Newsworthy: English Department to Honor Paula Backscheider
The English Department will honor Paula Backscheider, Philpott-Stevens Eminent Scholar and Professor of English at Auburn University since 1992. The reception will be held January 10, 2007, from 4-6 p.m. at the Jule Collins Smith Museum.
Professor Backscheider is this year's co-winner of the Modern Language Association's prestigious James Russell Lowell Prize for her book Eighteenth-Century Women Poets and Their Poetry: Inventing Agency, Inventing Genre, published by the Johns Hopkins University Press.
The Lowell Prize is given annually for an outstanding book or linguistic study, a critical edition of an important work, or a critical biography written by a member of the association.
Christopher Forhan Receives National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
Christopher Forhan is one of fifty writers to receive a literature fellowship of $20,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Literature Fellowships are the Arts Endowment's most direct investment in American creativity, encouraging the production of new work and allowing writers the time and means to write. The agency received more than 1,056 applications for its Creative Writing Fellowships in Poetry.
Although Professor Forhan has not decided how he will use the whole award, he will take this summer off from teaching and spend time at one or more artists' colonies, where he will continue to work on the manuscript of his fourth book of poems.
The Arts Endowment will distribute $19,486,750 in this round of FY 2007 funding to nonprofit national, regional, state, and local organizations across the country, funding Access to Artistic Excellence grants as well as Literature Fellowships for individuals.
"These grants and fellowships underscore the NEA's role in bringing the highest quality art to the most people possible," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "From public art works to professional development opportunities to literary fellowships that foster developing talent, these grants represent a valuable investment in American art that will serve the American people."
The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts -- both new and established -- bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.
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 on 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 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 fall 2006 and spring 2007 semesters.
- 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 10, 2007