|
Events:
April 23, 2012
Sixth Annual
Shakespeare Birthday Festival: Shakespearit!
Monday, April 23, 2012
9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
GTM Courtyard (Home of the Shakespeare Garden)
Sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society
Schedule of Events
| 9:00 |
Greetings
|
Don Kaczvinsky & Susan Roach
|
| 9:30 |
Bone-Rattling Banshees of the Bard
|
Mark Guinn & Stage Combatants
|
| 10:00 |
Quelques Sonnets de Shakespeare
|
Dolliann Hurtig & French Students |
| 10:30 |
Zombies & Other Dead Things
|
Ken Robbins |
| 11:00 |
ShakesCHEER Competition
|
English Majors v. Theatre Majors |
| 11:30 |
Shakespeare's Supernatural Bestiary
|
Jeffrey Yule |
| 12:00 |
Renaissance Music
|
Cain Budds & Sean Teets |
| 12:30 |
Wil'yam Shex'pir, Klingon:
What it Means to be Human
|
Greg Schelonka |
| 1:00 |
Shakespeare's Puppeteers
|
Marcy Culpepper, Celia Lewis, Scott Levin & Christine Strebeck
|
| 1:30 |
Shakespearean Drinking Games
|
Ernest Rufleth |
| 2:00 |
The Taming of the Space Shrew
|
David Merchant |
| 2:30 |
The Royal Commentaries:
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega
|
Paul Nelson & Spanish Students |
| 3:00 |
Smells Like Shakespearit
|
Patrick Boyd |
| 3:30 |
Farewells
|
Dorothy Dodge Robbins & Derek Warden
|
|
Shakespearit (shāk-spîr΄ĭt) n.,
alternate spelling Shakespirit: 1. Enthusiasm for William Shakespeare, his
oeuvre, or his historical and cultural times. 2. In the style of or inspired by
Shakespeare. 3. Pertaining to ghosts, sprites, fairies, and other ethereal
creatures in works by Shakespeare. 4. Reference to distilled beverage (shaken,
not stirred) imbibed by the Bard or his characters.
Shakespeare's Birthday Festival is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of English,
and
Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society.
Contact Dr. Dorothy Dodge Robbins for more info
|
|
|
March 27, 2012
The Louisiana Tech University Department of English
supported by the George E. Pankey Eminent Scholar Chair in English
presents
A Poetry Reading
by
The Poet Laureate of Louisiana
Julie Kane
Tuesday, March 27, 7 p.m.
George T. Madison Hall Auditorium 105
Railroad Avenue
Louisiana Tech University
"Moonrise on the Cane River"
The moon is a surprised white face over the darkening river
Even before a pair of blue-grey wings swoops down
Between the O of its mouth and the O of a surfacing fish,
And the phone rings, and it's you in Baton Rouge
Grilling a silver catfish and staring at the moon.
Selected books by Julie Kane:
Body and Soul (1987)
Rhythm & Booze (2003)
Winner in the 2002 National Poetry Series
Finalist for the 2005 Poet's Prize
Jazz Funeral (2009)
Winner of the 2009 Donald Justice Poetry Prize
Read Dr. John Martin's article in Art Talk Monday.
For more information, visit
http://www.juliekanepoet.com or call 318-257-2718.
|
December
2011
Give a book to someone you love this
Christmas. Books make wonderful Christmas gifts. Not
only are they great for book lovers, but almost anyone will
appreciate a nice book that deals with a subject they enjoy.
Look over the following books written by faculty members of the
School of Literature and Language. Order your copy today.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Susan
Roach. On
My Way: The Arts of Sarah Albritton.
|
Dorothy
Dodge Robbins, ed. Critical Insights: Mrs Dalloway.
|
James Rick Simmons, Jr. Carolina Beach Music. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Donald
P. Kaczvinsky. Lawrence
Durrell's Major Novels, or The Kingdom of the
Imagination.
|
Ward Allen and Edward C. Jacobs. The Coming of the King
James Gospels |
Dorothy Dodge Robbins and Kenneth
Robbins, eds. Christmas
on the Great Plains. |
Sim
Shattuck. Basilisk. |
 |
 |
|
 |
| Dorothy
Dodge
Robbins
and
Kenneth
Robbins, eds. Christmas
Stories from Ohio. |
Sim
Shattuck. Pleasant
Hurricanes. |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
James
Rick Simmons, Jr., ed. Factory Lives (Nineteenth-Century British
Autobiographies.
|
Patrick
Posey
Garrett,
et al. Penumbra:
Shadows, Places, and People. |
James Rick Simmons, Jr. Defending South
Carolina's Coast. |
Robert W. Rudnicki. Percyscapes: The Fugue
State in Twentieth-Century Southern Fiction. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Sim
Shattuck. Yarilo's
Dance. |
|
Sim
Shattuck.
Krewe of Hecate. |
|
|
|
November, 2011
Gary Kennedy, Ralph Thomas,
and Alex Kennedy of Red Ball Oxygen, spoke to
English majors and the members of Sigma Tau Delta
about finding a career with an English major.
Gary Kennedy has been named as the Alumnus of the Year for the College of Liberal Arts.
Kennedy, a 1973 Tech English graduate and
1975 master's of English graduate, began working for Red Ball Oxygen
Company in 1975. He became president of Red Ball in 1987 before being
named the company's chairman and chief executive officer in 2007.
The Shreveport native, who played football for the Bulldogs in 1970
and 1971, also taught English 101 as a graduate assistant at Tech.
He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corp via its PLC
Program (Officer Candidate School) at Tech.
A player, coach and sponsor of the Shreveport Rugby Football Club,
Kennedy is also a supporter and sponsor of the Louisiana Tech Rugby Club.
View Gallery Here
|
September 30, 2011
Banned Book Week
Banned Books Reading
The motto for Banned Books Week 2011 is "Celebrate the right to read."
Sigma Tau Delta is sponsoring a banned book event
on the steps of the library on Friday, September 30, 2011, to celebrate our basic
human right to read anything we choose. Between noon and 2:00 p.m., Tech
faculty and students will be reading excerpts from their favorite banned
books. Banned books will be available. Come to read or to listen! Bring
a favorite banned book!
|
2012-2013 Press Releases:
July 2012
Dr. Dolliann Margaret Hurtig, Ph.D.
was in Chicago, July 4-8,
where she participated in the annual National Convention of the
American Association of Teachers of French.
Dr. Hurtig presented on Francophone film
in a Commission session devoted to film studies. Her presentation centered
on the award-winning film Maurice Richard, the most famous Canadian
hockey player of all times.
Dr. Hurtig, as Co-Chair of the National Commission on Promotion of
French, has received the approval of the AATF Executive Board to
edit a Pedagogical Manual on film. Dr.
Hurtig and Ms. Joyce Beckwith have solicited submissions
on film from the members at large and will themselves contribute to
the Pedagogical Manual that will be published by
the American Association of Teachers of French.
|
March 2012
Congratulations to the 10 newly inducted members of the Alpha Omega chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the Spanish National Honor Society:
- Amber Ball
- Brittney Ellzey
- Nathan Gerany
- Cecilia Kirk
- Haley Kraemer
- Lawrence Lamontagne
- Tim Pardue
- Jonathan Smart
- Sara Smith
- Phoebe Thomas
|
May 2012
Pi Delta Phi, the French Honor Society, held its Spring Induction on May 11th. The induction, held in the foyer of University Hall on the Louisiana Tech Campus, was attended by students, faculty, and administrators.
Sara Smith and
Lilli Grappe were inducted as Regular Members, while
Dr. Celia Lewis,
Dr. Bruce Magee, and
Dr. Paul Nelson were inducted as Honorary Members.
Several students received Certificates of Merit for academic excellence, including
Matthew Barkley, Marion Broussard, Alana Crump, Madison Douglas, Matthew Rich, Rachelle Sinclair, Rawieh Telfah, and Fatou Thomas.
Joan Rasmussen, President of Pi Delta Phi, and
Brian Bellocq, Vice-President of Pi Delta Phi, officiated at the ceremony where
Madeleine Godley provided French musical compositions on piano.
Dr. Dolliann Hurtig serves as the Chapter Moderator of Pi Delta Phi, Iota Sigma. Pi Delta Phi was founded at the University of California at Berkeley in the early twentieth century and supports today over three hundred chapters across America.
|
March 2012
Seven members of Louisiana Tech University's Rho Gamma Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta participated in this year's convention held in New Orleans, February 29 through March 3, 2012. Brian Bellocq of New Orleans, a graduate student in English, placed first in the category of Critical Essays, British Literature for his essay "Male Homoeroticism in Heart of Darkness and Mrs. Dalloway." For his achievement, Brian received a
$500.00 award at the 2012 Sigma Tau Delta International Convention.
Five other Tech English majors shared their scholarship at the convention. In the category of American Literature, graduate student Missy Wallace of Ruston presented "'He is Born Again and not of Woman': The Womb and Rebirth in All the King's Men" and Junior Patrick Boyd of Ruston presented "Panoptic Paradoxes: Control and Captivity in Morrison's Beloved." In British Literature, Junior Lillian Grappe of Jonesboro presented "The Wife of Bath: A Tragic Caricature of Women." In World Literature, Junior Kristin Farquharson of Ruston presented "Assigning Blame in Chronicle of a Death Foretold." In Critical Theory, Senior Christina Thompson of Ruston presented "The Panoptic Gaze of Kafka's The Trial."
At the convention caucus, Christina Thompson was elected Student Regent for the Southern Region for the 2012-2013 academic year. As part of her duties, Christina will edit a regional publication and work with other regents to plan the 2013 convention to be held in Portland, Oregon.
In addition to presenting their original research, Tech students engaged in other convention activities. Sophomore Alicia Schillerstrom of Neenah, WI, chaired two convention sessions, "16th/17th Century British Literature: Milton Found" and "Law and Conflict in 19th Century America." Patrick Boyd participated in a writing workshop led by Natasha Trethewey, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry and a featured speaker at the convention.
Tech's Rho Gamma Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta placed second in the Chapter Display competition and received a cash award of $50.00. Participants from over four hundred chapters from around the United States and the world were in attendance at this year's convention.
|
March 2012
Dr. Dolliann Margaret Hurtig has published in the Spring Edition of the French Review. The review occurs in the Society and Culture section of the journal.
Dr. Hurtig reviewed the book entitled The French Who Fought for Hitler published in Cambridge, England, by Cambridge University Press. In the review, Dr. Hurtig notes how the author, Philippe Carrard, "adopts an interdisciplinary approach that considers both the historical climate and the literariness of the memoirs of a select group of French volunteers, collaborationists with Nazi Germany in World War II."
Read Dr. John Martin's article in Art Talk Monday.
|
March 2012
Dr. Rick Simmons, George K. Anding Endowed Professor of English and Director of the Honors Program at Louisiana Tech, will be a featured author at the Dickens's World Online Conference on March 7th and 8th. Sponsored by Wiley-Blackwell in Oxford, England, in association with the British Council Dickens 2012 initiative to mark the 200th anniversary of Dickens's birth, the conference's emphasis is on illustrating the ways in which Dickens influenced, and was influenced by, his contact with other countries, and the social, cultural and technological milieu in which (and of which) Dickens wrote.
The conference features presentations by eight international Dickens scholars, as well as twelve additional online papers that were selected for having contributed significantly to recent Dickens scholarship. Dr. Simmons' article, "Industrial and 'Condition of England' Novels," can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470996324.ch20/summary.
|
January 2012
Dr. Rob Rudnicki, Graduate Coordinator and Professor of English, who holds the
Robert C Snyder Professor of English, has written a book chapter in
Lewis Nordan: Humor, Heartbreak, and Hope,
published in January by the University of Alabama Press. Dr. Rudnicki’s essay is
“Eulogizing Space: Eudora Welty’s ‘Still Moments’ and Gaston Bachelard’s ‘Dream Geometry’ in Lewis Nordan’s Fiction.”
From the press: “The book examines and celebrates the work of southern writer Lewis “Buddy” Nordan, whose stories reveal his own pain and humanity and in their honesty force us to recognize ourselves within them. Written by scholars and fiction writers who represent a fascinating range of experience—from a Shakespearean scholar to English professors to a former student of Nordan’s—this is a rich array of essays, poems, and visual arts in tribute to this increasingly important writer. The collection deepens the base of scholarship on Nordan, and contextualizes his work in relation to other important southern writers such as William Faulkner and Eudora Welty.”
|
January 2012
Dr. Donald P. Kaczvinsky, Professor of English, recently had his book Durrell and the City: Collected Essays on Place published by Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. Durrell and the City commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Lawrence Durrell's The Alexandria Quartet (1957-60) and comprises fourteen essays by a group of international scholars and critics. The collection provides a critical consideration of Durrell's urban landscapes, from the London of his early novels to Avignon during World War II in his last novel series, while focusing on the place that made him famous—the city of Alexandria—in order to provide a reassessment of Durrell's career and achievement. Kaczvinsky edited the collection as well as wrote an introduction and chapter for the book. His chapter, entitled "'Where the Blue Algonquin Flows': Durrell, New York, and the American 'Spirit of Place,'" interprets Durrell's poem "Owed to America" in the context of American pop culture and the entertainment industry during the 1960's. Kaczvinsky is the George E. Pankey Eminent Scholar in English and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Read a longer article here.
|
December 2011
William C. Johnson, the Executive Director of theSigma Tau Delta English Honor Society, wrote Dr. Robbins to congratulate our chapter of Sigma Tau Delta on the 80th anniversary of the founding of our Louisiana Tech chapter. He also congratulated our chapter on maintaining a high level of activity and said that we will receive special recognition at the 2012 International Convention in February in New Orleans. Dr. Robbins and about 8 of our students are planning to attend the conference.
|
December 2011
Dr. Rick Simmons,
a Professor of English, has written a new book entitled Carolina Beach Music: The Classic Years. Just as the dances of beach music have their twists and turns, so, too, do the stories behind the hits made popular in shag haunts from Atlantic Beach to Ocean Drive and the Myrtle Beach Pavilion. In Carolina Beach Music, author and beach music enthusiast Rick Simmons draws on firsthand accounts from the legendary performers and people behind the music. Simmons reveals the true meaning behind "Oogum Boogum," uncovers just what sparked a fistfight between Ernie K. Doe and Benny Spellman at the recording session of "Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta" and examines hundreds of other true events that shaped the sounds of beach music. Carolina Beach Music examines 100 beach music classics by more than 70 artists recorded between 1947 and 1975. In their own words, the performers and the people who knew them tell the stories behind the greatest Carolina beach music classics.
|
October 2011
Gary Kennedy has been named as the Alumnus of the Year for the College of Liberal Arts.
Kennedy, a 1973 Tech English graduate and 1975 master's of English graduate, began working for Red Ball Oxygen Company in 1975. He became president of Red Ball in 1987 before being named the company's chairman and chief executive officer in 2007.
The Shreveport native, who played football for the Bulldogs in 1970 and 1971, also taught English 101 as a graduate assistant at Tech. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corp via its PLC Program (Officer Candidate School) at Tech.
A player, coach and sponsor of the Shreveport Rugby Football Club, Kennedy is also a supporter and sponsor of the Louisiana Tech Rugby Club.
|
October 2011
Dr. Dorothy Dodge Robbins, the Charlotte Lewis Endowed Professor of English, recently edited her fifth book,
Critical Insights: Mrs. Dalloway, a new release in the scholarly series published by Salem Press.
Along with editing the volume and writing its introduction, Robbins contributed the article "About Mrs. Dalloway," an overview of Virginia Woolf's 1925 novel that includes information about the work's origins and composition. Robbins considers Woolf's rejection of Victorian realism and the novelist's efforts to create a new form for the novel appropriate for a new age. According to Robbins, "The purpose behind this volume is three-fold: to enhance readers' understanding of this work; to facilitate research and new writing about Mrs. Dalloway; and to foster greater appreciation of Woolf's acclaimed novel."
|
September 2011
Dr. Scott Levin,
a new Assistant Professor of English, came to Louisiana Tech University from
Fordham University in New York City where he completed his PhD and worked as a post-doctoral fellow. Professor Levin's specialty is 19th Century British Poetry and Literary Theory. While at Fordham, he created a new course entitled, "Rock, Rap, and The Poetic Tradition," which immediately became a popular courses on campus. The New York radio station, WFUV, recently broadcast an interview with Professor Levin that explored his choices for the class and what it was like bringing popular culture and contemporary music into the classroom. WFUV's "Fordham Conversations: Rock, Rap and the Poetic Tradition" is a thirty minute interview with Professor Levin, exploring how Professor Levin compared the poetry of writers such as William Blake, Langston Hughes and T.S. Eliot with musicians such as Nirvana, Eminem and Bob Dylan. Listen to this podcast.
WFUV-FM (90.7) or www.wfuv.org
Contact: Robin Shannon (718) 817-4557
|
Galleries:
|
November 2011
Kennedy speak to English students.
Gary Kennedy, Ralph Thomas,
and Alex Kennedy of Red Ball Oxygen, spoke to
English majors and the members of Sigma Tau Delta
about finding a career with an English major. |
Spring 2011
Sigma Delta Pi Initiation 2011. The Sigma Delta Pi Spanish honor society held its initiation during the spring quarter.
|
April 21, 2011
Shakespeare's Birthday 2011.
The College of Liberal Arts, the Department of English, and Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society, hosted a celebration of Shakespeare's Birthday on April 21, 2011. The party took place in the Shakespeare Garden in the GTM courtyard
and in the GTM foyer.
|
June 2010
Tech-London 2010.
Fourteen students participated in the 2010 TECHLondon Summer Study Abroad Program. They were accompanied by Dr. Ken Robbins (School of Performing Arts) and Dr. Celia Lewis (Department of English).
|
April 23, 2010
Shakespeare's Birthday 2010.
The Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society hosted a celebration of Shakespeare's Birthday on April 23, 2009. The party took place in the Shakespeare Garden in the GTM courtyard
and in the GTM foyer.
|
September 30, 2009
Tailgating 2009. Faculty members from the School of
Literature and Language assist in the tailgating for the College of Liberal Arts. The game against
Hawaii was featured on ESPN2.
|
June 2009
Tech-London 2009. The English and Theater Departments sponsor
the annual study in England.
|
April 23, 2009
Shakespeare's Birthday 2009. The Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society hosted a celebration of Shakespeare's Birthday on April 23, 2009. The party took place in the Shakespeare Garden in the GTM courtyard.
|
April 22, 2009
Earth Day 2009. Faculty and students recited poetry in honor of Earth Day on April 22, 2009.
|
October 30, 2008
The First Poe Party. The Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society hosted a Poe Party in the Shakespeare Garden in the GTM courtyard. Dr. John Martin channeled the great Edgar Allen Poe, and students presented additional poetry readings.
|
April 23, 2008
Shakespeare's Birthday 2008. Sigma Tau Delta dedicated a bust of Shakespeare in the Shakespeare Garden in the courtyard of GTM and held other events throughout the day.
|
April 11, 2008
10th Annual ULM/Tech Graduate Conference. The English Departments at ULM and Louisiana Tech University held their tenth annual conference for graduate students to present their research. Click here for the schedule of papers and events.
|
Archive for 2010-2011
Archive for 2009-2010
Archive for 2008-2009
Archive for 2007-2008
School of Literature and Language Newsletter:
|
