Recent News
Crip Writing: Communication through a Disability and Decolonial Lens
Apr 11, 2023
Suresh Canagarajah
Abstract: Pedagogies for minoritized and multilingual writers have often led teachers to uncritically adopt models based on values such as autonomy, mastery, normativity, and efficiency. In practice, this often leads to imposing language and rhetorical norms of privileged social groups and treating deviations from those norms as indicating linguistic or cognitive deficiency. Scholars in disability and decolonial studies are beginning to question the way “ability” is defined in communication in contemporary society and education. They argue for a shift from autonomy to collaboration, mastery to dependency, norms to dispositions, and efficiency to ethics. This talk will begin by illustrating these shifts from the way the speaker’s cancer diagnosis and resulting impairments transformed his writing practice. Then drawing from his research on the writing and communication of international STEM scholars, he will demonstrate how their diverse languages and proficiencies motivate them to practice relational ethics in contexts of vulnerability for successful communication. This talk will demonstrate how approaches to diversity in education can embrace nonnormative language practices in meaning making and cultivate the ethical dispositions needed for such communication.
Time: Thursday, May 18, 3:30-4:30pm
Location: Advanced Technologies Laboratory (Bldg. 07), Rm. 002
Note: A reception will follow in the ATL Lobby from 4:30-6pm. Refreshments provided by SLO Provisions.
Speaker bio: Suresh Canagarajah is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Applied Linguistics, English, and Asian Studies at Penn State University. He is the author of multiple award-winning books and articles on World Englishes, multilingual writing, decolonization, and disability studies. He is the former president of the American Association for Applied Linguistics and former editor of TESOL Quarterly.
Sponsors: This event is sponsored by the Office of Writing and Learning, the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of Political Science, the Disability Faculty Staff Association, and the English Department’s First-Year Composition Program.
Writers-at-Work Poetry Reading Series 2022-23
Oct 7, 2022
Major Jackson
Thur 4/20 12:10 pm Via Zoom
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://calpoly.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZItcemqqDgrHdwxWez0e1KJWjBCowSKERcw
Major Jackson is the author of six books of poetry, including the newly released Razzle Dazzle: New & Selected Poems, along with The Absurd Man, Roll Deep, Holding Company, Hoops and Leaving Saturn, which won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize for a first book of poems. His edited volumes include Best American Poetry 2019, Renga for Obama, and Library of America’s Countee Cullen: Collected Poems. He is also the author of A Beat Beyond: The Selected Prose of Major Jackson edited by Amor Kohli. A recipient of fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, Major Jackson has received a Whiting Writers’ Award, and has been honored by the Pew Fellowship in the Arts and the Witter Bynner Foundation in conjunction with the Library of Congress. He serves as the Poetry Editor of The Harvard Review.
Mary Ann McFadden & Dian Sousa
Thur 5/18 7:10 pm In-person reading, Bldg 180 Rm 102
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Mary Ann McFadden has been writing and publishing for almost fifty years. She is the author of two books of poetry: Eye of the Blackbird, which won the Four Way Books Intro Prize in Poetry, and Devil, Dear, published by Alice James Press. Her poems have appeared in The American Voice, Southern Poetry Review, Green Mountains Review, Bloom, Psychology Tomorrow, Kayak, Askew, Spillway, and elsewhere. McFadden has taught workshops for the New York Public Library and at Brooklyn College, City University of New York. Several of McFadden's shorter poems have been set to music by the composer Gerald Busby and performed at Carnegie Hall. |
Poet and activist Dian Sousa is the author of three books of poetry: The Marvels Recorded in My Private Closet, Lullabies for the Spooked and Cool, and Sunday Blood and Jamaica Rum: Poems for Spiritual Schizophrenia. For 2017-2020, Sousa was the keynote poet for the annual San Luis Obispo Women’s March, which published a collection of the poems Sousa wrote for the march in the chapbook The Third Power. Sousa’s work has appeared in numerous journals including The Prairie Schooner, The Banyan Review, Great Weather for Media, American Poetry Journal, The Gavea-Brown Journal of Portuguese American Poetry, and the Anthology of Portuguese Migrant and Ethnic Literature in North America. |
The English Department Announces the American Scholar Prize Winner!
Jun 20, 2022
CONGRATULATIONS TO ENGLISH MAJOR EMILY CRONK
“The scholar is that [person] who must take up into himself all the ability of time, all the contributions of the past, all the hopes of the future….[S/]he is the world’s eye. [S/]he is the world’s heart.”
- excerpt from the essay, “The American Scholar,” by Ralph WaldoEmerson
The English Department is pleased to announce that Emily Cronk was chosen as the ninth winner of the department's American Scholar Prize.
The American Scholar Prize award was created by Dr. Linda Halisky, former English Department Chair and College of Liberal Arts Dean, to recognize an English major whose passion for literature is palpable. The $1000 prize is awarded to a Cal Poly English major who exhibits a keen interest in literature and language—someone who is “lit up” by literature.
In her short essay, Emily notes that “Wordsworth marvels at the wondrous gift of our five senses: touch, hearing, smell, taste, and sight. Amidst nature’s beauty, Wordsworth finds refuge, gratitude, and peace in the simple joys of life.” In particular, Emily writes about “the priceless gift of vision,” praising how “Wordsworth’s poem illuminates how our sense of sight allows us to experience the beauty of the world around us and fully absorb everything that life has to offer.”
The English Department awards the American Scholar Prize annually in order to highlight and reward enthusiastic and bright English major scholars.
For more information, please contact the English department at english@calpoly.edu or 805-756-2596
Byzantium Announces Creative Writing and Art Contest Winners!
Jun 9, 2021
Cal Poly’s English Department is pleased to announce the winners of Byzantium’s 2021 poetry and fiction writing contests, as well as the new art contest:
Kevin Clark Poetry Writing Contest
First Place: “Desert, Night,” by Vanya Truong
Second Place: “Zamboni,” by Kavya Makam
Third Place: “My Girl,” by Maya Stahler
Alfred Landwehr Fiction Writing Contest
First Place: “The Inn at the Top of the Hill,” by Doug Caylor
Second Place: “The Snake,” by Abby Edgecumbe
Third Place: “Leda and the Poet,” by Mia Daniele
Art Contest
First Place: “The View,” by Lauryn Akimi Sugai
Second Place: “patterns & i,” by Katie Tam
Third Place: “workspace,” by Katie Tam
The Kevin Clark Poetry Writing Contest was judged by Mag Gabbert, who holds a PhD in creative writing from Texas Tech University and an MFA from The University of California at Riverside. Her essays and poems can be found in 32 Poems, Pleiades, The Rumpus, Thrush, TheMassachusetts Review, Waxwing, The Pinch, and many other journals. Mag is the author of Minml Poems, a chapbook of visual poetry and nonfiction. The Alfred Landwehr Fiction Writing Contest was judged by Akil Kumarasamy, a writer from New Jersey and the author of the story collection, Half Gods, published in 2018, which was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice. She is an Assistant Professor at the Rutgers-Newark MFA program and her debut novel is forthcoming with FSG.
All student winners will be awarded a cash prize, and their creative work will be published in July as part of the 31st edition of Byzantium, Cal Poly’s annual literary journal, alongside the rest of the editor’s selections. Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, all unveiling events will be held online. The journal will be distributed to winners via mail, while students can pick up a free copy of the journal at the Kennedy Library next year as campus continues to safely open.
Follow @cp_byzantium on Instagram to stay up to date and hear more about the unveiling events!
The English Department Announces the American Scholar Prize Winner!
Jun 9, 2021
Congratulations to English Major Jenny Doan
“The scholar is that [person] who must take up into himself all the ability of time, all the contributions of the past, all the hopes of the future….[S/]he is the world’s eye. [S/]he is the world’s heart.”
- excerpt from the essay, “The American Scholar,” by Ralph WaldoEmerson
The English Department is pleased to announce that Jenny Doan was chosen as the eighth winner of the department's American Scholar Prize.
The American Scholar Prize award was created by Dr. Linda Halisky, former English Department Chair and College of Liberal Arts Dean, to recognize an English major whose passion for literature is palpable. The $750 prize is awarded to a Cal Poly English major who exhibits an interest in literature and language – someone who is “lit up” by literature.
In her short essay, Jenny cites Shelley’s “A Defence of Poetry” as having been an inspiration. She notes that, in Shelley’s view, creative writers “influence the parameters of society and shape how individuals perceive the world. Most importantly, Shelley believes that every individual possesses a creative source and a poetic persona inside of them.” Jenny argues that, “For me, literature has altered the metaphorical confine that I live in by propelling me to question the institutions of society and encouraging me to explore the outskirts of my beliefs. Literature is not the simple consolidation of words to paint a visual or craft a story, but rather a way of life that intends to teach fundamental truths and morals.”
The English Department awards the American Scholar Prize annually in order to highlight and reward enthusiastic and bright English major scholars.
POLY ENGLISH MAJOR WINS ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS PRIZE
Jun 7, 2021
English major Summer Lichtenberg (San Luis Obispo, CA) has won Cal Poly’s Academy of American Poets Contest for her poem “On Sunday,” which takes an unflinching look at mortality and poignantly renders the experience of those left in the wake of a tragedy. She will receive a $100 award from the Academy.
Award-winning poet Charif Shanahan judged this year’s contest. Shanahan praised “On Sunday” for its “impressive (and nearly essayistic) narrative scope, strong sense of the line and poetic closure, and imagery at once surprising and poignant.” First honorable mention goes to “Pink” by Emily Bomba for its “fine use of sequence, and the couplet within them, as well as the poise and earnestness of voice.” Second honorable mention goes to “A Bending” by Ell Hundertmark for its “extremely pleasurable sonic qualities, which offset the pain of the content, its reaching for philosophical inquiry within the space of the lyric, and the unflinching look at—and into—what to do with our wounds.”
Charif Shanahan is the author of Into Each Room We Enter without Knowing, which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry and the Publishing Triangle’s Thom Gunn Award. Born in the Bronx to an Irish-American father and a Moroccan mother, he has lived all over the world and has taught literature and language at numerous universities. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the undergraduate and Litowitz MFA+MA graduate creative writing programs at Northwestern University.
The Cal Poly English Department and the Academy of American Poets, which is a longstanding advocate for the art of poetry and is located in New York City, sponsor the contest. The winning poem will appear on the University & College Poetry Prize page of Poets.org.
The English Blended B.A. + M.A. Program Application Cycle Opens Feb. 15th!
Feb 10, 2021
The Blended (B.A. + M.A.) Program application cycle for AY 2021-22 will open on Monday, February 15!
The Blended Program in English allows driven, high-performing students in the major to receive their Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees simultaneously on a five-year timeline, conducting graduate coursework and individualized research projects alongside our traditional M.A. students in their fourth and fifth years at Cal Poly. Students in the Blended Program also have the opportunity to apply for our Teaching Assistance Program, through which they teach first year writing courses in their final year of graduate work. For those of you wishing to take your studies farther and earn an M.A. degree in half the time it typically takes, the Blended Program is for you!
Who is eligible to apply:
English majors with sophomore or junior standing, including transfer students, who hold a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 and a minimum major GPA of 3.5 are eligible to apply. (Please note that students whose GPAs fall a little below these numbers are encouraged to submit applications, which the admissions committee will consider.) If you have any questions about your eligibility, please feel free to contact me.
Application Materials:
Applicants will submit the following materials:
- A completed application form
- A personal statement / statement of purpose outlining why you wish to join the Blended Program
- A five- to ten-page writing sample (specifically, a scholarly essay written for an English class) that demonstrates your potential as a critical thinker and writer within the major
- Two letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from an English professor (note that your recommenders will submit letter directly to me)
All application materials will be due by Friday, April 30. Admissions decisions will be announced by May 15th.
Juan Vergara receives third annual Mary Catherine Reedy Scholarship Award!
Nov 2, 2020
Congratulations to Juan Vergara for receiving the third annual Mary Catherine Reedy Scholarship!
Established in 2018, the Mary Catherine Reedy Scholarship is named for the mother of Cal Poly alumnus Roger Reedy (English, ’88). Roger and the Reedy family set up the $1,000 scholarship award to memorialize his mother, Catherine. Roger wrote: “She was a very special individual. She believed in helping others – volunteering her time to great causes throughout her life. She was an avid reader – inspiring all of her eight children to read books from an early age. She was our role model growing up – always putting others first, being kind to everyone she met, caring about the world around her, and always trying to make a positive difference.” The award, which the Reedys plan to fund for at least the next 10 years, is intended for English majors who are the first in their families to go to college.
Chair of the English Department Kathryn Rummell said, “Juan impressed us because of his resilience in the face of personal challenges and his commitment to his education. He is pursuing a double major in English and Spanish, and plans to earn his English teaching credential. He is an outstanding representative of our department and we are thrilled that he is receiving this award.”
The English Department Announces the American Scholar Prize Winner!
May 19, 2020
The English Department is pleased to announce that Natascha Holenstein was chosen as the seventh winner of the American Scholar Prize.
The American Scholar Prize award was created by Dr. Linda Halisky, former English Department Chair and College of Liberal Arts Dean, to recognize an English major whose passion for literature is palpable. The $750 prize is awarded to a Cal Poly English major who exhibits an interest in literature and language – someone who is “lit up” by literature.
In her short essay, Natascha focused on Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone. She wrote that the play illustrated for her the possibility of strong women characters, despite the absence of them in much of the literature she has read. She wrote: “Antigone not only inspired a renewed interest in the older literature I had to read for my major, but it made me angry; I wanted all women to be written with the same depth and dimension as her.” Her essay demonstrates Natascha’s deep commitment to literary study and her understanding of the power of representation.
CAL POLY ENGLISH GRADUATE STUDENT WINS ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS PRIZE
May 12, 2020
English graduate student Caleb Nichols (San Luis Obispo, CA) has won Cal Poly’s Academy of American Poets Contest for his poem “Ken,” which considers how to maintain awareness and connection in this moment of virtual interaction. He will receive a $100 award from the Academy.
Former Cal Poly professor and current SLO county poet laureate, Kevin Clark, judged this year’s contest. Of Nichols’ poem, Clark said, “‘Ken’ serves as a dazzling caution-note urging readers to separate themselves from contemporary life’s empty diversions and to find succor in the natural world. Proffering a kind of perception akin to dream-pursuit and sounding out an imperative for healthy survival, the crisp nine-line poem plays on the word ‘ken,’ which suggests not simply knowledge but depth of vision. Nichols advises that true vision is only possible if we ‘unfollow’ every day's myriad incoming distractions. A model of concision, ‘Ken’ is deeply inventive in sound, imagery, and approach.”
First honorable mention goes to English major Maya Stahler for “Hide ‘n Seek.” Clark noted the poem’s “startling exploration of the manner in which anxiety can lead to personal disorientation. By examining how the psyche under pressure may further its own fright, the poet persuasively renders the inevitable path into further anxiety. Arranged in four irregular stanzas, Stahler’s poem smartly employs tactile imagery to depict an intangible state, that is, an agitated mind.”
Second honorable mention goes to Art & Design major Joshua Ronda for his poem “Weed of Grass.” “Among other things,” Clark said, “Ronda’s poem can be read as a verse eco-warning spoken in the voice of plants. Deft in its imaginative word choice and its lilting sound, the poem reminds us that human beings are responsible for our natural locale. Should we continue to misapprehend our effect on the land, earth’s flora will be forced to isolate us from the benefits it offers—and perhaps from life itself.”
Kevin Clark’s Self-Portrait with Expletives won the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Series Book Competition, and a new collection, The Consecrations, is forthcoming in 2021. His textbook on writing poetry is used in classrooms across the U.S. Recently, his chapbook rendering the scars of war, The Wanting, won the Five Oaks Press chapbook prize. He is the current Poet Laureate of San Luis Obispo County.
The Cal Poly English Department and the Academy of American Poets, which is a longstanding advocate for the art of poetry and is located in New York City, sponsor the contest. The winning poem will appear on the University & College Poetry Prize page of Poets.org.