Welcome (back) to BU: Activities Fair Coverage

Welcome (back) to BU: Activities Fair Coverage

Hi everybody, and welcome to Bloomsburg University. If you’re returning, welcome back! Since this is obviously the English Department blog, covering any and all things related, we’re kicking off this semester with a recap of some of the great organizations related to the English Department.

WALES (Writing and Literacy Engagement Studio) is probably the best place to get help with any kind of writing project you’ll have this semester. The yellow bookmarks this WALES rep is holding in the pic are too little to read on screen, but they list available hours in Andruss Library (Schweiker Room), Bakeless 206, and Elwell Hall (N219). Check out their full schedule at http://bloomu.edu/wales for their full hours schedule, or email them at wales@bloomu.edu for an appointment.

Warren, the campus Literary and Art journal, just had their 70^th anniversary last year of the journal existing on campus (under various names). They’re holding their initial meeting Thursday, August 29, in Bakeless, so be sure to swing by and hear about all the cool things they’re doing this semester. These lovely ladies are showing the most recent edition of the journal, which is completely student-published, and also completely free, so ask them for any extras they may have lying around. Check out their website: http://warrenliteraryjournal.wordpress.com/

NCTE stands for the National Council of Teachers of English, and they “amplify the voice of educators through personal connection, collaboration, and a shared mission to improve the teaching and learning of English and language arts at all levels” (http://www2.ncte.org/). Check them out if you’re on the Secondary Ed English track.

The Voice, the campus newspaper, prints every Thursday and is always looking for new “voices” in their sections. Check them out online at http://buvoice.com/, especially if you're a writer looking for something to talk about.

Other pics and tables from the fair:

Table Top Gaming club, representing;

The Anime and Manga club was doing really well;

The Sci Fi club, having a blast (and apparently learning the ukulele);

Active Minds in health and wellness was so busy I could barely get a picture;

The LGBTQA table had FREE pride flags!

The Women’s Resource Center, perfectly posing;

And the whole fair!

Here's to the start of a great semester.

Meet Our Faculty: Dr. Entzminger

Meet Our Faculty: Dr. Betina Entzminger

What was the focus of your PhD?

It was Southern Literature & 20th century American literature.

What is most interesting to you about Southern culture?

I grew up there, and I think distinct southern culture is kind of disappearing. It is becoming mainstream, and just like everywhere else in the country. I think it is interesting historically because of the way it was different from the rest of the United States.

What are some of the traits of Southern culture/literature?

A focus on place. A focus on the sense of a haunted past, because of the history of racism/slavery in the south, and that hauntedness of the past is really interesting I think.

What has been your favorite course to teach so far?

I'm really enjoying the Margaret Atwood course I’m teaching this semester, and this is the first time I've taught a whole course on her works. This seems like an appropriate time for the course because she is getting so much media treatment, because of the Handmaid’s Tale and the Alias Grace Series. I have also taught a course on Faulkner & Morrison together; that was a really good course too.

What projects are you currently working on?

I'm currently working on a creative nonfiction project, and it. is a collection of 7 essays based mostly on family history. The title is The Beak and the Heart: True Tales of Misfit Southern Women. The beak in the heart title is a reference from a line from Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, where he says “Take this beak from out my heart, take thy frame from off my door."

What is the topic of your published books?

I published two books, the first one was in 2002. It's called The Belle Gone Bad: White Southern Women Writers and the Dark Seductress. The next one was 2012: Contemporary Reconfigurations of American Literary Classics. They are both nonfiction- literary criticism.

What roles do you take on in the English department?

This semester I am serving as the assistant department chair, and then I'll go back to finish my last year as the chair in the Fall. Right now I am the interim president of the Union.

What kind of books do you like to read?

I enjoy fiction a lot; I like books that focus on character.

If you could travel anywhere to study literature for an extended period of time, where would you go?

Either Canada or Mississippi - so I could study Faulkner or Atwood.

Do you have any visions for the English department at Bloom?

We would like to find ways to recruit more students, so we've been working towards trying to help students see the connections between English skills they learn here and the skills employers want, so that they can envision a career path for themselves through their major.

Thank you Dr. Entzminger for your interview!

Open Internship Opportunities for the Fall

English Department Internship Opportunity: Deadlines Approaching!

The English Department is seeking applications for a 3-credit internship for fall 2019 (8-10 hours of work per week). The intern will create bi-weekly English Department blog posts, update the website, 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 spring 2019
• English Major in Literature, Creative Writing, or Professional Writing and Digital Rhetoric Track
• Strong writing skills
• Experience creating blog posts and editing web pages
• No previous internship credits
• Good work ethic and initiative

To apply, send a resume and cover letter explaining why you are interested in the position and detailing your qualifications by May 6 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.

Job Description: English Department Intern

The student will work 8-10 hours per week throughout the semester and earn 3 internship credits. The student will be supervised by the English Department Chairperson.

Duties:

• create bi-weekly English Department blog posts about student, alumni, and faculty achievements and about department events
• update the English Department website
• post about the department to social media
• keep an internship journal
• create an ePortfolio of work completed for the internship
• write a reflection essay about the experience
• perform other duties to promote the department as needed, including possibly critiquing the department’s existing promotional efforts.

Book project internships for Summer (1) and Fall (1)

The internships (one in Summer 19 and another in Fall 19) involve on a project to develop a book from a podcast series. Shawn Rosler, a BU English grad, produces the Coarse Grind Podcast and has interviewed local chefs as well as those who have appeared on Top Chef, the Food Network, and other national venues. (No culinary experience is needed for the internship.)

The work would consist of transcribing podcast material and editing it for book form. There may be additional tasks such as working with publishers. Much of the work could be done independently, but there would be a need for occasional face-to-face meetings. Internships require 40 hours of week for each credit hour. These would be three-credit internships. In the summer, the work could be done over the twelve-week term or either six-week term.

This represents a great opportunity to learn about the publishing industry, hone some writing and editing skills, and have a tangible product to show potential employers. Please send a resume and a letter of interest to Prof. Wemple jwemple@bloomu.edu by Friday May 3 if interested.

Warren Release Party this Sunday!

Warren literary journal will host a release party this Sunday, April 28 at 6:30 PM, at the Haas Gallery. It is free & open to everyone; light refreshments will be provided. See you there!

Meet Our Students: T. Clark

Meet Our Students: Clark

Where Are You From?

Stillton, PA. It's right outside of Harrisburg.

What is Your Major/ Year?

I'm a Creative Writing major with a minor in Literature. I'm a senior.

What Are Your Favorite Forms of Media?

I honestly spend most of my free time rewatching old shows because all the reading I have time to do is for English class. Old seasons of shows...I really watch a lot of MASH.

What type of things do you like to create?

Anything that I can. I have had any creative major since high school- I started out with cooking. Anything I can make that can make someone else feel something.

What has been your favorite class here?

I took an electronic learning class where we had to make powerpoints for take home lessons for students. We got to make these really cool powerpoints. In class I made a powerpoint comparing the Lion King and Hamlet, and it was an interactive powerpoint.

Plans for the summer?

Working and concerts.

Which literary character do you relate to the most?

I don't know. I guess, I don't really relate to characters in movies and stuff, because I'm not really portrayed... the most relatable characters would be in like Black Panther now. Maybe Deadpool? *laughs* He's just a wisecracker, sassy.

What’s one thing you would most like to impact in the world?
I actually want to be a high school english teacher, so I'm starting to apply to work in lower-income cities with kids. That's where I'm from, so I want to give back to people who don't have it. In my school we had to share textbooks... I just want to help kids.

One piece of advice for new English majors?

Don’t let your intro classes discourage you because they can be awful but when you get into the real stuff it's so much fun, especially when you actually get to know your professors.

Thank you Clark for the interview!

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!

Husky Trip to WebFX in Harrisburg

Hello everyone!

Friday, April 12th, there will be a Husky Career Road Trip to WebFX, an advertising and marketing company in Harrisburg, PA.

The bus leaves at 10AM and returns around 3PM.

Visit the link below for more information and to sign up! https://bloomu.joinhandshake.com/events/287377/share_preview