Senior Creative Writing Majors Give Reading; Yeaste Wins Snyder Award

 

Dr. Charles Carlise, Tia Shanklin, Sarah Yeaste, Kayti Bowles, and Dr. Kelly Sundberg

On Tuesday, April 25, the senior creative writing majors shared portions of their capstone projects at a public reading. Kayti Bowles's project, The Exquisite Corpse, is a chronological, confessional book of poetry that navigates the ups and downs of life into adulthood. The final section is a personal address to her children through poems regarding the conditions of womanhood, the pitfalls of their bloodline, and more. Tia Shanklin's The Holders is a fantasy/adventure novel that will become a five-book series. It is a series full of magic, adventure, revenge, and an underlying message of inclusivity and breaking free from labels. Sarah Yeaste's The Phantom and the Monster is a young adult dystopian/fantasy novel that explores the question of whether there is such a thing as good or evil.

Sarah Yeaste, pictured above with Dr. Kelly Sundberg, was honored with the Richard Snyder Award for outstanding senior creative writing major. The award comes with a cash prize. Congratulations to Sarah for this award and to Kayti and Tia for completing their capstone projects! 

Outstanding Students Recognized at Honors Convocation

 Reagan Morse, Jillian Beun, and Hannah Coon

Three students from the Department of Languages and Literatures—all Integrated Languages Arts majors—were recognized at the AU Honors Convocation on Sunday, April 23. Jillian Beun was chosen by department faculty as the Outstanding Sophomore, Hannah Coon as Outstanding Junior, and Reagan Morse as Outstanding Senior. We are proud of their achievements and grateful for their contributions to our department community. 

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.

Dr. Weaver’s Russian Novel course was one of those classes for me. I found myself in a world of the great Russian thinkers, reading Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, and Tostoy's War and Peace. This class opened my eyes to the depths of the human soul and made me think about things such as what it means to have faith as well as to suffer and to love. I was so impacted by these novels and Dr. Weaver's way of teaching, I chose to study The Brothers Karamazov for my thesis and explore the dichotomy of the head and the heart within one of the characters, Ivan Karamazov. It has been a joy and a massive growing journey working with Dr. Weaver on this project and I will carry the experience with me long after my time at AU.

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

Tia Shanklin

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.

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. 

Reagan Morse

I have greatly enjoyed my time in the Department of Languages and Literatures, and after reflecting, there are so many positive memories that come to mind. The courses I took throughout my time in the department are definitely up there in my favorites for a variety of different reasons. One of my first exciting experiences was during my sophomore year taking Dr. Mondal’s African American Lit and Global Lit courses. It was during these classes when I truly felt like I had found my niche in writing literary criticism. As we read The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri and The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, I began to truly feel like a writer. I tackled challenging and unique ideas in my essays and remember feeling genuinely proud of myself. This was just the beginning of my career in the department.

As I continued my journey through the department, the sense of pride in my work only grew. I remember feeling such accomplishment in my success in quite difficult classes like Dr. Donatini’s English Grammar and Usage and 17th-Century Literature. English Grammar and Usage felt more like math than English at times, and even though it was in English, I felt like I needed to translate 17th-Century Lit before doing any actual analysis most of the time. I also always loved and appreciated Dr. Waterman’s way of encouraging us to embrace the complexity and confusion of classic American texts like Slaughter-House Five. I have thoroughly enjoyed the way the Department of Languages and Literatures constantly challenged me. 

After graduation, I plan to continue the job search for a position teaching English in a middle or high school classroom in the Columbus area. I am currently student teaching in a middle school ELA classroom in Westerville, OH, and I love it! However, I do really miss being on campus enjoying the beautiful spring weather, and I certainly miss being in Bixler Hall every day. 

Sarah Yeaste

I’ve always known that literature had the key to my heart, but it was never fully unlocked until I joined Ashland’s English and Creative majors. I have made many lifelong friends and connections I will cherish forever. It didn’t feel like simply getting an education, it felt like you were part of a community where professors and students cared about your personal growth and development. It is sometimes hard to foster a community built on genuine kindness and wanting everyone to succeed, but the Department of Languages and Literatures pulled that off. The English professors I’ve had the privilege of working with over the years took me under their wings and helped me to create the person I am today. I’d like to thank all of them for how much they have impacted who I am and my life in general. 

The English program brought me into diverse sets of literature from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen to Hunger by Roxane Gay to Life of Pi by Yann Martel. The pure variety and diversity of the texts we engaged with helped me to really blossom not only as a reader but also as a writer. I was able to study different writing styles in-depth while also branching out from my normal go-to reads. I learned that I really enjoy writing fiction through Dr. Sundberg and the workshop courses I have taken with her. I learned that I love analyzing difficult texts and looking for the “text’s view” from Dr. Weaver. I learned that literature can be anything we want it to be, and that is what inspires me to this day. 

I have had so many opportunities to gain valuable work experience through the department such as working for the Black Fork Review, an online publication, working as a Senior Communication Coach at the Writing and Communication Center, and working as an intern for the Ashland Poetry Press. I’ve learned that writing and literature are the things that keep me going, and I’m so thankful that Ashland gave me the opportunity to take root in that and bloom.