The Words: March 2024
Grad School Grads Share Words of Wisdom!
by Zoë Roos Scheuerman ’24
On Wednesday, February 28th, the English department (virtually) welcomed four alumni to share their graduate school journeys and tips. Professors Coral Lumbley and Peter Bognanni moderated the panel, and they shared a few prepared questions before opening the floor up to an informal Q and A. Read about these grad students’ experiences and advice here!
First Literary Salon of the Semester *Draws* a Great Crowd
by Chloë Moore ’24
To kick off this semester’s series of Literary Salons, the English Department welcomed award-winning writer, artist, and graphic novelist Trung Le Nguyen on February 21st. Invited and introduced by Professor Michael Prior, Nguyen is the author and illustrator of the graphic novel The Magic Fish. Trung spoke to us about his personal journey to becoming an artist, the role that his family history played in the narrative of The Magic Fish, and also shared insights into the publishing world from the perspective of a graphic novelist. Find out more about Trung Le Nguyen and his literary salon here!
Uncommon Bodies Symposium Hosted at Macalester
by Patrick Coy-Bjork
This past month, I had the pleasure of attending the second day of the Uncommon Bodies Symposium, which was hosted on Macalester’s campus. This event was organized by UMN Professor Jennifer E. Row along with our very own Professor Penelope Geng! This symposium featured leading scholars of the early modern period from all across the country. These highly-celebrated educators led talks concerning the intersectionality of race and disability in the context of the premodern era. Read more about the symposium here!
Writing Club Revival
by Ahlaam Abdulwali ‘25
After the pandemic, the Writing Club made its debut on the Macalester campus during the Fall 2021 semester. Former Writing Club leaders designed the club to provide a space for members to write and workshop their creative work outside of academic spaces. However, after the founder graduated, the Writing Club was an inactive club on campus. This semester, first year Paul Wallace started efforts to revive the Writing Club. Learn more about the newly revitalized writing club and find out how you can join!
Internship at Thames & Hudson
by Carling McQuinn ’25
For this month’s edition of The Words, we reached out to Carling McQuinn ’25 about her experience as a summer intern for the publisher Thames and Hudson. Read her thoughts about the position here!
From the Mac Weekly: How Dave Zirin ’96 Created his Niche: Political Sports Journalism
by Daniel Graham ’26
In his 28 years since graduating Macalester, Dave Zirin ’96 has become the first-ever sports editor for the political news magazine The Nation, produced multiple feature-length documentaries and co-written books with Olympic athlete and civil rights activist John Carlos and NFL Pro-Bowler Michael Bennett. Learn more about Zirin in this article first published in the Mac Weekly!
Catching up with MacSlams
by Chloë Moore ’24
The Words recently sat down with Adrien Wright ’25 of MacSlams, our campus slam poetry group, to catch up on the last semester and learn what’s in store for the rest of spring. Read this Q & A here!
Craft Corner: Billie Brand ‘25
by Birdie Keller
Billie Brand (they/them) is a Minneapolis-based ceramic artist and writer. They create projects exploring themes of foundation, rest, and comfort. They use an experimental approach to a wide range of forms and are interested in the intersections between ceramics, creative writing, and performance. They like to create interactive pieces that are meant to be held and touched. Learn about Billie’s beautiful artwork here!
Student/Faculty Accolades
by Chloë Moore ’24
Read the monthly roundup of student and faculty achievements here…