English Events

Recent and Upcoming

Week of Welcome 2022 English Department Scavenge Hunt! Come join us to meet fellow students, faculty, and friends in the hallways of Engleman Hall, September 1, 2022, 2-3 PM (EN D253). 

English Week of Welcome 2022

Join us October 4, 2022 at 4:00-5:00 PM (EN D253, English Common Room) for a book talk with Dr. Jack Parlett (University College, Oxford University), author of The Poetics of Cruising: Queer Visual Cultural from Whitman to Grindr (University of Minnesota Press, 2022). Dr. Parlett will give a reading and introductory lecture to his new book, with Q&A from students and faculty. We'll also be raffling off a free copy of The Poetics of Cruising. See you there!

Book Talk with Jack Parlett

Welcome to the Class of 2026 and to our returning English majors, minors, and graduate students! Please check back for announcements regarding new and upcoming events this academic year. 

2022 English Masters Graduates

2022 SCSU Graduate Commencement

 



Prior Academic Year Events 

2022 Literature and Social Justice Graduate Symposium

2022 English Graduate Symposium

2021 Literature and Social Justice Graduate Symposium 

Friday, April 16, 5:30-7:30 (Online)

Saturday, April 17, 9:30-4:00 (Online)

Click here for a copy of the final program (PDF), with links to online sessions

Literature and Social Justice Symposium Spring 2021

 


Spring 2020 English Graduation Celebration 

 

Click here for the SCSU English Department's 2020 Senior Send-Off

 

Congratulations to our 2020 English grads! We are proud of you and all your accomplishments, especially in this extraordinary semester. 

Click HERE for a special graduation announcement - with a list of graduating seniors and departmental award-winners - from the English Department faculty! 

And for a celebration of Southern's amazing crop of creative writers this year, watch the 2019-2020 End-of-the-Year Folio Reading online!


Click here to RSVP for the SCSU MFA 10th Anniversary Reading

SCSU MFA 10th Anniversary

Friday, October 4, 7-10:00 pm 

Engleman Hall A120 (RSVP at link above)

Southern's Creative Writing Program is celebrating the tenth year of its Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program and the decades of excellent creative-writing graduates who preceded that program. Come join us for an anniversary event, featuring readings by stellar MFA alumnae Ryan Leigh Dostie (Formation) and Martina "Mick" Powell (chronicle the body) and a display of accomplishments by creative-writing graduates at all levels, followed by a dessert reception. Don't miss this great evening of poetry, memoir, and a chance to mingle with MFA folks old and new!


Airships, Fellowships, & Internships!

Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 1-2 p.m.
Engleman D253 (English Department Common Room).

Stop by for free pizza and listen to fellow and former students talk about their time as exchange students at Liverpool John Moores (Liverpool, UK), the New Haven Arts and Ideas Festival, and more. Also, hear about opportunities for upcoming fellowships and internships, as well as how to apply.


Literature and Social Justice Graduate Symposium 2019

2019 Literature and Social Justice Graduate Symposium

Saturday, April 27, 2019 at 9:00 am to 4:00 PM

Engleman A121

Southern's inaugural Literature and Social Justice Graduate Symposium will feature a day of graduate student paper panels, workshops, a roundtable (on Rob Nixon's Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor), and two keynote talks by DeLaune Michel, found of the literary salon Spoken Interludes, and Dr. Jennifer Westerman of Appalachian State University on "The Literary Art of Sustainable Development."


Tea & Scones: Ask your Professor!

October 17, 2018 at 1 p.m.
Engleman D253

(English Department Common Room)

Forget syllabi and Blackboard. We're going to chat about the how/why questions of what it means to be a professor at SCSU, and life beyond campus. Featuring: Rachel Furey, Melissa Talhelm, Steven Larocco, and Tony Rosso.


Tim Parrish

Tim Parrish: "Where We Live"

September 4, 2018

Listen to Professor Tim Parrish's recent NPR interview, "Being a Recovering Racist," here. He discusses what it was like to attend high school in rural Louisiana surrounded by violent racism, and his journey through life overcoming these beliefs.


English Colloquium

Colloquium and End-of-Semester Celebration

May 05, 2018 from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Come support the creative and scholarly work of undergraduates and graduates. The event will include intellectual food for the mind as well as tasty pizza, cookies, and beverages.


Folio Release 2018

Folio's 2018 Release Party

May 04, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.

Join us in the release of our new Folio edition. We'll have readings and presentations by our winning writers and artists. Free food, giveaways, and open mic.


English Degree Career Program

English Talk What to Do with an English Degree?

April 25, 2018 at 1:00 p.m.

Come hear from two former English majors talk about their current jobs and how an English degree prepared them for it. Support for this has been provided by an SCSU "Conversations in the Disciplines" grant.


Deboraw Heiligman

Stories as Introduction: How Lived Lives Create Interest in Our Fields

April 13, 2018 at 1:00 p.m.

Join us for a talk with award-winning children's and young adult author Deborah Heiligman, followed by a book-signing. Funded by an SCSU Faculty Development Grant and brought to you by Adam Goldberg (Curriculum & Learning), Régine Randall (Graduate Reading), and Andrew Smyth (English).


Folio April Reading

Folio's April Reading

April 06, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

Join us for the last reading of the spring semester. We will have featured readers, along with an open mic/easel, free food, and giveaways.


LEP workshop

LEP Workshop Coffee, Cookies, and Curriculum: An LEP Course Writing Workshop

April 06, 2018 from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Have a great idea for an LEP course? Need help navigating the LEP proposal process? This workshop is for you. Bring your course in progress or come to learn more about how to turn your idea into a successful LEP course. To register, go to https://bit.ly/LEPWorkshop. Registration is limited to the first 25 participants.


Internships, Fellowships, Airships

Internships, Fellowships, Airships

April 04, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Come hear English students Bruce Michaud and Tyler Korpani give talks on their internship and study abroad experiences. Free pizza will be provided.


Kathleen Wolak

Kathleen Wolak and Juliana Gray Reading

March 22, 2018 at 7:45 p.m.

Please come out to a reading by SCSU grad and genre writer, Kathleen Wolak (pictured here), and acclaimed poet, Juliana Gray.


Environmental Justice Week

Environmental Justice Week will kick off with renowned nonfiction writer Kathryn Miles

March 05, 2018 from 1:10 p.m. - 1:55 p.m.

Miles will discuss her latest book, Quakeland: On the Road to America’s Next Devastating Earthquake. This event is part of the Visiting Writers Series.


Author Kathryn Miles: 'Making a Career in Freelance Nonfiction Writing'

March 05, 2018 from 7:45 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Miles will also be giving a talk on how to do research, face-to-face interviews, and making a career in freelance nonfiction writing.


Folio March Reading

Folio MarchFolio's March Reading

March 02, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

Join us for the second reading of the semester. We will have featured readers, an open mic/easel, food, and giveaways.


Furey and Labbe Public Reading

Public Reading SCSU Readers: Furey and Labbe

February 23, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

Professor Rachel Furey gives her first public reading at SCSU, joined by SCSU grad and current adjunct professor, Jason Labbe, who will be reading from his first full-length poetry collection, Spleen Elegy (BlazeVOX, 2017). Please come celebrate these two fine writers and colleagues.


Awards Call for Entrants: The English Department Student Awards 2018.

Submit your best critical essay or literary research paper, professional writing portfolio, or secondary education statement from the past two semesters (Spring or Fall 2017). Deadline is February 21, 2018. Click hyperlink for more information.


Experiential Learning Workshop

Experiential Learning WorkshopExperiential Learning Workshop

February 15, 2018 from 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Come meet visiting students from Liverpool John Moores University and learn to prepare a proposal for the SCSU Research & Creativity Conference in April. Free pizza will be provided.


Hate to Love. Love to Party

Hate to Love. Love to Party

February 14, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Join the English Bookmarks Club for an anti-Valentine's Day party. Open mic, free food, raffle prizes, book swap, and rapport!


Folio's February Reading

Folio's February Reading

February 02, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

Come join us for the first reading of the spring semester. There will be an open mic/easel, food, and giveaways.


First Thursday

First Thursdays "Reading in the Age of Spectacle: Alienation, Mechanization, and Book Burning" presented by Dr. Meredith Sinclair (English)

February 01, 2018 at 4:30 p.m.

Join us as Dr. Sinclair kicks off the 2018 First Thursdays faculty series with a talk on the consequences of divorcing the activity of reading from lived experience.


"Hymning the Lamb: Blake and British Revival Hymnody" by Dr. George Rosso (English)

April 05, 2017 at 4:30 p.m.

Dr. Rosso will be discussing the impact of eighteenth-century British hymnody on Blake's poetic myth and theology.


Dr King Commemoration

Dr. KingMy March with Dr. King: A Celebration Commemorating the Life and Legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 31, 2018 at 1:00 p.m.

Please join us as Dr. Yan Searcy recounts his personal journey with Dr. King. Live entertainment and refreshments will be provided.


Thrive Together

Thrive Together#ThriveTogether

January 31, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Come voice your needs and concerns as a college student. Photo booth, information, and light refreshments will be provided. Make yourself heard!


Ugly Sweater Party

Ugly Sweatergly Sweater Party

December 06, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Join us for free food, book swap, and an ugly sweater contest. The contest will be judged at 1:30 p.m. Sponsored by Bookmarks English Club.


Folio December Reading

Folio's December Reading

December 01, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

Join us for the last reading of the semester. Featured readers, open mic, free food, and giveaways.


Alice Mattison

Mattison Gives Writing Advice

November 09, 2017 at 7:45 p.m.

Alice Mattison, a widely acclaimed author and longtime writing teacher, will be joining us to discuss the stages of writing fiction, the writing life, and common traps to avoid.


Folio November Reading

Folio's November Reading

November 02, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

We invite you to our second reading of the semester, complete with an open mic/easel, free food, and giveaways.


Representing Race and Voodoo in the Louisiana Federal Writers Project

"Representing Race and Voodoo in the Louisiana Federal Writers' Project" with Jennie O'Reilly

October 30, 2017 at 5:00 p.m.

SCSU international exchange student from Liverpool John Moores University, Jennie O'Reilly, will be giving a talk on the works of the Louisiana Federal Writers' Project and their accounts of Voodoo in New Orleans.


A Multidisciplinary Approach to Studying American Poetry

"A Multidisciplinary Approach to Studying American Poetry" presented by undergraduate Madison Csejka (English)

October 19, 2017 at 5:00 p.m.

Madison Csejka will be presenting her recent Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship into the history of anthologizing American poetry and its applications in the classroom.


Internships for English Majors

English Internships What to Do with an English Degree?

October 16, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.

Career Services will be discussing the internships available to English majors and minors. There are more options besides teaching! Brought to you by the Bookmarks English Club.


Ray Lennon

Ray Lennon

We're pleased to announce that our own Ray Lennon is the winner of the 2017 Rattle Poetry Prize! Lennon, whose poem was selected from well over 15,000 entries, will receive a $10,000 prize. Lennon's collection of poems is also a finalist for best Connecticut book of poetry of 2016. Congratulations, Ray!


Young Antonini Poetry Reading

Melissa Scholes Young Melissa Scholes Young and Greg Antonini Reading

October 11, 2017 at 7:45 p.m.

Join us as Melissa Scholes Young reads from her debut novel Flood (Center Street, 2017), accompanied by SCSU grad Greg Antonini, who will be reading from his first collection of poetry, Speaking in Hands (Flying Horse Press, 2017).


Lyric Hall

MFA Students and Faculty Reading

October 07, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Join us at Lyric Hall in Westville as current and former MFAs share from their work, followed by an open mic. Lyric Hall is located at 827 Whalley Ave., New Haven, CT 06515.


Folio's October Reading

Folio's October Reading

October 05, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

Come support Folio in its first reading of the fall semester. Free food, giveaways, and an open mic. Share your work among friends!


Humanist and Anti-Humanist Humanities: A New Way to Understand the Canon Wars

"Humanist and Anti-Humanist Humanities: A New Way to Understand the Canon Wars" presented by Dr. Elizabeth Kalbfleisch (English)

October 05, 2017 at 4:30 p.m.

Join us as Dr. Kalbfleisch gives the first lecture of the First Thursdays faculty series for 2017 - 2018 on the Canon Wars as a conflict between two humanistic paradigms.


Cafe Bookmarks

Café Bookmarks

September 27, 2017 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Join Bookmarks English Club in its first event of the semester! Book swap, refreshments, and open mic. We hope to see you there!


The Swoop

NEWSLETTER: The Swoop

Fall 2017

Hear from our students about what's been going on in the English Department this semester, from student academic achievements to alumni involvement and more.


MFA Creative Writing

MFA in Creative Writing Annual MFA in Creative Writing Thesis Reading

May 13, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.

Join us in celebrating the achievements and hard work of our graduate writers! Refreshments will be provided. Sponsored by the Students of Southern's MFA in Creative Writing.


Barton Dog Medicine Reading

Julie Barton Reading

April 6, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

Southern grad Julie Barton (MA, SCSU, MFA, Vermont College of the Fine Arts) reads from her New York Times bestseller Dog Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me From Myself (Penguin, 2015). Sponsored by the SCSU Creative Writing Program.


What is Reform

"What is Reform? 1517-2017

March 02 - 03, 2017 at 5 p.m.

A two-day symposium at SCSU marking the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's Reformation, featuring Dr. Carlos Eire (Yale), Dr. Steve Mentz (St. Johns), Dr. Greg Kneidel (UConn), and Dr. Karl Gunther (U Miami), organized by Dr. Joel Dodson (English, SCSU) and the Renaissance Studies Minor.


Conversation with Susan Howe

Susan Howe Poster "A Conversation with Susan Howe"

November 30, 2016 at 4:30 p.m.

One of the preeminent poets of her generation, Susan Howe, comes to the SCSU English Department for a conversation on poetry and poetics with Dr. Charles Baraw (English).


Undergraduate and Graduate Colloquium

Undergraduate and Graduate Colloquium

December 09, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Come support the research and creative writing of graduate and undergraduate students.
Update:
The program featured four panels. We would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Vara Neverow for organizing an excellent event.


Ryan Coogan Guest

"The toy/become the aesthetic archetype:" Mina Loy and the Material Word

November 15, 2016 at 4:30 p.m.

Ryan Coogan, visiting from Liverpool John Mores University, explores the role of materiality in the literary and visual works of 20th-century poets who engage with the visual arts. In particular, his thesis examines key poems, art works and performances by Mina Loy, Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, Susan Howe, Joan Retallack and Paula Claire.


Gaming Gaming

SCSU English Department special guest "The World of Gaming, Gaming in the World"

April 21, 2016 at 4:30 p.m.

Join us for an interdisciplinary academic symposium on the influence of gaming on identity, gender, and culture, featuring keynote speaker and visiting scholar Dr. Joaquin Granell Zafra.