001/ Fall 2014 Volume 03, No. 001 english.utoronto.ca
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NEW FACULTY
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The New Faculty on the block
Back, from left to right: Professors Daniel Wright, Joshua Gang, Kara Gaston and Alex Hernandez Front, from left to right: Professors Matthew Sergi, Terry Robinson, Denise Cruz and Liza Blake
PROFESSOR SMARO KAMBOURELI AVIE BENNETT CHAIR IN CANADIAN LITERATURE
01. New faculty of the Department of English Photography by Ashifa Rajwani 02. Professor Smaro Kamboureli: The Avie Bennett Chair in Canadian Literature Photography by Maria Gilli 02.
“Establishing the Avie Bennett Chair in Canadian Literature at the University of Toronto is a wonderful opportunity for the Department of English to continue developing its longstanding commitment to Canadian authors,” says Professor Smaro Kamboureli, the inaugural Avie Bennett Chair. Already a leading figure in Canadian scholarship, Prof. Kamboureli brings to the position the high energy, productivity, and collaborative relations that she displayed as the Director of the TransCanada Institute which she established as Canada Research Chair in Critical Studies in Canadian Literature at the University of Guelph (2004-2013). “I especially like,” she added, “that the Avie Bennett Chair, beyond its emphasis on scholarship, also includes an emphasis on outreach. Organizing events designed to disseminate research as much among scholars as between scholars and the general public is the best way to affirm the enduring power and social value of literature.”
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THE RICHARD AND FLORENCE ATWATER GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP
THANK YOU
As a result of the generosity of Carroll Atwater Bishop and her family, the Richard and Florence Atwater Graduate Scholarship was established in order to provide financial support for a graduate student studying Children’s Literature. Andrea Day was selected as the first recipient of this award. This fellowship strongly reflects the interests of both Carroll Atwater Bishop, who completed a Masters degree in English at the University of Toronto and who unfortunately passed away last year, and her father, Richard Atwater, the author of Mr. Popper’s Penguins. We are grateful to the Bishop family for this award, which will make it possible for the English Department to encourage graduate students to study this important area of literature.
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03. Donna Sabo, during her last year as the Manager for the Department of English. Photography by Ashifa Rajwani
Donna Sabo 2000-2014 Donna Sabo, Department Manager retires.
Clare Orchard 2008-2014 Clare Orchard leaves for the United Kingdom.
Donna Sabo worked at the Faculty of Engineering before joining the Department of English in 2000. Donna carries over 35 years of experience at the University of Toronto. She was a constant encouraging and supportive manager, often described by the administrative staff as a Department Manager extraordinaire. She will be dearly missed. We wish her well in retirement.
Clare Orchard joined the Department in 2008. As the wife of the Provost of Trinity College, Clare carried dual administrative duties. She managed both roles in a graceful and efficient manner. We wish her well in next chapter of her life. She will be greatly missed.
GIVING DONATIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
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Gifts to the Department support our work in a way no other contribution can. We are proud of the achievements of our faculty and our students, and we are extremely proud and gratified by the faith in our programs shown by generous friends and alumni.
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STEP 1:
STEP 3:
GIFT AMOUNT
SELECT A PAYMENT OPTION
I wish to make a gift of: $50
$100
Cheque $250
$500
Other $____________________
(Payable to the University of Toronto. Please indicate which option you will be giving to. i.e. Emerging Writers Scholarship Fund)
(U of T faculty and staff) Personnel No: ____________________________________________
Credit Card
STEP 2: DESIGNATION OPTIONS FOR GIVING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Visa
MasterCard
Amex
Card No:_________/___________/___________/__________ Expiry:___________/___________ Name:_____________________________________________ (as it appears on card)
Cardholder’s signature:_____________________________ (please sign for validation)
The Brian Corman Graduate Prize
Emerging Writers Scholarship Fund Donations will support the next generation of Canadian literary talent.
STEP 4: YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION Full Name:_________________________________________ Address:___________________________________________
Adam Penn Gilders Scholarship in Creative Writing
City:_______________________________________________
Donations to this scholarship, which was established by the friends and family of the late Adam Penn Gilders, will support the most talented aspiring writers enrolled in the MA in English in the Field of Creative Writing Program
Province/State:_____________________________________
The Linda Hutcheon Graduate Scholarship
Postal/Zip Code:___________________________________ Email:_____________________________________________ Telephone:_________________________________________
Donations will help create a scholarship to honour University Professor Emeritus Linda Hutcheon for her stellar contributions to scholarship and teaching. This scholarship is shared between English and Comparative Literature. The student recipient will alternate between both units annually.
Name at graduation:________________________________
The A.S.P. Woodhouse Prize
University of Toronto 170 St. George Street Toronto, ON M5R 2M8
Awarded to the best PhD thesis in the Department of English in honour of Professor A.S.P. Woodhouse.
DETACH THIS PORTION
The prize is to be awarded to a graduate student or students in the Department of English, who are working on Restoration and/ or eighteenth-century studies, and who have distinguished themselves both academically and by their leadership and contribution to the life of the University through student governance, community service or volunteer work.
Please send donations to the following address:
REED is a major international humanities research project that is transforming our understanding of the social and cultural life of Great Britain before 1642. Donations support the publication of the series and the development of dynamic website.
If you wish to donate online, please visit the following website: https://donate.utoronto.ca/give/show/57
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Records of Early English Drama (REED)
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Contents/Masthead
04 MASTHEAD
001/
WELCOME
Fall 2014 Volume 03, No. 001 Editor
Ashifa Rajwani (MA) Content Editor
Ashifa Rajwani Special Thanks
Johnny Guatto Jonathan Lung
W — Welcome Message
A message from the Chair of the Department of English, Professor Alan Bewell.
Cover Image
Jackman Humanities Building. Photography by Johnny Guatto Art Direction & Design
www.typotherapy.com
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Printing
Flash Reproductions Correspondence and Undeliverable Copies To:
Department of English University of Toronto Ashifa Rajwani, Communications, Alumni & Undergraduate Assistant Publisher
Department of English University of Toronto 170 St. George St., Room 613 Toronto, ON M5R 2M8 english.utoronto.ca
Department of English Magazine is published once a year by the Department of English and is circulated to alumni and friends of the Department of English, University of Toronto.
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Published
September 2014 Incredible Events
Professor Richard Greene at the Creative Writing Gala held at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.
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Contents/Masthead
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B — Faculty Publications
Professor Richard Greene, launching his latest book, Dante’s Poems, at Woodsworth College, Summer Abroad Program.
F — 14 Tim Harrison
Does the Academic Bridging Program work? Ask Tim Harrison.
ENGLISH COMMUNITY
10 STUDENTS
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Student Life
An update on Undergraduate and Graduate Student Life and IDIOM.
Faculty, Staff, and Students
Professor William Robins, winner of the Faculty of Arts & Science Outstanding Teaching Award.
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Welcome
WELCOME —
Another year of incredible events and stories from the Department of English.
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5 Chair of the Department of English Alan Bewell
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elcome to this year’s edition of English Studies at the University of Toronto. We are happy to keep you informed about what has been happening in the Department of English.
Professor Alan Bewell taking in the amazing view from the 10th floor balcony at the Jackman Humanities Building.
This is the start of my second term as the Chair of the Department of English at the University of Toronto. It is a great honour and privilege to be playing a leadership role in a department with such an illustrious history and which is regarded as one of the top places in the world for the study of English. Having been on leave for the past year (writing a book on Romantic literature and natural history) what struck me when I returned was the sheer energy and excitement of people who frequent our building—our faculty, staff, and students. It is great to be back! I hope that the Newsletter captures some of that excitement.
New faculty whom we have hired over the past couple of years are a continuing source of some of that energy. Our first endowed chair in the Department, the Avie Bennett Chair in Canadian Literature, is being filled by Smaro Kamboureli. At St. George, we are benefitting from the presence of Denise Cruz (Asian North American Literature; Transnational and Global Feminisms); Joshua Gang (20th C. British and Anglophone Literature); Alex Hernandez (Restoration and 18th C. Literature); Scott Rayter (American Literature; Queer Theory); and Matthew Sergi (Early Modern Drama). Meanwhile, UTM has hired Liza Blake (Renaissance literature, science, and philosophy); Terry Robinson (18th and 19th C. Literature and Drama); and Daniel Wright (19th C. British Literature), while UTSC extended its range by hiring Kara Gaston (Medieval). Our faculty continues to win major awards, from Fellowships in the Royal Society of Canada—Ato Quayson and Paul Stevens—to the Northrop Frye Award for teaching and scholarship awarded to Elizabeth Harvey and the Faculty Teaching Award given to
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Welcome
William Robins. You will see more on some of the books that our faculty have recently published in the Newsletter. You will notice that this Newsletter is different from its predecessors and if you have recently visited our website (www.english.utoronto.ca), which I urge you to do, you will also see
many new and exciting changes. These reflect the vision of our new webmaster, Ashifa Rajwani, who is responsible for communications and alumni relations in the Department. Ashifa is working hard to build a stronger online English community, so please feel free to contact her if you have any thoughts or comments. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the Newsletter.
Professor and Chair of the Department of English, Alan Bewell. Photography by Ashifa Rajwani
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Events
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From backpack to Briefcase, Writer-in-Residence seminar, Creative Writing Gala to the Spring Reading. Here is a highlight of some of the incredible events that took place in 2013-14.
b2B Thursday, March 13, 2014 The next b2B will take place on Thursday, March 19th, 2015 Location: The Department of English The Department of English had the honour of welcoming the Publisher of the Toronto Star and President of Star Media Group, John Cruickshank, CBC host Danielle Bochove and Director of Strategic Communications at the University of Toronto, Erin Lemon to the Backpack to briefcase (b2B) event that was held on March 13th at the Department of English. Despite the bitter cold weather, students came to hear what these three alumni had to say about graduating, working, and how they ended up in their respected careers. Backpack to briefcase started off as an informal event in 2008. It took off and turned into a branded program in 2012. The b2B program recently received the 2014 Prix D’Excellence GOLD Award for Best Alumni initiative by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE), competing against alumni strategies, communications, programs, award activities, services, and benefits programs from over 140 Canadian educational institutes.
Writer-In-Residence: David Bezmozgis Monday, January 27, 2014 The next Writer-in-Residence Reading will take place at the end of January, 2015 Location: Massey College
General’s Award, and the Trillium Prize, and won the Amazon.ca First Novel Award. Critics have described Bezmozgis as a skilful storyteller, packing his brief tales with plot twists, quick revelations, and amusing characters.
Award-winning writer and filmmaker David Bezmozgis was the Jack McClelland Writer-in-Residence for the Spring 2014 term at the Department of English. Bezmozgis’s first book, Natasha and Other Stories, was published in 2004 in the US and Canada and has since been translated into fifteen languages. Natasha was nominated for the Guardian First Book Award, the LA Times First Book Award, and the Governor General’s Award. It won the Toronto Book Award and the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for a First Book. Bezmozgis’s first novel, The Free World, published in 2011 by HarperCollins, was a New York Times Notable Book for 2011 and a Globe and Mail Best Books Title for 2011. The Free World was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor
David conducted a creative writing seminar for members of the University community and met with students in an office provided by Massey College. At his reading, which took place at the end of January, David captivated the audience by reading from his upcoming novel The Betrayers.
01. John Cruickshank, Publisher of the Toronto Star and President of Star Media Group. Photography by Johnny Guatto
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David Bezmozgis was born in Riga, Latvia, and came to Canada when he was six. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow and a Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Fellow at the New York Public Library. Bezmozgis’ first feature film, Victoria Day, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2010, he was named one of The New Yorker’s most promising fiction writers under the age of forty. He currently lives in Toronto.
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02. Danielle Bochove speaking to a student following the backpack 2 Briefcase discussion. Photography by Johnny Guatto 03. David Bezmozgis Writer—in— Residence. Photography courtesy of David Franco
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Spring Reunion: Spring Reading by Professor Robert McGill Thursday, May 29, 2014 The next Spring Reunion will take place in May, 2015. Location: Jackman Humanities Building, Room 100
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Creative Writing Gala Wednesday, March 26, 2014 The next Creative Writing Gala will take place on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Location: Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library The Adam Penn Gilders Scholarship in Creative Writing was established in 2008 with the intent to support and encourage the best and brightest students to study creative writing in Toronto. The scholarship allows poets, fiction writers and playwrights to focus their time, energies and talents on their writing, and enable them to take full advantage of U of T’s unparalleled intellectual and creative resources. Over the last 3 years, the Adam Penn Gilders awards ceremony has been held at the Thomas Rare Book Library. The gorgeous space, surrounded by thousands of volumes of some of the rarest books in the city is the perfect venue for this event. The gala consisted of readings by MA Creative Writing students and poets. Canadian author Katherine Govier read from her upcoming novel, Ghost Rush. MA Creative Writing student Emily Fraser-Jeffries read from her
This year the Spring Reunion invited alumni to attend a week of events across campus. These events gave alumni the opportunity to reconnect with other graduates. One event that has been held at the Department of English since 2008 is the Spring Reading. This year Professor Robert McGill participated in the Spring Reading. He read from his latest novel, Once We Had a Country. Following the reading, audience members had the opportunity to ask Prof. McGill questions about his novel, the inspiration behind his choice of characters and storyline.
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upcoming novel titled Between Bones about her grandmother growing up in Toronto near a slaughter house in the 1950’s. The program attracts an array of different people. Sandra Lloyd, another student, read from her poem collection titled They Confessed Everything to Me in the Emergency Room. Her poems focused on her time working as a registered nurse and helping patients. The winner of this year’s Adam Gilder Prize was Nicole Grimaldi for her witty, funny and creative poem “Double-dipping”.
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04. Before the reading and award announcement begins. From left to right: Carmine Starnino, Prof. Richard Greene and Katherine Govier. Photography by Jonathan Lung
05. MA Creative Writing Student Emily FraserJeffries reading from her upcoming novel titled Between Bones. Photography by Jonathan Lung 06. Professor Robert McGill Photography by Lisa Sakulensky
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TIMOTHY —F HARRISON: — FASHION INDUSTRY WORKER TO TENURED PROFESSOR.
Interview by Ashifa Rajwani
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im Harrison is having an incredible year.
He recently accepted a job as a tenure-track assistant professor of English at the University of Chicago, a position he chose over three postdoctoral fellowships also offered. The Milton Society of America honoured Tim with the Albert C. Labriola Award for the best article published by a graduate student. This kind of success required big risk and heavy commitment. Tim transitioned from international fashion professional to mature student to awardwinning academic by working full-time at restaurants in Toronto and making the most of support offered by the University of Toronto’s Academic Bridging Program. The Academic Bridging Program is designed for people who have been away from formal education for some time and do not meet the university’s established requirements for direct entry admission. We spoke to Tim Harrison about his remarkable academic achievements and why he didn’t think he could get into U of T.
“It is important to do what you love. I came to U of T in hopes of enriching myself and I did.” You came to the University in a pretty unconventional way. After completing high school, what did you do? I did very poorly in high school, and spent a number of years working in international fashion and the service industry in Milan, Athens, Capetown, Shanghai, and Amsterdam. After meeting my Dutch wife in South Africa and subsequently having my immigration bid to the Netherlands fall through, we moved to Toronto from Amsterdam on two days notice carrying two suitcases. After you settled in Toronto, you decided you wanted to pursue postsecondary education? Yes, I really wanted to go back to school, but my academic background was far too poor to get into U of T. The only way I could enter the University was through the Academic Bridging Program at Woodsworth College (this program acts as a testing ground for people who do not have the appropriate credentials).
What were your initial thoughts of the Department of English? U of T has a reputation for being big and impersonal, but I discovered a welcoming and friendly environment at the Department of English. When I asked for help, I received it; I also got a lot of encouragement. I found the department to be a nurturing environment. I am especially grateful to my wonderful supervisor, Elizabeth Harvey, and the other members of my supervisory committee, Lynne Magnusson, Paul Stevens, and Alex Gillespie. What advice do you have for students entering university? It is important to do what you love. I came to U of T in hopes of enriching myself and I did. I loved the courses I took and I worked hard. I had the opportunity to learn new things, encounter different works, and gain cognitive skills. These are experiences that can only help you, no matter what you go on to do.
Tim Harrison Photography by Jon Horvatin
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English Fall 2014
Students
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nce again the ESU, IDIOM and the GEA put on a variety of workshops, seminars and pub nights this past year. Co-Presidents Halyna Chumak and Daisy Qin give a synopsis about what the ESU was up to. Camille Viva, for IDIOM, an English Undergraduate Academic Journal that was founded in 2006 and is the University of Toronto’s only journal of literary critical work, highlights important changes for IDIOM. Finally, Julia Cooper, President of the GEA, summarizes the 2013-14 year.
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English Student Union (ESU) The ESU has wrapped up a fantastic year for the 2013-2014 academic session. We really hit the ground running in September with a strong showing at the UTSU Clubs Fair during Frosh Week, handing out treats, U of T monogrammed writing utensils, and copies of IDIOM from previous years as we recruited first-years (and a few upper-years here and there too!) for the ESU mailing list and Mentorship Program. During the fall semester we hosted “Circle Time,” a roundtable-style academic seminar-discussion hybrid. The honoured guest speakers were Professor Naomi Morgenstern, who gave a fantastic lecture on “Tales of Possession: Reading Toni Morrison’s Beloved with Occult Films of the 1970s and 80s,” and graduate student Prathna Lor, who provided excellent insight on “Transgender Palaces: Landscape Architecture and the Caribbean
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Pub nights, mentorship programs, and brown bag lunches. These are just a few of the events that were hosted by the ESU, IDIOM and the GEA this year. Imagery.” There was a great turn-out and student-guest lecturer engagement was high, and lots of positive feedback was provided by attendees in the aftermath. In January, we came back strong by initiating weekly Mentorship Program meetings every Friday afternoon—snacks included. The meetings fostered a relaxed atmosphere in which upper-year mentors could share advice, offer guidance, and answer any questions posed by firstand second-year students. March, on the other hand, saw the ESU host its “Spring Academic Seminar,” which showcased the talents and research interests of Professors new to the University of Toronto. These Professors included Professor Denise Cruz, who discussed “Monique Truong’s Literary South and the Regional Forms of Asian America,” Professor Joshua Gang, whose talk “Literature and Brains” introduced students to 20th century ideas regarding the intersection of literature and cognition, and Professor Matthew Sergi, who acted and spoke about “Advertising in Medieval Drama.” The turnout for this seminar also exceeded our expectations, and many students remained long after the talks had formally finished to ask our fantastic guest speakers questions about their respective fields of study as well as the implications of their presentations. This past March was also the month in which the ESU successfully ordered its first shipment of “U of T English”-branded hoodies. ESU executives hosted office hours early in the month to collect order forms and payment from students (and even some faculty members!) for this programinspired merchandise.
On a final note, our annual executive elections marked another yearly, though welcome, change in our executive team. We are excited to introduce some new faces to the ESU, and congratulate Halyna Chumak and Sushani Singh on their election as Co-Presidents for the 2014-2015 academic year! The executive also wishes our graduating member and two-time Co-President, Daisy Qin, the best of luck with her future endeavours. Moreover, we look forward to reconvening in September to present undergraduate students of English with more opportunities to meet us, engage with other English students, and get involved!
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IDIOM: English Undergraduate Academic Journal IDIOM: English Undergraduate Academic Journal was founded in 2006 as the University of Toronto’s only journal of literary critical work written by undergraduate students. The purpose of IDIOM is twofold: 1) to acknowledge and showcase the scholarly achievements of the University’s undergraduate students; and, 2) to provide the undergraduate community with examples of high quality academic work and writing.
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The 2013-2014 academic year was a period of exciting changes for IDIOM. The Editorial Board voted to open submissions to the Mississauga and Scarborough campuses and worked closely with the English Student’s Union to once again become an official ESU publication. The journal celebrated its eighth volume with a launch party co-hosted with the Hart House Literary and Library Committee. The event featured guest speaker Penny Caldwell, Editor-in-Chief at Cottage Life magazine, who gave students advice about careers in editing and publishing. The journal is funded entirely by student fundraising initiatives and sponsor donations. The 400 copies are printed by Coach House Press. The journal welcomes all English students who are interested in getting more involved with undergraduate scholarship to apply for the Editorial Board or to submit their English course work! Check out IDIOM’s website for more information: idiomjournal.wordpress.com
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Graduate English Associate (GEA) It has been a very busy year for the Graduate English Association, and the many workshops, community out-reach initiatives, parties, and readings that we have hosted are thanks to the hard work of the 2013-14 Executive: our Vice President Claire Duncan, our Secretary Jeff Espie, and our Treasurer extraordinaire Elissa Gurman. We began the year by welcoming our new MA and PhD cohorts with a reception, library tours, and a Sibling Meet and Greet program to acclimatize students to the department. A highlight of this
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past fall was when the graduate students triumphed against the faculty in the annual softball game in late September, putting an end to the faculty’s seven-year winning streak. In addition to the Research Roundtable, bi-monthly coffee hours and pub nights, our first-ever pumpkin carving party, a field trip to the Harbord Street Pumpkin Festival, and a trip to the feminist haunted house Killjoy’s Kastle, the GEA also hosted a Christmas Party for students and faculty to rub elbows over egg nog in early December. The New Year was no less full, as GEA member and incoming President, Margeaux Feldman, organized (with the help of many other wonderful graduate students) an evening at The Tranzac called “Academics Read Things They Wrote as Kids.” As the title suggests, it was a wonderfully awkward and cathartic event that had participants reading from their early attempts at fiction and diary entries. Elissa Gurman also organized two successful Out of The Cold community outreach programs this year, and I am very grateful to her for spearheading this initiative. We also hosted a number of workshops for graduate students on grant writing, preparing for the comprehensive exams, and transitioning to ABD. Claire Duncan also organized a successful Visitor’s Day for prospective students with the help of Marguerite Perry.
We also ran a series of successful Brown Bag Lunch talks once again this year and were lucky enough to host the following professors: Denise Cruz, Smaro, David Taylor, Paul Downes, Ira Wells, Mark Knight, and Liza Blake. I am very grateful to all of the presenters and attendees for being a part of this monthly exchange of ideas! Thank-you to everyone for a lively year; it has been my pleasure to serve as President of the English Graduate Association. 01. From left to right: Daisy Qin, Sushani Singh, Matt Colquhoun, Lana Maleva, Michelle SrahaYeboah, and Nick Morra. Photography courtesy of ESU 02. From left to right: Nicholas Reynolds, Sarah Iaconis, Daisy Qin, Halyna Chumak, Camille Viva, Grace Gesualdo, Lauren Peat, and Nicholas Morra. Photography courtesy of IDOIM
03. From left to right: Elissa Gurman and Margeaux Feldman. Photography courtesy of GEA 04. From left to right: PhD Students Sundhya Walther, Philip Dickinson, Elisa Tersigni, and Joanne Leow. Photography courtesy of GEA
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Bookshelf
BOOKSHELF — 16th century printing in London, Canadian Indigeneity and a practical guide to composing poems. Here are this year’s faculty publications.
Written by Ashifa Rajwani
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his year, like every year, there was a wide range of publications from our faculty. I had the opportunity to attend book launches held for Professors Richard Greene, Robert McGill and Andrea Most. Having a book published is a tremendous accomplishment and should be celebrated as it was at these launches. It was a pleasure to attend these events, and I look forward to going to more in the near future. Going to a book launch is a great way to meet the author and ask them questions you may never have the chance to. This year, look out for book launches; you will be surprised how many of these take place across campus. To see what else is taking place at the department and across campus, I suggest you like us on Facebook (Department of English, University of Toronto) or follow us on Twitter (@UofTEnglish). The following is a list of publications for 2013-14. This collection represents a fraction of what our faculty have accomplished. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to check out our faculty bookshelf page on our website:www.english.utoronto.ca/ facultystaff/bookshelf.htm. The variety of books will amaze you. Keep a look out for more incredible publications to come in the future.
The Stationers’ Company and the Printers of London, 1501-1557 by Professor Peter Blayney
Dante’s House by Professor Richard Greene
In Our Translated Word: Contemporary Global Tamil Poetry by Professor Chelva Kanaganayakam
Critical Collaborations: Indigeneity, Diaspora, and Ecology in Canadian Literary Studies co-edited by Professor Smaro Kamboureli
Literature and the Bible: A Reader co-edited by Professor Mark Knight
Arbitrary Rule: Slavery, Tyranny, and the Power of Life and Death by Professor Mary Nyquist
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Bookshelf
The Treacherous Imagination: Intimacy, Ethics and Autobiographical Fiction by Professor Robert McGill
Oxford Street, Accra: City Life and the Itineraries of Transnationalism by Professor Ato Quayson
Once We Had a Country by Professor Robert McGill
The Writing Moment: A Practical Guide to Creating Poems by Dr. Daniel Scott Tysdal
Theatrical Liberalism: Jews and Popular Entertainment in America by Professor Andrea Most
The Library of the Sidneys of Penshurst Place circa 1665 co-edited by Professor Emeritus Germaine Warkentin
Constructing the Canon of Early Modern Drama by Professor Jeremy Lopez
Reading Class through Shakespeare, Donne and Milton by Professor Christopher Warley
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Fighting Word: Polemics and Social Change in Literary Naturalism by Professor Ira Wells
From Little London to Little Bengal: Religion, Print & Modernity in Early British India 1793-1835 by Professor Dan White
Professor Richard Greene, signing a copy of his latest book, Dante’s House at his book launch held at Woodsworth College.
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English Community
ENGLISH COMMUNITY — A
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elcome to our English community. Our community is made up of faculty, staff and students. This year was an exceptional year of scholarships, grants, fellowships and award winners. Some of our community winners have been featured in this section.
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Professor Elizabeth Harvey: Winner of the Northrop Frye Award
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Professor Elizabeth Harvey was honoured with the University of Toronto Alumni Association’s Northrop Frye Award for linking teaching and research. Prof. Harvey graciously accepted the award with the following speech: Teaching for me has always been about co-creation, about the interaction and passionate connection that lies at the heart of learning. My three decades as a teacher has been marked by the inspirational nature of those collaborations. Let me record my gratitude to these co-creators: first, to my extraordinary and generous colleagues at U of T. Second, to my many remarkable students, undergraduate and graduate students, with whom it has been such a privilege to work. And finally, to my family, my best teachers of all. I close with Northrop Frye’s own words: “What the critic as a teacher of language tries to teach is not an elegant accomplishment, but the means of conscious life . . . The ultimate aim is an ethical and participating aim.” In this sense, the teaching of literature has never been more important than it is now to the creation of conscious and active members of society.
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Brooke Xiang: Recipient of the University of Toronto Excellence Award
Brooke Xiang recently completed her Bachelor of Arts in English and Biological Anthropology. She considers receiving the University of Toronto Excellence Award a huge honour. From May until the end of September, Brooke will be working on a research project titled “Diasporic and Native Literatures in Canada: Performance as Politics / Politics as Performance” with Professor Smaro Kamboureli, Avie Bennett Chair in Canadian Literature. While the focus on Diasporic and Native literatures is significant to the study of Canadian literature, it also has personal significance for Brooke, whose sense of academic identity is intertwined with that of being a first-generation Canadian. Brooke is more than grateful for this opportunity and considers it to be a step towards her aspiring academic career in Canadian literature.
Tony Fong: Winner of the A.S.P. Woodhouse Prize
Tony Fong works on contemporary literature and film, focusing especially on life writing, ethics, and gender/ sexuality studies. “Starving Art: Sacrifice, Ethics, and American Hunger Narratives,” Tony’s next book-length project, examines the centrality of hunger within the humanities by studying how literary and visual narratives diminish the body and its appetites. By approaching hunger as a sacrificial act, this project posits an ethics of self-deprivation. Tony is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for the Study of the United States, Munk School of Global Affairs, for 2014-15. A. Professor Elizabeth Harvey, winner of the Northrop Frye Award. Photography by Camelia Linta
B. Brooke Xiang, recipient of the University of Toronto Excellence Award with Professor Smaro Kamboureli Photography by Ashifa Rajwani
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Laura Clarke, winner of the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award
Laura’s first full length poetry collection will be coming out with ECW Press in 2015. This May, she was a participant in the 2014 writing studio at The Banff Centre. C. Tony Fong: Winner of the Woodhouse Prize Photography by Sofi Papamarko D. Laura Clarke, winner of the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award. Photography by Katrina Afonso
E. Professor William Robins, winner of the Arts & Science Outstanding Teaching Award. Photography by Diana Tyszko F. Roderick McKeown, winner of the Clifford Leech Prize. Photography by Claire Duncan
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Professor William Robins: Winner of the Faculty of Arts & Science Outstanding Teaching Award
William Robins's particular talent is the ability to make that wonderful range of what—at first sight—might seem remote and arcane knowledge readily accessible to his students. His students speak of his “eye-opening” lectures that broaden their understanding of the history of literature. As one student wrote, “Professor Robins’s lectures inspired me to ask my own questions. I often spent time after class thinking through the ideas presented and applying my own ideas to them.” Prof. Robins was deeply honoured to receive the Outstanding Teaching Award and had this to say about it: “One of the most gratifying thing about receiving the Arts and Science Oustanding Teaching Award is knowing that the nomination came from the Department of English, a department so chock-full of first-rate teachers. The students, of course, make the place, and connecting with the students is the crucial task of any instructor. It is invigorating to be surrounded by colleagues and staff who share my enthusiasm about making such connections happen again and again.”
Roderick McKeown: Winner of the Clifford Leech Prize
Roderick (Rory) McKeown works on literature of the early modern period, particularly drama. His thesis, “Performative Language and Social Status in Shakespeare,” explores the complex operation of socially situated utterances in making powerful—yet unarticulated—claims to social status. In addition to revising his thesis for publication as a monograph, Rory has launched a new project, using early modern letters as historical context to examine the dynamics of extended families in the drama of the period.
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Morgan Vanek: Winner of the Brian Corman Graduate Prize
Congratulations to Morgan Vanek, the first recipient of the Brian Corman Graduate Prize. Endowed in recognition of Dean Corman’s scholarly accomplishments and exemplary service to the University of Toronto, the Brian Corman Graduate Prize is awarded to graduate students in the English department who work on Restoration and/or 18th C. literature and who have made a significant contribution to the life of the University through student governance, community service, or volunteer work. G. Morgan Vanek, winner of the Brian Corman Graduate Prize. Photography by Ashifa Rajwani