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D i v i s i o n o f L a ng u ag es a n d L i t er a t u re
NEWSLETTER Communication
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Theatre
LaForge speaks at spring Honors Banquet Newly-named DSU president William LaForge delivered an inspiring keynote address at the Honors Banquet of the Divisions of Languages and Literature and Social Sciences and History in April. At the event Stephen King presented LaForge with a copy of his book I’m Feeling the Blues Right Now. King recently accepted a new position as chairperson of the Communication Studies Department at Eastern Illinois University, located in Charleston, Illinois. At right are LaForge and King.
Theatre lights shine bright Theatre productions for 2012-13, under direction of Michael Ewing, continued their long tradition of excellence. These Shining Lives, the fall production, portrayed the dark side of the 1920s, women exploited in workplace jobs without health benefits. The play drew standing room audiences in its three performances at Jobe Hall. The hit spring production, A Pleasant Evening Out, a series of one-act plays, was enhanced by the presence of author Dennis DiClaudio in the audience.
Poet Laureate Trethewey reads on campus Natasha Trethewey, 19th US Poet Laureate, honored Delta State with a fall reading from her newest book, Thrall. It was Trethewey’s second campus reading since winning the Pulitzer Prize for her 2007 volume Native Guard. The event was sponsored by the Division of Languages & Literature and the Diversity Committee. Don Allan Mitchell made the introduction. Mississippi native Trethewey (at left) was previously awarded an honorary degree from DSU.
New English professor joins DSU faculty
Upper photo, Claire Dean, Amber Wright, Megan Maneval, and Jackie Kelly in These Shining Lives. Lower photo, Charles Coleman and JaeR Norris in A Pleasant Evening Out.
Edward Plough has been named Assistant Professor of English. He earned his B.A. in English from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, his M.A. in Shakespeare Studies from Royal Holloway, University of London, and his PhD in Medieval & Renaissance Literature from Purdue University. In addition to Renaissance playwrights and poets, Plough’s research interests include Modern American Drama, Musical Theatre, and Adaptation Studies. Edward Plough As an active musician and theatre artist, Plough has co-composed three original full-length musicals with Stephen Clark and Kalena Dickerson in Chicago. The most recent musical, Of Moonjays & Motorcycles, is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Pericles.
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Congratulations, award winners!
From left, award winners Calli Musselwhite, Florian Mondoloni, Maria Alejandra Torres Perez, Rachel Kelly, and Katie Turner.
Languages & Literature 2012-13 award winners were honored in April at an Arts & Sciences coffee, as well as the annual Languages & Literature/Social Sciences Honors Banquet. They are as follows: Evelyn Hammett Scholarship — Katie Turner Leola Gregory Williams Scholarship — Elizabeth Bullion /Calley Whyte Anne Caulfeild Winston Award — Haley Ferretti Weaver Betts Cotton Scholarship — Rachel Kelly John Hargrove Tatum Scholarship — Maria Alejandra Torres Pérez Foreign Language Award — Katie Turner J’Nell Posey Coffman Scholarship — Amy Morris Hazel Thornell Award — Kristy Pyron Allen and Rose Drake Burrell Scholarship — Katie Turner John Merrill Award — Florian Mondoloni Ellen Douglas Scholarship- — Calli Musselwhite Dr. William Arthur Pennington Award — Courtney Clark
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English major Wilbanks wins top academic prize Olivia Wilbanks ’13 won Delta State’s highest academic honor, the Jack Winton Gunn Award. English majors have won the prestigious Gunn award four of the past five years. The Southaven Wilbanks accepts Gunn award native was also named most outstanding student from the College of Education, and a winner of the AAUW Award.
Winners of the spring oratorical competition (at right) were Shelby Walters, a junior biologypremedical science major, and Jana Holleman is a sophomore prenursing major.
State journalism winners Delta State journalism students won major state awards in March, including honorable mention for general excellence for the weekly Delta Statement. Staff winners (from left) are Shawanda Lee, Blake McCollough, Elisabetta Zengaro, and editor Rachel Bush. Editor’s Easy Chair
The Initiation Ceremony for the Delta Iota Tau Chapter of Lambda Iota Tau was held in April. From left, Rebekah Vaught, John Cassibry, Shanice Mitchell, Lindsey Funk, Yvonne Tomek (sponsor), Rachel Kelly, and Taylor Hawkins.
As another academic year draws to a close, we welcome William LaForge as the new president of Delta State. At the same time, we say farewell to our esteemed colleague Stephen King as he pursues new challenges. Thanks to all those who contributed your news and photos to this year’s newsletter. — Patricia Roberts, Editor
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Whatever happened to…. Matthew Baker ’12, a French minor, is in Australia working on a dual masters in international law. He will study in France next semester.
kins follows in the tradition of Taylor Mitchell ’11 and Bryan Davis ’09, who previously held the position. Mitchell was recently named assistant sports editor at the Victoria Advocate in English major John Cassibry ’13 has been promoted to the posi- Victoria, Texas. tion of Marketing and Communications Officer at the Cleveland Michael Maloney and Hattie Frank Maloney, M. State Bank. Cassibry has worked at the bank since 1994. Ed. ’12 are the proud parents of Hattie Grace, born March 12, 2013. The Maloneys live in Greenwood. Cayman Caven writes: “I hope you are having a great start to the semester!! I have met all of my professors at Alabama, and I Music/English major Andrew Owen ’09 will prereally like them, but it's definitely no Delta State! I'll be thinking sent a paper on the composer Holst at a conference of my DSU family during the semester, and will definitely miss at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, in September, all of you!” 2013. The conference is "Enchanted Modernities: Theosophy Tony Cruz writes: “Things are fine in the Charlotte-area. I reand the Arts in the Modern World." Owen received his Master of cently finished the MAT program at The University of North Music from LSU in 2012, and is now completing the first year of Carolina at Charlotte. I’ve been teaching his work toward a PhD. in musicology at LSU. 7th grade language arts for the past two Dana Patton is teaching 10th grade English at S.B.E.C. years at a low-performing, high-poverty school which is challenging but can also Stephan Roberts ’10, a doctoral candidate in mathematics at be rewarding.” Ole Miss, finds the French reading skills he acquired from courses with James Tomek invaluable in translating classic French Jackie Day Barnett received a master’s in English Education language needed for his thesis work in functional analysis. from Ole Miss and now teaches at Center Hill High School in Desoto County. She is now active in the University of Mississippi Writing Project. Her site is in charge of designing training French major Ben Shaman ’11 is in France working on a Masters of Arts degree from Bowling for the Mississippi Department of Education’s Common Core training. She also received a grant to work with rural schools in Green University. At right, Shaman and friend. the Oxford area. Nick White, ’09, had a short story accepted for publication in The Kenyon Review—one of the Morgan Dean has been appointed principal of the D.M. Smith world’s oldest and most prestigious literary journals. Nick will Middle School in Cleveland. soon be starting his third year in the MFA program in fiction at Ohio State. Taylor Hawkins ’13, an English/journalism major, has been named Sports Editor of the Yazoo Herald in Yazoo City. HawDr. John Merrill, an English major, DSU ’49, passed away in October. As a renowned journalism professor and author of 33 books, the Cleveland native became a major icon in the world of journalism education. Merrill followed his DSU English degree with a master’s in journalism from LSU, a master’s in philosophy from the University of Missouri, and a doctorate in mass communications from the University of Iowa. The Merrill legacy lives on at Delta State University. The John Merrill award is given annually to the top journalism major, and the annual John C. Merrill Lecture Series features lectures from outstanding journalists. He has been named to the Alumni Hall of Fame, and copies of his published works are preserved at Capps Archives. Division chair Bill Hays remembers Merrill as “a man with a keen intellect, a razor-sharp wit, and an infectious smile, one who extended the hand of generosity to his alma mater in extraordinary ways.” Journalism professor Patricia Roberts recalls Merrill as “an inspirational figure,” who “loved journalism, loved young people and loved Delta State University.” Memorial donations to the John Merrill Award and the John Merrill Lecture Series may be made through the Delta State University Foundation.
Dr. Robert Hamblin, DSU ’60, a prominent poet and Faulkner scholar returned to his alma mater in March for a poetry reading and lecture. He read from his new book of poetry, Dust and Light, and presented a lecture entitled “Legacies of the Battles of Ole Miss: The Meredith Crisis and the 1965 Southern Literary Festival.” Dr. Hamblin is Director of the Center for Faulkner Studies at Southeast Missouri State University, where the Brodsky Collection, the largest single collection of Faulkner memorabilia in the world, is housed and maintained.
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PRESENTATIONS In February, Ben Burgos and son Mark attended the 2013 MVSU World Languages Workshop at Itta Bena. In April and May, Burgos made presentations on Mexican toys, Mayan and Aztec art at Washington High School in Greenville. At an April event, Georgene Clark was honored for her 35 years of Delta State service.
photographer Alison Wright, a colleague from Roberts’ days as an international correspondent based in Kathmandu, Nepal. In March, Roberts also attended the 100th Centennial celebration of her New York City alma mater, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Marilyn Schultz traveled to Las Vegas, NV, for the 2012 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) meeting and the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey meets up Susan Allen Ford made two presenof the National Council of Teachers of Engwith Mike Smith and English students Katie tations at the annual meeting of the Turner and Alissa Chadwick at the Southern lish (ALAN), where she presented a paper Jane Austen Society of North AmeriLiterary festival at Columbus State University in entitled “Epiphanies, Insight, and Intuitive ca in Brooklyn in October. She particColumbus, Georgia. Thinking in the Assessment Climate: Can ipated in a live-streamed international Students Still Dream, Connect, and Ignite?” reading of Pride and Prejudice celeDuring the conference, Schultz also participated in the Program th brating the 200 anniversary of its publication in January. She Reviewers Work Session. She reviewed the updates implementspoke about Pride and Prejudice and Fordyce’s Sermons in New ed for NCTE/NCATE program assessment plans. This training Orleans in April. will help her in dealing with issues related to the English lanIn September, Stephen King presented, “Between Jennings and guage arts program assessment, and she also reviews English Jones: Jamey Johnson, Hard-Core Country Music, and Outlaw as education programs for other universities. Authenticating Strategy,” as part of the First Tuesday lecture series. King also attended the 13th Biennial Public Address Confer- Clint Tibbs presented a paper, "Helena Petrovna Blavatsky: ence at the University of Memphis. In February, King attended the Madame of the Esoteric Tradition," during a Gender Studies Group Brownbag in March. Tibbs' article "Possession Amnesia: Mississippi Communication Association conference. In March, A Cross-Cultural Phenomenon of Spirit Possession Found in King presented a lecture, “Blues, Race, and Reconciliation,” at Greco-Roman, Early Jewish and Christian Texts on Inspired the Capps Building on campus. Speech" has been accepted for publication by the Journal of ReThe lecture was sponsored by the Diversity Advisory Committee ligion of the University of Chicago. and the Division of Languages and Literature. In March, King James Tomek constructed and presided over the introductory and Renee Foster co-presented “Revolutionary Words: Reggae’s interdisciplinary course (Graduate Liberal Studies 600) for the Evolution from Protest to Mainstream,” at the Popular Communinew Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies program in the cation Association convention (Washington D.C.). Also in April, King presented a lecture entitled, “The History of Blues Tourism fall. Along with Yvonne Tomek, Sally Paulson, and Arlene Sanders, he participated on a panel on “personhood” at the Misin Mississippi,” at the Robinson-Carpenter Memorial Library. sissippi Philological Association meeting in February at William Don Allan Mitchell has been elected as Faculty Senate President Carey University He looked at the subject through apostrophe in abortion poems and Levinas’s Talmudic method of reading. Alfor 2013-2014. so, Tomek has finished his thesis to complete a Masters of Arts Ed Plough made a number of spring presentations. He presented degree in theology at Spring Hill College. The work is a study of narrative theology in light of two philosophers, Simone Weil and “Plagiarism: What It Is and How You Can Avoid It,” at the Emmanuel Levinas and two literature pieces. spring Academic Support Lab’s Workshop Series; “Titus Andronicus Underwater,” Shakespeare’s Blood Seminar at the 44th Annual Convention of the Northeast Modern Language Associa- Yvonne Tomek attended the June 2012 weekend writing workshop of Michael Morse entitled “Psalms Ancient and Modtion at Tufts University in March; “From R&B to Bollywood: Masculinity in Two Shakespearean Musical Adaptations” at the ern: Sing and Praise, Bitch and Moan” at the University of Io41st Annual meeting of the Shakespeare Association in Toronto wa Summer Writing Festival. She also read her personal poetry in March; and “Titus Andronicus Underwater” at the first inter- at the Writing Festival. In February, she participated in a legal and literary panel on the subject of “Personhood” at the Missisnational Conference on Medieval and Renaissance Thought at sippi Philological Association Conference at William Carey UniSam Houston University in April. versity with a presentation of her essay “Pushing the EnvePatricia Roberts presented “Children on the Edge,” an explora- lope: The Leaning Toward Personhood in French Women’s tion of how the global media cover issues involving children, at Epistolary Writing.” In April, she and the panelists repeated their the national conference of the College Media Association in New presentation at a Friday Brown Bag Session in Kethley Hall. York City. Co-presenter was world-class National Geographic
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PUBLICATIONS
2012 Tapestry authors (from left) are Bill Hays, Mike Smith, Don Allan Mitchell, Ronald Douglas (cover designer), Terry Everett, Dorothy Shawhan, Bonnie Horton, Jack Phillips, Stephen King, Jim Tomek, Ben Burgos and Yvonne Tomek. The collection of faculty writing is published annually by the Division of Languages & Literature.
2013 Confidante, a DSU tradition, showcases student writing talent
Ford writes intro for classic text
The 2013 issue of Confidante was released in April. The student literary magazine includes award winning fiction, formal essays and poetry by DSU students. Student winners, named at a February reading, are Kristy Pyron, first place and honorable mentions for fiction; Alissa Chadwick honorable mention for fiction; and Katie Turner, winner for formal essay and poetry. At right, a cluster of Confidantes on display at the launch party.
The Chawton House Press released a facsimile reprint of the 10th edition of Dr. James Fordyce’s Sermons to Young Women, a bestselling conduct book in Jane Austen’s day. Susan Allen Ford, who has done extensive research at the Chawton House Library in Hampshire, U.K., wrote the introduction to the new edition of the Fordyce text. Like a Jane Austen heroine, Susan addressed Fordyce’s suppositions and the responses of his readers with a sharp, analytical wit.
After illustrious careers at Delta State, Stephen King and wife Renee Foster depart this summer for Charleston, Illinois, where King has been named chairperson of the Communication Studies Department at Eastern Illinois University. Meanwhile, King’s books continue to win praise from critics and scholars. In December, King was selected to represent Delta State University in a University Press of Mississippi ad awareness campaign called “Voices of Mississippi Scholars.” Reviewer Gregory Hanson recently praised I’m Feeling the Blues Right Now in the Arkansas Review: “King’s…writing conveys the deep understanding of Stephen King (right) with student Jim Burt ’13 a talented writer and scholar, who clearly understands the blues and appreciates the history of Mississippi.” Another favorable review was published in CHOICE, a national resource used to determine what books are purchased for various collections. The reviewer rated the book as “highly recommended,” and wrote, “[King] makes some groundbreaking observations in this original, extensive study.” “Ska and the Roots of Rastafarian Musical Protest,” a chapter from King’s 2002 book, Reggae, Rastafari, and the Rhetoric of Social Control, was recently republished in Music and Protest, Ashgate Press (London), Music and Protest is a 500+ page survey textbook on social protest music. Barry T. Bays III and P. Renee Foster are listed as contributors. The paperback version of I’m Feeling the Blues Right Now: Blues Tourism and the Mississippi Delta was released in April. King serves on the editorial board for the Western Journal of Communication. He serves as a manuscript reviewer for Popular Music and Society. He also served as a reviewer for the National Communication Association’s Instruction Communication Division.
HuffPost reviews Smith’s Multiverse Mike Smith’s third book of poetry, Multiverse— chosen by one publisher as one of the 10 best volumes of poetry of 2010 — received a favorable review in The Huffington Post.
Division of Languages & Literature P.O. Box 3215 Delta State University Cleveland, MS 38733 Return Service Requested
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ORDER PUBLICATIONS 2012-13 publications of the Division of Languages and Literature are available. To order Tapestry ($5) the faculty journal, and/or Confidante ($3), the student journal, mail us a check or money order to the address below. CONTACT US DSU graduates, we want to hear from you. Please phone, mail or e-mail us a brief summary of your news. Include your name, address, phone number and year of graduation. Division of Languages & Literature P.O. Box 3215 Delta State University Cleveland, MS 38733 Phone: 662-846-4060 E-mail: proberts@deltastate.edu
English major Lindsey Funk collaborated with Healthy Campus/Community Initiative to teach the art of the hula hoop. At right, Division English professor Marilyn Schultz and Chair Bill Hays pose with Funk and her hula hoop. The spring event drew more than thirty participants and numerous spectators.