New Publications from AU English Grad Sarah Wells

By Hilary Donatini

Sarah Wells, B.A. 2003, M.F.A. 2015, has maintained an active publication agenda since graduation. The interview below covers several of her recent and forthcoming books. Click here for links to purchase the books mentioned below, with access to more of Wells's publications. 

HD: Within the last two years you have published a book of poetry, Between the Heron and the Moss, and you have a memoir American Honey and a second volume of The Family Bible Devotional coming out in the months ahead. What are the common threads among your writings?

Sarah Wells

SW: I am very interested in exploring intersections in my writing, regardless of the genre, intersections between the natural and spiritual worlds especially. The more I explore these intersections, the more I agree with the Celtic Christian wisdom teachers that declare there is nothing mundane; everything is sacred. My poetry and nonfiction especially explore this idea, looking for the sacred in the seemingly mundane to see what truth of human experience can be revealed there.

Between the Heron and the Moss explores the recurring appearance of a heron as an icon of the Holy Spirit’s presence in a world that is both holy and wracked with brokenness. And here we are, positioned between the two: heron flying above, moss growing below. What are we to make of it all?

American Honey is primarily exploring the subjects of attraction and fidelity; what happens when temptations attempt to woo you from what you’ve called holy and sacred? That’s a broad and lofty statement I think, since there’s plenty of time spent in the nitty gritty details of life, but I believe that’s where sacredness lives, tucked into the slicing of sweet potatoes, baked into the restaurant dinner leftovers. Being memoir, American Honey is ultimately a pursuit to know myself better, to understand where I’ve come from and how I arrived at this particular crossroad. The initial writing of these essays was an act of literary lifesaving, writing my way out of chaos and into clarity.

The devotionals that I have written follow this same pattern, although less explicitly. Here is this sacred text Christians around the world revere as wisdom literature, the guiding book of our religion, and yet there are pockets of people who proclaim a Jesus that doesn’t look or feel anything like the one we find in the Gospels. There is a desecration—a de-sacredization—that happens when our faith is so amputated from our actions. As James writes in his epistle, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.“ Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase aptly translates it this way: "Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?”

The devotional that is about to come out puts Jesus’ love and action in the world on center stage. Each entry is intended to deepen and enrich our understanding of who Jesus is while simultaneously shaping and guiding how we respond to Jesus’ call to love our neighbors as ourselves. What is following Jesus supposed to look like in real life? How does this spiritual text intersect with our natural world? The goal of the devotional is to understand who Jesus is and how he loves, better than we did before, so that we can be equipped as his disciples to live more authentically Christ following lives.

HD: How does each text require different approaches to writing and revising?

SW: Writing the The Family Bible Devotional, both Volumes 1 and 2, required a very different approach to writing than any I had taken previously. I started with a table of contents, for one thing. I knew exactly which scripture passages I planned to write about, what the structure of each chapter would be, and when the manuscript was due. In some ways, the devotional entries have parallels to formal poetry: I knew exactly what form each chapter needed to take, but where that chapter might end up was left to the dance of the Holy Spirit. That’s where the delight of this project came for me: I knew that I would write about Jesus’ relationship with Judas, but I didn’t know what I would say, or what needed to be said, or what the Spirit might reveal during the writing and researching process. That component of discovery in any genre is just thrilling. I love it. It’s important for me in whatever genre I find myself playing in to stay open to the shift and movement of the Spirit, to not be tight-fisted on what I think something is about and let the Spirit help me see what something is really about.

Writing poetry and nonfiction is far more open ended. In the case of poetry, I often begin with an image. I don’t know what the image means or if it has any inherent meaning, but I want to dig into how I intersect with that image. What does it mean to me? What does it reveal about how I am processing something seemingly unrelated to that image right now? And then I play, with the music of language as guide.

With nonfiction, there’s usually a question I am trying to answer. Right now, I really want to write an essay that explores the way trees will drop whole branches when they are under stress, and how the trees this year produced massive amounts of seeds, far more than usual, either in preparation for something hard to come or in response to something hard they’ve just been through to perpetuate their species. What have I dropped in my own kind of survival mode over the last 18 months? What seeds have I planted, do I want to plant, in the face of mortality, to live out a full and meaningful life, to perpetuate the human species? These are big questions, and they aren’t likely to have one resolution. Essays and memoir give space to explore the way I think about things and see what it is I think.

While the writing process seems different across the genres, the revision process in all three cases is similar, it’s all chisel and finesse, fine tune and shape, whether for clarity in the case of the devotionals, music in the case of poetry, and a combination of the two in the case of nonfiction. I want my words to sing but I also want the story to be clear.

HD: How has your writing career evolved since you graduated from the Ashland MFA?

SW: I worked full time in marketing for six years after graduating from the MFA program. I think working in a space that required creativity but not literary writing does two things: it requires you to listen and observe the vast world of ideas so that you can create interesting images and language, and it frees whatever literary writing you are pursuing from the burden of paying the bills. Working in marketing sharpened my ability to write with abandon and with constraints - there’s a deadline, so you better just write, take some risks or it’s going to come across as the same old thing, and listen.

In the last year, I shifted into a freelance writing career, which allows me to write pretty much all of the time. I write marketing content, articles for an online magazine called Root & Vine News, and this spring I wrote a novel. I never thought I’d write a novel, but I did. There’s pretty much one thing my brain is wired to do these days and that is to write. And walk my dog.

In the midst of so much living, sometimes the writing feels slow. We marry. We have jobs. We have babies. We have dogs. We have parents. We have friends. All of these people demand so much of our time as writers and we feel impatient for the words to come. Words are cumulative; if you write 500 of them today, 500 will be there to start with again tomorrow. Just keep writing. That’s what Michael Miller told me when I had three little people at home and a job and a husband and no time, no time, no time! Just keep writing. The living is a kind of pre-writing activity.

HD: What else would you like to share with Language and Literature students, alumni, and friends?

SW: When I worked for the MFA program from 2007-2014, I was aware of just how fortunate I was to be immersed in a literary community. That literary community sustained and spurred on my own writing. We emphasized the importance of being a literary citizen, to invest in others and in the community of writers, not just for the sake of networking but to celebrate and carry forward stories that matter. Read contemporary literature. Read widely and broadly and read people who don’t look like you or live where you’ve lived. Whenever I read a book, I try to make a point of shouting from the rooftops about it. Review books on Amazon and Goodreads. Post about them on social media. Send a note to the author about how much you loved their work. Buy books if you can. Our storytelling and reading of each other’s stories ought to be a constant celebration of literature, which lifts up everyone involved. That celebration is a celebration of humanity, a celebration of life, an honoring of what is sacred… and everything is sacred.

HD: Thanks so much for your time, and congratulations!

Alumni Spotlight: Jordan Martin

By Jordan Martin, class of 2019, English major

I started at Ashland with every intention of becoming an English teacher. After two years of education and English courses, I realized that education is not for me, but English is. I set out to complete my English degree, but with the looming question: What can I do with an English major?

Dr. Linda Joyce Brown was my academic advisor at the time, and she provided some much-needed insight. She explained that education majors have a clear career path to become teachers. While there is not a clear path for English majors, there are career opportunities; I just need to be creative.

With this advice in mind, I set out to gain experience through internships, work study, and volunteer service to determine my career path. Most notably, I worked in social media, sales, tutoring, and finally grant writing. In grant writing, I found that my love for philanthropy and my love for writing could coexist as a career. I interned with Ashland University’s Grants and Foundation Relations Office for a year, and when I graduated, they hired me.

Grant writing is form of technical writing used to fundraise for nonprofits. As a grant writer, I work with dedicated faculty to write grant proposals that fund Ashland’s unique, academic programs. Through my position, I have become familiar with many of the programs at Ashland, and I even work with faculty in the Department of Languages and Literatures.

In addition to writing grant proposals, I train interns in grant writing, which is one of the most rewarding aspects of my position. I enjoy supporting students as they learn and grow as technical writers throughout their internship. I guess I became an educator after all.

From my undergraduate coursework, the Advanced Composition course, taught by Dr. Brown, and the English Grammar & Usage course, taught by Dr. Donatini, best prepared me for a career in technical writing. These courses focused on the specifics of grammar and rhetoric, which I use to craft compelling and concise grant proposals. While these two courses stand out due to their content relative to my career path, all of my English courses and professors had a positive impact on my writing ability. I would specifically like to thank Dr. Waterman and Dr. Weaver who taught most of my English courses. I am so grateful to the faculty who pushed me to be a better writer and expand my critical thinking skills.

Integrated Language Arts Alumna Selected for Write Out Event

Amy (Lesniak) Hirzel 

Amy (Lesniak) Hirzel, class of 2009, was one of fourteen educators chosen to create curriculum for Write Out, a free two-week writing event running October 10th-October 24th, organized through a partnership of the National Writing Project and the National Park Service. The Write Out curriculum is a series of online activities and instructional videos focused on finding inspiration in national parks and other public spaces through place-based writing. 

Hirzel’s lesson, “Contrasting Worlds,” explores the intersection between the human and natural world through poetry. Over the summer, Amy filmed her video in Northeast Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley National Park and was inspired by the park’s story of the rise of urban industrialism and then ultimately the crumbling of those rust-belt industries. In her video she encourages students, educators, and the public to “recognize the rich umber of autumn leaves in rusting smokestacks, the flash of bronze of the common carp in the swinging train bell, the cicada hum in the cadence of your Doc Martens.” 

As an Integrated Language Arts student at Ashland University, she refined her love of poetry and teaching. Whether staying up late in a computer lab writing poetry for Dr. Fleming’s workshop or reading student submissions to Passages Literary Magazine, Amy knew that she always wanted poetry to be a part of her life, and eventually her classroom. After graduation, Amy has taught high school students the importance of the written word for the last thirteen years. 

Hirzel has worked her entire teaching career to elevate students’ voices and create opportunities for all her students to express themselves through creative writing. She is ecstatic to have her ideas and lessons on a national stage to help even more students fall in love with the poetry of nature. For the last eight years at Holy Name High School, Amy has given countless opportunities to her students to express themselves in her classes, but has also been a co-moderator for the NCTE REALM Award-Winning Splash Magazine of the Arts as well as created the new Next Wave Poetry Contest for local Catholic elementary students. 

In addition to working with her own students, since 2017, Hirzel has been a consultant for the National Writing Project at Kent State University, an organization focused on teaching teachers how to teach writing. Through her work on their Teacher Consultant Council, Amy has helped showcase students across Ohio through her K-12 Write Where You Are Poetry Contest open to all Ohio students, and she has helped area teachers incorporate more poetry into their classrooms through presenting at the Write Where You Are conference this past summer. 

Let Amy’s lesson and materials inspire you this October or anytime you find yourself inspired by the nature around you by viewing her video “Contrasting Worlds” at https://writeout.nwp.org/2021-inspirations/. 

Links: Write Out Inspirations: https://writeout.nwp.org/2021-inspirations/ 

Handle: @thewordyteacher Hashtag: #writeout 

Write Where You Are Poetry Contest: http://www.nwp-ksu.org/for-students.html 

Editor of Teacher Teaching Teachers Blog: http://www.nwp-ksu.org/blog 

Splash Magazine of the Arts: https://holynamehs.com/splash 

Next Wave Literary Contest: https://holynamehs.com/nextwave 

Contact Information: https://forms.gle/Y7abKbWqMaYgXRtw9

MFA Interns Share Their Summer Residency Experiences

Over the summer, seniors Ty Young and Madeline Worcester worked as interns for the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing residency that took place online. They share their stories below. 

Ty Young

Over the summer working in the MFA program was a great experience not only for my career path but also as a reader in general. Being exposed to such greatness as an undergrad allowed me to be open to joining a low res program and receive a job offer to work in our MFA office this upcoming year.

Throughout the program I was able to work different projects while also attending sessions. Some of my favorite sessions were Viet Thanh Nguyen readings and Kate Hopper’s craft seminar. Listening to Nguyen read after reading one of his books over the previous school year solidified my interest in him as a writer overall. Hearing Hopper talk about the different ways to get to the end of a thesis and turn the small pieces into a book made me feel better about my writing overall. Going to her talk also allowed me to use her different methods to work on my upcoming capstone project.

The MFA internship as a whole is an amazing way to gain new knowledge and insight into the writing world and begin making connections early. It is a great opportunity and more students should attempt to take advantage of it.

Madeline Worcester

I loved serving as an MFA residency intern in both 2020 and 2021, especially as I rose to the full summer intern position this year! It has been a great opportunity to meet renowned authors and to hone my own writing. Additionally, it has given me a glimpse into a joyful, creative, hardworking group of people at all stages of life. When the world went digital due to the coronavirus, those of us on staff worried about successfully facilitating a sense of community for the students. 

Luckily, the MFA program has thrived amidst adversity, and the connections have remained strong beyond any single residency. I never expected to be so moved by nightly readings and brilliant craft talks; moreover, I never anticipated that I would get to read at open mic nights myself and receive feedback on personal pieces. There was a lot of hard work behind the scenes - I can't tell you how many libraries and bookstores I emailed over the course of the summer - but it was never without purpose. I would recommend the MFA internship to anyone, whether the program is online or in person.

The Department of English Has Merged into the Department of Languages and Literatures

Our department social media has a new look to reflect the merger that has taken place with the former Department of Foreign Languages. The Department of Languages and Literatures offers majors in English, Creative Writing, and Integrated Language Arts. Minors offered are English, Creative Writing, and Spanish. Courses in French will continue to be offered as well. Find out more about us by clicking on this link.


The administrative units of the department are the English Area and the Foreign Language Area. The leadership team consists of Dr. Hilary Donatini as Chair, Dr. Richard Gray as Assistant Chair, and Dr. Maura Grady as Director of Composition. Angela Miller is the Administrative Assistant for the department.

Jackson Schultz Wins Snyder Award

 

Jackson Schultz, a spring 2021 graduate from Mansfield, Ohio who majored in creative writing and geology, won the Snyder Award for outstanding work as a senior creative writing major. Named after Richard Snyder, long-time department chair and co-founder of Ashland Poetry Press, the award comes with a cash prize. 

Dr. Kelly Sundberg, Assistant Professor of English and supervisor of Schultz's senior capstone, praised his project: "Jackson Schultz's From the Height of Our Sin, Looking Down is a captivating and experimental view of a future world that has been destroyed by human hubris. Schultz has created a trilogy of science fiction narratives that illustrate various elements of human shortcomings. Overall, the work is extremely well-written and well-conceived."

Congratulations, Jackson!

Faith Edwards Named Valedictorian at Spring 2021 Commencement

Faith Edwards, Integrated Language Arts major from New London, Ohio, has been named as one of four Valedictorians of the 2021 graduating class at Ashland University. 

Edwards shared the following reflection on her time at AU:

The Ashland University English Department's faculty emanate excellence. In every class that I had the honor to take, the professors grounded me in foundational literary pieces, challenged me to marinate in their depths, and mentored me to analyze their impact in our current society. Because of my time in this department, I have grown as a writer, as a teacher, and as an individual. I sincerely thank all of my English professors and peers. It is my absolute honor and joy to use my experiences to teach the next generation at Clear Fork High School beginning this fall.

We are thrilled that Faith earned this honor and grateful that she spent her college years with us. Best wishes and congratulations, Faith!

Edwards with Provost Amiel Jarstfer and President Carlos Campo

Senior Creative Writing Majors Share Capstone Projects

English 415: Capstone in Creative Writing is the final writing workshop in the major. Under the direction of Dr. Kelly Sundberg, the students have completed significant writing projects. They share descriptions of their capstones below. Congratulations to these students for completing their capstones!

Melissa Crisan: "Blackout" is a collection of poetry on abuse, mental health, suicide, and coping with the chaos both outside and within. It is framed around blackout poetry, which involves taking outside documents and covering certain words to turn it into something new. Using old notes, journal entries, and even an old suicide note, this work aims to take the parts of life that people want desperately to hide and find beauty within the pain. Mistakes should never be blacked out, but instead embraced as life's greatest source of empathy.

Noah Gore: When an orphaned girl and her younger brother learn that their mother may still be alive, they set out on a grand adventure to find her. Follow Nora (a thief), Tobias (a wizard-in-training), and their friend Flint (a sorcerer) as they travel throughout the Five-Nations of Dekko in search for what remains of their family.

This screenplay acts as a pilot to the entire series. Each episode’s runtime is roughly the same as a full-length film (80 to 95 minutes).

Kourtney Kisling: “The Shadow, Not the Tree” is a collection of 22 poems that speaks to the poet's very real experience living with major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation. The poems follow the speaker’s journey through pain, loss, heartbreak, the long, winding road to recovery and self growth, and finding happiness.

Erin McElligott: Piper and her parents are moving. They've been wanting to get out of the city, and into a place where it's quiet and secluded. Her father finds a property in northeastern Ohio and snatches it up quickly. On their way to their new home, they come across a black cat with peculiar eyes. The cat is not actually a cat, but an entity sent by Fate herself to prevent Piper from going down the wrong path of fate: becoming a demon. As the entity begins to help Piper, they realize that her case is much like another one. Thirty years ago, they helped Wren, who not only lived in the same town, but also the same house. While recounting Wren's story alongside Piper's, the entity discovers new things they hadn't noticed before. The entity determines that the connections between the two girls are not a coincidence and that something even darker is trying desperately to get Piper to go down the wrong path, and the entity will do everything they can to stop it.

The working title for now is "The Paths of Fate" but it is very likely to change.

Kathleen McKay: "Oh, To Bloom, To Burn" is a narrative poetry collection formatted as if it were an ongoing stage play. The collection tells the story of the narrator reflecting on how they fell in and out of love with two lovers: Her, a childhood friend who could not return their affection in a meaningful way, and Him a toxic rebound they just couldn’t get away from. She was flowers, He was fire, and in the end, they want nothing but to leave them both behind and find themselves again.

Jackson Schultz: I examine God, sin, humanity, and their interactions with one another through the lenses of three characters, all subjected to grievances following a slew of human rights violations. The characters are removed from the Earth they knew, stripped of their identities, and forced to ask themselves what still matters to them. The story progresses in three parts, beginning on a fallen Earth, then on Mercury, colonized in secret, and ending on Mars, where the general populace lives slavishly.

Melan White: My capstone is a cross-genre project that takes a creative approach to examining intersectionality (the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual). By exploring the way in which all parts of my identity overlap and present in different situations, the project has become something of a therapeutic personal narrative about what it means to be a black, queer woman in spaces that aren't comfortable with my identity markers.

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Part Three

The English Department wishes its graduating seniors the best as they apply for jobs and begin the exciting transition to the next chapter of their lives!

Ellie Jensen

I am an Integrated Language Arts major. My favorite memories as a member of the English department major include the Shawshank unit that we did with Dr. Grady, and we acted out as prisoners and guard. I also loved taking on our stylistic analysis this past year and feel well equipped to teach my future students about what a wonderful writer E.B White is. I have enjoyed the variation that I have seen, and the opportunities that we have had to expand our knowledge within multiple platforms. With my exposure to poetry, prose, and short story writing, in addition to my readings within the Victorian, Shakespeare, and American Literature courses, I feel incredibly prepared to take on my next chapter as an educator. I have accepted a position that will push my literary ability even further. I will be teaching English Language Arts 1 and English Language Arts 2 next year to the 9th and 10th graders at Ontario high school. Overall I am incredibly happy with the experience I have had at AU and grateful for the moments that will last me a lifetime.

We congratulate the following graduating seniors who did not submit profiles for these posts, and we wish them well in the years ahead!

Schuyler Berger

Eric Breeden

Faith Edwards

Noah Gore

Kathleen McKay

Jackson Schultz

Melan White

Michael Clark, Madeline Worcester, and Melan White Recognized at AU's Academic Honors Convocation.

On Sunday, April 18, Ashland University held its annual Honors Convocation to recognize outstanding students and faculty. Each year, the department's faculty vote to honor an outstanding sophomore, junior, and senior. The students chosen for this high honor are subsequently recognized at the University-wide Convocation. This year's recipients were as follows:

Outstanding Sophomore: Michael Clark

Outstanding Junior: Madeline Worcester

Outstanding Senior: Melan White

Michael Clark

I am in the Honors program and an Ashbrook scholar. My two majors are English and philosophy, and while these topics may seem mutually exclusive to some people, I believe that they are intimately related. My interest in studying literature stems from the belief that great literary works hold philosophical import, particularly that which speaks to what it means to be human. I am not involved in much on campus outside of my studies, but to these I am committed because they speak to the greater issues of life which are of the most importance to me. The meaning of any success that I have achieved while at Ashland, I believe, reflects the depth of my desire to pursue these greater philosophical questions and, hopefully, represents the successful progress that I have made towards this goal. I am grateful for the faculty that have supported me thus far in this pursuit, and I hope to only discover more with their help in the coming years.

Madeline Worcester

An Integrated Language Arts major, I am the secretary of Astronomy Club and the co-president of Sigma Tau Delta. I am also a member of Anime Club, Alpha Lambda Delta, Ashland University Theatre, and the Honors Program, among other things. I work as the assistant editor for the Honors newsletter, The Bugle; I'm a communication coach for the Ashland Multiliteracy Center; and I've recently been hired for my second summer as an MFA intern! In my limited free time, I love to write, read, draw, play Dungeons & Dragons, and listen to music.

Melan White

I am a Creative Writing major with a minor in English. As far as campus involvement goes, I am the President of Black Student Alliance, I sit on the board for AU IDEAL which focuses on Diversity and Inclusion within athletics, I am a women's lacrosse player, I serve on a general ODI (Office of Diversity and Inclusion) council and I am an English Dept. mentor. Outside of all of that, I like to read, write, and go outdoors.

The department congratulates these students for their exceptional academic performance, including not only their graded work but also their consistent contributions in their classes and in the overall life of the department.

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Part Two

The English 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.

AnnMarie Hill

I am an English Language Arts Education major with minors in Theatre and Spanish, which has given me a unique experience at Ashland University. 

My favorite memories within the English department specifically would have to be any and all of Dr. Donatini’s classes, especially ENG 404: The English Renaissance and ENG 406: 17th-Century English Literature. In these classes, we read plays and lengthy epic poems like Doctor Faustus, Twelfth Night, Paradise Lost, and The Rover, all of which allowed me to exercise my skills in theatre and literature simultaneously. Dr. Donatini created an atmosphere of respect, intellectual discussion, and love of learning that I strive to emulate in my teaching, along with a sense of immense kindness and care.

As I was planning final projects for my students at my teaching internship this semester, I thought back fondly on these courses and remembered the incredibly fun and creative projects that Dr. Donatini assigned, using them as inspiration in my own classroom. In both of my Shakespeare units, my students were given the option to write their own scenes into the play, reimagine it in a modern setting, or put together their own theatrical vision for a hypothetical production, just as I did in ENG 404 and 406. Having an amazing role model like Dr. Donatini has positively influenced my experience Ashland University in so many ways; she consistently encouraged me to learn as a teacher, grow as a writer, and further my love of literature. Her courses have played an indescribable role in making me the person I am and the educator I will be, and it is for this reason that her classes will always be my favorite memories of the Ashland University English Department.

As for my plans after graduation, I am hoping to stay in the Ashland/Mansfield area, work as a high school English teacher, and enroll in graduate school some time in the near future. I look forward to many years of educating and inspiring the next generations of readers, writers, and thinkers!

Skylar Roberts

I am an Integrated Language Arts and English double major with a Creative Writing minor.

In my time at Ashland University, I have met so many people who have shown me why I love what I chose to do, especially in the English department. I was introduced to different types of texts from different authors in different time periods. I was also able to learn and grow with some of the best professors that I could imagine working with, such as Dr. Russell Weaver, Dr. Jayne Waterman, and several others. The skills and passions that I was able to acquire during my time in the Ashland University English department will help me in all of my future endeavors in and outside of the classroom. The people that I have met in this program have even helped influence me to eventually continue my education. For example, Dr. Maura Grady's teaching strategies as well as text selection for her Literature and Gender course made me realize the true passion that I have for female authors.

Because of this and many other influences, after I teach in a high school classroom for a few years, I plan to go back to school to get my master's and doctorate in Women's Literature. I hope to one day teach at a college level.

Brooke Rush

I am an Integrated Language Arts major with a minor in Creative Writing.

One of my favorite memories is spending my Thursday nights in Dr. Waterman’s American Literature classes with my friends. I really liked having the opportunity to sit among those who were just as passionate about the different eras of literature as I was and gain some new friends while doing so. Another fond memory that I have from the English department is getting to read the work of Shakespeare, Chaucer, Marlowe, and so many more in many of my classes. Before these classes, I had hardly been exposed to the variety and depth of English literature and now I can truly say my favorite playwright is Shakespeare. Dr. Weaver and Dr. Donatini come to mind when I think of these writers and how passionate they are about the work of these great people. Overall, I feel as though I learned so much about myself as a writer and a reader and now I can take my experiences from the English department and apply them to my future lesson plans.

At this current time, I plan on finding a teaching position near my hometown.

Graduating Senior Spotlight: Part One

The English 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.

Lance Larrison

I am an Integrated Language Arts major at Ashland University.

I have many fond memories of my time at Ashland University, so allow me to reflect on several of them very briefly. I began at Ashland University as a CCP student when I was a junior in high school, so I only attended Ashland University full-time for two years after high school. I will never forget how appreciated and valued I felt when the Department Chair -- our beloved Dr. Hilary Donatini -- asked to meet with me personally even as a high school student and welcome me into the department. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't pay homage to our most unique Dr. Weaver. Dr. Weaver's recondite teaching methods stunned and appalled me at first; however, I came to know and love his passionate devotion to literature and his easy-going persona. Lastly, I am most grateful for the way the English Department faculty supported me during my junior year of college when I struggled with significant health disorders. Specifically, Dr. Grady, Dr. Waterman, and Dr. Weaver allowed me extra time on my assignments and worked diligently with me to get me caught up. Through this experience, I realized that in this department, the "Accent is on U!"

I plan to teach AYA Language Arts after graduating from college. While at Ashland, I also attained my ministerial credentials through the Assemblies of God. This allowed me to be employed as the youth pastor at my church about 2 years ago. Between my blossoming careers in youth ministry and teaching young adults, I am looking forward to jumping right into doing what I am most passionate about: investing, influencing, and inspiring young lives for years to come!

Thank you to all of you who have been a part of my Ashland University experience. Best wishes to my fellow seniors, and may God bless you all!

Erin McElligott

I am a Creative Writing and English double major, with a minor in Psychology. I've had a lot of fun times in all of my English classes, from the large literature classes to the smaller workshops. They've all definitely helped me to grow my discussion skills. It was a rewarding but nerve racking process whenever I had to turn in a piece for workshop. I've been able to meet many incredible people. I'm not entirely sure what I want to do specifically after graduation, but some of my possible paths include grant writing, publishing, or possibly even getting a Masters in Library Science. I also hope to possibly get a novel or two published at some point.

Shelby Stoltz

I am an Integrated Language Arts Major.

Some of my favorite memories from my time in the English Department are the class discussions from our literature courses and the meaningful experiences that those discussions fostered. There was a group of us that took nearly all the same literature courses together, creating a sort of learning community that provided a familiarity to class discussions and developed a significant sense of community within the department. I distinctly recall our "Emersonian eyeball" discussions in Dr. Waterman's American Lit courses! I also fondly remember Dr. Saslaw's Shakespeare course and learning so much from her wealth of knowledge and the way she addressed such a wide breadth of modern connections, critical study, and metaphysical inquiries of the texts.

My future plans are to secure a position in a local district teaching ELA in grades 7-12.

Alumna Shares Story of Lifelong Impact of Ashland English Degree

Valerie Vanderlip, who graduated from A.U. in 1983 with a B.A. in English, shares her story of a lifelong love of writing and her current pursuit of an MFA.

Allowing Myself to Write

I wanted to write as a child. I wanted to learn words, descriptive words, intriguing words, select words. I wanted to read those words aloud with feeling. Mostly I wanted to write. But I wore blinders from an early age that showed me one way of being, the way demonstrated by my grandmother and mother. That meant going to school and marrying, having children and putting all my energy and gifts into raising them.

Thankfully, they encouraged education. If something should happen to my husband, I might need to work to support my children. My aunts worked when their husbands could not support them, one as a kindergarten teacher, the other a nurse. While I respected what they did, I did not feel drawn to their work. They were not fulfilling a calling they were keeping their family going.

My mother thought an executive secretary’s job was ideal. My father’s office was the only one I was familiar with and it ran on cigarettes and stale black coffee. That’s what its putrid scent told me. However, there was a supply closet stacked with legal pads and pencils. The aroma of a fresh pad of paper held some attraction.

Wanting to write as a teen, I signed up for the yearbook and high school literary magazine. Encouraged by recognition I continued. Yet no one ever suggested I become a writer. I’d never heard of any teacher suggesting writing as a profession. Just as no one suggests becoming an artist of any type. It’s too risky, better to play it safe in some dependable career.

Even so the bravado of youth prevailed, and I declared my English major in college. I read and wrote and did well but never saw myself as a writer. I was some kind of wannabe groupie of the literary scene. Not really a part, just a fan, having worked in a bookstore and an audio book recording studio. Three years after my graduation from Ashland I asked for a recommendation to grad school for Library Science. After one semester in, “culling the collection,” I dropped that plan.

Caring for my children led to the field of lactation consulting that claimed me for many years. Collecting a history, I learned a person’s story. A single person metamorphosed into a parent before me. I was steeped in the sensory, thematic details of human life.

Now nearing sixty, I have given myself permission to write. Thanks to the structure of a Master of Fine Arts program, I have built a daily practice of writing that is healing and wholesome. A note on my desk reads, “I am breaking with old patterns and moving forward with my life.” Writing feels like play, time disappears and I rewrite toward something beautiful on the horizon. Writing has always called me, I only needed to let the blinders fall away. I was the one that held them in place all along.

Dr. Deborah Fleming Publishes Third Book of Poetry

Deborah Fleming's third book of poetry, Earthrise, a collection with an environmental theme, has been published by Kelsay Books of American Fork, Utah. The manuscript was a finalist in four national contests and semifinalist in three.  https://kelsaybooks.com/products/earthrise

Congratulations, Dr. Fleming!

Virtual Reading Scheduled: Carmen Maria Machado

Carmen Maria Machado

Please join us for a virtual reading on Thursday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m. on the Ashland University English Department Facebook Page.

Carmen Maria Machado is the author of the bestselling memoir In the Dream House and the award-winning short story collection Her Body and Other Parties. She has been a finalist for the National Book Award and the winner of the Bard Fiction Prize, the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Nonfiction, the Brooklyn Public Library Literature Prize, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Prize. In 2018, the New York Times listed Her Body and Other Parties as a member of "The New Vanguard," one of "15 remarkable books by women that are shaping the way we read and write fiction in the 21st century."

Her essays, fiction, and criticism have appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Granta, Vogue, This American Life, Harper’s Bazaar, Tin House, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, The Believer, Guernica, Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, Best American Nonrequired Reading, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has been awarded fellowships and residencies from the Guggenheim Foundation, Yaddo, Hedgebrook, and the Millay Colony for the Arts. She lives in Philadelphia and is the Abrams Artist-in-Residence at the University of Pennsylvania.

https://carmenmariamachado.com/