The Words: December 2021
Parting Words
Dalton Greene ’22
One of the more unusual college rituals is the self-identification by graduation year that we all tacitly participate in. I think that every time I’ve seen my name in writing since my first semester at Macalester, there’s been a “‘22” tacked onto the end. By now, it feels like a natural addition to my name, and I would probably respond to “Dalton-Greene-22” just as readily as I would “Dalton.” But I’m realizing lately how strange it really is. If my liberal arts education has taught me anything, it’s that there’s probably a scathing critique of capitalism to be made here (perhaps something about the quantification of the self, or the bleakness of advertising the year we will finally be graduated and ready for employers to exploit our labor), but I call it strange for another reason. It’s strange to me because the constant stream of ‘22s that I’ve gotten used to has left me entirely unprepared for the fact that my last semester at Mac is actually now, in ‘21. Read more of Dalton’s parting words here…
EHS Welcomes New Members at Fall Induction Dinner
Kira Schukar ’22
The five EHS officers—Dalton Greene ‘22, Shelby Kruger ‘22, Kira Schukar ‘22, Gabby Helf ‘23, and Ella Rehman ‘23—welcomed newly inducted members to the English Honor Society at the Fall Induction Dinner on November 11th. Read more about the Induction Dinner here…
Professor Dawes Among Macalester Delegation to UN COP26 Conference
Chloë Moore ’24
Last month, Macalester College sent a delegation of seven faculty and staff to COP 26 (Conference of Parties) conference in Glasgow, Scotland. COP 26 is the annual global climate summit organized by the United Nations, and brings together almost all the world’s countries with the goal of addressing climate change. The Macalester delegation included Environmental Studies Professors Phadke, Bradtmiller, Chatterjee, Zis, and Rogers, as well as Dean Trueblood, and the English Department’s very own Professor James Dawes, who spoke with The Words about his experiences. Read more about Professor Dawes and COP 26 here…
English and WGSS Collaborations
Alice Asch ’22
Last spring, Jeanette Hughes, the previous coordinator of Macalester’s WGSS (Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) department, retired from her position. Jan Beebe, who has served as the English department coordinator for the past ten years, gladly took over Jeanette’s role, and now coordinates both departments! Click here to read more about the collaborations between English and WGSS…
English Department Alumni Share Recently Published Poetry
Zoë Roos Scheuerman ’24
On Thursday, November 18th, Miriam Moore-Keish ‘19 and Bethany Catlin ‘19 returned to Macalester to read from and discuss their recently published poetry collections, Cherokee Rose and Theme & Variations: Poems in Four Movements. The poems were beautiful, balancing humor with difficult themes that were communicated with simple language. The works were both thought-provoking and easy to read for pleasure. The poets’ obvious friendship also made the event memorable, punctuating readings and the discussion with easy camaraderie and light banter. Learn more about the poetry reading here…
Collection of Fall Semester’s Social Media Posts
Patrick Coy-Bjork ’23
As we approach the end of the first semester, the social media team wanted to present a gallery of some of our favorite Instagram posts from this past fall. Enjoy the gallery here…
Lily in Prague
Alice Asch ’22
Lily Duquette (she/her), a senior with an English Lit major and a Psychology minor, has spent this semester abroad in Prague! She was kind enough to write to us about all her amazing experiences. Read Lily’s letter here…
Wordplay with Gabriel Fisch
Kira Schukar ’22
This month, the editors at The Words welcome Gabriel Fisch to Wordplay!
“Hi, I’m Gabriel Fisch (he/him) and I’m an English and Biology double major at Mac. In my poetry I like to think about family, religion, and the natural world. This particular poem was inspired by a steel art sale I visited last spring. In my free time I enjoy movement and spending time with those I love.”