Newsworthy: Welcome Kevin Roozen!

Kevin Roozen's life began in South Dakota and his academic career started in forestry, but the Department's newest professorial faculty member feels right at home teaching English at Auburn University.

"I'm thrilled to be back home and working with these students that I see so much of myself in these days," Roozen said. "I wonder where they'll be 20 years from now and if their career trajectory will be as tangled as mine."

Roozen's "tangled" career path began at Auburn as an undergraduate forestry major. After a stint in forestry and several other sciences, Roozen decided to change his major again — and his venue. He moved back to his family's home in Birmingham and enrolled at the University of Alabama-Birmingham as an English major.

“One day it struck me that English was something that I was good at, something that was intriguing to me, and something I could spend hours and hours studying and thinking about," Roozen said.

Roozen's new-found passion for English eventually led him to a career in academics. He remained at UAB and earned a master's in English and American Literature in 1997. Following three years as an adjunct professor and high school English teacher, Roozen began his doctoral work in Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2000.

Roozen completed his PhD in May and left Illinois for Alabama after accepting the position of assistant professor. This semester he's teaching ENGL 1100 and 4000, and in the Spring he will teach ENGL 1120 and 4180.

"I'm sure there are a lot of classes they'll have me teaching," Roozen said. "I'm anxious to do them all."

Now that his life's winding road has led him back to Auburn where his academic career began, Roozen hopes to stay for a while.

"The people here in this department are so friendly," he said. "I think Southern hospitality is the rule and not the exception. Auburn seems like a wonderful place that could be home for the next 25 years or so."

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October 5 - Haley Center Poetry Project 2005 - 10 am to 2 pm - Haley Center Courtyard

All students, faculty, staff, and other friends of poetry are cordially invited to participate in the Haley Center Poetry Project today from 10 am to 2 pm. The event is sponsored by the Department of English, Sigma Tau Delta, the English Club, and the AU Bookstore.

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October 5 - Judy Troy Presents "My Southern Story " - 4 pm - JCS Museum Auditorium

Judy Troy, Alumni Writer in Residence in the Department of English, is presenting a talk, "My Southern Story,” at  4 pm, October 5 in the Auditorium of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art.

This presentation is the first in the 2005-2006 College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series, sponsored by the CLA Dean's Advisory Council. A reception will follow.

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October 12 - Professorial Faculty Meeting - 3 pm - HC 3104

A professorial faculty meeting is scheduled for October 12 at 3 pm in HC 3104. Dean Anne Gramberg will meet with the faculty.

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October 12 - "Not Just Desserts" series presents Sally O'Driscoll - Noon - RBD Auditorium

"Word on the Street:18th-Century Pamphlets and the Language of Gender," a talk by Sally O'Driscoll of Fairfield University will be given as part of the "Not Just Desserts" series at noon, October 12, in the RBD library auditorium. The visit is sponsored by the Center for Diversity and Race Relations, the RBD Library, Women's Studies, the Stevens Fund, and the Gay and Lesbian Caucus.

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October 13 - EGO Meeting - 5 pm - HC 8009

The next meeting of the English Graduate Organization will be Thursday, October 13 at 5 pm in HC 8009. All graduate students are encouraged to attend.

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October 15 - Call for Graduate Student Essay Submissions

Blackwell Publisher's new online journal and reference resource, Literature Compass, invites submissions for the graduate essay prize. Prizes will be awarded to essays in each of nine literature sections. Each section winner will receive $200 of free Blackwell books and have their article published on Literature Compass.

The deadline for submissions is October 15. For details about the contest and the kinds of essays they are seeking, visit their website.

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October 19 - Department Faculty Meeting - 3 pm - HC 3104

A Department faculty meeting is scheduled for October 19 at 3 pm in HC 3104.

The topic of the meeting is a workshop on the Americans with Disabilities Act and Sexual Harassment. All new faculty and GTAs are expected to attend.

Attendance is strongly recommended for all faculty and GTAs who have not attended the workshop in the last two years. It is especially important to be familiar with policies regarding the ADA and Sexual Harassment and to be aware of changes in these policies.

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October 20 - English Symposium Series - 3 pm - JCS Museum

Poet Thomas Lux will read from his poems—including poems in The Cradle Place, The Street of Clocks, and New and Selected Poems, 1975-1995—at the next English Symposium Series. The event will be October 20 at 3 pm at the Jule Collins Smith Museum.

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October 26 - MTPC Portfolio Presentation - 3:30 pm - HC 3104

MTPC student Elizabeth Childs will present her portfolio October 26 at 3:30 pm in HC 3104.

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October 27 - World Literature Lecture Series - 2 pm - HC 2312

Constance C. Relihan's World Literature Faculty Seminar on "Teaching Early Modern Texts in World Literature Courses" will be Thursday, October 27 from 2 to 4 pm in HC 2312.

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November 3 - Poetry Reading- 7 pm - Biggin Art Gallery

Chinese poet Bei Dao will read from his recently published book Midnight's Gate on November 3 at 7 pm in the Biggin Art Gallery. A reception will follow.

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November 7- World Literature Seminar - 2 pm - HC 3046

Sheldon Pollock, William B. Ransford Professor of Sanskrit and South Asian Studies Columbia University, will present "Teaching Classical Indian Works in World Literature Classes" November 7 at 2 pm in HC 3046.

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November 7 - World Literature Lecture - 7:30 pm - RBD Library Auditorium

Sheldon Pollock, William B. Ransford Professor of Sanskrit and South Asian Studies Columbia University, will present "Comparative Literature as Comparative Politics: Indian Literary Histories and Some Utopian Possibilities" November 7 at 7:30 pm in the RBD Library Auditorium.

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November 8 - World Literature Seminar - 12:30 pm - HC 3228

Sheldon Pollock, William B. Ransford Professor of Sanskrit and South Asian Studies Columbia University, will present "Teaching Medieval Indian Works in World Literature Classes" November 8 at 12:30 pm in HC 3228.

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Publication Announcement - Miriam Clark

Miriam Marty Clark's essay “Reading Students Reading in the Postcanonical Age” appeared in the Spring 2005 issue of Pedagogy.

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English Department Phone System Updated

Department telephones now take messages!

You do not need to do anything to set up the message system. The current message lets the caller know the phone number dialed and gives instructions for leaving a message.

To access your Voice Mail and retrieve your messages, press #88. You will be asked for your mailbox number and password. Your mailbox number is 4XXXX# and your password is 4XXXX# (XXXX = the last four digits of your office phone number).

Click here for instructions on how to change your Voice Mail password, personalize your greeting, or record a personalized mailbox verification.

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To include an item in The English Channel, submit text items by Tuesday at 4 pm for publication Wednesday. Submit items by email to Will Brinkley or Betsy Smith or put the information in their mailbox. Please check your submission for accuracy and completion—all calendar items and meeting announcements must include the date, time, and location of the event.

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Last updated October 5, 2005

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Department of English
9030 Haley Center
Auburn University, AL 36849-5203
Phone (334) 844-4620
FAX (334) 844-9027
© 2005 Department of English at Auburn University. All rights reserved.

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