Monday, April 22, 2024
Outstanding Students Recognized at Honors Convocation
Thursday, July 6, 2023
Welcome Lori Shire, New Administrative Assistant for Languages and Literatures
The Department of Languages and Literatures welcomes Lori Shire as our new administrative assistant! Lori grew up in Orange Village, an eastern suburb of Cleveland, and has lived in Ohio all her life. Her early career included banking, secretarial, and bookkeeping functions. After roughly twenty years in these fields, she returned to college, earning her BA in English from Baldwin-Wallace and two MAs in Biblical Studies (Old and New Testament) from Ashland Theological Seminary.
Upon graduating from ATS, Lori began a twelve-year freelance career in the publishing industry, which included proofreading and copyediting for Christian academic publishers, and work as a Contributing Editor for the Mobile Ed Division of Faithlife Corporation.
In her spare time, Lori enjoys gardening, a wide variety of arts and crafts, jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with family. She is very happy to be a part of the AU community and looks forward to making new friends while serving staff and students alike.
We are excited to have Lori, who will also support the departments of History and Political Science, Religion, and Philosophy, on our team!
Saturday, April 29, 2023
Senior Creative Writing Majors Give Reading; Yeaste Wins Snyder Award
Monday, April 24, 2023
Outstanding Students Recognized at Honors Convocation
Saturday, April 22, 2023
Graduating Senior Spotlight: Part Two
The Department of Languages and Literatures wishes its graduating seniors the best as they apply for jobs and begin the exciting transition to the next chapter of their lives! This post is the second and final installment in a series to spotlight these seniors, who generously shared their favorite memory of being a major in the department and their post-graduation plans.
Kayti Bowles
I began my journey at Ashland University in a very unconventional way. Having already attended four years of undergrad at a previous university from 2015-2019, returning to college was by no means the next step in my five-year-plan. I found myself feeling overwhelmingly unfulfilled though, grappling with the fact that my passions had no place in my career. After much contemplation, I turned to AU in hopes that I could become the writer I’ve always wanted to be.
While I’ve had the experience I came to AU looking for, I’ve found so much more, too. My time in the Department of Languages and Literatures has not only improved my creative writing skills, but provided me a place to feel validated and encouraged by many professors and like-minded students. A further passion for classic literature has been fostered in me, as well. I will never forget reading Slaughterhouse-Five with Dr. Waterman in particular, a few months into my own PTSD diagnosis. I felt understood for the first time. Upon finishing the book, she showed the class her necklace; it was a line from the text which reads “so it goes.” I began to see that even when a story is confusing and messy, someone like her could pick it up, appreciate the words, and see art in it. I look at my own life story more gracefully now… So it goes.
After graduation, I plan to focus on my kids and writing full-time. My dream is to be a published author, and after everything I’ve learned, I won’t give up on that. I’m currently working on two projects—a book of poems called An Exquisite Corpse, and a novel titled The Last Twelve. Thank you so much to the Department of Languages and Literature for guiding me these past two years. You’ve all helped me find myself.
Ellie Richardson
I have immensely enjoyed my time studying English here at AU. English has been a long-time love of mine, but through classes and working with professors it has grown stronger and deeper. As I have taken more classes and been introduced to different works and time periods, my grasp of humanity and all its complexities has been rebuilt and fortified with a better understanding. I have taken much joy from connecting the patterns of history along with the stories and writings, deeply analyzing and grappling with the human condition, to reveal truths evident today within myself and my peers.
I took many wonderful classes within the English department, including some I was not expecting to enjoy, but loved such as Dramatic Literature with Dr. Donatini and American Literature III with Dr. Waterman. All deepened my understanding of humanity as well as challenged ideas and perceptions I had through periods of history and time.
These classes and professors were extremely beneficial in growing my passion for English as well as my understanding of humanity. I loved the smaller class sizes and professors were always more than willing to meet with me about papers or questions I had and give good reflective feedback. I have become a better writer and thinker, and I believe human, after my four years of exposure to great works and wonderful professors, and will always look back on my years learning here fondly. Thank you all
I have loved every minute of my time in this department. I have always loved reading and writing, so I knew when I came in as a freshman that I would have a great time. I started out with just a major in creative writing, but I branched out to eventually double major with English. That was one decision that I have never regretted. Through this department, I was able to meet and befriend many amazing and wonderful people that I hope to keep in touch with after graduation. Looking back at who I was when I first came to Ashland, I can really see and understand the growth that has happened with the help of this department and everyone in it. I don’t believe that I would be the same person I am today without my experiences with this department.
Sometimes classes would get hard, but the end result was always worth the struggle like any good challenge is. From going down rabbit holes trying to figure out Slaughterhouse Five with Dr.Waterman to debating about Edmund in Mansfield Park with Dr.Weaver, there is always a fun and interesting discussion happening in these classes. I used to think that I would never be able to analyze literature the way we do in class, but the professors helped me grow into the mindset needed to appreciate literature for more than just its story. Dr. Sundberg also helped me grow into my voice with creative writing. I’m grateful for everything that I’ve been taught and shown in my four years here.
It still hasn’t hit me that I’ll be graduating soon. There are still so many books I want to read and discuss. There are so many people that I want to spend more time with and get to know more about. I want to continue the fun times in class. If I got the chance, I would do it all over again. There is not one thing I regret, but I do know that I will miss everything and everyone. I want to thank everyone in this department for an amazing four years.
Friday, April 14, 2023
Graduating Senior Spotlight: Part One
The Department of Languages and Literatures wishes its graduating seniors the best as they apply for jobs and begin the exciting transition to the next chapter of their lives! This post is the first installment in a series to spotlight these seniors, who generously shared their favorite memory of being a major in the department and their post-graduation plans.
Angela Manasieva
I initially came to Ashland University as an Integrated Language Arts Education major. I soon realized that Education just was not my passion and was not right for the eighteen-year-old version of myself. However, I will never regret this decision, as within this major, I was able to find my passion and appreciation for literature and writing. I changed my major to English my sophomore year and added Creative Writing as my minor soon after.
This program and department have been so beneficial to me and have helped me picture where I want to go. Not only did I meet literatures of all kinds, but I also got to know some of the most supportive and kindest people I have ever met. I must shout out Dr. Waterman, who not only stepped into the role of being my professor and academic advisor, but also went above and beyond. I will never forget the conversations we had my senior year after class when she was my biggest support system, motivating me to keep going and doing my best. These conversations that I had with her and several of my other professors truly helped shape me into the motivated, goal-driven woman I am. I thank all of my professors in the English department for your expertise, and all of your hard work that helped get me where I am now. As a first-generation student born to immigrant parents, it means a lot to be this close to graduation.
Through my major, I have also had the wonderful opportunity to work as an intern for the MFA Creative Writing program for a year. Some of my fondest memories from this past year are from the summer residency, where I was not only exposed to writers who have similar dreams as me, but also to some of the most supportive people that I am lucky enough to now call my friends. This experience was so beneficial that I have decided my next step will be to join the MFA Creative Writing program family as a student this summer. I will be focusing on nonfiction, and am confident that my skills will get infinitely better.
After I graduate with my Bachelor's in English, I plan on attending the MFA Creative Writing program, working on my writing skills to achieve my goal of becoming an author of many nonfiction works, including my memoir that I am currently writing. At the same time, I plan on working in administrative jobs to broaden my experiences and see what all is out there for me, and where all of my interests lie.
Thursday, December 15, 2022
Graduating Senior Spotlight
From the moment I first toured the campus back in 2016, I knew immediately that Ashland University was the place for me. When I met the faculty of the English Department, I had never felt more welcomed, and the opportunities that were presented to me during my undergraduate career have given me invaluable lessons, insights, and plenty of amazing memories!
Some of the fondest moments in my reel of highlights come from the various Creative Writing workshops I took throughout the years. In particular, The Essay and Creative Nonfiction/Fiction courses had an especially memorable impact on me both as a student and aspiring writer. In these classes, I discovered my love for this genre. It was incredibly liberating to unpack and transform the intense, overwhelming experiences of my life into artistic expressions. Not only did this aid in my healing, but the feedback, thorough guidance, and support that I received from my professors allowed me to make drastic improvements in my approach to writing. Having such an open, comfortable platform with honest and encouraging peers has given me the confidence and space to grow as a writer. Additionally, I was challenged to step outside of my comfort zone by writing in styles I had never previously explored. Dr. Grady’s Screenwriting workshop, for instance, was one of the most difficult classes I have taken to date. However, the ways in which she pushed me to stretch beyond my limits have earned it a place as one of my favorite courses to date.
The novels, poems, plays, and short stories that were covered in many of the classes I took were inspiring and thought-provoking. Engaging with diverse perspectives is critical in fostering deeper understanding and bridging cultural gaps, so I was extremely appreciative that the English Department at AU chose a wide variety of texts from authors all over the world. Some of my favorites include Lynn Nottage’s play Ruined, Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands by Mary Seacole, Nick Vujicic’s Life Without Limits, and many more. The in-class discussions that surrounded these works, though, were equally as important and enlightening. Dr. Weaver and Dr. Mondal’s courses were especially informative and entertaining.
But the classes were not the only activities that I cherished during my time at Ashland. My time as an Associate Editor with the student literary publication Black Fork Review made me fall in love with the publishing industry, and solidified my love for producing stories. I also had the opportunity to work as a Senior Communication Coach at the Writing and Communication Center for two years. Working alongside the talented AU student body on their assignments was an amazing experience!
After I graduate with my Bachelors in English and Creative Writing with minors in Marketing and Psychology, I plan to seek a job somewhere in publishing!