The Words: March 2025
Formerly Known as the English Department
At the beginning of the semester, all majors and minors received an email announcing that the English department would be rebranded as the The English and Creative Writing department. This change also merged the creative writing and literature tracks. We wanted to check in with Matt Burgess, the department chair, to get his perspective of the name change and what that means for the department’s future.
Words in the Wild: English and Creative Writing Majors Taking on Theater
The Words took some time to talk with Lucy McNees ’25 (she/they) and Peyton Williamson ’27 (she/her), both English and Creative Writing majors and both having worked on the “Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really” production this spring semester. McNees was the dramaturg and Williamson was the stage manager. We were super excited to hear about their experience working on a theatre production that flipped the script on Bram Stoker’s literary classic Dracula.
Barbarians with wooly underpants meet thought-provoking metaphors in a Literary Salon with Ben Percy
Author of seven novels and acclaimed nonfiction and comic writer Ben Percy visited the English department for a conversation with Professor Emma Törzs ’09 for our Literary Salon on Wednesday, March 12. In their discussion, Törz and Percy delved into a variety of literary topics, including the tricky relationship between genre and the publishing industry, plot outlining and planning, and strategies for creating the vivid images that seem to come to life in Percy’s novels.
The Words Checks In with Zoe Scheuerman ’24
Triple major in English, International Studies, and German at Mac and previous The Words Senior Newsletter Editor, Zoë Scheuerman graduated last year and has, literally and figuratively, crossed mountains and seas since stepping off campus. The Words sent a series of questions over to her in Innsbruck, Austria to check in with her postgrad excursions.
Unveiling History and Craft: A Conversation with David Perry on Writing, Identity, and the Publishing World
On a chilly March afternoon, Professor Coral Lumbley sat down with David M. Perry, a distinguished journalist, author, and medieval historian, to discuss the intersections of history, writing, and the complexities of the publishing world in another of the English department’s fabulous Literary Salons. Perry’s work spans an array of topics, from the history of medieval times to the modern-day struggles of masculinity, disability, and identity. His journey into the world of writing, as well as his perspectives on the craft itself, provided some valuable insights for many of the budding writers and scholars in the audience.
Bookstores of the Twin Cities: Moon Palace, Boneshaker, and Open Book
Welcome back to Bookstores with Birdie! For this issue, I expanded my bookstore adventures from Saint Paul to Minneapolis. Read on to experience the magic of books, stickers, zines, and stuffed animals that I discovered waiting for me there.
Professor Andrea Kaston Tange’s Musings on Middlemarch Madness
For those of you who did not know, Professor Andrea Kaston Tange not only teaches and studies Victorian literature, but she also organizes the English department’s literary tournament challenge: Middlemarch Madness.
Professors Andrea Kaston Tange and Rachel Gold Share Writely Wisdom at Lit Salon
Over the past couple years in the English department, we have hosted a few Literary Salons each semester. At these events, we invite an author or poet or anyone doing anything amazing in the literary community to come chat with us.
Faculty Favorites: Bookstores!
My recent exploits have bookstores on the brain. As such, I asked professors what their favorite bookstores in the world are! I had an absolute blast being on the email chain as professors responded and fed off of each others’ responses with agreement and enthusiasm.
Student/Faculty Accolades
Read the monthly roundup of student/faculty accolades here.