The Words, March 2020
Apps & Alums Appreciation
Amy Vandervelde ’21
We here at The Words would like to thank all of the English department alums, faculty, and students who were able to join us for a wonderful evening on Tuesday, March 3 for the sixth annual Apps & Alums event. The experience was especially rewarding, as English Honor Society (EHS) Officers, Julia Joy ’20, Eric Fong ’21, Nora Stewart ’21, and myself have been planning this event since November. Read more about Amy’s Apps & Alums preparation…
Introducing Patrick Coy-Bjork, Social Media Master
Patrick Coy-Bjork ’23
The Words is proud to introduce our new Social Media Strategist Patrick Coy-Bjork ’23. Patrick joined the English Department’s team of student workers last fall as an office assistant. Over the course of the fall semester, former Social Media Strategist Malcolm Cooke ’21 showed Patrick the ins and outs of the department’s Facebook and Instagram profiles. Malcolm has since departed for his study away program in Germany and Austria, but he will return as a Newsletter Editor next fall. Patrick, however, is ready to ascend the social media throne full-time, so get ready for some lovely new content!
Visiting Professors “Spring” Into Action This Semester
Dalton Greene ’22
The English Department is excited to welcome five new Visiting Professors for the Spring 2020 semester: Annie Baxter, Curtis Gilbert, Rachel Gold, Elisabeth Alderks, and Zoë Rodine. We at The Words had an opportunity to sit down with three of them, and we wanted to take a moment to introduce them to the larger community! Hear more about the exciting new hires…
Burning Province Sets Literary World Aflame: An Interview with Professor Michael Prior
Sophie Hilker ’20
Exciting news for poetry fans: Professor Michael Prior’s new book, Burning Province, will be published on March 24 by McClelland & Stewart, an imprint of Penguin Random House. This will be Prior’s second book of poetry, after his first full-length collection, Model Disciple. Inspired by the record-breaking 2015 and 2017 wildfires of British Columbia and his grandparents’ experiences of Japanese-Canadian internment, Burning Province deals with themes of intergenerational memory, geographical and psychological landscapes, love, grief, and mixed-race identity. The collection has been praised by the likes of Sally Wen Mao, Ishion Hutchinson, and Alice Fulton and drawn comparisons to the work of esteemed philosopher Simon Weil. Eager to hear more from the poet himself, The Words caught up with Professor Prior to talk poetry, the writing process, and symbolism. Read more about Prior’s new book…
Alum Spotlight: An Interview with Ariel Estrella ’15
Ash Ma ’21
Last semester, on Nov. 22, 2019, Mac English alum Ariel Estrella ’15 (they/them/theirs) joined the English department for a talk in the 4th-floor lounge of Old Main. They are currently enrolled in Cornell University’s English MA/Ph.D program, so they have a substantial amount of experience in applying to grad school and humanities jobs. Their words were full of support and love, which helped students of color to bravely think about post-graduate possibilities in academia. I was inspired by their encouragement, so I followed up with Ariel via email interview to further learn from their stories. Their reply offered earnest guidance to us undergraduate students. Read more about Estrella…
Uncommon Bodies Brings Innovative Scholarship to Campus
Laura Berglund ’20
February marked the new year’s first session of Uncommon Bodies: Research in Early Modern Literature and Culture. This series of research workshops, led by Macalester English Professor Penelope Geng and University of Minnesota French and Italian Professor Jennifer Row, explores conceptualizations of the human body via historical texts and contemporary lenses. Read more about the event…
Words in Action
Harrison Runnels’20
Graduating in May, applying for jobs, and wondering how I would be able to use my English and Computer Science Majors together was taking up a good amount of my time. Luckily for me it wasn’t long before a solution fell into my lap. I was interviewing for a software development position in the Twin Cities. I made it to the final round and it turns out that the interviewer, a manager of a software team, has a degree in English Literature. His wife is a Creative Writing professor. For the majority of the interview he didn’t ask me any Computer Science questions, but instead asked what kind of stories I like to write, how creative writing and coding are so alike, and how studying English helped me be more organized, creative, and focused. It was the most enjoyable interview I’ve had yet.
And I got the job, too. Read more about the Mac English/STEM experience…
Wordplay!
Sophie Hilker ’20
The Words is proud to present the work of Jackson Ullmann ‘20 for the first installment of Wordplay 2020. Jackson is a senior English Literature major and Classical Languages minor with a burgeoning interest in accounting. Born outside of Saint Louis MO, he gladly makes the seven-to-nine hour drive up to Macalester to pursue a cooler climate. As a literature major, Jackson has taken only one Creative Writing class at Macalester but has used that foundation to publish a collaborative anthology on disability titled See Our Truth. When he does read, his favorite authors include Jane Austen, Emily Dickinson, Herman Melville, and Franz Kafka. Read Jackson’s work…
Newsletter Staff
Senior Editors
Laura Berglund ’20
Sophie Hilker ’20
Associate Editors
Harrison Runnels ’20
Malcolm Cooke ’21
Ash Ma ’21
Amy Vandervelde ’21
Dalton Greene ’22
Social Media Strategist
Patrick Coy-Bjork ’23
