Department includes degrees in professional writing or literature. These paths can open many doors for students wishing to have a career with companies and organizations as high-quality writers or publishers. When asked about what should readers take away from this interview, Destiny replied, "There is more to an English degree than you would think. If you have even a slight interest in a class or track in the department, ask! If you want to pursue that interest, the English Department can help."

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.  

Interviewing Alumni: Sarah Karasek on "The Little Punk Princess"

This week we interviewed alumnus Sarah Karasek about her upcoming book The Little Punk Princess: A Fairy Tale started as an URSCA project (that's Undergraduate Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity if you don't know), that took off. Take a break from studying for finals this week and give this quick little interview a listen.

The Little Punk Princess: A Fairy Tale synopsis: 

Princess is the heiress to the Presidency of America, but she has a dark secret - a deep love of metal, punk, and ska - all illegal contraband under the new ultra-conservative government.  When her secret stash of music is discovered, she is faced with the harsh decision of fleeing her country or giving up her only pleasure forever.

Unable to stand the prospect of a mind-numbing life full of Top 40 playlists, Princess departs through slums, sewers and swamps in search of a mysterious land beyond The Wall. With the aid of several magical friends and a little bit of luck, she makes her way to a place where music and culture flourish. A carnival village where great bands play 24/7 and Princess is invited backstage. But the culture clash may be more than she expected: her designer clothes get dirty, everyone thinks she’s a poser, and she’s asked to wash dishes like a lowly commoner. But if Princess can find a new way of existing in the world, she might just help change it for the better.

(Amazon.com)

Sarah also graciously expanded a little more via email after the interview Check out what she had to say about the editing process and the how the URSCA project helped her: 

"Because I edit as I write, it took me about two and a half months to write my final draft. One of the most interesting things I learned was that my double-spaced word document was seventy-some pages, but the book-form is over ninety. For some reason I always guessed the page count would be about the same.

"Editing is soothing to me. When I edit, it's mostly making sure all the pieces connect. If I don't already have a chapter title, this is when I come up with one and make sure it fits the theme/s.

"I said on the phone that I couldn't have written the book without the URSCA project, but more exactly, I couldn't have written the book so early in my writing career if I didn't have the previous incentive to hardcore study the genre I was writing. This ties in with my emphasis on writing for an audience. If you're writing horror or romance or whatever else, make sure you've read enough things in that genre that you adore so that writing for yourself is that same as writing for that audience. Pay attention to the publishers and journals that you find really awesome pieces in. If you haven't quite found what you want to read yet, try digging deeper. I found bizarro (a very new movement) from surrealism, mostly spurred on by E.T.A. Hoffman who passed away in 1822.

"Shameless plug: Follow me on Twitter @haunted4always. I don't have an author profile on Goodreads yet, but I'd love to see what you're reading there, so feel free so friend me. I go by my usual name, Sarah Karasek."

Be on the lookout for this book in May!

Alumnus Interview with JC Lee

About the movie Luce (2019):

“It's been ten years since Amy and Peter Edgar (Naomi Watts and Tim Roth) adopted their son from war-torn Eritrea, and they thought the worst was behind them. Luce Edgar (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) has become an all-star student beloved by his community in Arlington, Virginia. His African American teacher, Harriet Wilson (Octavia Spencer), believes he is a symbol of black excellence that sets a positive example for his peers. But when he is assigned to write an essay in the voice of a historical twentieth-century figure, Luce turns in a paper that makes an alarming statement about political violence. Worried about how this assignment reflects upon her star pupil, Harriet searches his locker and finds something that confirms her worst fears.” (rottentomatoes)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recently, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with JC Lee, an alumnus of Bloomsburg University and Juilliard who recently showed his move Luce on campus. We talked about his movie, his career, his methods for how he got from point A to point B in his life, and advice he had for anyone trying to do the same.

The inspiration for the original play came from multiple places and facets of his life, including how he himself is mixed race, and how he’s had to code-switch to fit in with different groups of people in his life, a theme prevalent in his play-turned-movie. He also drew a little bit from his love of superheroes and their own alter egos, and the idea that everyone has a mask that they put on for others.

The movie Luce was originally as play, as we know. Lee has been involved in the theater for basically his entire life, especially during his undergrad at Bloomsburg University, and his time at Julliard. During our conversation, he told me that he’d been writing a bunch of comic stories with superheroes at Juilliard for a while.  Near the end of his time there, he was told that he had to write a “grown-up” story. “I thought, “What does that even mean?” he joked with me, and told me he’d ended up returning to an idea that he’d jotted down in a notebook years ago and written in “Come back to this when you’re 35.” That idea ended up becoming Luce.

The play debuted in 2013, and it was due to the encouragement, prompting and pushing of a friend that it became the movie it is today.

How he got to where he is, Lee told me, is basically through hard work. You have to have a drive, and it’s something people are born with or not. “I have no doubt that there are a lot of talented people in LA,” he said, “but you have to have the drive to go after your goals.” He’s had to support himself for much of his life, and his suggestion on “making it” was to go for it.

Currently, Lee is working on another play, a short movie based on a short story by Stephen King, and series for Apple TV. When I asked him why he took on so many varied forms of media, he told me that working on different genres and forms of media helped to hone his skills.

Following that, his advice is to hone your skills by working on different things, and also to take in everything. Every form of media, books and TV shows and movies and plays, and to take in the bad as well as the good.

Thanks to JC Lee for letting me pick your brain and share your thoughts with the masses.

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

Interview with Shawn Rosler: The Coarse Grind

This week, we interviewed Shawn Rosler, Bloomsburg University alumnus, about his podcast "The Coarse Grind." Listen to the end for info on a special giveaway.

Find out more about Shawn Rosler and "The Coarse Grind" here:

the coarse grind podcast
youtube
twitter
instagram

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!)

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!

Alumni Showcase: Dr. Jessica Menkin Kontelis

Q: Where are you from?
J: Lancaster, PA.

Q: What major (and minor, if applicable) did you graduate with for your undergrad degree?
J: I graduated with a BA English and a Minor in Philosophy.

Q: Where did you go for grad school? 
J: I earned an MFA in Creative Writing: Fiction from Mills College in Oakland, CA in 2011. Then, I continued on to earn my PhD in Rhetoric and Composition from Texas Christian University (TCU).

Q: What did you focus on there?
J: During my MFA at Mills College I took a series of craft classes, fiction workshops, and literature classes with the MA students. My creative thesis was a fiction novel titled The Wait Means Never that told the story of a young woman returning to her old friends and family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for a funeral after having lived in California for several years.

Q: Have you written for any kinds of publications or received any writing awards?  If so, what?
I’ve published two pieces so far. During my senior year at Bloomsburg University, Dr. Riley helped me publish a piece about Samuel Becket’s Waiting for Godot in a small, online scholarly journal called the The Absurdist Monthly Review.

Then, in 2016, CCTE Studies (a scholarly journal for teachers of English in Texas) published “Creativity in the Margins,” which argues that interest to the point of obsession is an essential component of writing well and offers exercises adapted from creative writing pedagogy to nurture and trigger students’ interests.

Q: What English-related organizations are/were you part of?
J: American Culture Association
Association of Writers and Writing Programs
Conference of College Teachers of English
Modern Language Association
National Council for Teachers of English
Rhetoric Society of America

Q: What career are you in now? 
J: I’m currently a lecturer at Texas Christian University (TCU). I teach introductory and intermediate composition and creative writing classes.

Q: Favorite books or shows?
J: Favorite Books:
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man
Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance
Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

Favorite Shows:
Anything by Marti Noxon (Sharp Objects, Dietland, Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, etc.)

Q: Why did you become an English student?
J: I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing. As a child, my parents would let me and my three siblings stay up as long as we wanted telling each other stories as long as one of us wrote them down. As I continued through middle and high school, I had excellent teachers who emphasized the intersections between creative writing, research, argument, and literature. So, choosing an English major was the obvious choice.

Q: What is the best advice someone has ever given you about writing?
J: “You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair--the sense that you can never completely put on the page what's in your mind and heart. You can come to the act with your fists clenched and your eyes narrowed, ready to kick ass and take down names. You can come to it because you want a girl to marry you or because you want to change the world. Come to it any way but lightly. Let me say it again: you must not come lightly to the blank page.”
 – Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Q: What is your favorite class you have ever taken?  (At Bloomsburg, or otherwise?)
J: Tough question! I think my favorite class was Craft of Fiction, which I took during my MFA at Mills College. We read weird, philosophical literary fiction like The Street of Crocodiles and Other Stories by Bruno Schulz, analyzed them to understand how specific stylistic choices created particular effects, and imitated them strategically. It was a crazy, weird, challenging class that really taught me how to read for the sake of writing something similar.

Q: What subjects do you like to write about, formally and informally?
Scholarship:
Creative writing, rhetoric-composition pedagogy, and classical rhetoric

Fiction:
Philosophical questions like the nature of truth, everything fantasy or sci-fi, and coming of age stories

Q: Quick, create a title of a book you’d like to write:
J: Into the Air.

Q: Now create the title of a book about you:
J: Oh, the Places You’ll Grow!

Q: Any advice for students looking to take more English classes or for those thinking about majoring in English?
J: Most people think that the only jobs English majors can hope for upon graduation are teaching jobs. That’s simply not true. More and more jobs are looking for graduates with Liberal Arts majors because these majors teach the soft skills (critical thinking, strong communication skills, close reading ability, etc.) that other majors tend to lack. You can approach your education looking for a major that will prepare you for a specific job like Nursing or Accounting, or you can choose a major that trains your mind for the millions of jobs that require critical thinkers and strong communicators. An English major prepares you for those jobs. Plus, an English major sets you apart from the roughly 40% of students graduating with business majors.

Thanks for the interview, Dr. Menkin Kontelis!

Meet Our Students: Morgan Mickavicz

Q: Where are you from?
M: I’m from a small town named Taylor, it’s near Scranton, PA. And yes, like everyone asks, it is Scranton like on The Office.

Q: What is your major?
M: I’m in the Secondary Education English track. My minors are in Creative Writing and Educational Technology.

Q: What year are you?
M: I’m a senior, but I’ll be completing my student-teaching next fall as the two minors put me a little behind - but I’m okay with staying a student a little longer before entering the real world.

Q: What are your literary strengths? 
M: I would say one of my literary strengths is connecting texts to the real world, especially modern culture and current events. I try to find these relations as a reader to form a better connection with the text, but I also think this is good practice as a future teacher because connections are what make texts engaging and meaningful to students.

Q: Favorite books or shows?
M: I have so many “favorite” books that it is hard to pick just one; I guess I would say my favorite books right now are probably Educated by Tara Westover and Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard. On Netflix I’m currently watching That 70s Show for some comic relief during the end of the semester stress, but I’m excited for a new season of Black Mirror to be released (hopefully soon!)

Q: Why did you become an English Major? 
M: I became an English major because as a kid, I always loved reading writing. As I got older, I was still an avid reader, but I was not writing as much. I had a few phenomenal high school English teachers who helped me fall in love with writing again. I also feel like I was reading in a new way after having them, more critically maybe? Or more engaged? I’m not sure totally, but I know those teachers really helped me to use my own voice more and value the voices of others in a new way. So, I want to do that for students. I also want to reach those that don’t love writing; I want them to see how important English classes are to forming communication skills.

Q: What is your favorite class you have ever taken?
M: That’s such a tough question; I’ve loved so many classes I’ve taken here. I have to name a few: Feminist Readings on Cultures with Dr. Francis, Young Adult Literature with Dr. Stuart, European Literature II with Dr. Riley, and Short Story with Dr. Lawrence. I could name so many other classes both within and outside of the English Department that I really loved taking; I’m a nerd and I adore school.

Q: What organizations are you part of?
M: I’m an Orientation Workshop Leader (OWL.) I’m also the Co-Managing Editor of BUnow.com. Bloomsburg University’s chapters of National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and Association of Mid-Level Educators (AMLE) are two other organizations I’m in on campus, as well as Sigma Tau Delta, the English honors society.

Q: What subjects do you like to write about, formally and informally?
M: I typically write realistic fiction, and a lot of work (nonfiction and fiction) relates to the struggles associated with being a teenager, especially when it comes to dealing with insecurities.

Q: Quick, create a title of a book you’d like to write:
M: Surviving Teenage Girlhood: It Sucks Sometimes, but Girl, You’ve Got This. 

Q: Now create the title of a book about you:
M: Oh gosh…I have no idea. Maybe from Insecure High Schooler to High School Teacher? That’s lame. I need to think more about this.

Q: What's your dream job?
M: A teacher at the Lebron James Foundation’s I Promise School in Akron, Ohio. The, one day, a politician leading to the position of U.S. Secretary of Education…you’ve got to dream big.

Q: Any advice for incoming freshmen or students who are thinking about taking more English classes?
M: I would advise anyone thinking about taking more English classes to absolutely do it. English major or not, these classes help you develop a broader worldview and critical thinking skills.

Thanks for the interview, Morgan!

Meet Our Professors: Dr. Lawrence

Q: Where are you from?

C: I am from Salt Lake City, Utah.  Yeah - I’m a very western human.

Q: How did you end up in Bloomsburg?
C: So, the way that it works when you’re an English professor: the year that you get of out graduate school, you go to the MLA Conference.  A whole bunch of schools come to the MLA Conference and are looking for professors, and a whole bunch of people just out of graduate school go to that conference.  I had interviews with a lot of schools, but Bloomsburg and another one were the only two that offered me jobs -- and this was a better job.  One of the things I always tell people if they want to be professors [is that] you don’t have a choice of where you want to live in the country.  And that’s something that a lot of people are like, “Oh, you’re a professor, you’re here!” but, you know, there’s not that many jobs for English professors.

Q: Where did you graduate from?
C: [For my] undergrad, I went to Pomona College in Los Angeles, California.  For my Master’s Degree, I did a MFA in fiction from the University of Utah, and then I did my PhD at the University of Houston.

Q: What kinds of publications have you written for?
C: Well, really, my job is as a creative writer, so I don’t publish a lot of scholarly essays, but I do go to a lot of conferences where I talk about pedagogy, which is the study of teaching.  That’s where a lot of my scholarship is -- in terms of how to teach people things.  And then, in terms of publications, I think, like everyone working in creative writing, I have a super eclectic group of publications.  Like, I just got an essay published in an environmental journal out of Oxford University Press, which is kind of interesting.  But then, I also publish little short things online.  I was on this website called Lunchticket for this super short -- was it nonfiction or fiction?  Oh, it was fiction, it was a short story kind of thing.  So, pretty much the range.  I adore writing what is either like a short fiction or nonfiction piece or a prose poem, and the distinctions between the two of them [grow] very difficult.

Q: How long have you taught here at Bloomsburg?
C: This is my nineteenth year.  So, forever.  [laughs]  Seriously -- this was my first teaching job.  A lot of people move, but I stayed.  I think I liked a lot about the location, and I really liked our student body.  I felt like if I was teaching at some sort of super fancy private school, I would be teaching people who didn’t need me, you know, who already knew what I had to teach them, basically.  But here, I just feel like Bloomsburg is an absolute game changer for some people, and I love that.  I love being part of that.

Q:  What classes do you usually teach?
C: Well, I teach two sections of Freshmen Writing -- or First-year writing, I suppose, is what we call it now. I teach those, and sometimes I teach Honors and sometimes I don’t.  And then, I teach the range of creative writing classes except for poetry, because I am not a poetry expert.  But I could teach almost everything else.

Q: Are you involved in any organizations?
C: I am the advisor for HOPE, which is Help Our Planet and Earth.  It’s an environmental organization. I think that’s all that am an advisor for right now.  We had, on campus for a long time, a Green Campus Initiative, which I was the chair of, but it does less than it used to.  I’m a big environmentalist, in case you can’t tell.  It’s one of my passions.

Q: What are your favorite books, shows, or genres?
C: Really, what I absolutely adore is a particular genre, which is graphic novels. I am a huge fiend for graphic novels, and I teach a graphic novels class.  I teach a Lit and Society class that is graphic novel [oriented]. A lot of that is because I do visual art as well, and I really love the combination of art and words on the page.  I just -- I am in love with that.  I almost went to school for visual art, and my mom said that it wasn’t practical, which I thought was absolutely hilarious… so I went and got a history degree, and that’s wasn’t practical either!  It has nothing to do with what I’m doing now.  So ha.  [laughs] Take that, mom!

Q: If you could create a new class to teach, what would it be?
C: It’s definitely going to come off like my last question -- well, there’s two things, actually, that I would do.  The first would be a graphic novel class where we actually created a graphic novel, and so I would want to partner with somebody in Art -- like, over in Art, Sue O’Donnell, who does graphic design stuff?  I adore her; if our schedules ever allowed us to team-teach a class, to do something with graphic design or something that was like that, I would live to do that.

But, the other thing that I’m interested in which might be more realistic: I really, really love political fiction, and so I would love to teach a class -- and I don’t mean overt political fiction, but I would love to teach a class with ‘issues,’ you know, where the fiction is talking about issues.  So it could be something like a dystopian world that comments on our world, or it could be something that’s about a refugee experience or something like that.

Q: What is the best advice someone has ever given you about English?
C: I think this is advice that I give you guys [in class] often, especially when you’re all really stressed, but -- so I was really stressed about finishing my dissertation for my PhD, and my dissertation mentor said this thing: “How do you eat an elephant?”  And the answer is: “One bite at a time.” I think that a lot of people get a lot of anxiety when they’re starting a piece and that’s what keeps them from starting. Even for me, sometimes I’ll be like, “Ohmygosh I haven’t published anything in a while! I’m really stressed out; I have to write this!” And then I won’t even get started.  So, you write the first sentence. And then you write the second sentence.

Q: What would be the title of a book about you?
C:  The title of the book about me would be Best Dinner Ever.  The reason for that is that’s what my family says about me all the time, that I’m ridiculously excited by small things.  Like, my husband will make me -- like, he made this really good spicy shrimp thing with cucumbers and miso dressing and avocados, and it was crunchy, and I was sitting on the couch going, “It’s the best dinner ever!!”  And he says, “You say that for every dinner.” [laughs] And I think that’s kind of true of me, you know; I’m someone who’s really super happy with the small stuff, and I would love to somehow write a book about that, to show other people that all the huge political stuff that’s going on or all the stress you have about school or all the things going on with your families -- there’s a way to just be happy with the fact the little pockets of good things.  Like, I really like my blue scarf.  Or, like, this is the ring that I bought myself for being brave for going knocking on doors for the Democrats for the vote.  Just -- tiny little things like that.  I live on those.

Q: What would you like to see for the English Department?
C: I can’t speak too much to the whole English department, because Creative Writing -- well, we’re definitely a part of it, but we’re a little bit separate.  Like I said before, one of the things I’d really like to see is more collaboration with [the Art Department]. I would love to see us working with art, and we already have Professor Wemple, who does the Living and Learning Community, which is like the ArtSpace one.  I’d like to see that sort of keep carrying on.  For the English Department as a whole… I’d like to see us be able to hire more young people.  I feel like we’re all getting a little long in the tooth, and we could use some news from the outside.  I also would really like to see us be able to teach more diverse literatures, to have specific classes that are in diverse and contemporary literature.  I feel that we do an absolutely fabulous job with what’s been written in the past, but I’d like to see us talk more about what’s contemporary.  I do feel like we’re getting there; in the Short Story class -- well, it’s not all contemporary, but a majority of it is.  And I’m super enjoying that.

Extra: If you're interested in reading the short piece Dr. Lawrence mentioned in the interview above, you can check it out here!

Thanks for the interview, Dr. Lawrence!

Meet our Students: Zachary Deretz

Q: Where are you from? 
Z: I'm from Baldwinsville, NY.

Q: What is your major? 
Z: I'm majoring in Secondary Education in the English Focus.

Q: What year are you? 
Z: I'm a Junior.

Q: What are some of your literary strengths?
Z: I am obviously a literary genius and perfect in all regards… All jokes aside, I like to consider myself as someone capable of an adequate level of analysis on new subject material relatively quickly; moreover, I am certainly capable of reading quickly and with ease. I would also say that, due to my fairly decent experience with the field, I am capable of writing readily accepted papers based on what is deemed “acceptable professional language” in the field of academia.

Q: Favorite books or shows?
Z: Almost any question that asks me what my favorite rendition or selection of subjects, objects, discussions, etc. are met with fierce difficulty. I believe myself to be someone that I identify as indecisive for many situations, unless I am in a situation that requires me to be decisive with consequences at hand (such as a work environment). With this in mind, there is no way I would be capable of choosing a single book that I find the most enjoyable. That is a feat that is simply impossible; however, how about as far as favorite shows are concerned? I might argue that some “older” shows such as Fringe, Chuck, or The Office might be my favorite television shows, and my favorite movie would have to be V for Vendetta.

Q: Why did you become an English Major?
Z: I was one of those people who never knew what they wanted to do with their lives until my senior year of high school, and even then it was relatively “wishy-washy.” During that time, I encountered my AP English teacher for the first time in a classroom setting. Simple as that. I say what he did and felt that it was something I could enjoy and really learn to love; moreover, I have always had a deep love for Literature since I was young, so I never saw any issues with that backing up my newly acquired goal.

Q: What is your favorite class you have ever taken? 
Z: I would definitely have to say that my favorite class that I have taken up to this point in time would be my Shakespeare class of my sophomore year attending Bloomsburg University. It was an extremely detailed class that truly made me feel as though I could delve into the knowledge and experiences of the past. The professor did a wonderful job and truly had a profound knowledge on all of the subject material.

But, a close second would also be my freshman year’s Dinosaur class. Admittedly, I’m a child at heart and love dinosaurs. And to be honest, I expected it to be easy, but it ended up being refreshingly difficult with an immense amount of diverse and intricate knowledge that gave me a newfound respect for paleontologists and those studying ancient history.

Q: What organizations are you part of?
Z: I am a part of a couple organizations, I suppose? I guess the most relevant to this interview would have to be the fact that I work at the Writing and Literacy Engagement Studio (WALES), formerly known as the writing center. It’s a great experience and has helped me in my field by leaps and bounds, so I definitely recommend people check it out. I also attend the Student Poetry Association (SPA) located on campus as a member; although, due to my schedule this semester I’m having difficulty making it to many of the meetings. Technically, there are a couple of other groups here and there, but I am more of an honorary member until my schedule eases up on me, so I won’t go into detail for those.

Q: What subjects do you like to write about, formally and informally?
Z: Sado-masochism. Now, I say that half jokingly, but I actually had a great formal writing experience in my aforementioned Renaissance class by debating the rhetorical connection between sado-masochistic theories and some others that I won’t go into detail due to time restraints. It really depends on the subject, timing, even how I feel that day, to be honest. I like to write about interesting and highly debatable topics that I have had time to truly think about and consider, especially when I get to combine theories and hypotheses.

As far as informal writing goes… I don’t tend to have to much time for that these days. But I guess my poetry tends to focus on loss and/or love? I tend to write Sonnets, so it tends to make more sense. Oh, I also like to write about nature, as I am a huge fan of the world’s natural beauty.

Oh… and let’s say potatoes too. I won’t explain any more than that. I think it’s more fun that way.

Q: Quick, create a title of a book you’d like to write!
Z: Rise of the Potato Cult: A True Story by myself, obviously. I jest, I jest… I would actually like to publish a collection of some of my poetry some day. Or not? Regardless, I’d probably title it something along the lines of My Not-So Final Verse.

Q: Now create the title of a book about you?
Z: Oh dear... I guess I’d title it something like… When is the Night I Slept Last: A Life With Minimal Sleep.

Q: Dream job: go!
Z: I would love to be a stay-at-home husband for a really wealthy woman… I say, again, half jokingly. I mean, there is a reason that I want to become and English teacher. I genuinely love to see people that come to me for help grow on their own and feel proud of themselves when they improve on the subject I helped out with.

Q: Any advice for incoming freshmen or students who are thinking about taking more English classes?
Z: I’d have to warn freshmen not to get discouraged. Often times, your high school teacher taught you something wrong when it comes to “correct” grammar and you’ve also almost never been taught how to think critically at the collegiate level, so don’t hesitate to ask questions, even if you think they might sound stupid.

Meet our Students: Addy Sacouto

Q: Where are you from?
A: I'm from Philadelphia, PA.

Q: What is your major?
A: I'm dual-majoring in Creative Writing and Russian.

Q: Do you have a minor?
A: I'm minoring in linguistics.

Q: What year are you?
A: I'm a junior!

Q: What are some of your literary strengths?
A: I have a pretty good memory, and that helps a lot when writing papers and studying for tests.

Q: Favorite books or shows?
A: I love Jodi Picoult’s books, but Harry Potter will always have a special place in my heart.

Q: Why did you become an English Major?
A: I’ve been writing since I was eight and didn’t know what else to do, honestly.

Q: What is your favorite class you have ever taken, at Bloomsburg, or otherwise?
A: Dr. Stuart’s Intro to Creative Writing is the reason I’m an English major. She taught me that it’s okay to be creative, and she never discouraged anyone, and I just had a positive experience the entire time. I became more open to the major then and eventually declared it.

Q: What organizations are you part of?
A: I’m in Honors and BOG, so I don’t have time for fun clubs.  I am also a consultant at WALES.

Q: What subjects do you like to write about, formally and informally?
A: Mental illness is probably all I write about, though I’ll throw in the occasional romance story or poem for fun.

Q: Quick, create a title of a book you’d like to write.
A: I am the absolute worst at titles and most of my pieces don’t even have them, so... I don’t know.  How about Hidden in Plain Sight or some other cliché?

Q: Now create the title of a book about you.
A: “Look at This Gay Nerd” or more formally “From the Ashes.”

Q: What is your dream job?
A: I love proofreading and translating and I want to work on a video game localization team.

Q: Have any advice for incoming freshmen or students who are thinking about taking more English classes?
A: Don’t let people guilt you for being an English major! I know I got a lot of negative feedback from family and even friends about declaring a pointless major, but English majors can make better arguments and write better papers than most, and that’s a very valuable skill. Also embrace the creativity because that’s literally the point, and if you’re not writing for you it’s better to not write at all.

Meet our Students: Julia Miller

Q: Where are you from?
J: I’m from right here in lovely Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania!

Q: What is your major?
J: I’m a Creative Writing major.

Q: Do you have a minor?
J: Anthropology.

Q: What year are you?
J: I’m a senior!

Q: What are your literary strengths?
J: I’ve always had a thing for poetry and tend to write in that particular form the most.

Q: What are some of your favorite books or shows?
J: I have two favorite books. First up is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I read that book when I was thirteen and I often go back and re-read it when I have nothing new to read. My second favorite book is A Pleasure and a Calling by Phil Hogan. It’s a thriller about a real estate agent who makes copies of his customer’s keys and spies on their lives. It’s a read that leaves you feeling like you’re being watched -- which is the best kind of read!

Q: Why did you become an English Major?
J: While I’ve always loved reading and writing, I initially entered Bloomsburg as an Elementary Education major. After I took Dr. Stuart’s Intro to Creative Writing class as a second-semester freshman, I was inspired to switch my major to Creative Writing and I haven’t looked back since. The best part? I don’t have to take any math classes!

Q: What is your favorite class that you have ever taken? 
J: I love all the Creative Writing and Poetry Workshop classes that I’ve taken here at Bloomsburg because it’s such a valuable thing to have fellow students reading and analyzing your work. It’s also wild because you can look back on your work from previous semesters and see how much you’ve grown as a writer.

Q: What organizations are you part of?
J: I work as a consultant at WALES! It’s the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had. It’s wonderful to work with students on their papers because, at the end of each session, you can see how much more confident they are in their writing.

Q: What subjects do you like to write about, both formally and informally?
J: I like writing about ordinary, everyday people and settings and then throwing in something supernatural. I think that’s called Magic Realism? I also tend to write a lot about my bulldog, Rosco, because he is truly inspiring. 

Q: Quick, create a title of a book you’d like to write:
J: How I Ate My Way Through Italy, because that means I’d have to go back to Italy and eat a LOT of pasta!

Q: What would your dream job be?
J: Whatever archaeology Indiana Jones does!

Q: Any advice for incoming freshmen or students who are thinking about taking more English classes?
J: Definitely take a creative writing class. You might find that you actually like to write when it’s not a book report.

Meet Our Professors: Dr. Roggenbuck

Q: Where are you from?
T: Originally, I grew up in North Dakota.  [I’ve spent] not quite ten years in Pennsylvania.

Q:Where did you graduate from?
T: I have four degrees.  I have an Associate’s in Liberal Arts from Minnesota.  I have a Bachelor’s from Portland State University in Oregon.  A Master’s from the University of North Dakota.  And a PhD from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Q: What kinds of publications have you written for?  
T: [Most recently I've been involved in editing for] WLN.  The full title is WLN: A Journal of Writing Centers.  Historically, it was known as the Writing Lab Newsletter. But, a few years ago they decided, looking at the nature of the work and the fact that it is peer reviewed, “newsletter” wasn’t really the way to describe it.  So, instead, we renamed it.  People in the field still refer to it as the Newsletter.

So, I’m a co-editor for that, which is a lot of work - good work.  I’m co-editing the digital edited collection [What We Teach Writing Tutors: A WLN Digital Edited Collection], which is the first of its kind in our field, which is very exciting.  Somebody published a book recently pointing to the problem that writing centers are - people are interested in writing centers around the world.  We had visitors from a college in China [last semester]; they got really interested in our center.  I recently saw a presentation about writing centers in China.  They’re emerging, and they’re emerging everywhere.  The problem is getting access to our scholarship.  People can’t  - they don’t have a subscription to JSTOR or can’t get to our scholarship.  So, WLN is nice in that our back issues are archived online after a year.  We’ve also created this digital edited collection, which is really pitched for a new director or, say, someone in a graduate program… everything you need to know about how to train and educate your writing tutors.

I’ve mainly written for writing centers… it’s been years since I published somewhere that wasn’t [for a writing center journal.]  The last that wasn’t for one was in a journal called Teaching Writing.

Q: How long have you taught at Bloomsburg?
T: I’m in my tenth year.

Q: What classes do you usually teach?
T: Basically, there are four classes I teach here.  I teach the introductory tutor class, English 297. That stays fairly consistent each year.  Of course, I teach sections of returning tutors, and we rotate that topic.  The two classes I get to teach for the English Department - I’m currently teaching the Theory in Practice in Writing class, and that’s a neat class… for one, the group of students in that class are future teachers of English.  We have one semester to correct a whole lot of misconceptions about what it means to teach writing.  The other class I get to teach is English Grammar and Usage.  That’s English 212.

Q: Involved in any other organizations, other than WALES?
T:  On BU campus, I am involved in several projects.  One is the Military Credit By Review committee, designed to help people with military experience get an accurate assessment of what credits [they should receive].  I’m on the university curricular committee.  So, we think about changes and grading curriculum across campus.  I’m involved in academic enrichment.  Just a lot of writing curriculum.  Oh, I’m involved in writing placement, so students can come here either starting in English 101 or in English Enrichment.

Q: What are your personal favorite kinds of books/shows?
T: I like comedy if I’m watching television. Anything with a laugh track, I probably won’t watch… But anything that is a little strange [I like]. I have the great fortune of being married to someone who reads voraciously, so I never even look for books.  I have the ones that are left for me to read.  Good literature.  Contemporary.  I’m reading An American Marriage right now.  [It’s a good way to pick up unfamiliar genres.] Absolutely, but I never - I was telling someone I was reading this great book this morning, and they asked me the title - I don’t even remember!  I don’t pay attention, because, you know, it’s just the book that was the next thing for me to read, and I didn’t seek it out.  It’s a great problem to have.

Q: If you could create your own class to teach, without restriction and about anything you want, what would it be?
T: That’s a tough question…  Well, there’s a way in which that I’m really troubled by where we are right now. I read an article yesterday about a group - it’s something like Invicta Europa.  It’s an alt-right group.  They’re a white nationalist group, and they’re kind of going undercover at places like CPAC, and their goal is to hide their ideology so they can infiltrate and get elected to GOP spots.  Then, when they have enough pull in the Republican Party due to their elected positions, they can start to try to… their fear is that by 2045 white people will not be the majority anymore.  They want to shut down non-European immigration as a way to combat, and they’re very much in lieu of President Trump’s policies.  So, any class that can help students actually process information carefully, and allow us - and I do think if we can be willing to think and hold disparate views at the same time, humans are decent enough that we can overcome groups like that.  So, if someone said “develop an important class” that would be it.  It would be a class designed to - not infuse my politics into students’ heads, but to force them to think.  I think those classes already exist, but that’s the work I'd think of.

Q: What is the best advice someone has ever given you about English?
T: I’d go back to my high school English teacher.  He wouldn’t probably have known what theoretical position he was coming from, but he was an Expressivist.  Every week - I had the same teacher from seventh grade through twelfth grade.  It was a small town.  Every week, we wrote what we called a 400-word composition.  Two double-spaced pages was essentially what we had to do.  I decided one time I wasn’t - I was just writing whatever... I had a very real rhetorical situation.  I wanted to entertain these people. So, every week, that’s what I was trying to do.

One week, I decided, well, I should do something more academic.  I went to the encyclopedias in the library and being somewhat of a lazy student, I only got to the “A” and stopped at Australian Flying Bats.  And I wrote an essay about Australian Flying Bats.  Mr. B always returned our reports regularly, but he didn’t turn it back that week.  He waited, and the next week I wrote something more like what I was usually writing.  Something about how cold it was in the house in the winter before you started the fire.  Just this descriptive nonfiction essay.  I made up stories about this cheese addict that managed a Pizza Hut.  You know, just whatever a high school kid is going to do.

So he took - in front of the whole class, and we’ve all known each other since we were young - he takes my Australian Bat essay, and as he’s handing back the essays, he crumbles [up my essay] and he throws it in the garbage can.  “Ted, this is awful!”  Then he hands me my cheese addict essay and says, “There’s the Ted we know.”  And I think that had a profound impact, just having a real person engaging through that.  So, I’ve never really been confused about writing what I’m interested in.

Q: Quick, create a title of a book you’d like to write or a book about you:
T: Weirdly, these titles come right into my head.  Unintended Consequences could work for both.  Why?  [laughs] So, if I’m writing about myself, I had no idea how I landed a job I love in a place I love.  It’s a little tough right now because, as America has kind of shown its racist face a lot more, I’m not as in love with living out in the country as I have been.  But, I still love the countryside.  But I had no idea - there were years I was trying to do other things.  My idea of - when I was eighteen, was join the military, learn how to operate nuclear power plants, move to France, where nuclear power is a big source of energy, live in France, operate a nuclear power plant.  That was the plan.  And then it just sort of kept changing, and changing, and changing along the way, to the point that even in my PhD program, I went as a creative writer. I still hadn’t figured out yet what I wanted to be.  But, things kind of keep happening, in a way I really hadn’t known or guessed.  Eventually, you start to aim a little bit.  You decide to go on the market and apply for a job like this. I almost had to be hit on the head before I realized that this is where I should be.

Q: What would you like to see for the English department? 
T: We know how valuable the work we have students do is, but we keep shrinking.  We’re down several professors, and I think it’s because it’s very hard to convince people’s parents that it’s okay to be an English major because it doesn't seem immediately practical.  Now, all of those ‘soft skills’ English majors develop - and what research shows us about liberal arts - they bring all these skills and abilities.  So...again, if people were ready to think in more complicated ways, to understand the value of a liberal arts education, it wouldn’t be such a hard sell.  This is a wonderful English department.  I’ve been in many English departments before I got here, and two of them were not very functional.  In fact, one had to do something called “receivership” where an outside person came in and was the chair.  They fought so much.  Our department doesn’t really have that problem.

It would be nice to get more people in here and help us continue to move into the 21st century. I don’t know - there are some of our classes that can be taught well online, and some that I struggle to imagine having the same impact in an online environment.  I could teach English 212 [English Grammar and Usage] online, and that could work.  But, I would struggle to teach English 306 online.  Being in the room for the conversation matters, especially for future teachers.  I think that’s probably similar for some literature classes. Conversations within the classroom have a lot of power.  I’m not against an online environment… but I know what a special experience it can be [in the classroom].

One thing I also think - rather than sort of revering, I think we should respect and present our students literature throughout the history of the world, western European and world literature, and underrepresented cultures' literature.  But - the thing that happened to me, and thank goodness the person I’m married to escaped it, but when I was an undergraduate, I don’t know that I was assigned to read anything that had been written within the last 30 years.  It was all older stuff that I was reading.  Again, that was a long time ago, so maybe it’s changed… well, that’s not true.  In my creative writing courses, I read more recent stuff.  In my literature classes, I didn’t.  It was all anthologized stuff.  There wasn’t really a contemporary literature niche.  And so, I think one thing - I’d love our literature folks to leave here knowing how to find good contemporary literature.  I don’t know if we have as much of that as we should.  I would love for all BU undergrads to leave here knowing how to find literature that mattered to them, because there’s lots of great things being written and published, and I’m not sure if we’re equipping our students to have lives as readers of stuff that’s current.

Thanks to Dr. Roggenbuck for the interview!

Meet Our Students: Daniel Pintos

Q: Where are you from? 
D: I'm from Lehighton, PA.

Q: What is your major?
D: I'm an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing.

Q: What year are you? 
D: I'm a Senior.

Q: What are your literary strengths? 
D: Writing poetry and genre fiction are my strengths.

Q: Favorite books or shows?
D: My favorite book series is the Wheel of Time [by Robert Jordan]. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy.

Q: Why did you become an English Major?
D: I became an English major because my biggest strength academically has always been writing, and I love to read, so it fits pretty well.

Q: What is your favorite class you have ever took?
D: The poetry workshop with Professor Wemple taught me that I can write poetry.

Q: What organizations are you part of?
D: I'm currently a shadow at the Writing and Literacy Engagement Studio (WALES).

Q: What subjects do you like to write about, formally and informally?
D: I’m not a fan of writing about myself, at least when it comes to crafting a narrative.  Poetry allows me to touch upon topics I don’t think I have the ability to approach otherwise. Fantasy and science fiction allow me to play around with the wild ideas in my head.

Q: What's the title of a book you’d like to write?
D: Why God Doesn't Tell Us Why.

Q: What's the title of a book about you?
D: Confessions of a Professional Napper.

Q: What would your dream job be?
D: If I could make a living off of my music, I would absolutely love to just tour and play in front of crowds. There’s no better feeling for me.

Q: Finally, any advice for incoming freshmen or students who are thinking about taking more English classes? 
D: I’d recommend Intro to Creative Writing, or a literature course that looks interesting. You might be surprised about how fun it is to write when the topic isn’t a research paper.

Thanks for the interview, Dan!

Meet Our Students: Nancy Zola

Q: Where are you from?
N: Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania.  I’ve lived there all my life.

Q: What is your major?
N: English in Secondary Education.  I’m minoring in psychology.

Q: What year are you?
N: A senior.

Q: What are your literary strengths?
N: I think I’m strong at analyzing literature through different lenses, mainly through psychological and historical lenses. Feminist lenses - I’m pretty strong with as well.  I just like writing for different purposes, too.  I think understanding symbolism in literature is somewhere that I’m particularly strong.

Q: Favorite books, shows, or genres?
N: I really like The Great Gatsby.  I used to carry [a Great Gatsby bag] around all the time.  I’m trying to think - Pride and Prejudice.  I like - it’s hard to choose just a couple.  I really like Brave New World.  Pretty much any dystopian literature, I really like.  1984.  And now that I’m teaching it, I love The Crucible.  I mean, I loved it before I taught it, but now - yeah, it’s even better because you get to share the things that you like about the literature with the kids and with everybody else.  It’s great.

Q: Why did you become an English major?
N: I became an English major because I thought that would be my favorite thing to teach.  Like, my two biggest loves are singing and writing, so I wanted to be able to teach writing.  I knew I wanted to teach; it was more of deciding what I wanted to teach.  For a while I entertained being a choral director, but I decided maybe that was not a good idea… one, because I’m not the best at reading music - I’m okay at it, but not good enough to be a choral director, or a music major, because that stuff is hard.  Plus, I’d have to learn how to play an instrument, and - [laughs] We’re not going down that path.

Q: What is your favorite English class you’ve ever taken?
N: I think I have to say my all-time favorite class - the class that inspired me to become a teacher - was my second grade class.  It wasn’t really an English class at the time because it was general, covering all subjects, but, yeah.  My teacher I had really inspired me and I went to visit her years after that, until she retired and I graduated.  So, yeah - that’s probably my favorite class because it brought me to my current path.

Q: What organizations are you part of?
N: I’m a WALES consultant, and I’m the president of NCTE.  I’m the co-president of Kappa Delta Pi. I am in Sigma Tau Delta [the English honors society]; I am also in Phi Kappa Phi.  Technically I’m in student PSEA - I have the membership and everything.  I haven’t been to a meeting in a while, but that’s besides the point.  And, I used to be in the history club and in women’s choir as well.  I was in acapella choir.

Q:  What do you like to write about, formally and informally?
N: Well, I really like to write any sort of psychological analysis, like I said, but also I love writing about - about writing!  [laughs] Writing center pedagogy, like that, and the larger conversations that scholars are having about writing. I hope to be a part of that one day.  In terms of stuff that I just like to write in my free time, I like to write poetry. I usually write poetry as a release or expression of my feelings.  I feel like a lot of people wouldn’t expect the kind of poetry that I write.  [laughs]  It’s - I mean, in my opinion, it’s not particularly good.  It’s poetry, I guess, and it’s dark.  But I enjoy it as well.

Q: What would the title of a book about you be?
N: If it was about me… I guess, if I was going for a one-word title, I would put Trying.  Cause, like, I think one of the most characteristic things about me is that I don’t stop trying.  I really care about everything, so I’m always trying.  Yeah, maybe like: The Art of Trying.  I think that’s what I would title it.

Q: What’s your dream job?
N: Well, I guess I would get a little taste of both of the jobs that are my dream jobs, because my dream job for the longest time was to be a high school English teacher.  But then, I also want to be a professor, so I don’t know if that would be down the line, I could teach writing.  [Or like a director of a writing center;] that’d be cool.  And I would also like to write stuff that gets published - all sorts of stuff.  If I could publish both writing center pedagogy - but also poetry - that would be fine.  Hopefully my poetry would get a little better. I’ve never taken a poetry class… but yet, I keep writing it.  [laughs]

Q: Any advice for incoming freshmen or students who are interested in taking more English courses?
N: Well, of course, I would say, “Go for it!” I would tell them that taking English classes helps you understand who you are.  You might think you know, but then you find out that you don’t, really, and things that you think are important about yourself, you might find later that they’re not.  They’re not - or they’ve changed.  I think through reading and bringing yourself to encounter a piece - and really responding to it - as well as writing and expressing your actual thoughts about what you read or just any topic in general could really help you find your path.  Find your actual voice that often gets kind of lost in the voices of others.

Meet our Students: Angela Montaño

Q: Where are you from?
A: I am originally from northern Virginia, but I moved to Philadelphia when I was nine, so I claim Philly.

Q: What is your major?
A: I am in English with a concentration in Literature track in Secondary Education, and a minor in Spanish.

Q: What year are you?
A: I am a senior!  I graduate in May.

Q: What are your literary strengths?
A: I really love the fact that I get to share my understanding, my comprehension, and how I viewed and read the book, and I really like literature circles within our classrooms.  I really enjoy that because if you read something and I didn’t understand it, I can say “Oh! Okay, I didn’t think of that!”  Exactly.  So I love hearing those interpretations.

Q: Favorite books, shows, or genres?
A: My favorite book of all time - right now - is The Hate You Give [by Angie Thomas].  But I love The Outsiders [by S. E. Hinton].  That is a classic to me.  My favorite shows… Jane the Virgin, oh.  Okay.  A Different World is classic.  It’s about Black college students in the 80’s-90’s.  [shakes head] It’s amazing, a spin-off of The Cosby Show.  It’s lit.

Q: Why did you become an English major?
A: I became an English major to become an English teacher.  I think education is 1000% important.  In my senior year, my AP English teacher I really, really liked just paved the way for me, if you can say that.  She allowed me to say, “Wow, Black women read, black women are teachers.” So, I really wanted to be a little her, but I found my passion and my purpose, which is to be an educator.

Q: What’s your favorite class that you’ve ever taken, at Bloomsburg or otherwise?
A: I don’t know, honestly… This is a hard question.  For me, college has been a struggle.  So, choosing one is… But, if I could say definitely, Principles of Teaching, my education course.  I learned different things when it came to unit plans, to my teaching.  Different avenues I can take when I am actually teaching in front of my students. So, I think it would be Principles of Teaching.

Q: What organizations are you part of right now?
A: I’m the president of SOL, which stands for the Student Organization of Latinos.  I’m a founder of NAACP chapter here at Bloomsburg University, unit 29A, I believe.  Also, I am on the CGA executive board, I’m the senior class president, and I’m a BOG scholar.  I’m involved in various other ones - Curlfriends [for example], but yeah. Always something to keep busy.

Q: What do you like to write about?
A: I love to write about being a woman of color.  I love to write about… just, things that happen in everyday life, or about social injustice, because I feel like that’s not talked about enough.  Also, I like to talk about romance. I mean, who doesn’t want to fall in love, you know?

Q: If you had the ‘big three’ of time, motivation, and energy, what’s the title of a book you’d like to write?
A: [immediately] Watch Me Flourish. That would be the title. It would be about - just this Afro-Latina, just flourishing in everything she does.

Q: What would the title of a book about you be?
A: [after a moment] Who Knew the Flower Would Grow? [nods] There we go.

Q: What would be your dream job?
A: Giving back, that would be my dream job.  Just to give back. Build my own community, building housing.  Building rec centers.  Building schools.  Building hospitals.  Building all of that… for those in need.  That’d be my dream job.  And I would be an entrepreneur.  Making that money - but giving it back.  Buying the fancy stuff - but giving back.

Q: Any advice for incoming freshmen or students who are interested in taking more English courses?
A: That’s a good question.  So, I would definitely say, it’s your life, so choose it.  Choose what you want to do.  Also, acknowledge your worth - and that’s not in a self-esteem way, that’s acknowledge your worth because your worth is your brain.  Your worth is your knowledge.  It’s what you love to do.  So, why have someone belittle it or have someone take you from the path that you deserve?  Remember to flourish and be amazing.

Thanks for the interview, Angela!