Word for Word
Fall-Winter 2012-13
Volume 3, Issue 1
Welcome New English Majors!
Why do English majors choose the
major they do? This year‘s incoming
class of English majors has passionate
and interesting answers to that question. Dr. John McCombe‘s ASI 150
course has 11 first-year students who
have entered UD with the intention to
pursue an English degree. The new
class is drawn to a variety of interests
that English coursework encompasses,
including literature, creative writing,
and teaching.
―Telling stories has always been a
major part of my life,‖ Dominic Sanfilippo told Dr. McCombe. Lauren Neuss
also said she grew up with an interest in
language: ―I‘ve always had notebooks,
and I‘ve always been writing stories.‖
Department of English
New English Majors
Back row (L to R): Amber Deane, Sarah Spech, Dr. John
McCombe, Alejandro Trujillo, Dom Sanfilippo
Front row (L to R): Stephanie Loney, Michelle Bowling,
Amanda Dee
Not pictured: Anna Adami, Amelia Erlandson, Joey Ferber,
and Lauren Neuss
Self-expression has also drawn a number
of the new students to English. Alejandro
Trujillio is grateful to the dicipline for
allowing him to learn creatively and express his knowledge. Stephanie Loney said in high school
she enjoyed ―learning to effectively communicate through writing.‖
All new majors seemed to gravitate naturally toward the field of English. ―I don‘t know what else
I would have done,‖ Anna Adami said, laughing, as her classmates nodded in agreement.
The class is filled with accomplished individuals who are already looking toward intensive campus involvement or double majors. Sarah Spech plans to double major in Spanish, travel abroad,
and is already involved in several clubs. Kate O‘Brien is majoring in English along with pursuing
an Education degree. ―I hope to teach at
my old high school,‖ she reported.
Amelia Erlandson hopes to minor in
Spanish and travel abroad in Spain. Amber Deane said she ―would love to explore journalism‖ and plans to double
major in Communication. Amanda Dee
plans to write for Orpheus and dreams of
studying abroad in France. The entire
class is excited to explore the options
UD has to offer.
The positive atmosphere of the ASI 150
class made it obvious that the bright new
students are as excited to learn as Dr. McCombe is excited to teach them. How do the majors like
UD so far? ―I couldn‘t see myself anywhere else,‖ Neuss said, smiling. Michelle Bowling instantly answered, ―I love UD.‖ The English department is fortunate to adopt the smiling, explorative class of 2016.
The Department of
English fosters
critical and creative
engagement with
diverse texts to
promote informed
and strategic
participation in
academic,
professional, and
civic life.
Featured Inside:
A Word from the
Chair ··················· 2
Undergraduate
News ···················· 3
Faculty & Department
News ·············· 4 & 5
Faculty & Teaching Assistant News········· 6
Alumni News ········ 7
What We’re Reading
& More ················ 8
A Word from the Chair
This latest edition of "Word for Word" features numerous stories of return. There is news of this fall‘s
renewed engagements by a visiting scholar from India (Pramod Nayar) and a renowned novelist from
Texas (Tim O‘Brien). We proudly announce the legacy of an endowed visiting chair left to us by a late
colleague (Larry Ruff). All these are most welcome and rewarding returns. We also celebrate various
kinds of returns by students. We offer a story on the accomplishments of one of our upper-class students (Kristina DeMichele) who has brought new skills, confidence, and energy for research back to
campus from her summer internship in Madrid. There are updates on an alumnus (Kevin Riley) and
alumna (Amy Sacksteder) who have parlayed their degrees into success in two very different professional spheres—one of whom (Amy) returned recently for an important visit to UD. And we offer an
introduction to our newest lecturer, Yvonne Teems Stephens, who earned her MA with us in 2009.
Students come to us to earn a degree and because they love to read and write. They return to us for
many reasons and by many paths, some briefly and some to stay (we‘ve had a good number of faculty
over the years who earned their BA or MA at UD), but always still making their way in the world with
the power of the word.
Even with all these stories of return, it seems right that our cover story should feature the arrival of a fresh crop of first-year English
majors. As faculty, it is our great delight to be able to walk with our students through their years of study — providing guidance, resources, feedback, and affirmation — and to see what they can make of their time here. We know that many of these students, too,
will come back to us — some in ways we‘ve yet to imagine. And our investment in them as students, as readers and writers, as whole
persons, will also bring many happy and rich returns.
Tim O’Brien Visits UD
Renowned author Tim O'Brien was welcomed to campus in November for a series of events. He was in Dayton to accept the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award from the Dayton Literary Peace Prize (DLPP) Association at a gala event on Veterans Day. The Holbrooke Award recognizes a lifetime of achievement by a writer whose work has focused on a central message of
peace. O'Brien said on several occasions during his visit that he was deeply
moved by the award and that it meant more to him than any other. Though he has
generally been recognized as a war-writer, he said, this award recognizes that his
work has always, ultimately, been about peace.
Sharon Rab, the DLPP Chair, contacted us to see if UD would be interested in
hosting O'Brien during his visit, and we jumped at the opportunity. In addition to
two events directly related to the DLPP (a Saturday evening gathering at the River
Campus and the award dinner at the Schuster Center on Sunday evening), O'Brien
spent Monday morning with us on campus.
Prof. Joe Pici (L) and Tim O’Brien during the visit at
UD
He and his family (wife Meredith and two young boys, Timmy and Tad) joined English Department faculty and graduate students for
conversation over breakfast, followed by a talk and brief reading to a capacity crowd of more than 150 in Sears Recital Hall. In addition to faculty, students, and staff, a group of students and teachers from Kettering Fairmont High School attended the event in Sears.
He spoke openly and emotionally about his work and his war experience, and left us eager to hear and read more from him.
O'Brien is renowned for a series of novels and stories rooted in his experience as a combatant in the Vietnam War. He won the National Book Award in 1979 for Going After Cacciato, and his collection of stories, The Things They Carried (1990), was a finalist for
both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.
O'Brien has been our guest at UD more than once, first visiting in 1989, when he began what has become a long friendship with Prof.
Joe Pici and his wife (and former department member) Anne. He was a generous guest—sharing his time and himself freely with
those who came to meet and hear him. Prof. Pici said, ―Outside of our friendship, the thing that I love most about Tim is the moral
message contained in his fiction. His moral compass is never magnetized or compromised; it always points toward true north.‖
2
Undergraduate
Student NewsNews
Internship Provides On-the-Job, International Learning
Many students intern in their various fields before graduating college and many
enjoy study opportunities. One English major was able to combine the two elements—being abroad and gaining work experience—in a unique internship in
Madrid, Spain.
Kristina DeMichele, a senior English-Spanish double major, spent the past summer living in Madrid from mid-May to July interning at University of Dayton
Publishing (UDP). UDP specializes in English textbooks intended for Spanish
pre-primary, primary (elementary), and secondary (middle)
schools. UDP also has branches in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile.
Kristina worked more as an employee than an intern, keeping long hours with a
substantial workload. She translated interactive activities, proofread texts, and
typed the scripts for and uploaded audio recordings that accompany the texts.
Senior English major Kristina DeMichele sits in
the Jardines de Sabatini (Sabatini Gardens). The
building behind her is the Royal Palace.
One of the reasons Kristina was eager to take the internship was her growing interest in digital publishing, a newly evolving branch
of the industry. E-readers, self-published authors, and, as she puts it, ―some plagiarizing issues, where someone‘s copyrighted material is ‗newly‘ released by a different, self-publishing author‖ are growing and changing the way we look at publishing.
Already writing a thesis on the topic and its importance to the publishing industry, Kristina was able to utilize this interest in Madrid.
She began looking into what similar publishing companies were offering in regards to digital publishing. Her research of others‘ efforts in digital publishing became less of a side project and more of a large presentation for UDP to be aware of their competitors and
to expand upon their digital strategy.
All in all, Kristina praises the experience. ―I loved it. I would definitely recommend this program to other interested students. It was
a lot of work, but it was work that I enjoyed.‖ She hopes to work in publishing after graduating.
Supporting International Student Success
This year on campus there are more international students than ever before. Home is in forty
different countries for these international students, who now make up over 1,400 members of
the current student population, and the number of different languages spoken has also
increased.
For the support of faculty and staff as they educate and otherwise aid international students,
Associate Provost Deb Bickford put together a planning team this past summer consisting of co-chairs Lisa Varandani and English
Department Chair Sheila Hassell Hughes, along with a broad representation of faculty and staff members who were already
involved in international/ESL affairs. A product of this team is the newly launched Teaching a Global Student Community, or
―TAGS,‖ website.
Dr. Jennifer Haan, the ESL specialist in the Department of English, developed the TAGS website over the spring and summer with
input from members of the planning team. TAGS is helpful for those at UD looking to support international student success. Hosted
on the section, one can find useful links containing tips for teaching a culturally and linguistically diverse student body, relevant
contacts and resources at UD, information about our international students, recommended readings, a calendar of faculty and staff
development programs, and more. The TAGS website aims to make it easier for the university to enhance diversity by promoting
clear cross-cultural communication.
3
Faculty & Department News
Dr. Xiaoli Li, Assistant Professor of Technical Writing, brings so much to the University of Dayton community. Her interests are
centered on multicultural, multidisciplinary
learning. Dr. Li has shown dedicated involvement with both the English and the
Engineering department.
Currently, Dr. Li is working with a team of
students who are visiting and keeping in
correspondence with a pharmaceuticals
company in Suzhou, China. First, the students identify the company‘s problems.
Then, they write up a proposal of a plan the
company could implement. The team works on hands-on engineering in a
real-life setting and learning technical writing.
Dr. Li is happy to be working at UD and reported that everyone, students
and colleagues alike, have been very friendly and welcoming. With a strong
attitude and spirit, Li is bringing both energy and innovation to the University.
Prof. Yvonne Teems-Stephens is a new
lecturer of English as a Second Language
and Composition, but she isn‘t new to UD.
Originally from Pittsburgh, Prof. TeemsStephens went to Ohio University for her
undergraduate degree in Journalism. She
followed this with her Masters degree in
English with a focus on writing here at UD
in 2009. During this time, she was a graduate assistant in the Department of Communication, working on official UD publications. She later became a TA for the Department of English. Professor Teems-Stephens
is now pursuing her doctoral degree through
Kent State University, specifically focusing on her academic research interest in the use of literacy as a way for older adults to construct their identity
and navigate the aging process.
Prof. Teems-Stephens teaches ENG 100L (including one stretch section),
which involves composition and literacy for both native English speakers
and ESL students. In speaking about her approach to this experience as a
teacher, she says, ―I try to be accessible, be available, and to give a welcoming sense of being part of the UD community to my students. Professors can
be the front door of the university for students, so I try to facilitate intercultural ways for students to get involved on campus.‖
Welcome new Graduate Assistants: Brennan Burks, Katie Ciani, Sam
Glenn, Christine Olding, and Rachel Ptak. They join second-year GA‘s
Rasheedah Alexander, Luke Bowman, Joe Craig, Justice Hagan, Katy
Robisch, Emily Walters, and Henry Yukevich.
4
Prof. Ann Biswas presented ―Lessons in
Citizenship: Collaborative Writing to Foster
Academic Integrity and Civic Responsibility‖ at
the Lilly International Conference on College
Teaching at Miami University in November.
Dr. Katy Marre was selected to be a member of
the Taskforce on Strategic Plan for ABET
(Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology) in 2012, and as a member of
ABET‘s Global Council.
Prof. Yvonne Teems-Stephens presented ―The
Elderly Body as Text and Argument‖ at the
Nova Scotia Centre on Aging 20th Anniversary
Conference in November. She also wrote a
chapter of the book International Advances in
Writing Research: Cultures, Places, Measures,
published by Parlor Press and edited by Charles
Bazerman, Chris Dean, Jessica Early, Karen
Lunsford, Suzie Null, Paul Rogers, and Amanda
Stansell. Her chapter is titled "Transcending the
Border between Classroom and Newsroom: An
Inquiry into the Efficacy of Newspaper Editing
Practices." The thirty chapters in this edited
collection were selected from the more than 500
presentations at the Writing Research Across
Borders II Conference in 2011.
Dr. Laura Vorachek’s article "Playing Italian:
Cross-Cultural Dress and Investigative
Journalism at the Fin De Siecle" is forthcoming
in the Winter 2012 edition of Victorian
Periodicals Review. She also has an article titled
"Whitewashing Blackface Minstrelsy in
Nineteenth-Century England: Female Banjo
Players in Punch" forthcoming in the Spring
2012 edition of Victorians: A Journal of Culture
and Literature. In October, Dr. Vorachek
presented "The Piano in the World of Jane
Austen" at the Jane Austen Society of North
America Annual General Meeting in New York,
NY. In addition, she presented "Speculation and
the Emotional Economy of Mansfield Park" at
the Midwest Modern Language Association in
Cincinnati in November.
Faculty & Department News
Dr. Pramod Nayar Visits UD
Early this October,
UD played host to an
extremely enthusiastic
and worldly scholar:
Dr. Pramod Nayar. Dr.
Nayar came to us from
the University of
Hyderabad in India
where he is a professor in the English Department.
According to Dr. Sheila Hassell Hughes, the chair of the
English Department, the honor of Dr. Nayar‘s visit can be
credited to a new endowment from the India Foundation of
Dayton and a generous grant from the India Council for
Cultural Relations. The Dayton India Foundation, founded
by Harish Trivedi, is a non-profit organization whose goal is
to spread the culture and art of India.
A prolific learner, Dr. Nayar has been extensively published
in very diverse areas of study. His area of expertise is in
postcolonial studies and English colonial writing in India.
However, he has also researched and written on the topics of
technological expansion and the effect it has had on culture,
and world-wide issues of human rights. While at UD, Dr.
Andy Slade aided in compiling a schedule of events so
students and faculty could meet and listen to the professor
speak about his studies. Dr. Nayar was a guest teacher for
the Literary Theory course, and the English Department
hosted a series of lunches.
Herbert Martin Post-Graduate Fellow in Creative
Writing: Prof. Jonterri Gadson
Prof. Jonterri Gadson
struggled as a teen to find
her African-American
identity in a predominantly
Caucasian Idaho city.
Today, as the second
recipient of the Herbert W.
Martin Fellowship, Prof.
Gadson is acting as an
ambassador to draw underrepresented groups into
UD‘s writing community.
The fellowship was created
Jonterri Gadson
in the name of UD‘s first
African-American faculty
member and longest-serving poet Dr. Herbert Martin. Prof.
Gadson will fulfill her role via workshops at LitFest in April
2013, poetry readings, and two course offerings: Creative
Nonfiction and an English 100 Writing Seminar. Specializing in
poetry with themes of women‘s, mothers‘ and African-American
children‘s identities, Prof. Gadson has been published in over 20
literary journals and just published her own chap book entitled
Pepper Girl. The fellowship allows her writing time by requiring
she teach only two classes.
Lawrence A. Ruff Visiting Chair
The late Dr. Lawrence A. Ruff was a professor of English at the University of Dayton for 40 years
before his retirement in 2000. Dr. Ruff endowed UD for the creation of the Lawrence A. Ruff Visiting
Chair in 18th Century Studies.
The Department of English is hoping to fill this position in the fall or spring of the 2013-14 academic
year with a senior scholar who works in the area of 18th century literary and/or cultural studies.
According to Dr. Sheila Hassell Hughes, ―The professor holding the Ruff Chair will most likely teach
a graduate seminar and give a public lecture or colloquium presentation on her or his current research.‖
A scholar holding the position will spend a semester in the department. The department hopes to be
able to fill this position every other year. Those who remember Dr. Ruff are invited to help build the
endowment and support this new initiative.
5
Lawrence Ruff
Faculty & Teaching Assistant News
Lit Fest in the Works
When asked what makes this Lit Fest special compared to years past, Prof. Albino Carrillo said simply, ―the students.‖ This
year, for the first time, Dayton-area high school students will participate in writing workshops and sharing their work. Schools
expected to participate include Chaminade Julienne, Dayton Early College Academy, Kettering Fairmont High School, and
Stivers School for the Arts.
In addition, Prof. Carrillo, Dr. Andrew Slade, Dr. Meredith Doench, and Prof. Jonterri Gadson have planned two reading nights
of poetry and fiction. Featured writers include Juan Manuel Perez, David Dominguez, Ruth Ellen Kocher, and Roxane Gay.
Prof. Carrillo is also excited about the poetry slam at ArtStreet featuring local Slam Poet and Radio Personality Lincoln Schreiber. The title of this year‘s event is ―Crossing Boundaries, Crossing Frontiers,‖ and with students coming in from off campus, it
certainly will be.
Dr. Louis Marre’s Retirement
After giving his talents to the University of Dayton for 47 years, Dr. Louis Marre decided it was time to move on
to the next chapter of his life and retired at the end of last semester. As busy as ever, Dr. Marre plans to use his
new time for his family and his diverse interests, including continuing his writings and lifelong enthusiasm for
locomotives and railroad photography.
Dr. Marre began his career in the Department of English in 1965, satisfying the need for a 16 th century specialist.
He focused on Spenser, Shakespeare, and European Renaissance literature and taught a range of classes over his
tenure. These classes included his famed Shakespeare survey and Masterpieces of World Literature course, the
instruction of which he shared with his wife, Dr. Katy Marre.
Dr. Louis Marre will be missed in the department for his wealth of knowledge and experience and for his unique
sense of wit and passion for his subject.
Dr. Louis Marre
Department-Sponsored Speakers, Fall 2012
David Barsamian, founder and director of Alternative Radio
Dr. Esther Clinton, Bowling Green State University
Allison Hedge Coke, poet
Dan Gediman, author and executive director of This I Believe
Dr. Mark LeVine, author of Heavy Metal Islam
Pramod Nayar, visiting scholar from the University of Hyderabad
Tim O’Brien, 2012 Dayton Literary Peace Prize Lifetime Achievement
Award winner and author of The Things They Carried
Ira Sadoff, Poet
Dr. Jeremy Wallach, editor of Metal Rules the Globe
Dr. Deena Weinstein, author of Heavy Metal: The Music and Its Culture
6
Students and faculty attend the Tim O’Brien talk
Alumni News
Alumni Spotlight: Kevin Riley
Kevin Riley, a 1984 graduate and
English and Communication Arts
double major, is now the Editor of
the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a
highly acclaimed newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia. Riley is in charge of
all the news coverage and content for
the print and digital versions of the
newspaper.
Alumni Spotlight: Amy Sacksteder
Since graduating from UD in 2001, alumna Amy Sacksteder has
become an accomplished, world-traveling artist. Her artwork is
composed mostly of nature-inspired drawings and paintings that
have been showcased around the world. Amy has been an artist-inresidence in Illinois, Newfoundland, Southern France,
Philadelphia, Budapest, and Reykjavík and has had national and
international publications in journals, websites, and exhibitions.
In early September, Amy came back to UD to talk about her artwork that was displayed in the Department of Visual Arts for a
month. While back in town, she was
able to reconnect with those nostalgic
feelings of being at UD, visit her favorite professors, and appreciate the
changes that have been made to the
campus since graduation. ―I felt an
enormous surge of pride being back on
campus,‖ she said, ―and grateful for the
excellent education and mentorship I
received in the four years I attended
UD.‖
We Will Be Ephemeral
In addition to being an artist, Amy is
also an Associate Professor of Art at Eastern Michigan University.
To find out more about Amy and her artwork, visit her website at
amysacksteder.com.
As a UD student, Riley worked on Flyer News. He worked
part time at the Dayton Daily News as a copy editor as a senior. After graduation, Riley worked at the Dayton Daily News
full time and became the editor there in 2007. In 2011, Riley
was named the editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Riley said that the most interesting project he has worked on
at the AJC is reporting on standardized testing. ―Atlanta had
the largest cheating scandal in American history,‖ he said,
―and because of the No Child Left Behind Act, nothing was
being done to check the credibility of the scores.‖ Because of
the reporting he and his staff have done, dozens of teachers
are resigning or being fired, and the district attorney is expected to file criminal charges.
Riley looks back on his time at UD fondly, remembering
how much the English department helped him. ―My advisor
was Jim Farrelly,‖ he said, ―and having someone like that as
a guide who gave academic and career advice was great.‖
Riley truly valued the enormous amount of reading and writing within the English department‘s curriculum. Reading and
analyzing literature quickly is an essential skill for a journalist to possess. He advises anyone interested in pursuing journalism to read frequently and understand the material
quickly.
A favorite UD memory of Riley‘s is living in the South Student Neighborhood. ―Having the experience of living in a
house was great. There were many life lessons in that.‖
Laura Estandia (BA,‘10) has been working in the Dayton region since graduation in 2010. In August of 2012, she became
the Executive Director of UpDayton after serving as a volunteer for the organization on a beautification project in the city.
The mission of UpDayton is to attract and retain young talent in the Dayton region, and she couldn't be happier working
for an organization making such a difference in the community she calls home. You can learn more about UpDayton
at http://updayton.com. Laura still uses her writing chops every day, especially at her second job as a copywriter for the
local graphic design firm Schlegel Creative Resources.
7
A Most Honored Alum: Brother Frank Deibel
Before he passed away on July 30, 2012, Brother Frank Deibel, S.M., 103, held titles
as UD‘s oldest Department of English graduate, America‘s oldest vowed Catholic
religious man, and the world‘s oldest Marianist. In all, Brother Deibel gave 48 years
of service to UD‘s Marianist Library.
Library co-worker and friend Nicoletta Hary said, ―His greatest ministry was the
e-mails that he sent out every day – sometimes homilies or messages – to over 100
people.‖ In fact, he referred to his PC as his ―wife‖ after learning to use a computer at
age 82.
In addition to the Society of Mary that he joined as a teenager, he valued his decoupage hobby, sailed at St. Mary‘s Lake, and reportedly loved to drink eggnog yearround. Director of the Marianist Library Father Thompson shared Brother Deibel‘s
three secrets to longevity: ―Be at peace with God, take your medicine, and take a
walk every day.‖
What We’re Reading
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides – Laura Vorachek
Mrs. Robinson’s Disgrace by Kate Summerscale – Laura Vorachek
Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat – Liz Mackay
Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin – Liz Mackay
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – Liz Mackay
Thrall by Natasha Trethewey – Arnecia Patterson
I Worked at the Writer’s Table by Malcolm Cawley – Joe Pici
The Round House by Louise Erdrich – Joe Pici
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks – Maura Taaffe
Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin – Emily Walters
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez – Andy Slade
Middlemarch by George Elliot – Kavitha Pasala
Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers – Joe Pici
John Dies at the End by David Wong – Chris Burnside
White Teeth by Zadie Smith – Sam Glenn
Almost Home by Joan Bauer – Kara Getrost
Our Recent Donors
Sincere thanks to the following individuals who have designated
financial gifts to the University in support of the English
Department.
Colleen Lampton-Brill
Thomas J. Archdeacon, Jr.
Pete A. Musso
Lori M. Balster
John P. Bowman, Jr.
John Henry Bourke, Jr.
Josephine Bourke
To make a gift please make checks payable to the
University of Dayton with a specification for the
Department of English and mail to:
Advancement
University of Dayton
300 College Park
Dayton, OH 45469-2964
8
Alumni and Emeriti:
We’d love to hear from you!
Please drop us a note and
tell us what you’re up to.
Department of English
300 College Park
Dayton, OH 45469-1520
[email protected]
Web Connections:
udayton.edu/artssciences/
english
Search “UD English Alums” on
Facebook
Word for Word
is a publication of
the University of Dayton
Department of English
Staff:
Editor: Kristina DeMichele
Asst. Editor: Kara McNamara
Layout: Rebecca Washington and
Laura Kolaczkowski
Writers: Kristina DeMichele, Kara
McNamara, Eileen Comerford,
Taylor Kingston, Anna Demmitt,
Allison Carey, Daniela Porcelli,
Byron Hoskinson, Stephen Brown,
Kelly Miller, Kaitlin Kenny
Faculty Advisor: Ann Biswas
Dept. Chair: Sheila Hassell Hughes