English Department News

        

February 6, 2002

          

Volume 4, No. 19

 

 
February 6 Undergraduate Studies Committee - 2:15
February 11 Great Books Committee - 3:00
February 11 English Hour: "Their Eyes Were Watching God in Context" - 4:00 pm, 3104 HC
February 13 Undergraduate Studies Committee - 2:15
February 18 English Hour: "Their Eyes...and Recent Scholarship" - 4:00 pm, 3104 HC
February 20 Undergraduate Studies Committee - 2:15
February 25 Great Books Committee - 3:00
February 27 Undergraduate Studies Committee - 2:15
February 28 Mid-semester
March 6 Undergraduate Studies Committee - 2:15
March 11 Great Books Committee - 3:00
March 12 Auburn Chamber Music Society Concert, 8:00, Goodwin Music Hall
April 8 Great Books Committee - 3:00
April 8-12 Zora Neale Hurston Week - activities TBA
April 18 Benson Lecture - Debra Moddelmog
April 20 Society for Technical Communication Meeting
April 22 Great Books Committee - 3:00
April 30   Classes End
May 1-2  

Study/Reading Days
May 3-4, 6-8  

Final Exams

 Graduate School Calendar
May 11  

Graduation

 University Calendar
May 20 Classes Begin for Summer Term and Summer Session I
 

Southern Literature Scholar Noel Polk to Lecture

Distinguished Southern literature scholar Noel Polk, the respected textual editor of William Faulkner's works and now editor of the just published "restored" text of Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men, will be in Auburn for two presentations on Wednesday, February 13. 

Polk  will speak about Faulkner to students in Haley Center at 1:00 p.m. and give a public lecture about Warren's novel at Pebble Hill at 4:00 p.m.  His visit is co-sponsored by the English Department and the Center for the Arts & Humanities.  

Graduate students or faculty members who may wish to attend the 1:00 session should contact Bert Hitchcock. 

English Hour and Great Books

The Great Books program will sponsor two upcoming English Hours on the works of Zora Neale Hurston. Of special interest to those who will be teaching Their Eyes Were Watching God in the near future, the panels should also be of interest to Americanists and those interested in good conversation and tasty cookies. (Both programs will be held in HC 3104 at 4:00 p.m). 

On Monday, February 11, "Their Eyes Were Watching God in Context" will feature Tony Carey, on links between Hurston's novel and history; Chichi Lovett, on connections between Hurston and Harlem Renaissance art; and Ann Marie Simpkins, on Hurston's non-fiction and its relationship to her fiction. 

On Monday, February 18, "Their Eyes Were Watching God and Recent Scholarship" will feature Corrie Claiborne and Bert Hitchcock discussing current critical thought on the novel and how to approach it in the classroom.




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 the mailbox of the Prize Coordinator, Jeremy Downes, in the English Department, 9030 Haley Center. Please include contact information on each page submitted. 

The contest deadline is March 1, 2002. The prize-winner will be announced at the English Department's annual Benson Lecture on April 18, 2002. Questions about Auburn's contest should be directed to Jeremy M. Downes, at 844-9040, or by e-mail at downejm@auburn.edu.



Undergraduate Writing Awards

The English Department is pleased to announce its annual awards competition for excellence in student writing. A $100 award is offered for the best student work submitted in each of the following categories: poetry, creative prose, and academic essay. The competition is open to all undergraduate students at Auburn University.

Students must submit two copies of each entry. The pages of each entry should be numbered and list the title of the work but have no other identifying information. Each entry must be accompanied by a title page that contains the student's name and the title or titles of the works submitted. 

Submissions should be made to the Undergraduate Awards Box in 9030 Haley Center by Friday, March 15, 2002.  Students may submit only one entry per category, but may enter in two or three categories each year.

A panel of English faculty will judge the entries and the decision of the judges is final. Among the criteria used to judge the entries are originality, style, clarity and coherence of structure and content, and depth of insight.

Poetry: One or several poems, 10 pages maximum
Creative Prose: One story or other work of creative fiction or non-fiction, 20 pages maximum
Academic Essay: One essay, 30 pages maximum, including notes. Students should submit a copy of the specifications for the essay, or an assignment sheet, with the essay. 

Eligibility: 
Poetry: "Poetry" is anything that calls itself poetry.
Creative Prose: "Creative prose" includes both fiction and non-fiction prose.
Academic Essay: An "academic essay" is any paper or project that has been written for an English course at Auburn, at any level; or any paper or project written by an English major at Auburn.
No student can win in more than one category in any year. No student may win in the same category in consecutive years.

Award winners will be recognized at the annual Benson Lecture on April 18, 2002. For more information, please contact Tim Dykstal, the Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies, at dykstti@auburn.edu.

Alum in the News

Jessica Ellis, who graduated in August 2001 and is now a Program Analyst for the Government Printing Office, was shown handing out copies of the Federal Budget on CNN on February 4, and a picture of her appeared on Yahoo's "Top Stories Photos" and the splash page for The Washington Post.

Undergraduate Competitive Research Fellowships

Applications are now being accepted for Auburn University’s Undergraduate Competitive Research Fellowships. Qualified undergraduate students of sophomore standing or higher may compete for 20 one-year, or two one-semester, fellowships. The research stipend is a generous $4,400 ($2000 summer, $1200 Fall and Spring semesters), and additional project and travel funds are available. English Department undergraduates have had great success in this competition: in both years of its existence, two of our students have come away with awards. Applications are due by Friday, March 8, 2002. For more information, see the Vice President for Research’s web site at www.auburn.edu/research/vpr/internalfund.htm.

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 the mailbox of the Prize Coordinator, Jeremy Downes, in the English Department, 9030 Haley Center. Please include contact information on each page submitted. 

The contest deadline is March 1, 2002. The prize-winner will be announced at the English Department's annual Benson Lecture on April 18, 2002. Questions about Auburn's contest should be directed to Jeremy M. Downes, at 844-9040, or by e-mail at downejm@auburn.edu.

Emerald Coast Writers’ Conference

 The West Florida Literary Federation announces its 3rd Annual Emerald Coast Writers’ Conference, scheduled for Saturday, February 23, 2002 at the Pensacola Jr. College Hagler Auditorium. Conference speakers include Rick Campbell (poetry) and Sandra Weintraub (writing for film and television). See Dr. Dykstal in HC 9092 for a registration form, or the WFLF’s website at WestFloridaLiteraryFed.com for more information.

Contests, Competitions, Awards . . .

 You can find the hard-copy announcements of contests, competitions, and awards on the bulletin board outside the English Department office, 9030 Haley Center. 

 


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If you would like to include an item in the "Personal Notes" section of The English Channel, please submit your note to Betsy Smith.

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