- Newsworthy: Abiola Irele to Present World Literature Faculty Seminar and World Literature Lecture
- English Department Announces the Robert Hughes Mount, Jr., Poetry Prize
- English Department Honors Paula Backscheider
- Emma Bolden Has Three Poems Accepted for Publication
- EGO Meeting
- English Channel Message
- Calendar for 2006-07 Academic Year
Newsworthy: Abiola Irele to Present World Literature Faculty Seminar and World Literature Lecture
Abiola Irele, Professor of African-American Studies at Harvard will present a World Literature Faculty Seminar and World Literature lecture today, Wednesday, January 17. He is the author of several seminal works in his field, including "The African Imagination" and "The African Experience." He is an editor of the "Cambridge History of African and Caribbean Literature" and of the "Norton Anthology of World Literature."
The faculty seminar will be "Teaching African Works in World Literature I and II." It will be held from 3-5 p.m. in Haley 3104.
The third annual World Literature Lecture will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Draughon Library auditorium. His lecture title is "The Significance of African Literature."
The lecture is co-sponsored by the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts, the W.W. Norton Publishing Company, the Special Lectures fund of the Provost's office, the Office of Mulitcultural Affairs, and the AU Libraries.
English Department Announces the Robert Hughes Mount, Jr., Poetry Prize
The Auburn University English Department is pleased to announce its annual Robert Hughes Mount, Jr., Poetry Prize, sponsored by the Academy of American Poets , and endowed by Mrs. Frances Mayes, offering a $100 prize for the best poem submitted by an Auburn University student. Graduate or undergraduate students may submit up to three poems to Jeremy Downes's mailbox in the English Department, 9030 Haley Center . The contest deadline is March 1, 2007.
Submission Guidelines:
• Cover sheet with contact information (no identification on poems)
• Three poems maximum
• No electronic submissions
The prizewinner will be announced at the English Department's Spring Awards Ceremony on April 20, 2007. Questions about Auburn 's contest should be directed to the Poetry Prize Coordinator, Jeremy M. Downes, at 844-9040, or by e-mail at downejm@auburn.edu.
Past judges of the Mount Poetry Prize have included poets Juanita Torrence-Thompson, Rick Joines, Peter Huggins, Susan S. Chambers, Davis McCombs, and Katherine Soniat.
The winner of last year's competition was Kathryn Baldwin.
The Academy of American Poets University & College Poetry Prize Program was founded in 1955 with only ten schools, but now awards almost 200 prizes across the country, and has awarded more than $350,000 to nearly 10,000 student poets since the program was established . Many prominent American poets won their first recognition with an Academy College Prize, including Diane Ackerman, Mark Doty, Tess Gallagher, Louise Glück, Kimiko Hahn, Joy Harjo, Robert Hass, Li-Young Lee, Heather McHugh, J. D. McClatchy, William Matthews, Robert Pinsky, Sylvia Plath, May Jo Salter, George Starbuck, Mark Strand, and Charles Wright.
Prizes are funded by alumni interested in encouraging young writers, by the colleges and universities themselves, or through the gifts of donors to the Academy. Two-thirds of the prizes are now, like Auburn 's, supported by permanent endowments. The Academy of American Poets is the largest organization in the country dedicated specifically to poetry. The academy sponsors a broad range of national programs, including the prestigious Whitman, Laughlin, and Marshall Awards, as well as National Poetry Month in April, an annual celebration of the vitality and richness of American poetry. For more information visit www.poets.org, the Academy's lively and comprehensive web site.
English Department Honors Paula Backscheider
On January 10, 2007, Paula Backscheider, Philpott-Stevens Eminent Scholar and Professor of English, was honored at a reception held at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art. Professor Backscheider is co-winner of the prestigious James Russell Lowell Prize, awarded by the Modern Language Association, for her book Eighteenth-Century Women Poets and Their Poetry: Inventing Agency, Inventing Genre, published in 2005 by Johns Hopkins University Press. She is shown here with Dean Anne-Katrin Gramberg of the College of Liberal Arts who expressed her appreciation to Paula for her many contributions to the English Department, the College, and the University.
Emma Bolden Has Three Poems Accepted for Publication
Emma Bolden's poems have been accepted for publication in the Broken Bridge Review, Briar Cliff Review, and Pool: A Journal of Poetry.
EGO Meeting
The first EGO meeting of the semester will be held on Wednesday, January 24, 2007, at 3 p.m. in HC 8009.
English Channel Message
We would like to know about your current news! Please send information about awards, lectures, publications, etc. to be included in The English Channel. The deadline for submitting information is Tuesdays at 10 a. m. Check the bottom of the page for more information about submitting your news.
Calendar for 2006-07 Academic Year
Here is information about Departmental events for academic year 2006-07.
- January 17, 2007 - World Literature Lecture: Aiola Irele, Professor of African Studies and French, Harvard University (afternoon- faculty seminar; evening- World Literature lecture)
- March 1-2 - Walter Benn Michael's visit sponsored by Phi Beta Kappa
- March 10 - Graduate Student Colloquium
- March 15 - Trudier Harris (English Symposium Series)
- April 20 - Department Awards Ceremony (3:00 PM)
Here are dates for departmental faculty meetings.
Faculty Meetings
- January 31
- February 7
- February 14
- April 4
- April 18
Here are the important dates for the spring 2007 semester.
- March 26-31 - Spring Break
- April 30 - Last Class Day
- May 10 - Commencement
For more information on these events and more, visit the Department's Calendar page.
To include an item in The English Channel, submit text items by Tuesday at 10 AM for publication Wednesday. Submit items by email to Heather Finch or Margaret Kouidis or put the information in their mailboxes. 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 January 17, 2007