Poets & Writers Series – Anthony Cody (Poetry) in Conversation with Jena Osman
2022-03-17 17:30 (America/New_York) | Via Zoom
Anthony Cody is the author of the poetry collection Borderland Apocrypha, which was a finalist for the National Book Award in poetry in 2020. The collection also won an American Book Award, a Southwest Book Award, and the Omnidawn Open Book Prize. The book explores the destabilized, hostile landscapes and silenced histories of borderlands. He is a CantoMundo fellow from Fresno, California, with lineage in both the Bracero Program and the Dust Bowl. He co-edited How Do I Begin?: A Hmong American Literary Anthology, and co-edited and co-translated Juan Felipe Herrera’s Akrílica. He collaborates with Juan Felipe Herrera and the Laureate Lab Visual Wordist Studio at Fresno State, and serves as an associate poetry editor for Noemi Press and a poetry editor for Omnidawn.

Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference
2022-03-23 - 2022-03-26 | Philadelphia Convention Center
The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference is in Philadelphia this March! See the flyer for panels featuring Temple Creative Writing and MFA faculty:

Tania Islam's Doctoral Defense: "Things Left Unsaid: Historical Silences and Multiethnic Women’s Fiction"
2022-03-23 11:00 | Via Zoom
All graduate students and faculty are encouraged to join us for Tania Islam’s doctoral defense, “Things Left Unsaid: Historical Silences and Multiethnic Women’s Fiction,” on Wednesday, 3/23 @ 11 AM via Zoom.
Dissertation Committee: Miles Orvell, Daniel O’Hara (Emeritus), and James Salazar
Abstract:
My dissertation titled “Things Left Unsaid: Historical Silences and Multiethnic Women’s Fiction” addresses the use of narrative by four ethnic American women authors, namely Dina Nayeri, Edwidge Danticat, Julia Alvarez, and Amy Tan (immigrants or second-generation citizens), who write about personal tragedies and trauma to address the issue of omission and silence in historical records.
I argue that these literary works are an admixture of narrative and history that function as a mode of storytelling that allows readers to bear witness to events of social and political importance. Transnational and literary theorists have often prioritized the émigré status of these women authors to argue that they have been able to become successful spokespersons for their people because of their journey away from their homeland. However, my dissertation employs an interdisciplinary approach to demonstrate the opposite—these women authors may refashion themselves as hybridized citizens, but they do not sever ties with their homelands, nor do they speak for the entirety of their respective ethnic communities. On the contrary, through their fictions, these authors focus on the importance of individualistic and personal storytelling to counter the silencing effects produced through the unidimensional processes of History that do not incorporate a multitude of voices and points of opinion. I argue that the use of narrative and storytelling by these four ethnic American women authors redress such omissions.

Faculty Working Papers Series – Carissa Harris
2022-04-07 15:30 | Via Zoom

GEA Eighth Annual Symposium
2022-04-08 | Via Zoom
The Graduate English Association will host the Eighth Annual Symposium featuring the research of our English graduate students. This is an opportunity for all graduate students in English, including 4+1, MFA, PhD, and MA students, to formally present work to our intellectual community of graduate students and faculty. Click here for more information.

Pizza Party
2022-08-29 14:00 | Mazur Hall Terrace, Polett Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, United States
Join us at 2 p.m. Monday, August 29th on the Mazur Terrace! Grab a slice of pizza, meet new grads and catch up with friends.

Graduate English Program Welcome Back Party
2022-09-15 15:00 - 16:30 | Mazur 821
The Graduate English Program is hosting a Welcome Back Party on Thursday, September 15, from 3 to 4:30 PM in Mazur 821. (See the attached poster.). We hope to host such gatherings on a more regular basis, now that the campus is alive again, and this opening event is designed to welcome everyone back to campus and provide an opportunity for students and faculty to chat outside the boundaries of the classroom–even though it’s still in Mazur! Please try to make it, even if just to stop in and say hello.
RSVP Here: https://www.punchbowl.com/partypage/a7399412be1053bd?utm_campaign=Invitation&utm_source=Punchbowl+Transactional+Mail&utm_medium=email

How to "Hack" Your English Grad Program
2022-09-19 14:00 | Mazur 1138
Have you ever wondered…

What it means to “network” in academia
What journals you should be reading (and publishing in)
What you should be doing outside of class to set yourself up for success in grad school

Get answers to these questions (and more) in this workshop focused on grad school “hacks” — tips and tricks to help you thrive in your program, in and beyond the classroom. Free pizza and drinks also provided!

Resume and Cover Letter Writing for Graduate Students
2022-09-21 16:00 - 17:00 | Via Zoom
Learn effective strategies for developing your resume and cover letter for diverse career paths. Session will cover: 1) The differences between a CV and a resume 2) Best practices for writing a graduate student resume 3) Tips for drafting a cover letter

Poets & Writers Series – Rebecca Curtis (Fiction)
2022-09-22 18:00 | Via Zoom

Book Talk: Smooth Operating and Other Social Acts by Roland Williams
2022-10-06 15:30 | Mazur 821
Through a cultural study of writings about slavery in the United States, Smooth Operating and Other Social Acts uncovers a mode of behavior adopted by African Americans for relief from the brutality of black bondage. Roland Leander Williams grants that African Americans have been beaten, but he guarantees that they have not been broken. While he acknowledges that they have been demeaned, he assures that they have not been diminished. Williams confesses that African Americans have been done harm, but he confirms that they have not become disheartened. Close readings of classic slave narratives, along with some neo-slave narratives—including The Conjure Woman (1899), Kindred (1979), Dessa Rose (1986), and The Good Lord Bird (2013)—furnish proof that African Americans have preserved their dignity and elevated their status through ingenious applications of improvisation. Smooth Operating and Other Social Acts establishes as well that a dim view of African Americans, propagated by black bondage, bears a resemblance to sexual discrimination, which prompts female targets of its gaze to practice dissembling. Reception to follow.

Poets & Writers Series – Nikki Wallschlaeger (Poetry)
2022-10-06 18:00 | Via Zoom

Writing Life Part I: Good Writing Practices
2022-10-17 14:00 | Mazur 821

Poets & Writers Series – Alex Gilvarry (Fiction)
2022-10-20 18:00 | Via Zoom

Poets & Writers Series – Mei-mei Berssenbrugge (Poetry)
2022-11-03 18:00 | Via Zoom

Exploring Humanities Careers (in partnership with the Career Center)
2022-11-07 14:30 | Mazur 821
