The Words: November 2021
Professor Penelope Geng’s Highly Anticipated Book Launch a Success
Dalton Greene ’22
On October 8, the English department community came together for the first in-person faculty book launch in over a year. The book being celebrated, Professor Penelope Geng’s Communal Justice in Shakespeare’s England: Drama, Law, Emotion, was published in April 2021, but the official launch was postponed until this fall, so that attendees could physically gather for the occasion. As such, many in the audience had been eagerly anticipating the event for some time, and between the excitement of hearing about Professor Geng’s important work, the joy of seeing familiar faces again, and the wonders of the ever-popular book cover cookies, their hopes were not disappointed. Click here to read more about the event…
Faculty Profile: Professor Aurora Masum-Javed
Zoë Roos Scheuerman ’24
Professor Aurora Masum-Javed (she/her) is one of the English department’s new visiting faculty members this year, and she has quickly become a familiar, friendly face around the department. This month, The Words reached out to Aurora with some questions, which she very kindly answered, so that the English community could learn a bit more about her. Click here to read more about Aurora…
Twin Cities BookFest Returns in Person
Chloë Moore ’24
On Saturday, October 16th, writers, readers, and editors from the Twin Cities and beyond gathered in the Progress Center of the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for a day of literature and love. I had the pleasure of going, along with a friend, Maddie Wayne ’24 (who, incidentally, I met in Introduction to Creative Writing with Professor Emma Törzs). Of the event, Maddie said, “It was so exciting to be around so many people who love to read and love books. The energy was great and everybody was clearly just happy to be there.” Click here to read more about the BookFest…
Catching up with Professors English and Kaston Tange!
Kira Schukar ’22
With several English professors taking a break from teaching and working off-campus this semester, the editors at The Words decided to catch up with two of our beloved faculty members. We reached out to Professors Daylanne English and Andrea Kaston Tange—both on sabbatical for the 2021-2022 academic year—to hear more about their personal projects, time spent at home, and reflections on life outside of the classroom. Click here to read more about Professors English and Kaston Tange’s sabbaticals…
Michael Prior’s Inauguration Poem
Patrick Coy-Bjork ’23
English Professor Michael Prior was recently invited to come back to St. Paul to compose and share a poem at President Suzanne Rivera’s inauguration on October 9th. As Michael said when he introduced the work, the poem is meant to commemorate and celebrate the event, as well as remind the Macalester community “to look after one another,” as advised by his grandfather. Click here to read the poem…
Welcome to Professor Bognanni’s English Department!
Chloë Moore ’24
This year, with Professor Andrea Kaston Tange on a well-deserved sabbatical, Professor Peter Bognanni has assumed the position of the English Department Chair. I talked to Prof. Bognanni about the role, its impacts on him, and his hopes for the department this year. Click here to read the interview…
Humans of Old Main: Fall Collection
Patrick Coy-Bjork ’22
This year, the English department’s social media team has been going around Old Main every day to take pictures of people and happenings around the building. We’ve been posting these photos to Instagram and have called this series “Humans of Old Main,” after Brandon Stanton’s famous “Humans of New York.” We’ve assembled a collection of some of our favorite Humans of Old Mains posts so far, just for your viewing pleasure. Click here to see the images…
Wordplay with Roon Mahboub
Alice Asch ’22
This month at The Words, we’re excited to feature the work of Roon Mahboub ‘22! Roon (she/her), is a Chemistry Major and English Minor from Wilmar, MN. She says that her journey as a creative writer began in her seventh grade science class, when—bored of learning about photosynthesis—she decided to write a poem about leaves. Roon specializes in “melodramas with comedic flairs.” Her writing often explores her own culture, and she enjoys poking fun at societal norms. “The concept of death also fascinates me, and I always like to include the way people deal with loss of human life,” she told us. She’s inspired mainly by “narratives of those around me, and dreams.” Click here to read Roon’s work…