End of an era

This blog is no longer being actively maintained.

For information on English Department activities, courses, personnel, alumni, etc., please visit our Department homepage or contact our department administrator at 253-879-3235.

Let’s stay in touch!

The English Department cordially invites you to our first Afternoon Tea

Monday, September 19
4-5:30 p.m.
Wyatt 313

Please join us for goodies, conversation, and tea.

Career Information–ASK Night

Are you anxious about leaving the ivy-covered brick buildings of Puget Sound for the world outside? ASK Night(Alumni Sharing Knowledge) is here to help, and it’s happening this Thursday evening, on campus:

Wondering what you can do with your major? Learn about possible career paths and begin building your professional network by attending ASK Night this Thursday. Connect with alumni from your same major and/or working in related fields:

Ethan Chung ’04, Assistant Editor, Premier Media Group

Maureen Goodman ’00, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney

Melissa Farage ’10, Managing Editor, Raveable

Callie Snyder ’08, Account Executive, Edelman Public Relations

Sarah Fridovich ’08, Public Affairs, APCO Worldwide

Charles (Peter) Cooper ’90, Marketing & Business Development, Microsoft

David Watson ’92, Director of Product Innovation (Kids), Netflix, Inc.

Amy Winterowd ’99, Marketing Manager, Yost Grube Hall Architecture

Ryan Kalalau ’03, Director of Sales and Marketing, Northpoint Social Media

Please join these alumni, and others at:
Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) Night 2011
Thursday, Sept. 15: drop by anytime between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m.
Wheelock Rotunda
Dessert provided.

Celebrating the future, and the past

At the recent Faculty Dinner, members of the department celebrated with our new faculty colleagues: Professors Daniel Cook, Darcy Irvin, Jeff Solomon, Suzanne Warren, and John Wesley. All are now installed in Wyatt Hall and looking forward to an exciting and vibrant semester. We encourage you to stop in and introduce yourself to them.
Also at the recent event, the University honored our esteemed and beloved colleague Peter Greenfield with the Walter Lowry Award for Distinguished Service. Professor Greenfield’s myriad accomplishments, and his exceptional generosity to his department and the university over his 28 years here, were celebrated with an introduction by Professor and Faculty Senate Representative Tiffany MacBain, a standing ovation from his faculty colleagues across the campus, and the presentation of the handsome plaque shown above (which he had to return for display here on campus, but which now bears his name, along with that of Professor Emerita Florence Sandler, a prior English department recipient). So it was a night of hellos and, if not of goodbyes, then of ’til we meet agains.

Back to school…and work?

UPDATED 8/27: New deadline of September 26 for applications!

We hope you’ve all had a wonderful, restful, and/or productive summer! Just in time for the beginning of classes, word of an exciting internship opportunity that several of our former students have experienced. The internship is unpaid; if you are interested in receiving course credit, please contact Professor Mahato (mmahato@pugetsound.edu) or Professor Christoph (jchristoph@pugetsound.edu).

Oh, and welcome back!

ABOUT US
Seattle Metropolitan is seeking smart and outgoing interns for our editorial department, located in Seattle, Washington. We are now accepting applications for our fall internship program (start: September, end: February) in the following beats, or areas of concentration: Food and Drink, the Arts, Mudroom, SEO, Multimedia, and Style/Bridal.

WHAT WE OFFER
Learn firsthand how an award-winning magazine and website are put together. Editorial interns are responsible for fact-checking; primary research and reporting for food and drink and arts blogs; editing blog posts for typos, bad links, and for optimized positioning in web searches; writing event and business listings; participating in team brainstorms; assisting editors in conceptualizing and/or executing features such as Best Doctors and multimedia projects such as slideshows, audio, and/or video content; and assisting with some administrative tasks. Editorial interns focusing on seattlemet.com are responsible for uploading magazine content to our website using our content management system and editing blogs for SEO.

Interns are expected to work closely with the respective editors of their beat and must be willing to pitch in where needed in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Interns who shine at the simpler tasks will have the opportunity to work on larger projects, such as contributing to features and writing departments. We want our interns to walk away with strong clips that they have earned.

The position requires a minimum of 20 hours a week in 4- to 5-hour stints between the hours of 8:30am and 5:30pm weekdays.

ABOUT YOU
The ideal candidate is eager, independent, and wants to learn. Candidates should be working toward a bachelor’s or master’s degree in the liberal arts, especially journalism, English literature, publishing, or creative writing; graduates are also accepted. Successful candidates commonly have previous editorial experience at school magazines, newspapers, or journals; strong interest in magazine writing; good phone and research skills; and the ability to juggle several assignments at once. Interns must be located in the Seattle area during the internship. Experience with InDesign, Photoshop, and content management systems is helpful but not required. Digital photography and/or video experience is helpful but not required.

COMPENSATION
Unpaid; students may take the internship for college credit. And, ahem, you will learn firsthand how an award-winning magazine and website are put together.

APPLY
Application deadline for internships beginning in September is Monday, August 29, 2011 now 9/26/11. We accept applications on a rolling basis for all terms (winter, spring, summer, fall).

Send a cover letter, resume, three references, three writing samples (if you don’t have clips, write an event listing or a post for one of our blogs) and any photographs or audio/video reels to:

Ariana Dawes, Managing Editor
Seattle Met magazine
1201 Western Ave, Suite 425
Seattle, WA 98101
edit_intern at seattlemet.com

If you email your application, make sure the word “Internship” appears in the subject line or your message may not reach its destination.

No phone calls, please.

Writing Internships: Presentation Session Tuesday, April 26

As you may or may not know, the English department offers a recurring Writing Internship course (English 497), during which students gain practical work experience, make professional connections, and reflect on the nature of careers open to those proficient in the study and use of language. This year, nine of our students are completing their internships, and will be presenting an informational and poster session on the work they have done in their positions and in the course.

The presentation will take place on Tuesday, April 26 from 6-7 p.m. in Trimble Forum. If you’ve ever wondered “What can I do with an English major?” or “How can I help prepare myself for an exciting post-graduate career?,” you owe it to yourself to stop by. Come help celebrate the achievements of this outstanding group of student interns.

Suzanne Warren Reading: Weds., April 20

Please join us for a reading by Suzanne Warren, Doctoral candidate at the U of Cincinnati and a candidate for the English Department’s Visiting Assistant Professorship in Creative Writing. Ms. Warren will be reading “Peachface: Short Fiction,” from her collection Nora Halpern, at 4 p.m., Weds., April 20, in Wyatt 313. In addition to the reading, there will be snacks and time for questions.

Department reading: Monday, April 18

Please join us at 4 p.m., on Monday, April 18 in Wyatt 313 to hear Renee Simms, adjunct professor at Arizona State University and candidate for Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing, discuss contemporary African American literature and read from her story collection, Necessity of Wings.

Poetry on Vashon for Memorial Day

Department faculty recently received this invitation to what sounds like a wonderful event:

April 4th, 2011

Greetings & Happy National Poetry Month!

I’d like to cordially invite you and your students to attend the second biannual weekend-long poetry festival happening Memorial Day weekend, May 27th-30th!

Two years ago, under the leadership of Ron Irvine, owner of the Vashon Winery, we held the first Poetry Fest. The 2009 Festival was highly successful—Sam Green, then poet-Laureate of Washington State, was the featured poet, and stayed through the weekend to offer a workshop and participate in an ‘open mike’ event blending Island and off-Island poets. With him we had a strong range of performers/presenters and well-attended workshops over the weekend of Memorial Day.

Our overall theme/title for the weekend is ‘A Passport to Poetry’ to point to poetry’s power to cross and erase borders and boundaries. Everyone attending the readings and workshops will hold a passport (which we are designing).

Our mission is to bring to Vashon Island from our Northwest region an ongoing, shifting kaleidoscope of poetic styles and voices, bringing the full energy and force of poetic imagination and language to life in our community.

Sam Hamill and Tess Gallagher are our two featured poets who will be attending the festival along with numerous other talented writers. The three-day weekend will consist of many incredible workshops, seminars, and performances.

Times of events, restaurants, and accommodations are available at the Poetry Fest website or you can drop us an email @ info@vashonpoetryfest.com

We look forward to sharing the power of poetry with you, your friends, and family!

Sincerely,

Mel Michaels (PR) & Vashon Poetry Fest

Department Reading: Karin Lin-Greenberg

Please join us on Wednesday, April 13, at 4 p.m., in Wyatt 313 for a reading by Karin Lin-Greenberg, Visiting Assistant Professor at The College of Wooster and candidate for the position of Visiting Assistant Professor in Creative Writing. She will be reading “Prized Possession,” from her collection Those We Miss When They Are Gone. There will be refreshments, of course, and a chance to ask questions of our candidate.