The New Ex-Libris

Good Morning,

I’m happy to announce that the new Ex-Libris is now live at www.english-exlibris.com. All new updates and content will be posted on the new site including the Winter Quarter Class Offerings. All of the classes are already up so feel free to explore and get excited. I am waiting on a few more descriptions, but they will be up by Friday or Monday at the latest.

If you have any suggestions on how to improve the site please don’t hesitate to let me know. Ex-Libris is meant to be your news source and provide access to information you need. Any feature that will improve your experience will be considered.

Have an excellent day, and I hope you enjoy the new Ex-Libris.

Best,

Josh Fisher

P.S. News will no longer be posted on this site

Jane Hamilton Visits DePaul

Jane Hamilton, author of The Book of Ruth, A Map of the World, The Short History of a Prince, and other favorites will be coming to DePaul on Friday, October 11^th from 2 pm to 3pm. Hamilton will read from one of her books, and lecture as well. All students are encouraged to attend. The Honors Program can help you join or set up a small group discussion following the lecture and reading.

The event is co-sponsored by the University Honors Program, the English department, and the DePaul Humanities Center. Jane will be reading from new work, and her lecture will focus around this year’s Honors Program theme: “Searching for Home”.

Jane is an engaging speaker, and this promises to be an enriching event.  I hope you’ll be able to attend, and that you’ll share the attached flyer with your students.

Time to Apply for Teaching Internships

Alumni Published in Midwestern Gothic and Teaching Internships

“And gladly would he learn and gladly teach.” Said Chaucer of his clerk in the The Canterbury Tales.  MAWP and MAE students interested in lending their knowledge and expertise to two-year colleges should heed that line. Students interested in pursuing a teaching career in academia should consider this as an opportunity to get some real world experience.  Interns work alongside an experienced two-year college professor who guides them through a 16 week semester. The internship is for the Winter Quarter.

Interns must register with Professor Green for ENG 509 in order to pursue the internship. More information on the process is available on the department’s website.  All interested graduates should contact Dr. Goffman by email before sending in application materials.

Published Alumni

Masters in Writing and Publishing alumni Michael Van Kerckhove and David Mathews are celebrating their respective publications in the fall 2013 issue of the Midwestern Gothic literary journal. Michael and David are authorial pioneers in the journal’s first foray into creative nonfiction.

Copies of the journal are available in various e-book formats for $2.99. If you have your heart set on a print copy you can pick one up from Amazon for $12.99. Those who are unable to purchase a copy should consider sharing the journal’s page on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to help Michael and David get recognition for their outstanding work.

Don’t miss Michael’s personal essay, “Dance of the Ring” and David’s poem, “Sketches of Northwest Side of Chicago Parish Carnival”. Pick up a copy of the Midwestern Gothic Journal today.

EGSA Events

The EGSA is going to Uptown Poetry Slam at The Green Mill! One of Chicago’s most famous jazz clubs, The Green Mill sponsors a Poetry Slam night every Sunday from 7pm-11pm. As lovers of all things literary, we are planning an official EGSA event to go on Sunday, October 13^th at 7pm. Cover is $7. We hope to see you there!

Threshold Editors

Autumn is intoxicating.

Pour it into a tumbler with an ice cube and nurse it until your lips are numb with the season. Then, when you’re fully immersed in the warm oranges grab your pen and send in an application to become an editor for Threshold.

The deadline is fast approaching for this thrilling opportunity to be part of an award winning literary magazine. The pride and joy of the English Department, Threshold provides students hands on knowledge through collecting submissions, editing, and then publishing a literary magazine. Your ticket to be part of the experience is a 250 to 500 word application letter describing your relative experience and commitment to the magazine. Be a visionary and take Threshold to place it has never been before. Professor Borich looks to elevate the magazine to new heights and is excited to begin work with a motivated group of students.

All who are interested should send an email to Professor Borich at bborich@depaul.edu before noon on Monday, October 7^th. Let your imagination run wild.

From Wolves to Italy to Poetry Submissions

Crack your knuckles.Rotate your wrists inward, outward, and then fire off a few submissions to these journals looking to publish your exciting work. Submission deadlines are fast approaching so let those fingers rain down on the keyboard.

Journals Waiting for Your Poems

SLAB is seeking submissions for their CURRY Prize in Poetry. In the past, SLAB has published Pushcart Prize participant Zan Bockes, poet Joseph Bruchac, and Young Adult author Arleen Ruth Cohen. In fact, 2012 saw SLAB recognized as a recipient of the AWP National Director’s Prize for Content.

First place: $600 and a limited edition hard-bound chapbook of the winner’s poetry.

Runner up: $400

Judges: Amy Catanzano

All winners published in SLAB; all entries are considered for publication. The reading period is from August through December.  There’s a $10 reading fee. To learn more visit slablitmag.com

Panels Calling for Your Questions

The Chicago Humanities Festival is hosting Professor Maria Tatar, the John L Loeb Professor of Folklore & Mythology and Germanic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University. Professor Tartar will be giving a public lecture entitled, “The Big Bad Wolf Reconsidered”.

The lecture begins at 12:30 on Sunday, November 3, 2013 at the Chicago History Museum in the Rubloff Auditorium, 1601 North Clark Street, Chicago IL 60614.

Graduate students are encouraged to join the special graduate seminar from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. with Professor Tartar.  The seminar’s moderator will be CHF Artistic Director and Professor of Anthropology, History, and German at University of Illinois Matt Bunzl.

Interested students should submit a brief biography (150- 200 words), including area of research, and a question/topic they would like to discuss with Professor Tatar during the seminar to Gina Di Salvo at gina@chicagohumanities.org by October 4th. Selected applicants will be notified by October 11th.

Internships Hungering for Your Expertise

The Illinois State Legislature is looking to hire graduate interns for a variety of positions. Interns work as legislative staff with either the partisan staffs of the Illinois General Assembly or the Legislative Research Unit and earn 8 graduate political science credits in addition to a $2,026 stipend.

• Applicants with a minimum 3.0 GPA are preferred for partisan internships and required by the Legislative Research Unit (LRU).
• The deadline for receipt of application is March 1, 2014.
• Internships start August 16, 2014 and end June 30, 2015.

Apply and help the people in Springfield govern this great state of ours. We’ll all be counting on you to be the voice of reason in that house of madness.

Lectures Clamoring for Your Attention

Andrea Moro, Professor of Linguistics at the Institute for Advanced Study IUSS Pavia and Director of the Research Center for Neurocognition and Theoretical Syntax comes to Chicago to present his lecture, “The Boundaries of Babel. Reflections on Brain and Grammars”.

Here is Professor Moro on the topic:

“One of the major discoveries of modern linguistics is that languages cannot vary unboundedly: every grammar must meet some universal principles which generate an enormous but not infinite number of combinations in a modular way.  The system is so complex that this underlying uniformity has escaped the attention of scholars for centuries.  Only formal grammars have been able to arrive at this discovery in the last fifty years of research.  A crucial question that naturally arises from this state of affairs is whether the limit of variation among grammars is accidental, cultural and conventional or biologically driven.  Recent methodologies that allow us to explore the functioning of the brain in vivo have allowed us to approach this question in a new way.  By testing the brain activity during the acquisition of artificial languages which violate the universal principles of grammar it has been possible to provide strong evidence in favour of a biological perspective to the mystery of the absence of entire classes of conceivable grammars.”

For more details on this thrilling lecture or to RSVP, kindly click here. The lecture will be held on Monday, October 14th at 6:00 PM at the Italian Cultural Institute, 500 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 1450.   

Rush to this Reading

Denise Chavez, a critically-acclaimed playwright, is reading from her latest novel The King and Queen of Comezón.

The reading will begin at 6:00 pm and go until 8:30 pm. It will take place in the Student Center Building on Sheffield in Room No. 314. Don’t miss this wonderful chance to meet with Chavez and discuss the annual Border Books and Arts Festival, a community event she has organized for 20 years.

Share Your Passion for Literature

Do the grey clouds hanging overhead portend a storm?

Will the onset of October herald a cool, cold rain? Hardly. October’s grey doldrums are kindled by the cardinal reds, yellows, and oranges of graduate opportunities tumbling from the trees.

Working in The Schools

Writers and students interested in aiding those in our community should pursue the Working in The Schools (WITS) mentoring opportunity. English faculty, staff, and students mentor fourth through sixth grade students from a Chicago Public School that is at least 90% low-income. Mentors do not have to leave campus to help students. WITS will bus the students to Arts & Letters Hall each Thursday, beginning October 10th, from 3:30-4:30, in Arts & Letters #412.

Two mentors usually work with a single student. During the mentoring hour you will take turns reading to one another and then spend the remaining time working on the student’s homework.

Training Session: Thursday, October 3rd, 3:30-4:30, Arts & Letters Hall #412, Tovah Burstein from WITS will lead a training for all potential English Dept. volunteers. She will help us understand the mentoring process. This training will also be an opportunity for you to be paired with another volunteer.

Fugue Opens Submissions

Fugue Literary Journal, a magazine run by English and Creative Writing graduate students at the University of Idaho, Moscow has opened for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions. The Journal just celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and looks forward to publishing quality writing from new and established writers.

General Submissions

Submissions are accepted online only. Poetry, Fiction and Nonfiction submissions are accepted September 1 through April 1. All material received outside of this period will neither be read nor considered for publication. General submissions must be submitted along with a required submission fee of $2.00 per submission. Multiple submissions will be considered with a separate submission fee for each. All contributors to Fugue receive payment, via check, for their work and two complimentary copies of the journal in which their work appears.

Fugue requests that  contributors send no more than six poems, two short-shorts, one story, or one essay per submission.

Submissions in more than one genre should be submitted separately and require separate submission fees. Fugue will consider simultaneous submissions (submissions sent concurrently to another journal or journals) as long as you notify them immediately if a piece you submitted simultaneously has been accepted elsewhere.

To submit either a General or Contest submission, please click here.

Reformation of the EGSA

Ex Libris is proud to announce the reformation of the English Graduate Student Association.

The founding members met last Friday at John Barleycorn and elected, through a lengthy and sudsy process, a board of officers. Without further ado please welcome your new English Graduate Student Association officers.

President Brandon Haskey

Vice President Ryan Daily

Treasurer and Event Coordinator Kate O’Brien

Social Network Chair Bridgette “Tigz” Tar

Secretary Josh Fisher

Attendees discussed future events and hope to include weekly happy hours, trips to Second City, engaging conferences, and writing workshops in the programming. Check in with Ex Libris to stay on top of EGSA news and stay tuned for their next event.

Published Students, Writing Contests, and More

Today’s news comes in on the Pony Express from the land of published MAWP students.

However, that’s not the only good tidings in the mailbag: there are writing contests, association kickoffs, and visiting authors stuffed in this Ex Libris satchel. Read on, spread the news, and cheer for the Friday finish line is now in sight.

Congratulations Tim Rolph

When you see Tim on campus over the next few weeks shake his hand and offer him a hearty congratulations on the publication of Global Poverty Alleviation: A Case Book. Tim acted as part of a three member editorial team to publish a book that, “Provides examples of multi-stakeholder partnerships that aim to create sustainable enterprises for both the for-profit sectors and for individuals who live in conditions of poverty […] The cases are arranged thematically and cover a broad array of solutions in diverse countries […] that focus on bringing about substantive shifts in the conditions of life for those living in poverty.”

Be sure to pre-order Global Poverty Alleviation: A Case Book on Amazon.

Hektoen International Writing Contests

Writers who enjoy throwing a bit of the science and the technical into their prose should take a few minutes to explore the Hektoen International Writing Contests. The organization is hosting two medical humanities contests with fast approaching deadlines.

o  The Vesalius Prize – for $1,000—to commemorate the 500th birthday of Andreas Vesalius and his spirit of excellence and inquiry.

Participants may write for any section of the Hektoen Briefs:

• Art Flashes: art and disease, and medical themes in the visual arts.
• Physicians of Note: portraits of famous physicians.
• Moments in History: notable events relating to medicine.
• Literary Vignettes: extracts with commentaries related to medicine and literature.
• Famous Hospitals: articles about historical or current hospitals.

Articles should not be longer than 800 words and only one image is allowed. Each participant may submit only one piece. Articles must be received by December 1, 2013. The winner will be announced by email on April 1, 2014 and published in the Spring 2014 issue. Selected others will be featured in the Hektoen Briefs section.

Please send your submission to contest@hektoeninternational.org by December 1, 2013 and write “VESALIUS” and the title of your piece in the subject line of your email.

o  The Hektoen Essay Contest—Suggested topics include medicine and art or literature, history of medicine, ethics, music, philosophy, anthropology, linguistics, etc. Clinical studies or case reports are not eligible.

They will be offering two prizes:

• The Hektoen Grand Prix, for the winner – $1,500
• The Hektoen Silver Prize, for the runner-up – $1,000

Essays should be 1,500 to 2,000 words and up to three images are allowed. Each participant may submit only one piece. Articles must be received by March 1, 2014. The winner will be announced by email on June 1, 2014 and published in the Summer 2014 issue. Selected others will be featured throughout the year.

Please send your submission to contest@hektoeninternational.org by March 1, 2014 and write “ESSAY” and the title of your piece in the subject line of your email.

Jane Hamilton Visits DePaul University

Jane Hamilton, author of The Book of Ruth, A Map of the World, The Short History of a Prince, and other favorites will be coming to DePaul on Friday, October 11^th from 2 pm to 3pm. Hamilton will read from one of her books, and lecture as well. All students are encouraged to attend. The Honors Program can help you join or set up a small group discussion following the lecture and reading.

The EGSA Kickoff Drink Specials

The English Graduate Student Association is celebrating the new school year with cocktails and beer at John Barleycorn on September 27^th. Come revel in the great literary tradition of Dylan Thomas, Dos Passos, and Hemingway while meeting like-minded graduate students looking to bring renewed passion to the EGSA. The event will kick off at 6:00 and go until 9:00 in the evening, and all are invited to attend.

RSVP HERE

We’ve set up a drink special for the event.  For $20 all graduates and faculty will be able to enjoy well liquor, domestic drafts, and wine to their heart’s content for three hours.

826Chi and Eater Chicago Opportunities

Coming in on cool northerly winds is a host of internship opportunities for graduates to explore.

Take a bite into the Eater Chicago with their internship opportunity. If whetting your palate isn’t something that interests you, lend your expertise to 826Chi and help fellow Chicagoans with reading and writing. If you receive one of the internship offers, you’ll need to register for ENG 509, the

Eater Chicago Internship

Eater Chicago is looking for some fresh meat, aka interns. Are you an eager person who happens to read Eater on a daily, or perhaps, obsessive basis? If so, this opportunity may be for you.

The Eater is looking for interns with journalism in their blood to join their team. Internship responsibilities may include, but not be limited to (a) attending long, boring meetings from which you’ll file entertaining and witty reports; (b) dashing to the scene of breaking news; and (c) undertaking onerous, potentially soul-crushing, research projects. Timing is flexible. Photo skills a plus. Interested persons should send an email to chicago@eater.com with a brief description of yourself, your interest in the gig and 2-3 writing samples (links OK). If we like what we see, we’ll get back to you quickly. Thanks.

Editor’s Note – This posting is quoted straight from Eater Chicago.

826Chi

826CHI interns commit to between 15-20 hours per week of unpaid experience during one semester (fall: September-December, spring: January-June, summer: June-August), with the possibility of extension. Interns participate in all aspects of 826CHI; they support staff in administrative tasks, outreach projects, and events, and often have the opportunity to conduct individual projects based on the skills and interests of the intern as well as the needs of the organization.  The application deadline for the spring is Friday, November 29th, 2013 at 5pm. For questions about these positions, please email Kendra Curry, Director of Volunteer Services at Kendra@826chi.org.

826CHI is currently offering the following yearlong positions, and positions for fall 2013:

Programming

Programming interns work closely with the Director of Education and Program Coordinator on Field Trips, Workshops, After-School Tutoring and In-Schools, work with students on a regular basis, and support programmatic events, research and administration. Click here for full description.

Development

The ideal Development intern is someone with a strong interest in telling the story of 826CHI in an effort to increase exposure within different Chicago communities to funders.  Click here for full description.

Communications

This position works closely with the Development and Executive Directors to develop innovative approaches messaging the mission and work of 826CHI within different national, regional, and local communities.  Click here for full description.

Volunteer and Outreach

The ideal Volunteer intern is someone with a strong interest in being a liaison for 826CHI in the greater Chicago community, as well and helping orchestrate a team of 400 active volunteers and welcoming new members to the organization. Click here for full description.

Publications

The ideal candidate is someone with a strong interest in student writing, design, and project coordination. The Publications intern supports the in-house and professional publication efforts across programming, including Workshops, In-Schools and After-School Tutoring chapbooks. The Publications intern also supports two larger professional projects, the Compendium, an annual anthology of student writing from across 826 programs, and one unique spring publication project. This position works closely with the Director of Education on each of these publications. Click here for full description.

Special Events

The ideal candidate is someone with a strong interest in supporting the planning, administration, and delivery of special events at 826CHI, including a formal gala, student book release celebrations, family gatherings, and volunteer appreciation events. Click here for full description.

Marketing and PR

The ideal marketing intern has a vested interest in applying his/her skills and experience towards devising strategies for the promotion of both the storefront and non-profit components of 826CHI. Click here for full description.

The EGSA Kickoff Drink Specials

The English Graduate Student Association is celebrating the new school year with cocktails and beer at John Barleycorn on September 27^th. Come revel in the great literary tradition of Dylan Thomas, Dos Passos, and Hemingway while meeting like-minded graduate students looking to bring renewed passion to the EGSA. The event will kick off at 6:00 and go until 9:00 in the evening, and all are invited to attend.

We’ve set up a drink special for the event.  For $20 all graduates and faculty will be able to enjoy well liquor, domestic drafts, and wine to their heart’s content for three hours.