Graduating Senior Spotlight Part 4: Sarah Toki

Graduating Senior Spotlight Part 4: Sarah Toki

The department 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 fourth and final installment in a series to spotlight these seniors, who generously shared their favorite memory of being a major in the English Department and their post-graduation plans

Sarah Toki

I'm an English major with minor in Psychology.

I have so many great memories involving the English department but some of best involve my classes with Dr. Sharleen Mondal and now-Professor Emeritus Joe Mackall, reading and analyzing different texts such as The Rape of The Locke, Americanah, Half of a Yellow Sun, and Native Son, and the final paper I turned in for The Poem with professor Jay Robinson.

After graduation I plan on taking a semester off just where I will continue to drink ridiculous amounts of coffee, work through my every growing reading list before coming back for the Bachelor's Plus program to obtain my teaching license

Kirkus names Ashland Poetry Press Publication to "Best Indie Poetry of 2019" list

KIRKUS REVIEW named Ashland Poetry Press Publication Save Our Ship by Barbara Ungar as one of their "Best Indie Poetry of 2019" selections.

A collection of 57 poems that sound alarms about current ecological, political, and cultural trends.

Ungar (English/Coll. of Saint Rose; Immortal Medusa, 2015, etc.) provides helpful notes to explain her inspirations for this impressive volume of free verse, which includes transgressive female voices of the past and present; Cassandra, Emily Dickinson, and Audre Lorde make appearances. Alphabetical order is a recurring theme, as is Morse code. The title poem makes reference to rising, polluted seas; the placement of seven lines of “SOS” in Morse code seems to form waves. Environmental disasters are another urgent concern, as seen in “Endnotes to Coral Reefs” and “Naming the Animals,” a partial list of extinct species that ends with a gut punch: “Four species an hour.” Language is also under attack, as revealed in “Elegy,” which alphabetically lists words eliminated from the Oxford Junior Dictionary (“bluebell,” “buttercup”) and arrays them as if they’re drifting away. In contrast, newly included words (“blog,” “broadband”) are clustered in a solid block of text. Clever manipulation of language, space, and punctuation abounds. “Quoth the Queane” riffs on the letter Q, while “To You, U” explores the personal and linguistic history of Ungar’s initial. “Après Moi” offers 21 variations on the phrase “Let them eat cake”—with “cake” replaced by evocative signifiers, such as “bump stocks,” “the lying press,” “tax returns,” “opiates,” and “paper towels.” Dystopian poems will resonate with many readers, such as “The Woman With a Live Cockroach in her Skull” and its slippery preposition: “She wakes screaming / each morning at the news.” “Man Bun Ken” is a humorous meditation on the fate of the latest iteration of Barbie’s companion: “Future archaeologists / may stumble upon his simulacra / & mistake him for a shape-shifting god.” The book is full of keen insights regarding the passage of time, whether one is attending a wedding with one’s first boyfriend, taking a nostalgic walk through the West Village, or observing a spider and her web. Overall, Ungar suggests that language and memory are futile attempts to impose order on the chaos that surrounds us.

A distress call that’s worth reading and heeding
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/lists/best-indie-poetry-2019/save-our-ship/#feature

English Department December 2019 Graduates

Today, these fine students graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees from the English Department at Ashland University's December commencement. Congratulations to all the graduates from Ashland University!

L-R: Sarah Toki, Stephanie Sorrell, Audrey Ashbrook, and Sarah Norris

Deborah Fleming's book recognized by PEN Awards

Dr. Deborah Fleming's book Resurrection of the Wild has been longlisted for the PEN Diamonstein/Spielvogel Art of the Essay Award for 2020, one of ten semifinalists for the award. 

See the list of semifinalists here: https://pen.org/2020-pen-america-literary-awards-longlists/. 

The semifinalists are listed in color. Dr. Fleming's book is one of the few from a University press, while the other other semifinalists are mostly from big New York publishing houses. Judges were Jelani Cobb, Daniel Menaker, and Judith Thurman. 

This is a very prestigious award and being longlisted as a semifinalist as is a big honor. 

Finalists will be announced in January and the award ceremony, to which Dr. Fleming has already been invited, is on March 2. More information here: https://pen.org/

Graduating Senior Spotlight Part 3: Sarah Norris

The department 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 third installment in a series to spotlight these seniors, who generously shared their favorite memory of being a major in the English Department and their post-graduation plans

Sarah Norris:

I am an English and Creative Writing double major.

My favorite memories from being part of the English department include
every class I had with former professor, Joe Mackall, analyzing various texts ranging from John Milton's Paradise Lost to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein, to Toni Morrison's Beloved, and crafting a paper over the connotations of setting in the novel, Pride and Prejudice, comparing it with two of its film adaptations.

After graduation I plan to continue to drink copious amounts of coffee as I write novels, to find a publishing or editing job local to Ashland, and maybe someday travel to Italy!

Graduating Senior Spotlight, Part 2: Steph Sorrell

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Stephanie Sorrell
The department 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 installment in a series to spotlight these seniors, who generously shared their favorite memory of being a major in the English Department and their post-graduation plans

I’m a creative writing major and English minor.

My favorite memories at Ashland within the English department are turning my first ever assignment into my capstone, taking a leap of faith by volunteering to play John Winthrop in a reacting to the past lesson, and forcing my peers to play a town of Salem game during my presentation on the Crucible.

After graduating I’m looking for jobs locally but the goal is to work at a university and eventually work towards my masters!

Ashland University’s 3rd Annual 24-Hour Theater Project

Ashland University’s 3rd Annual 24-Hour Theater Project: Just Clowning Around

Written by Noah C Gore on December 1st, 2019

On November 8th thru 9th Ashland University students gathered for the 3rd annual 24-Hour Theater project. From writers to actors, costume designers to makeup artists, anybody can participate in this event no matter what department you come from. In fact, while the majority of those involved were, in fact, CFA students, the 24-Hour Theater Project hosted students from English & Creative Writing, Ashbrook, JDM, Computer Science, and more.

Miranda Bielawski, Ivey Buffenmyer, Eric Breeden, and I were all involved with writing the libretto for the play. Ivey acted as lead editor and will proudly stand by the fact that this year’s performance was based on an odd occurrence the morning prior at 2:00am; as she phrases it, she woke up in a cold sweat and thought to herself, “Existential Clown College.” For whatever reason this happened, it must have been fate, for this was the obvious choice for this production.

This year’s performance was announced prior that we would be attempting to write a musical, as well. Though many were skeptical and even a bit hesitant, we pressed onward. Starting at 7:30pm Friday and ending around 4:30am the following morning, we (including scriptwriters and music coordinators) had successfully written and scored* the script, lyrics**, songs, and stage directions for our production. It was decided then that we would call in all the actors that had auditioned, and by 5:30am, the first table read was underway.

The play follows Josh (a.k.a. John, a.k.a. Jason, etc.) as he stumbles into the biggest mix-up in his life; what he thought was an acceptance letter from Brown University turned out to be a one-way ticket to Clown University. However, this clown college is not like other clown colleges. Those that find themselves here aren’t sure why and don’t look for answers. Every waking moment is an existential crisis for these clowns, and they couldn’t be happier!

In the end, “Existential Clown College” was a huge success. In total, there were three full-length musical numbers fully choreographed and scored**. The crowd couldn’t stop laughing and the actors were very into their characters. If you’d like to see the production, the Ashland University Theater page on Facebook live-streamed the majority of the 24-Hour Project, including the entire live performance.

*All music was written and recorded by Ethan Tingler.

**All lyrics were written by the 24-Hour Theater Project scriptwriters.

Black Fork Review party 12/6 2-4 PM Eagles Landing

Black Fork Review (Issue 2)

Release Party Friday, Dec. 6, 2-4 pm @ Eagles Landing

Black Fork Review, the student-run literary magazine at Ashland University, is celebrating the publication of its 2nd issue on Friday, December 6 from 2-4 pm in the Eagles Landing.

Come celebrate the last day of classes and the fine work published in this issue!

Issue 2 features the following writers and genres:

Poetry

Mary Biddinger

Kate Gale

Julia Swanson Hines

Lisa Dominguez Abraham

KG Newman

Mark Gorsuch

Jay Robinson

Satya Dash


Fiction

Christian Kiefer

Naomi Williams

Bree-Anna Burick

Scott Alumbaugh

J. L. Scott

Maia Paras Evrigenis


Creative Nonfiction

Kelly Sundberg

Arlena Lockard

Jason Gaidis
Ashley Anderson

Open Mic Night: Tuesday 12/10 at 7 in Eagles Landing

Open Mic Night: Tuesday 12/10 at 7 in Eagles Landing

The English Department's students are hosting an open mic night on 12/10 at 7 in Eagles Landing. Come hear students read their original work and/or come read your work.
There will be snacks-- come decompress from the tense finals week!

Graduating Senior Spotlight Series: Part 1

Spotlighting our December 2019 graduates
Audrey Ashbrook

The department 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 English Department and their post-graduation plans

Audrey Ashbrook is a double-major in English and Creative Writing with a minor in History. “One of my favorite memories with the English Department was taking ENG 372: Nietzche and the Problem of Values with Dr. Weaver and reading Lord Jim and Crime and Punishment. His classes are always so much fun and really make me think about the text, characters, themes and issues on a deeper level. After graduation, I’m going to try and find a job in the field of writing, editing or publishing while also writing creatively on the side!”       

Sigma Tau Delta Welcomes New Members

Sigma Tau Delta 2019 Induction Ceremony was held on 11/19 in Ronk Lecture Hall in SCOE
Sigma Tau Delta, the international English Honorary inducted new members to its Ashland University chapter. Family and friends joined the students for the event.

Pictured left to right: New inductees Ellissa Chambliss, Skylar Roberts, Jaion Harris, Andreas Cook, Noah Gore, Stephanie Sorrell, Kourtney Kisling, Julia Swanson-Hines

Pictured left to right second image: Sigma Tau Delta advisor Dr. Maura Grady, Sigma Tau Delta Co-Advisors Rachel Barkley ('20) Sara Ludwig ('20)
The students of Sigma Tau Delta nominated Dr. Kelly Sundberg as their guest speaker.

Third image: Dr. Kelly Sundberg

Sigma Tau Delta is an international honor society for students of English at four-year colleges and universities who are within the top 30% of their class and have a 3.5 GPA or higher. It presently has over 850 chapters in the United States and abroad.
Congrats to all the new members! 🎉

Award-Winning Poet and Ashland Alum Logan Fry Visits Campus

Visiting Writer: English and Creative Writing Major Logan Fry

Written by Noah C Gore on November 23rd, 2019

Since graduating in 2010, Logan Fry went on to receive his MFA in poetry from the University of Texas - Austin. He later became a lecturer at Texas State University, teaching writing. When Fry isn’t working on grading papers, he runs and edits the online literary journal, Flag + Void; this online journal publishes experimental poetry.

On November 15th, Logan Fry came and visited his stomping grounds of Ashland University where he received his bachelor’s in English and Creative Writing. During his visit, he attended Dr. Deborah Fleming’s Poetry Workshop class, where he answered questions posed by the students. There was a lot to learn from him, such as information about his personal life, the road to publication, and how he found his niche. Fry also made it a point to note that poetry was not always his first choice; he originally wanted to write fiction, but that all changed when a visiting professor told him he spoke like a poet. This awakening helped push him to where he is now.

At 4:00 pm the same day, Fry gave a reading of selected poems from his Omnidawn Award-winning book, Harpo Before the Opus. Among those read were “Center Furby,” “Because It Faces In,” and “Hooray For Hollywood.” Each of these poems has its own, interesting way of phrasing and structuring everyday ideas and concepts. Fry’s inspiration for “Center Furby” was YouTube / viral video culture. “Because It Faces In” is a great example of Fry experimenting with line spacing and minimalism. “Hooray For Hollywood,” as you may have guessed, is a critique of the celebrity / elitist society and the toxicity that surrounds it; it also looks back to what most people think of as the idealized Hollywood and all the tropes that came with it.

Published earlier this year through Omnidawn Publishing in Oakland, California, Harpo Before the Opus is Fry’s first major publication to date. Karen Garthe, author of The Banjo Clock, described his work as, “a delirium of language feverish, passionate; an abstract pitched and wounded critique.” Harpo Before the Opus is an experimental collection of absurdist, post-performative poetry filled with whimsical insights and criticisms of pop-culture, capitalism, and generational differences.

Ashland University is proud to have Logan Fry as one of its alumni and wishes the best of luck to him in future endeavors.

Fry's book can be ordered here: https://www.omnidawn.com/product/harpo-before-the-opus-logan-fry/, from Amazon, or from other book retailers.

Student Reaction to Poet Maggie Smith Reading at Ashland University (10/23/19)

Student Reaction to Poet Maggie Smith Reading at Ashland University (10/23/19)

By Melan White

Poems packed with grace, pain, power, and nostalgia stuck with audience members long after they were read aloud on a Wednesday afternoon. On October 23, 2019 English department students, university professors, staff, and community members gathered to hear Maggie Smith read her work. Smith’s poems carry us from the corn fields of Ohio to the depths of the blue skies, and are packed with universal truths and the thoughts of a young Midwesterner. Smith writes from her own lived experience-- she writes as a mother, as an Ohian, and tries not to write as an editor (even though she is one). Smith is well known for her poem “Good Bones,” but it is just a sampling of the breadth of her work. The final lines of Smith’s poems leave readers in awe, wonderment, and a simultaneous deep understanding and deep questioning of the world around us.

As a junior, a Creative Writing and Mathematics double major, and a student athlete, it can be hard to find time to attend events on campus like this one. I was grateful to be able to attend, I felt both honored and inspired to listen to Maggie Smith read her work. Towards the end of the reading when Smith was reading her poem “Let’s Not Begin,” I had this moment of deja vu. I focused in on Smith’s words and realized that I had heard her work before. I was a member of a writing community in my hometown and we would open our writing time with Smith’s poems. It was such a great moment to be able to put a face to the words that had moved me so many times before.

What Can You Do With an English Major?

Alumni Update: Alyssa Ferrell (2019)

Alumni Update! 
Alyssa Ferrell, a 2019 graduate of Ashland University, has shared what she has been up to since graduation! "Since graduation, I've made quite a few big leaps into adulthood. I moved to Ashland permanently, renovated my first home, got a teaching job at a great district, and I am preparing to get married on September 21st! It's been a busy summer! I am now working as an 11th and 12th grade English teacher at Crestview High School. I did my student teaching through Ashland University at Crestview in the spring, so I really owe my job to AU! I love teaching American and British literature to these kids, but my favorite subject that I teach is Journalism. We only have four kids in the class, but they are all excited to make their voices heard through school publications. I'm really looking forward to getting to know all of my students and creating an engaging Literature program with some of my favorite texts. Teaching my students how to close read is a large part of my curriculum, and I owe my own abilities with close reading to my professors at AU. I hope we can have stimulating discussions in my class like we did during my time at AU!"
- Alyssa Ferrell

Pictured: Alyssa [standing, second from the right] at the Crestview High School's first football game of the season

Dr. Kelly Sundberg's New Publications

Dr. Kelly Sundberg, Asst. Prof. of English has several new publications this month. 

Dr. Sundberg has published a memoir from Harper Collins, Goodbye, Sweet Girl, numerous essays and other works.  These articles are in popular media publications because, as Dr. Sundberg tells us, "I try to keep one foot in the commercial publishing world" as well as continuing to do more academic creative writing work. The first is an interview with The Healthy, which is part of the Reader's Digest family: https://www.thehealthy.com/family/relationships/survivors-stories-domestic-violence/.f

The second is one that she is very excited about. The Stylist, which is the UKs leading women's magazine had their 10 year anniversary this year, and to celebrate, they had 10 issues guest edited by 10 women. The current guest editor is Roxane Gay (the last editors were Chelsea and Hillary Clinton), and Roxane Gay asked Sundberg to write the column for the issue. The first link describes the issue (which Sundberg comments "is amazing and features Elizabeth Warren"), and the second link is Dr. Sundberg's piece.

https://www.stylist.co.uk/people/roxane-gay-stylist-guest-editor-takeover-10th-anniversary/320116

https://www.stylist.co.uk/people/kelly-sundberg-healing-power-of-storytelling-trauma-domestic-abuse/320108

Congratulations to Dr. Sundberg on the publication of these pieces!

Alumni Update: Creative Writing major Garrison Stima (2018)

Alumni Update-- Creative Writing major Garrison Stima (2018)

Since graduating from AU in 2018, Garrison Stima (Creative Writing major) has been busy! He and his wife Jamie moved to Mansfield and he has been working with writing in some capacity ever since graduation.

Garrison worked at McGraw Hill Education in Ashland for several months and then started working on Fiverr.com as a ghostwriter and is always on the lookout for new writing opportunities. Other than that, he says he’s trying to get a book series off the ground. His wife, Jamie, is a teacher in Crestline and Mansfield at two different Catholic schools. “Altogether, we’re well, just really busy!"

He gave us a short description of his book, The Lost Voices:

“It’s a steampunk, fantasy adventure that follows four different perspectives during a swelling conflict. Each perspective has their own stake in what’s happening, but also has their own reasons to want the conflict’s conclusion. As the story unfolds, the concepts of loss, purpose, friendship, nationalism, and war-time morality are brought up time and time again.

The story is understandably geared toward anyone eighteen and older.”

A summary of the book is below:

“Malien Kinray has lived a quiet life in the corner of his home country: Terrarin. However, with the recent passing of his father, Malien's old life is uprooted and the political arguments against magic have reached critical mass. With the changing era, a terrorist organization threatens to dismantle his society with bullets and blood.

Soon, a grieving machine-smith, an immigrant to Terrarin with burning memories, a man who knows everyone's secrets but his own, and a foreign agent seeking answers to the mysterious Old World, will intertwine in a conflict beyond them. The world of Regelia is swelling with fear and, as wonder meets peril, no one can ignore what's coming.

The Lost Voices dives into the phantasmal world of Regelia, brimming with new machines, an industrial revolution, magic, and political strife. In this world, what unites people in a genuine, lifelong manner and what can separate them in the end?”

Readers can find sample chapters of the book and keep up with Garrison at: https://medium.com/@havenlayne7

Reflecting on his time as a student at Ashland University, Garrison notes: "AU did a wonderful job of engaging me in different forms of literature and media, which showed me how each work could be used as a lens or platform to enhance the others and sometimes understand them. It helped me realize that any form of writing can say something that someone needs to hear. Writing can always give the world something new and I love AU for showing me that."

Middle Grades Major on Theater Opening Night Performance

An Enemy of The PeopleAbigail Wilhelm, Junior Middle Grades Education Major

I attended the opening night of Arthur Miller's play An Enemy of The People at Ashland University. I really enjoyed the play and was very impressed by the casts’ compelling performances. Overall the theatre department put together another excellent show, with a very timely message.

I particularly enjoyed how appropriate the themes in the play were for today’s society. The idea of media influence and motivators struck me as extremely suitable for the current political climate. Also, I had read the play before seeing Ashland’s rendition and I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of the characters that were originally written as men were being played by women. This changed the dynamic of some aspects, such as a brother-sister relationship rather than two brothers. This gender change also conveyed that women belong in the work force and politics too. Most importantly, it made the play feel more modern, fresh, and relatable to me as a woman.

Dr. Sharleen Mondal Attends Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference As Contributor in Fiction

Dr. Mondal with her workshop group

The annual Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference in Ripton, VT is the oldest writers’ conference in the United States. Its faculty over the past 94 years have included Robert Frost, Toni Morrison, George R.R. Martin, and Anne Sexton. The conference hosts writers from across the country in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry workshops over a period of ten days. Dr. Mondal had this to share about her experience as a Contributor in Fiction at this year’s conference from August 14-24.

What prompted you to apply to Bread Loaf?

I recently made a switch from publishing literary criticism to writing fiction as my primary work. In the fall of 2017, I did a program through the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity called Post-Tenure Pathfinders, which helps tenured faculty determine their post-tenure focus, rather than simply being reactive to whatever they are asked to do without a clear sense of purpose. Dr. Dawn Weber, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, sponsored my participation in this life-changing program. I was able to make a realistic plan for working on my novel. I reached out to writers who are doing what I wanted to do--write fiction without having earned an M.F.A.--and they helped shepherd me through the steps I would need to take, including finding writers’ conferences that were a good fit for me, which for me meant well-established conferences that had a reputation for either supporting writers of color or making significant efforts to welcome writers of color. I applied to VONA (Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation), Kundiman (for Asian American writers) and Bread Loaf. I did not get into VONA or Kundiman but got into Bread Loaf, much to my gratitude and delight, since the acceptance rate this past year was just 26%!

Meadow at Bread Loaf

What did the application process involve?

There was a general application form, scholarship application, and a writing sample. For my writing sample, I selected the fourth chapter of my novel and requested comments on it from a number of colleagues and fellow writers, as well as sharing it twice with the Akron Writers’ Group, once at a Motivating Writers session where we read our work aloud for positive reinforcement (sort of like a community reading), and once at a Writers’ Workshop where I circulated hard copies and got very detailed feedback from extremely diligent and generous readers.

What was it like to be at Bread Loaf? What were some of the most meaningful or memorable moments of the conference?

Bread Loaf was busy! The schedule was non-stop from morning through evening. Each workshop had ten participants, a faculty member, and a fellow who co-taught with the faculty member. We had to submit our manuscripts that we wanted workshopped in advance of the conference (I selected the eighth chapter of my novel for this purpose). We read and commented on our workshop members’ manuscripts ahead of time (so we came to each workshop with written comments prepared, which we’d hand back to the writer after we discussed their work). There were 186 pages of writing for me to read carefully and comment on before I even got to Vermont! The workshops were humbling and deeply gratifying since everyone’s manuscript was of such high quality. My workshop leader, Ravi Howard (author of the novels Like Trees, Walking and Driving the King), established a wonderful workshop environment from the outset and my group members were at the top of their game, so every workshop was laser focused, full of insightful critique. When I wasn’t in workshop, I was attending the daily lectures by faculty; readings by faculty, fellows, scholars, and fellow contributors; craft sessions; panels; and meetings with literary agents. There were also book signings, meals in the dining hall, and plenty of other opportunities to socialize with other writers.

Robert Frost's Cabin

Some of the most meaningful moments for me--apart from having my manuscript workshopped--included attending the amazing poet Jericho Brown’s reading and most especially hearing him read his poem “Bullet Points.” I loved gathering in the Little Theatre with my fellow Bread Loafers and watching The Pieces I Am, the documentary about Toni Morrison that Bread Loaf leadership got special permission to screen for us. I enjoyed hiking with fellow Bread Loafers up to Robert Frost’s cabin (he was a regular there for many years) and hiking the nearby Robert Frost interpretive trail which includes Frost’s poetry throughout the trail. Other memorable moments happened when I was out by myself; I went out birding nearly every morning, usually in the meadow across from the Bread Loaf Inn, and saw my first Indigo Bunting--and one morning I even saw a baby bear! though thankfully it scampered away as soon as it saw me and was on the other side of some trees that separated us.

Is there anything else you want to share with your students or colleagues about your experience at Bread Loaf?

Yes: keep writing and do it every day. I established a daily writing habit in the fall of 2012 (writing at least 30 minutes a day every weekday whenever possible) and it is one of the most important habits I have ever formed. Were it not for daily writing, I could not have finished so much of my novel, revised it, applied to and gotten into Bread Loaf, or be moving forward on the manuscript now with such regularity during my Senior Study Leave. Try daily writing. It will change your life. We even have a group at Ashland that I normally direct when I am not on leave, the Ashland University Research and Writing Community (the interim director for the 2019-2020 academic year is my colleague Dr. Mason Posner), that supports faculty (full-time and part-time), staff, graduate students, and College of Arts and Sciences students who want to establish a daily writing habit--please check it out if you are interested!

Alumna Attends Folger Shakespeare Summer Institute for Teachers: Part Two

Valentina Gheorghe in the Paster Reading Room, Folger Shakespeare Library

By Valentina Gheorghe, class of 2012, Integrated Language Arts major

Being a huge “Shakespeare nerd” also made the experience of attending the Shakespeare Academy unlike anything else. We were given many opportunities to let our “nerd flag fly” through not only using a primary text from The Vault for a lesson presentation, but also through exploring the Paster Reading Room and performing on the actual Folger stage. Surreal is the idea that you are standing on a stage in a recreation of an Elizabethan theatre treading the boards where actors do such things for a living. I am strongly considering adding “played Laertes at the Folger Theatre” to my resumé, because how many people can say they did that?

Gheorghe learning stage fighting

The cohort was able to select a primary source, from several pulled for us, to use for a lesson presentation and this really allowed me to turn the “nerding out” up to an eleven. Besides the fact that the Folger has the largest collection of First Folios, it has other rare items such as prompt books from productions done in the 19th century, a caricature of Edwin Booth playing Hamlet, and a copy Montaigne’s Essayes owned by John Thompson, an actor in the King’s Men who largely played female roles. The utter bibliophilic excitement of touching a book that was 400 years old was amazing, hyper-real in that the only thing separating me and the owner of this book was time - they touched these same pages!

I picked a fairly newer book to use in my presentation, a copy of Hamlet translated into German from 1928 that had beautiful art deco plates of scenes and various translations of Saxo Grammaticus in the margins. I used this book to springboard ideas for a lesson involving students reading an excerpt of Amleth in an Early Modern English translation of the Grammaticus. It’s a vastly more gruesome account of Hamlet’s killing of Polonius, so naturally I assumed it would be perfect for children to read. (...“presently drawing his sworde thrust it into the hangings, which done, pulled the counsellour [halfe dead] out by the heeles, made and end of killing him, and beeing slaine, cut his bodie in pieces, which he caused to be boyled, and then cast it into an open vaulte or privie, that it mighte serve fore food to the bogges.” Doesn’t that sound like a book you’d love to read as a kid?) I could have spent a whole week reading the Early Modern translation of Grammaticus in that book. Wondrously, we were allowed to take pictures of our items, and I found myself wanting to come back just to read everything they would let me read.

On top of all of this we got lessons in stage fighting (prompting curious looks from DC residents as we were literally swinging dowels at each other on the sidewalk), had a very British tea time every day at 3 pm promptly and ogled the graves of Emily and Henry Clay Folger in the Paster Reading Room, who are literally entombed in a functioning staircase.

The whole building, which houses the Paster Reading Room, offices, and vault is a “moniment without a tombe”, and it is so beautiful and so full of the love for Shakespeare that I did not want to leave. In contrast, the Library of Congress, which I visited the weekend after the program ended, represents Shakespeare on his three very real, very unapproachable pedestals. I would recommend the Folger Summer Academy to any and every teacher. Not only is it enlightening to collaborate with some many different educators, but it is transformative in that it gives real, fun, and practical evidence-based pedagogical approaches to teaching Shakespeare that can be applied to almost any text in a remarkably beautiful setting that is, if nothing else, truly Shakespearean.