- Newsworthy: Poet Gregory Orr to Read Work
- Looking Ahead: Filmmaker Robert Clem to Deliver Second Symposium on November 6
- Paula Backscheider Presents at Midwestern American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
- EGO Meeting Today
- English Department's Advisory Council Meeting
- Calendar for 2006-07 Academic Year
Newsworthy: Poet Gregory Orr to Read Work
Gregory Orr will read from his work Thursday, October 26, at 3:00 PM at the Jule Collins Smith Museum.
Orr is one of our most acclaimed lyric poets. Over the past three decades he has published ten collections of poetry, most recently The Caged Owl: New and Selected Poems and a book-length sequence, Concerning the Book That Is the Body of the Beloved . He has also published a study of the poetics of the lyric, Poetry As Survival . His memoir, The Blessing , focuses on a traumatic childhood experience of violence that is at the root of much of his poetry, and it recounts his activities as a young civil rights worker in the 1960s, which led to his being jailed, alone, for eight days in Hayneville, Alabama. Orr has won awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has taught at the University of Virginia since 1975.
The event is free and will be followed by a reception.
Looking Ahead: Filmmaker Robert Clem to Deliver Second Symposium on November 6
Robert Clem is an award-winning filmmaker trained at NYU film school and the Sundance feature Film Lab, where he developed his upcoming feature film project Stray Kids . Since forming Waterfront Pictiures in 1994 Clem has written and directed films appearing on public television, the Arts & Entertainment Network, the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel and networks abroad. His 1997 PBS film Big Jim Folsom won the International Documentary Association/ABC News Video Source Award. Other feature documentaries include a trilogy on American war narratives from World War I stressing the effect of war on combatants: War Birds: Diary of an Unknown Aviator (2003, Gold Special Jury Award, Worldfest Houston); William March/Company K (2004), and the upcoming Lafayette Escadrille . He recently optioned the World War I novel which was the subject of War Birds ; it is now being developed as a dramatic feature film.
Paula Backscheider Presents at Midwestern American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
Paula Backscheider attended the Midwestern American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies sponsored by the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis and gave a paper, "Abducting Meaning: Susannah Cibber and Ann Barry as Seducers."
The program chair was Cathy Craft-Fairchild, who did her dissertation with Dr. Backscheider at the University of Rochester. She was assisted by her colleague in the department, Amy Muse, whose dissertation was directed by Dr. Backscheider here at Auburn. Secretary-treasurer of the organization is Kathleen Leicht, yet another Backscheider Ph. D. graduate.
EGO Meeting Today
EGO will hold its second meeting of the year today, October 25, at 3 PM in HC 8009.
English Department's Advisory Council Meeting
On October 13 George Crandell hosted a lunch, followed by a three-hour business meeting, for five members of the English Department's Alumni Advisory Council. Along with those pictured below, Jim Ryan and Margaret Kouidis participated in the afternoon discussion of development opportunities and goals.
 Russ Connell and Kim Snyder Manganelli |
 Stacy Smith and Paul Hotchkiss |
 Nikki Graves |
 Stacy Smith |
The list of Advisory Council members can be accessed from "Alumni News" link on the English department web-site home page. It is currently being updated.
Calendar for 2006-07 Academic Year
Here is information about Departmental events for academic year 2006-07.
- October 26-27 - Gregory Orr (English Symposium Series), Poetry Reading
- October 27-28 - William Bartram Symposium
- November 6 - Robert Clem (English Symposium Series), independent film maker "William March's Company K: From Novel to Film"
- November 16 - English Hour Presentation - Miriam Clark - "Attitude Dancing : Kenneth Burke and American Poetry"
- January 18, 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
- October 25 (Graduate Faculty Meeting)
- November 8
- January 31
- February 7
- February 14
- April 4
- April 18
Here are the important dates for the fall 2006 and spring 2007 semesters.
- November 20-25 - Thanksgiving Break
- December 6 - Last Class Day
- December 15 - Commencement
- January 5 - Lead-Teacher/Co-Teacher Workshop
- January 8 - First Day of Class
- 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 October 25, 2006