The Words: February 2025
The Trials and Tribulations of Writing Submissions: A Chat with Professor Emma Törzs and Professor Ben Voigt
It is March 6th, and if you’ve been regularly scanning the English department emails, you’ll know that today is your final day to submit to the department’s three esteemed writing contests. Today, writers, the arduous two-month waiting period commences. Rather than fret over your submissions, The Words is here to offer solace in the wisdom of Professor Emma Törzs ’09 and Professor Ben Voigt ’10, two of the department’s very own contest winners and talented authors.
English Events: Looking back and looking forward
Hello everyone! We are already almost halfway through our semester, but the English Department still has many exciting events for you to look forward to. For your convenience, we have assembled all the events with short descriptions for each of them in this article so that you can put them in your calendar!
Internship Tips for English Majors
Looking for internship opportunities can be daunting. Should you apply for a fall, spring or summer internship? Are you willing to do an unpaid one and get course credit for it? Or would you rather it be paid? These are just some of the many questions English majors ask themselves as they look for an internship to dedicate their time to.
Writing home with Professor Michael Prior, a mid-sabbatical check-in
This academic year, Professor Michael Prior will be on sabbatical from the English Department after receiving tenure! The Words reached out to talk with Professor Prior about his projects and ponderings so far. Read on to keep posted about the new poetry collection Professor Prior is working on, his time in New England for the Amy Clampitt Residency, and more exciting updates.
Alumni Advice: Recount of Coffee House Panel
For the coffee house on Feb. 19, we had Macalester English alumni stop by (over zoom) to share what their lives have been like post-Mac. This panel, moderated by Professor Andrea Kaston Tange and Marcos Cruz from Career Exploration, had four wonderful alumni: Ava Bindas ‘17, Chloë Moore ‘24, Charley Eatchel ‘23, and Danielle Freshwaters ‘22.
Minnesota in wintertime: Art Shanty Projects
Every year, as temperatures drop from cold to frigid to Ice-Age-inducing, Minnesotans get creative. When the land of 10,000 lakes turns into the land of 10,000 ice skating rinks, winter fanatics go out to the middle of one of them and set up shop.
Bookstores of Saint Paul: Midway, Black Garnet, Next Chapter
The Twin Cities is a great place for book lovers. You can find small, independent bookstores everywhere, each with their own unique vibe, curating a selection of literature just for you, dear reader! In my time at Macalester, I have not visited even a fraction of the bookstores here. So, this month, I visited a bunch of bookstores (along with my roommate Audrey, another intrepid book fiend). My hope is that this will inspire readers to visit some of these amazing bookstores, whether to browse, buy, or enjoy being surrounded by books.
The English Department in Athletics: Sports Information
If you’ve spent any time on the Macalester College Athletics website, you will have seen the almost-daily articles that the department posts. All these articles are credited to the ambiguously titled “Macalester Athletic Staff.” That title could apply to any number of people, but sometimes, that person is me.
From The Mac Weekly: Literary Publishing unveils their third anthology
The Fall 2024 Literary Publishing class celebrated the release of “The Orchard,” the course’s third anthology at the English department coffee house on Feb. 5, highlighting the power of real-world learning applications within the humanities field and celebrating the creative skills of the class’s contributors and editors. English professor Steve Woodward, who has taught the class since 2019, reflected on the experience of watching his students’ vision come to life.
Words in the Wild: Gavia Boyden ’26
For this edition of Craft Corner, The Words took a new turn with Words in the Wild, where we’ll be featuring English students doing cool work outside of the English department and Macalester. This time we sat down with Gavia Boyden ’26, who has found a unique way to share her poetry with the world: Instagram. What started as a personal project has become a platform for her to connect with other poets and readers, all while staying true to her artistic vision.
Student/Faculty Accolades
Read the monthly roundup of student/faculty accolades here.