Recent Graduate Describes the Benefits of the AU Writing and Research Community

Sophia (Leddy) Larson, an International Political Science and Spanish major who graduated in December 2017, discussed her involvement in the Ashland University Writing and Research Community, a group that Dr. Sharleen Mondal, Associate Professor of English, founded and directs. Dr. Mondal's interview with Larson, which was conducted at the end of the fall 2017 semester, appears below.

Dr. Sharleen Mondal: Please say a little bit about your participation in the AURWC--how you heard about it, when you initially joined, how long you've done it, and why you chose to participate.

Sophia (Leddy) Larson: I've done the AURWC programs in 3 different semesters because I had longer papers for various classes. My first experience with the program was my sophomore year in Fall 2015 when I decided to write a 20-page paper for a class on NATO, and because of my participation in the program, I chose to present at URCA [the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium]. I also participated in Spring 2017 and this semester, Fall 2017, for different papers including my senior Ashbrook thesis. I chose to participate because I had never written a longer paper before, and I wanted to know how to do it. Before joining, the thought of a 20-page paper was overwhelming. However, through AURWC, I was easily able to complete it with time to spare. I stayed in the program because I could see the improvement in my approach to writing.

SM: Please share with readers how the AURWC has assisted you with long-term writing projects during your involvement in the program. What were the most useful aspects of the program for you?

SL: Like most people, I need external motivation in order to accomplish the hardest tasks. AURWC provided a platform for me to be accountable to a group of people who would give constructive criticism and encouragement so that I could achieve my goals. In the program, we meet once a week to discuss what went well, what we need help with, and to learn new skills to become more productive that we could apply in our calendars and daily lives. We also record time spent on our projects in a spreadsheet so that we can see our progress and to see what worked and on what days. It is not a program for the faint of heart because during one week we even had to track exactly how we spent our days in 15-minute increments. However, the payoff from this technique and others was well worth the pain in seeing how much time we spent on Facebook. Since the first step to solving a problem is knowing it is there, time-tracking and other techniques were very effective and made everyone in all the groups I was a part of improve.

SM: Please share a bit about your final thesis and defense, as well as your post-graduation plans.

SL: My thesis was titled War is Peace: A Comparison of the War on Drugs and the War on Thoughtcrime. I used 1984 as a basis for what government should not do, and by finding similarities with the War on Drugs in 1984, I was able to point out some of the dangers to liberty. I worked on it every day for an hour and a half with few exceptions, and as a result of this constant work, I was able to complete this project. Following graduation. I have a position with the John Quincy Adams Society in which I hope to expand the organization into more universities. JQAS works to spread the idea of restraint in American foreign policy, and they have chapters around the country in various universities to help spread this message.

Editor's Note: I checked in with Sophia and asked how the habits of AUWRC are guiding her in the post-graduation world. She replied, "At first it doesn't seem that you'll be able to use a writing club in real life, but I've found that skills in prioritizing time and energy have been invaluable in my current position. You also learn to receive and accept feedback in the program, which has proven so useful that I've used it almost daily. What you learn in AURWC are life skills, not simply skills that apply only to writing."

Erika Krouse Visits Ashland University’s Spring Reading Series

By Maggie Andrews, Creative Writing, English, and Public Relations major

Celebrated author, Erika Krouse, visited Ashland University on Monday, February 26th. Krouse is recognized for her short stories collection Come Up and See Me Sometime, as well as for her new novel Contenders. Her short stories collection won the Paterson Fiction Award and her novel was a finalist for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Aside from publishing her work in literary giants like The New Yorker, she mentors for the Lighthouse Book Project and works part-time as a private investigator. Krouse holds a B.A. and a M.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing. Hailing all the way from Colorado, she gave students, faculty members, and guests a reading of her short fiction piece “Wounds of the Heart and Great Vessels.”

During her reading, it became clear that Krouse was passionate about her selection. She discussed how a tragedy in her own life had halted her writing process. “Wounds of the Heart and Great Vessels” got her back to writing during that time and became a beautiful product of that tragedy. While listening to Krouse’s reading, I could feel the author pushing and pulling me wherever she wanted me to go. The narrative voice was painfully real and authentic because in just a short number of pages, I was rooting for her and worried about her. On top of that, Krouse managed to explore the human condition. The audience experienced a wide range of emotions as we often felt the need to laugh, but also heard the steady echo of sadness. During my experience with “Wounds of the Heart and Great Vessels,” there were many moments where I found myself slamming back against my chair thinking about how great a line was or how powerfully I felt about a passage before a break. It was a true representation of Krouse’s talent and her influence as a writer.

After the reading, Krouse signed my newly-purchased Contenders (thanks to Dr. Joe Mackall). She wished me success in my own writing and I felt like fangirling because it was like meeting a celebrity. The senior creative writing majors even got to go to dinner with Krouse, where we picked her mind and tried to learn as much as we could from her wealth of experience and expertise. Her feedback was incredible, and it was truly an honor learning from a writer like Krouse. Plus, we had plenty of laughs and memories to take with us. After going to the reading series and dinner, I am very excited to dive into Krouse’s novel and work hard to one day become a writer like her.

Alumni Update: Seth Snow

Seth Snow

By Dr. Russell Weaver

Seth Snow, an AU Integrated Language Arts alumnus, was hired by Alpha Omega Academy in Huntsville, Texas in the fall of 2016 after having taught for a number of years in Danville, Ohio. Alpha Omega Academy is a private charter school. Snow remembers fondly that one of the first questions they asked him after he was hired was whether he could teach a Jane Austen course. This was music to his ears, and the music has not stopped playing. The headmaster singled out Seth in a faculty meeting as perhaps the best example of classical education in their school, the kind of education for which the school is aiming. He has become an adjunct professor at nearby LeTourneau University. He currently teaches British Literature I and II there as a part of his school's dual-credit program. Snow notes that he teaches exactly how he wants and what he wants. LeTourneau approached him about offering a session at their Excellence in Teaching Conference. He proposed the topic, "The Joy of Interpretation," which they accepted. And by all accounts his talk on the interpretation of poetry was well received. Most recently the Headmaster of his school was conducting a Q and A at an assembly, and he asked what makes their school a good place to learn. One student raised her hand and shouted out, “Mr. Snow,” a comment which almost the whole student body applauded. Congratulations to Seth for making a name for himself in Texas.

Click here to read Seth Snow's alumni profile from 2013.

Alumni Spotlight: Lacy (Romine) Drake

Lacy, Colbie, and Kent Drake

By Lacy (Romine) Drake, class of 2010, Integrated Language Arts major 

Early on in my high school career, I knew for sure that I wanted to be a high school teacher. Growing up in Kettering, Ohio blessed me with so many opportunities and put numerous influential people in my life at all stages of my educational career. Those impactful teachers and coaches are the exact reasons why I am a high school teacher and head coach today.

My passion for reading and writing was always obvious (as was my dislike for math and science), so when I committed to Ashland as a student-athlete, majoring in Integrated Language Arts was a no brainer. I could not imagine teaching anything else, and I hoped to one day share my love for reading and writing with others.

It wasn’t until much later in my life that I realized what a tremendous and special place Ashland was. The countless hours spent in the library and Bixler Hall classrooms, the realization that English classes were no longer memorizing vocabulary words and simply reading popular novels, but rather digging for deeper meanings and going out of my comfort zone to engage in some of the most difficult and demanding material I would ever face. The English Department at AU is special. The professors pushed me, challenged me, and prepared me for life as an English teacher. Believe it or not, I still have my folders full of notes from my college days, which I reference often, sometimes with a chuckle thinking about the stress I put on myself during those classes.

After a very cold and wet graduation day in 2010, I accepted a Graduate Assistant position at The University of Findlay where I would coach basketball and pursue my Master’s Degree in Leadership and Administration. I then moved to the state up north and coached collegiate basketball for a year, followed by a year in Indiana.

In 2013, I got a call from Fairmont High School, my alma mater. They were interviewing for a head coaching position for the girls varsity basketball team and had a position open for an English teacher. Naturally, I jumped on this opportunity, and after a lot of prayers, I was offered the coaching job and a position as a high school English teacher.

The Drake Family

Soon after, I met my husband Kent, who is also a high school teacher and the head baseball coach at Fairmont. We married in 2015 and had our first daughter, Colbie Jane Drake, in June of 2016. We are now expecting our second daughter this June!

I am currently teaching English 9, which is a co-taught block class for freshmen students who need additional support in English. This class also includes 5-10 international students each year, many of them having only been in America for a few months, with little or no English speaking skills whatsoever. I also teach Journalism and I am the adviser for our school newspaper.

My degree and time spent at AU is invaluable. I am forever indebted to Ashland and will continue to be a proud graduate!

“Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.”