Spring 2014 Department of English eNewsletter
English Department, 405 Lake Hall, (617) 373‐4540, http://www.northeastern.edu/english/ Chair’s Le er
Aspringnewslettermeanshappy
tidingsofCommencement!This
spring,overthirtyEnglishmajors
receivedtheB.A.Wecelebrated
withstudentsandtheirfamiliesat
theGraduatingMajors’Reception
onThursday,May1st,2014.
DelaneyRebernikandElizabeth
Folansharedfarewellthoughts
withtheirfellowgraduates.
Amongthosereceivingspecial
recognitionfortheiraccomplishmentswerefourHuntington100
awardwinners ElizabethBailey,
KathleenCollins,DeborahPacella,
andBrittneyRizzo ,the2012winnerofthePeterBurtonHanson
AwardinCreativeWriting
DelaneyRebernik andthisyear’s
winnerofanOutstandingCo-op
Award,MatthewBaddour.Mattis
workingincustomersupportfor
Stackdriver,andDelaneyhassecuredapositionasAssociateEditoratHCPro.Congratulationsto
allourgraduates,andplease,keep
intouchwithyournews.
liberalartscolleges,andcommunitycolleges,bringingemerging
ieldssuchasDigitalHumanities
intothepubliceye,writing,teaching,administering,andcreatingin
allkindsofcontexts.It’smoreimportantthaneverthatweshare
ourstoriesofforgingmeaningful
andsustainingcareers,however
unusualorunexpected,soplease,
ifyouhaven’tbeenintouchrecently,dropusaline,andinspire
yourfellowalums!
Graduating seniors Elizabeth Folan (left)
Thisspring,thedepartmentwas
pleasedtowelcomeourninthannualPeterBurtonHansonlecturer.OnApril3rd,anappreciative
audienceheardfromMarjorie
Agosín,LuellaLaMerSlanerProfessorinLatinAmericanStudies
andWellesleyCollege,aboutpoetryasanactofwitnessandarecordofconscience.Marjorie
Agosínissimultaneouslyprofessorandpoet,activistandscribeon
behalfofhumanrights.Asalways,thedepartmentisgrateful
totheHansonfamilyforsupportingthislecture,aswellasthePeterBurtonHansonawardsinCreativeandScholarlyWriting,in
memoryoftheirson,EnglishmajorPeterBurtonHanson’91.
2014alsosawsevendoctoraldegreesconferred,alongwithtwo
Master’sdegrees.Pleaseturnto
pageeightformoreinformation
aboutourcurrentandrecent
graduates.Inachallengingenvi
ronmentforhumanitiesdoctorates,Iamparticularlyproudofthe Mayyoursummerbloomand
rangeofpositions,insideandout- blossom,
sideofacademia,thatouraccom- plishedgraduatesaremaking
theirown,teachinginuniversities,
and Delaney Rebernick (above) at the
Graduating Majors’ Reception in May.
IN THIS ISSUE Spotlights Shedding Light on Technology and Text … 2 An Interview with Dr. Carmen Haydée Rivera … 3 Girdharry Receives Outstanding Teaching Award … 5 Department News Undergraduate Program & Co‐op …6‐7 Graduate Program & EGSA …8‐9 Writing Program … 10 Faculty News … 11 Alumni/ae News … 12
Professor Ryan Cordell’s Class
Sheds Light On Technology and Text
Professor Ryan Cordell’s undergraduate course "Technologies of Text" introduces students to the ways new technologies throughout history have changed how we read and write, from the creation of writing itself to the invention of movable type to the birth of the internet. In the Spring 2014 class, students got a peek into the work of medieval scribes, hand‐copying manuscripts by the light of beeswax candles. Students were struck by the strain and physicality of the work and gained a new appre‐
ciation for generations of scriveners who preserved writ‐
ten works in the centuries before the printing press. 
Contributed by Professor Ryan Cordell. Pictured above: Professor Ryan Cordell with his students. Pictured at left: Christina Laguerre (BA ’14) and undergraduate English major Angelo Mas‐
sagli. Photographs by doctoral student and Technol‐
ogies of Text teaching fellow Ben J. Doyle (BA ’10). Page 2
An Inter iew with
Carmen Haydée Rivera (PhD ’01)
ProfessorBonnieTuSmith:AsIrecall,yourstudyofUSLatino/
Latinaliteratureactuallycameattheendofyourgraduatework
atNU,culminatinginadissertationonseveralLatinawriters.
Canyoucommentontheconnectionbetweenyourstudyof
AmericanliteratureandyourspecializationinmultiethnicliteraturesoftheUS?
Dr. Carmen Haydée Rivera Carmen Haydée Rivera (PhD ’01) was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Boston. She later returned to Puerto Rico to complete BA and MA degrees, then came back to Boston and earned a PhD in Multiethnic Literatures of the United States from Northeast‐
ern University in 2001. Pres‐
ently, she is Interim Dean of Academic Affairs at the Uni‐
versity of Puerto Rico, Rio Pie‐
dras campus. To‐date, Profes‐
sor Rivera has published Writ‐
ing Off the Hyphen: New Per‐
spectives on the Literature of the Puerto Rican Diaspora (2008, coedited with José L. Torres‐Padilla) and Border Crossings and Beyond: the Life and Works of Sandra Cisneros (2009), in addition to a range of scholarly essays and book reviews on predominantly La‐
tino/a writers. Professor Bonnie TuSmith had chaired Professor Rivera’s doctoral dissertation and wel‐
comes the opportunity to have this long‐distance con‐
versation. ProfessorCarmenHaydéeRivera PhD’01 :AllthroughmyacademicdevelopmentIhadfocusedontheworksofmajorBritish
andAmericanauthors.Thisprovidedafoundationalunderstandingandappreciationofabroadrangeofauthors,literary
movements,andcriticaltheory.Butitwasn’tuntilmydoctoral
workatNortheasternUniversitythatIbegantoshiftmyfocus
ofattentiontowardmultiethnicliteratureandtoUSLatino/a
writersinparticular.NotonlydidIdiscoverarichbodyofliteraturedatingbacktothecolonialperiodwithsomeofthe irst
workswrittenonAmericansoil,butitalsoallowedmetobroadenmyintellectualscope.Bycarefullyscrutinizingtheliterary
historyoftheAmericas—notjustlimitedtothegeographic
sphereoftheUS—Ibecameconsciousofthewaysinwhichour
literatureandhistoryneededreconceptualizationinorderto
re lectamoreaccuratepictureofliteratureintheWesternhemisphere.
BTS:WhydidyouchooseSandraCisnerosforyour2009monograph?
CHR:IhavealwaysbeenafollowerofSandraCisneros’works.
Herpoetry,shortstories,andnovelswereamongthe irstIread
byaLatinaauthorintheUSandherwritingwasoneofthesubjectsofnarratologicalstudyinmydoctoraldissertation.Todate,sheisoneofthemostrenownedandwell-readauthors
whoseworkshavebeentranslatedintooveradozenlanguages.
Iwas irstapproachedbyPraegerPressthroughtheirWomen
WritersofColorSeries,withJoanneM.Braxtonasserieseditor.
Cisneroswasoneofthespeci icauthorstheyhadonalistof
manyothers.Theseries’maininterestwastocreateliterarybiographiesthatwouldfurtherdisseminatetheworksofethnic
womenwritersandhighlighttheircontributionsinAmerican
literature.HowcouldIsaynotoaprojectlikethis?
BTS:YoucoeditedabookofscholarlyessayswithProfessor
Torres-Padilla.Canyougiveussomebackgroundonthiscollab(Continued on page 4)
Page 3
(Continued from page 3)
orationandcommentonyouroverallexperience
onthisproject?
CHR:ThiswasawonderfulprojectthatJoséandI
hadbeentalkingaboutforquitesometime.Apart
fromthefactthatitgaveusanopportunitytowork
togetherascolleagues thoughJoséwasmyformer
undergraduateprofessor! ,theanthologyalsoprovidedaspaceforotherscholarstoengageincritical/theoreticalstudiesofPuertoRicanauthorsin
theUS.PuertoRicanstudieshasbeenanestablished ieldfordecades,buttherehasbeenalackof
criticalscholarshiponliteraryworks.Workingon
thisanthologymadeusrealizethatthereisa
wealthofnewandseasonedscholarsinterestedin
worksbyPuertoRicanwriters.Theanthologyalso
provedtobeausefulresourceforourclasses.We
havesincereceivedverypositivefeedbackfrom
othercolleagueswhoadoptedthetextintheirclassesaswell.
BTS:Whatcultural
differencesdoyou
seebetweentheuniversityenvironment
inPRversusthe
States?
CHR:Thestudent
populationatthe
UniversityofPuerto
Ricoiscloseto
15,000,includinginternationalstudents
atboththeundergraduateandgraduThe series’ main
atelevels.Forthe
interest
was to create
mostpart,students
literary biographies that
inbothPuertoRico
would further dissemiandtheUSarehighly
nate the works of ethnic
motivatedandeager
topursuetheirdewomen writers and highgreestocompletion.
light their contributions
PerhapsintheUS,
in American literature.
BTS:Iknowyouareafocusedpersonwithakiller andparticularlyat
workethic Ha! .HowdoyoubalanceadministraNU,IsawawidervaHow could I say no
tiveduties,research,teaching,andfamilylife?
rietyofinternational
to a project like this?
studentsgiventhe
CHR:Thankyouforsuchagenerouscompliment!
- Carmen Haydée Rivera
Comingfromyou,itmeansalottome.Iamnowin strategiclocationof
(PhD ’01)
thecampusandthe
anadministrativepositionthatisverydemanding,
university’smission
butatthesametimeIgreatlyvaluetheexperience.
andcommitmentto
IntheOf iceoftheDeanofGraduateStudiesand
Research,Iengageonadifferentlevelthantheone diversity.Moreover,I
IwasusedtoasaprofessororasaformerGraduate noticedincreaseddiversityintheactivitiesand
eventsoncampusandtheformationofstudentorProgramCoordinatorintheEnglishDepartment.I
ganizationsthroughouttheyears.
seeprocessesonalargerscalenow,suchascurric
ulumrevisionandaccreditation.Asidefromthese
BTS:Iseethatyouhaveabookcomingoutthis
responsibilities,Ialwaystrytokeepupwithmy
year.Canyoutellussomethingaboutit?
research,reading,andwriting,especiallywhen
mostoftheauthorsIstudyarealiveandpublishing CHR:Itisacollectionofinterviewsoncontempoevenaswespeak!Finally,asfarasfamilylifeis
raryPuertoRicanwritersintheUS poets,novelconcerned,Itrymybesttotuneoutworkonweek- ists,anddramatists .AsImentioned,somanyof
ends,holidays,andde initelyduringvacations.This theseauthorsarecurrentlywritingandproducing
isnon-negotiableforme.Sometimesanemergency worksandIthoughtitwastimetohearfromsome
situationmayoccur,butImostlytrytobalancemy ofthesenewvoices.CarmenDoloresHernández
publishedasimilarcollectionbackin1997,but
timetoallowforfamilyinteraction—myconstant
mainlyincludedwritersfromthe1970stothe
sourceofnourishment.Boththeprofessionaland
1980s.Myworkbuildsonthisformerprojectbut
thepersonalareimportantpartsofmylife,inand
(Continued on page 5)
outofacademia.
Stay Connected @ http://www.northeastern.edu/english/alumni/ Page 4
(Continued from page 4)
goesbeyondtoshowcasewritersfromthemid-to
late-20thcenturytothepresent--writerssuchas
QuiaraAlegriaHudes,whowonthe2012Pulitzer
Prizefordrama.Theseinterviewsarevery
thought-provoking,especiallywhentheauthors
contemplatetheactofwritingitself.
wellasthedestinationandthetransformingexperiencethatbothoffer.
ContributedbyProfessorBonnieTuSmith.ProfessorTuSmithspecializesinmulti-ethnicAmerican
literatures.
Iamalsoinvolvedinanotherproject:atranslation
oftheliterarybiographyofoneofthemostimportantPuertoRicanpoetsofourcentury,Juliade
Burgos,whoalsolivedandwroteintheUS.My
colleague,Dr.MayraSantos,justpublishedthe
workinSpanishinhonorofthepoet’scentennial
celebration,andIamworkingonacquiringthe
rightstotranslateitintoEnglish.Similartothe
caseoftheMemoirsofBernardoVega,translated
byJuanFloresin1984,myinterestintranslating
Santos’workisnotonlytoaddtothecelebration
ofthepoet’slifestorybutalsotomakeitavailable
toalargerreadingaudience.JackAgüerospublishedatranslationofSongoftheSimpleTruth:
theCompleteWorksofJuliadeBurgosin1997.I
believethattranslatingthisrecentlypublishedliterarybiographyisachallengingbutmuchneeded
taskthatIwillhopefullyassumeonceIclearthe
translationpermit.Inthissense,IjoinSantosand
AgüerosinperpetuatingJuliadeBurgos’literary
legacy.
Doctoral student Kristi Girdharry (center) accepts the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award from Provost Stephen Director (left) and President Aoun (right). Photo by Brooks Canaday/Northeastern University. Doctoral Student Kristi Girdharry Receives NU’s Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award BTS:Isthereanythingyouwouldliketoconvey
toourgraduatestudents?
CHR:MygraduateworkatNUisoneofthelifeexperiencesImostcherish.Onanacademiclevel,NU
providedtheskillsandexpertiseneededtocompeteonalargerscaleinacademia.Livingin
Bostonalsogavemetheopportunitytoimmerse
myselfinamulticulturalsetting,whereIwasexposedtodifferentculturalgroupsandlanguages
otherthanmyown.SoifthereisanythingIwould
conveytograduatestudents,itwouldbetolive
thisexperiencetothefullest—toengageinuniversityeventsandactivities,toexplorethelargercity,
andtoworkasdiligentlyaspossibletowardthe
completionofyourdegrees.Youwilleventually
realizethathavingobtainedaPhDisonlythebeginningofanentirelynewbutfruitfulstagein
yourlives.Mybestadvice:enjoythejourneyas
The department congratulates Kristi Girdharry, winner of one of two university‐wide Outstanding Graduate Teaching awards. Kristi is a third‐year doctoral student in rhetoric and composition. She is also a key team member of the Our Marathon: The Boston Bombing Digital Archive. As Profes‐
sors Gallagher and Lerner wrote in their nomina‐
tion of Kristi, she has "shown herself to be an in‐
novative teacher in the Writing Center and in the classroom, dedicated to student learning and committed to connecting students' classroom ex‐
periences to important community issues and projects." 

Contributed by Writing Program Director and Professor Chris Gallagher. Page 5
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
Undergraduate Curriculum Peter Burton Hanson Writing Prizes
The Department is happy to announce significant changes to
the undergraduate curriculum starting next fall. Most noticeable to current students will be a new numbering system for
courses. In the new system, course numbers will indicate the
kinds of material covered and the types of intellectual work
offered. Course numbers at the 1000 level, for example, will
serve as broad introductions, while those at the 2000 level
will cover more narrow domains or fields. Topics become
more specialized at the 3000 and 4000 level, with increasing
opportunities for independent research. We’ve added a number of new courses, including several in the field of rhetoric
and composition, and more are in the planning stages.
Students beginning in Fall 2014 will also follow a new curriculum, designed in consultation with current majors to give students more flexibility. The new major integrates writing courses, allows more options for fulfilling the experiential education
requirement, reduces the number of historical period courses,
and offers a project option for fulfilling the capstone. The minors in English and in Writing have also been substantially
revised to reflect the new course numbering and offerings. 

Contributed by Professor Beth Britt. Professor Britt is the Undergraduate Faculty Mentor for the Department of English. Undergraduate Alumni/ae “Stay Connected” http://www.northeastern.edu/english/alumni/ Anthony Marando (BA ’09) writes: “I was very saddened to hear of Professor DeRoche's passing. I al‐
ways thought of him as my mentor, and miss him terribly. I will always think fondly of my time spent as an English major at NEU: Thank you to DeRoche, Rotella, Tutein, Leslie, Green, Sullivan, Keeling, Kelly, and Joe B. DeRoche. Photo by everyone else of the English Dept. Robert Kalman (BA ’70) past, present, and future.” Anthony is pursuing teaching at the secondary level and writing poetry. You can read more about Joe B. DeRoche’s legacy in the Spring 2013 department newsletter, available online at http://www.northeastern.edu/english/alumni/newsletter/. OnApril10,2014,theEnglishDepartmentheldapizzapartytocelebratethe
endoftheacademicyear.Englishmajorselected andinseveralcases,reelected EnglishClubof icers:Lauren
SmithandAislynFredsallasCoPresidents,LizzieThomasandSebastianAlberdiasCo-VicePresidents,
MauraFertichandRafaellaKennyCincottaasCo-Treasurers,andYvonne
LeeasSecretary.Theof icerspledged
tobuildonthemomentumofthecurrentyearinplanningexcitingcultural
andsocialeventsfor2014-15.
Theeventalsorecognizedthewinners
ofthe2013PeterBurtonHansonPrizes
inScholarlyandCreativeWriting:

InthecategoryofScholarlyWriting,
thewinnerwasLianPartridge,for
heressay“ChildhoodLanguage
AcquisitionandFinnegansWake,”
writtenforProfessorPatrickMullen
inENGL4710Junior/SeniorSeminar:
LateJoyceandHisLegacies Fall
2013 .HonorableMentioninthis
categorywasawardedto
MorganLundgrenfor“Accidental
MischiefMaking,”writtenfor
ProfessorKathleenKellyin
ENGL4606TopicsinMedieval
Literature:MedievalRomance Fall
2013 .

InthecategoryofCreativeWriting,
thewinnerwasMeganMunkacsyfor
“Memoir,”writtenforProfessorSamuelBernsteininENGL3372
CreativeWriting Spring2013 .Honorablementioninthiscategorywas
awardedtoAustinHendricksfor“We
ThinkaboutAshes,”writtenforProfessorFrancisBlessingtonin
ENGL3377PoetryWorkshop Spring
2013 .
Find us on LinkedIn.com @ Northeastern University Department of English Alumni Group.
Page 6
CO-OP
Co‐op Tool Box:
The Value of Reflection
The value of reflection, and its
connection to a student’s undergraduate education, can
be substantial. The dictionary
defines reflection as “the fixing of the thoughts on something; careful consideration.”
With Cooperative Education,
students have direct observation of, and the chance to participate in, action-oriented
environments and events outside of the walls of the classroom. English majors who
participate in co-op take what
they learn in the classroom
and are able to expand that
knowledge through the experience of doing. Experience is
an excellent teacher, and using the lessons effectively is
part of a student’s personal
learning curve. Educational
software tools like the University’s Blackboard allow English majors on co-op to gather
as a virtual, interactive class
on a discussion board.
Through a series guided
prompts, students pause to
be introspective during their
co-op semester. As an online
class, they share ideas on
topics that range from setting
goals to co-op/classroom connections to the positive and
negative take-aways the experience has given them as
learners. The undergraduate
classroom/co-op combination
is a catalyst for change and
growth, both intellectually and
behaviorally. 

Contributed by Lisa Cantwell
Doherty, MA ’92, English
Co-op Advisor.
Help Support Your Department TheDepartmentofEnglishiscommittedtoprovidinga
rich educational experience for undergraduate and
graduate students. These goals would not be possible
without the sustained generosity of alumni and other
important members of the Northeastern community.
Pleaseconsidermakingagift,contribution,orbequest
tothedepartment.Doingsocanmakeahugeimpacton
studentsandfaculty,passingonthetraditionsoflearning and discovery to future cohorts. For information
about gifts and giving, please contact Peri Onipede at
[email protected] 617 373-5420.
Outstanding Co‐op
MATT BADDOUR
The department congratulates
graduating senior Matt Baddour,
winner of a 2014 Outstanding
Co-op award, which "recognizes
the accomplishments of seniors
who have had outstanding co-op
experiences while at the University." Matt, an English major
with minors in business and history, has held three co-ops: as
an Editorial Assistant at the publishing company Aptara; in purchasing at Bose Corporation, the
high-end sound systems company; and finally as a Support Analyst at a cloud-hosting start-up,
Stackdriver, where his communications and problem-solving
skills have earned him a postgraduation job. Matt was nominated by English co-op advisor
Lisa Cantwell Doherty, who is
always ready to help our majors
move forward with their goals. 
How might your business or non‐profit partner with NU’s co‐op program? Contact Lisa at [email protected] for more info. Page 7
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
The English Department grad‐
uate program enjoyed a suc‐
cessful year, marked with a number of noteworthy individ‐
ual and group achievements. Graduate Teaching Award Kristi Girdharry received Northeastern University's Out‐
standing Graduate Teaching Award (see page 5). New Doctoral Students Graduate Essay Prize Six new students will be join‐
Winner: Charlie Lesh for “‘The ing the doctoral program dead, the fixed, the undialecti‐
next year: Joel Armstrong cal, the immobile’: Notes on a (Western Michigan), Heather Spatial Composition,” written Falconer (Emerson), Jona‐
for Professor Mya Poe, than Fitzgerald (UMass Bos‐
ENGL7395: Topics in Writing: ton), Jonathan Osborne Literacy in Crisis: The Politics (Tulane), Laura Proszak and Practices of Writing (Fall (Tulane), and William Quinn Pictured, left to right: May 2014 doctoral graduates Lana Cook, 2013). Runners‐up: Kathryn (Tulsa). Their areas of interest Genie Giaimo, Sarah Connell, Jenna Sciuto, and Greg Cass. Bloom for “The Secret Hasid: range from nineteenth‐
Photo courtesy of Lana Cook. Reading Roth's ‘Eli, the Fanatic’ century American literature as a Kabbalistic Text,” written and religion to digital readings of High Center Fellows, she presented her work for Professor Laura Green, ENGL7976: Modernist literature, to magical realism, at a symposium on April 3rd, 2014. Doc‐ Directed Study (Fall 2013). Dania Dwyer and more. toral student Emily Artiano will hold a for “‘Wid mi Riddim, Wid mi Rime, Wid Humanities Fellowship for 2014‐15, mi Ruff Bass line’: Dubbing Orality into New MA Students while working on her dissertation, Postcolonial Dub Poetry in Print,” writ‐
We also anticipate welcoming eight new “Translingual Bodies and the Eighteenth ten for Professor Mya Poe, ENGL7395: Master’s students: Elizabeth Boyles ‐ and Nineteenth‐Century Atlantic .” Topics in Writing: Literacy in Crisis (Fall (Northeastern), Allen Finn (UNH), Bry‐ Doctoral student Tabitha Kenlon (PhD 2013).  ant Huber (Florida International), Alexis ’14) received a Northeastern University Miller (BA Keene State College, MFA Provost's Dissertation Completion Fel‐
Pine Manor College), Molly Schettewi lowship, for work on her dissertation, (BU), Corey Stefan (Worcester State), “Performances of Womanhood in the Christopher Taylor (Loyola), and Rob‐
Eighteenth‐Century English Theatre ert Van de Motter (Southern Illinois and Novel.” Alicia Peaker (PhD ’14) University Carbondale). accepted a two‐year Postdoctoral Fel‐
lowship in the Digital Liberal Arts at Degrees Awarded Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT. In 2013‐14, seven doctoral candidates—
the largest group in recent history—
Positions Accepted received their PhDs: Greg Cass, Sarah Genie Giaimo (PhD ’14), Assistant Pro‐
Connell, Lana Cook, Genie Giaimo, THE SPECTACULAR!
fessor and Director of the Writing Cen‐
Tabitha Kenlon, Alicia Peaker, and ter, Bristol Community College, Fall Riv‐
Jenna Sciuto. The Master’s degree was er, MA. Hanna Musiol (PhD ’11), Associ‐ InMarch,theEnglishGraduate
StudentAssociationhostedits
conferred on two students: Hope Mid‐
ate Professor in Literatures in English, eighthinterdisciplinaryconferdleton and James Stanfill. NTNU, Trondheim, Norway. Jenna Fellowships Doctoral student Lana Cook (PhD ’14)
held a Northeastern University Humani‐
ties Center Fellowship this year, while working on her dissertation, “Altered States: the American Psychedelic Aes‐
thetic.” Along with other Humanities Sciuto (PhD ’14), Assistant Professor, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA. Danielle Skeehan (PhD ’13), Assistant Professor, Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH. Doctoral Candi‐
date Meg Tarquinio Roche is an Editor within Product Development & Design for Spotify. ence,TheSpectacular!,dedicated
toexploringtherangeandrhetoricofspectacle,asfeltinthe
realmsofliteratureandlawand
throughothervectors.With
somefortypresentationsspanninggenresanddisciplines—
(Continued on page 9)
Contributed by Professor Stuart Peterfreund, Graduate Coordinator. Page 8
(Continued from page 8)
early-Americanliterature,African-American
literature,Victorianliterature,modernism,
compositionandrhetoric, ilmstudies,gender
andsexuality,andthelistgoeson—thisyear’s
conferencesoughttoapprehendthedifferent
facesandlocationsofspectacle,fromordinary
lifetothestateofexception.
OtherconferencehighlightsincludedtwokeynoteaddressesbyourProfessorTheoDavis
andProfessorWendyHesfordfromtheOhio
StateUniversity,andanartreceptioneventat
MakeShiftBoston,anon-pro itorganizationin
theSouthEnd,thatfeaturedtheworkofMegan
McCormick BA’09,MA’11 andBryanMacCormick.
ProfessorDavis’skeynoteaddress,“Gorgeous
Walt:RethinkingWhitman’sPoetics,”ananalysisofornamentationinWhitman’spoetryand
visionsofdemocracy,waswellattendedand
received.ProfessorHesford’stalk“Spectacular
HumanRightsRhetoricandRecognition
Scenes”examinedtendenciesoftheWestto
normalizetheOtherwithinits ieldsofvision,
aswellasthegirloftheglobalSouthbecoming
acauseforand subversive symbolofrightsbasedliberalism.“AnEveningwiththeArtists
ofTheSpectacular!,”heldatMakeShiftBoston,
curatedthephotographyofMeganMcCormick
andBryanMacCormick,whosephoto-series
“TheAmericanWomen”and“SpectacularResistanceThroughArt,”respectively,expressan
interestinengagingtheaestheticsandpolitics
ofthespectacular,fromthestreetsofNew
YorkCitytothehauntingpresencesofsettler
colonialism.
Finally,specialthankstoFrankCapogna,Duyen
Nguyen,andProfessorElizabethDillon,who
sharedwithconferenceattendeestheirfond
memoriesofProfessorJoseEstebanMuñoz
1963-2013 ,whomwehadthepleasureand
honortohavemetasthekeynotespeakerfor
theAlt/conferencelastyear.
Contributed by Shun Y. Kiang, PhD candidate
and 2014 EGSA conference chair.
KAT GONSO HEADS NU WRITING CENTER KatGonsoisthe
newdirectorofthe
NUWritingCenter.
HailingfromCleveland,KatcompletedherundergraduateworkinBerea,
OhioatBaldwinWallaceCollege,asmallliberalartsschool.However,
KatisnostrangertoBoston.SheearnedherM.F.A.
ictionconcentration fromEmersonCollege.Her
specialtyis lash,whichis ictionunder750words.
Shelovesthatthisformforceshertoconsidercharacterdevelopmentandplotinacondensedway.Sheis
currentlyrevisingherchapbook,WhereWeGoWhen
WeDisappear.
Kat’sexperiencewithwritingcenteradministration
beganaftershegraduatedfromEmerson.Sheserved
astheWritingCenterCoordinatoratSnowdenInternationalHighSchoollocatedinBoston’sCopley
Square.In2011,KatbeganworkingatNortheasternas
afull-timewritinglecturer.Twoyearslater,shewas
namedDirectoroftheWritingCenter.Whenshecan
managetimeawayfromherbusyscheduleatNortheastern,KatcanbefoundrunningaroundJamaica
Pond,practicingyoga,orreading.Duringthesummers,shevolunteersat826BostonandatTheFood
Project,anurbanfarm.
Whenaskedwhatherfavoritepartofrunningawritingcenteris,Katsaid,“Ilovehavingmoreinteraction
withtheconsultants.It’sgreatworkingwithgraduate
studentstoimprovethewritingcenter;it’sreallya
hands-onproject.Apartfromtheconsultants,Ialso
lovetalkingtothestudentsthatcomein.Community
creationisimportanttome.”

Contributed by Rebecca McLaughlin. Rebecca is pursuing her Master of Arts degree in English. Join the EGSA’s Facebook group, “Northeastern University English Graduate Student Association (NEU EGSA).”
Page 9
WRITING PROGRAM
Writing Intensive Classes @ NU TheWritingProgram,inpartnershipwiththe
youthliteracycenter826Boston,hasreceiveda
$25,000grantfromtheCabotFamilyFoundationto
supportitsinnovativeWriters'RoomintheJohnD.
O'BryantSchoolofMathematicsandSciencein
Roxbury.TheWriters'Room,whichopenedinSeptember2013,isstaffedwithstudenttutorsfrom
NortheasternWritingProgramandEnglishDepartmentclassesandhasalreadyservedhundredsof
O'Bryantstudents,servingasavibranthubofwritingandpublishingactivity.Welookforwardto
hostingayouth-authoredbooklaunchpartyon
Northeasterncampusthissummer!Tolearnmore
abouttheWriters'Room,goto
http://826writersroom.wordpress.com/.
SeveralWritingProgramfacultypresentedatthe
annualconventionoftheConferenceonCollege
CompositionandCommunicationinIndianapolisin
March2014.AmongNortheastern’scontributions
weretwowell-attendedsessionsfeaturingour
workwithmultilingual ESL writers:ahalf-day
workshopinwhichourprogramwasspotlighted
foritsannualKruegerSymposiumforTeachersof
InternationalandSecond-LanguageWritersand
otherinstitutionalandcurricularefforts,anda
panelpresentationdiscussingourongoingresearchintotheliteracyexpectations,experiences,
andaspirationsofNU’sgrowingmultilingualstudentpopulation.
TheWritingProgramhastakenagrowingrolein
supportingWriting-Intensive WI classesatNU.
LastMay,inassociationwithSusanAmbrose,
SeniorViceProvostforUndergraduateEducation
&ExperientialLearning,andtheCenterforAdvancingTeachingandLearningthroughResearch,Profs.GallagherandLerneroffereda
well-attendedtwo-and-a-half-dayworkshopfor
facultyteachingWIcoursesatNU.Thispastfall,
weofferedaseriesofworkshopsonteaching
withwritingforfacultyacrosstheuniversity.
Mostrecently,Profs.GallagherandLernerand
twoPhDstudentsinRhetoric&Composition
conductedananalysisofwriting-intensive
coursesyllabi.ThenextstepistodesigninterventionstosupportfacultyteachingWIandto
enhancethelearningexperiencesofstudentsin
thosecourses.
NU’s ePortfolios Featured Nationally TheWritingProgram’songoinguseofelectronic
portfoliostosupportstudentlearningisbeing
featurednationally.InJanuary,ProfessorGallagherandLauriePoklopofNortheastern’sCenterforAdvancingTeachingandLearningthrough
Researchpresentedataresearchforumduring
theAmericanAssociationofCollegesandUniversitiesannualconference.Theyalsohaveanarticleabouttheprogram’sworkwitheportfoliosin
aforthcomingissueoftheInternationalJournal
ofePortfolio.
Contributed by Kat Gonso. Kat is the director of the NU Writing Center.
Page 10
FACULTY
Full-timeLecturerJonathan
Bendapublished"GoogleTranslate
intheEFLClassroom:Tabooor
TeachingTool?"Writing&Pedagogy5.2 2013 :317-332,and‘Ye
AreWitnesses’:TunghaiUniversity
andTaiwanthroughtheArchives
oftheOberlinShansiMemorialAssociation,1955-1979.”臺灣教會史
料論集 TaiwanChurches:CollectedEssaysonHistoricalSources .
Taipei:NationalCentralUP/YuanLiu,113-146.
ProfessorErikaBoeckeler’sbook
manuscript,"PlayfullLetters:The
DramatizationoftheAlphabetin
theRenaissance"wasawardedthe
inauguralAmericanComparative
LiteratureAssociation ACLA booksubventionawardfor$3,500.
Full-timeLecturerJeremy
Bushnell’sbook,TheWeirdness,
waspublishedinMarch2014by
MelvilleHouse,anindependent
publisherlocatedinBrooklynand
foundedin2001.Moreaboutthe
bookisavailableat:
http://www.mhpbooks.com/
books/the-weirdness/.
ProfessorRyanCordellreceived
the5thAnnualBestArticlePrize
2013 ,fromProQuestandtheResearchSocietyforAmericanPeriodicals,for“‘TakenPossessionof’:
Hawthorne’s‘CelestialRailroad’in
theNineteenthCenturyEvangelicalCanon,”awardedJanuary2014.
ProfessorCordellhasalsobeen
invitedbytheNorthDakotaState
UniversityEnglishDepartmentto
teachaweek-long,intensivegraduateclassastheir"SummerScholar"for2014.Hewillteach"Texts,
Maps,Networks:DigitalMethods
forLiteraryStudy."More
hiseighthnovel,TunnelVision,
underhispenname,GaryBraver,
hascomeoutinaudiobookformat,
narratedbyBillMurray Cherry
HillPublishing .
ProfessorLoriLe kovitzwasappointedDirectoroftheNortheasternUniversityHumanitiesCenter
andCo-ChairofthePedagogyDivisionoftheAssociationforJewish
Studies.
ProfessorKathleenKellyhasreceiveda2014-2015Northeastern
HumanitiesCenterFellowship.
Thethemeofthefellowshipyearis
"SpaceandPlace,"andKathleen
willbeworkingonaresearchprojecttitled"LostandInventedEcologies:TheMedievalNatural
World."
ProfessorMyaPoereceivedthe
2014CCCCOutstandingBook
AwardintheEditedCollectioncategoryforRaceandWritingAssessment.
ProfessorJanetRandallisfaculty
sponsorfortheProvostUndergraduateResearchAwardgranted
toLucasGraf,KatieFiallo,andAaronMcPhersonfortheirproject.
WiththesestudentsaswellasAndreaMedranoandNichole
Clark,ProfessorRandallpresented
arefereedconferencepaper,
“Improvingjurorcomprehension:
readingwhilelistening,”andposterattheNortheasternResearch,
Innovation,andScholarshipExpo
AnArgumentRhetoricandReader RISE .WithLucasGrafshepreisinitseighthedition Pearson
sented“Linguisticsmeets
Education,January2014 .Hehas ‘legalese’:syntax,semantics,and
contractedtorevisethefourteenth juryinstructionreform”attheLineditionofExploringLanguage,a
guisticSocietyofAmericaannucollegewritingtextbook.Pearson almeetinginMinneapolis.
Education,September2014,and
informationcanbefoundat:
http://www.ndsu.edu/english/
summer_scholars/.
ProfessorElizabethMaddock
DillonhasreceivedanACLSDigital
InnovationFellowshipandaDistinguishedVisitingFellowshipat
theAdvancedResearchCollaborative,theGraduateCenter,CityUniversityofNewYork,bothfor2014
-2015,tosupportherworkonthe
EarlyCaribbeanDigitalArchive
andNetworkVisualizationProject,
whileonsabbatical.
OnMay21st,WritingProgramDirectorChrisGallagheracceptedan
award,onbehalfofNortheastern,
from826Boston,ayouthwriting
centerservingBostonPublic
SchoolStudents.Theinaugural
HeroicHuskyCommunityService
AwardRecognizesrecognizes
Northeastern'scontribution,ledby
theWritingProgram,inholdingan
annualCollegeEssayBootCamp
since2009 providingone-on-one
collegeessayhelptomorethan
300Boston-areastudents,andin
collaboratingthispastyearto
launchtheWritersRoomatthe
JohnD.O’BryantHighSchoolfor
MathandScience,modeledafter
ourownWritingCenter.NortheasternUniversitystudentsand
alumniaccountfornearlyhalfof
theorganization’svolunteer
force.
ProfessorGaryGoshgarian’scollegewritingtextbookDialogues:
For more news & events, “like” us on Facebook: “Northeastern University, English Department.”
Page 11
ALUMNI/AE
UPDATES BOOKSHELF Erin Brenner (MA ’98) is expanding her editorial
business, Right Touch Editing, into self-publishing.
HelenaGur inkel’s MA’97 new
book,OutlawFathersinVictorian
Kat Lang (MA ’11) has been working as a project
manager for AcademicWorks, a start-up tech company headquartered in Austin, Texas specializing in
scholarship and grant management software for
higher education institutions. In summer 2014,
she’ll transition to a new role as Client Services
Training Manager, in which she will be responsible
for creating online training courses and assessments, developing written instructional materials,
and holding weekly online "webinars" for higher education administrators across the country.
Rebecca Thorndike-Breeze (PhD ’12) is currently a
Lecturer at the Writing and Communication Center
at MIT and is working on a book on intimacy in realist, modernist, and graphic novels.
NEWSLETTER CORRECTION
In the Fall 2013 newsletter, we incorrectly reported
that Michelle Teti-Beaudin (MA ’06) completed the
doctoral degree program at Western Michigan
University. Mick left the doctoral program to pursue
teaching opportunities.
andModernBritishLiterature:
QueeringPatriarchy,waspub-
lishedbyFairleighDickinsonUniversityPress,2014.Helena
earnedherPhDfromTuftsUniversityandisnowAssociateProfessorofEnglishatSouthernIllinoisUniversityEdwardsville.
InJuly2014,JasonJ.Marchi's
BSEnglishandGeology’83 secondchildren'spicturestorybook,TheGrowingSweater,willbepublishedinhardcoverbyFahrenheitBooks.
Thestorywon irstplaceina
SocietyofChildren'sBook
WritersandIllustrators
sponsoredcontestin1993,
asjudgedbyrenownedchildren'sauthorandillustratorPatCummings.Thestory
wasalsoa inalistinthe2003TassyWaldenAwards:
NewVoicesinChildren'sLiteraturecontest,and irst
appearedinprintinthe2007Expectations:Anthology
ofChildren'sLiterature,BrailleInstitute.Illustrated
byBenQuesnel.
TonyTrigilio PhD’97 hadthree
bookspublishedrecently:White
Noise poetry ,Apostrophe
Books,2013;TheComplete"Dark
Shadows" ofMyChildhood ,
Book1 poetry ,BlazeVOXBooks,
2014;EliseCowen:Poemsand
Fragments collectionofCowen's
poemsthatDr.Trigilioedited ,
AhsahtaPress,2014.ReadTony’s
interviewwithTylerMillsofJacket2athttp://jacket2.org/interviews/cyborg-voicecollage-joy.
Our Marathon team members stand in front of the
Our Marathon: The Boston Bombing Digital Archive
Exhibit in NU’s International Village, April 2014. Pictured,
from left: doctoral student Kristi Girdharry, undergraduate English major Joanne Afornalli, doctoral student
Jim McGrath, and Professors Elizabeth Maddock Dillon and Ryan Cordell. Photo contributed by Professor
Dillon.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS—Special thanks to Beth Britt, Lana Cook, Ryan Cordell, Elizabeth Maddock Dillon, Lisa Doherty, Ben Doyle, Jean Duddy, Chris Gallagher, Kristi Girdharry, Kat Gonso, Laura Green, Shun Kiang, Neal Lerner, Stuart Peterfreund, Carmen Haydée Rivera, and Bonnie TuSmith for contributing articles, interviews, images, and edits to the Spring 2014 newsletter. If you would like to contribute to the department newsletter, please contact Melissa Daigle via email at [email protected] or via Twitter @MelissaAnneDB . Page 12