Dr. Genevieve Brassard has garnered the title of resident Anglophile in the cozy nook of the English department. During her lectures and office hours students are imbued with her love for 20th century British literature, which seems to run deeper than the roots of her favorite authors. She always takes the time to appreciate the…
A Night of Poetry with Joseph Ross
By Laura Misch faceless and colorless, just like America is not. —Joseph Ross, “In the Courtroom” (Part of the “Trayvon Martin: Requiem”) On Tuesday, April 17th, the University of Portland had the pleasure of hosting poet Joseph Ross, who read from his newest poetry collection—Ache (2017). The collection focuses on the subject of race…
An Evening with Rebecca Skloot
By Laura Misch On February 26th the University of Portland hosted best-selling author, Rebecca Skloot, as the 2018 Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writer. She gave an amazing talk addressing everything from her famous book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, to goldfish surgery (yes, it’s a real thing!). It was a great event filled with laughter and critical conversation. Here…
An Interview With Sarah Bokich
By Keaton Gaughan In anticipation of her up-coming campus reading, I sat down with poet and esteemed UP alum, Sarah Bokich, to learn a bit more about her, her newest chapbook, and life after UP. You can peruse our exchange below. Come hear Sarah read from her newest publication on Thursday, February 8th at 7:30pm…
Spring 2018 Course Preview
by Laura Misch Percy Bysshe Shelley once wrote, “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” Well, English majors, winter will soon be upon us, and registration for the spring semester has officially begun. The race is on to sign up for courses, and here’s hoping you get the schedule you want. But what exactly are you signing up for? I corresponded with each of our lovely professors…
Interview with Leni Zumas
by Keaton Gaughan Leni Zumas, author of the upcoming fiction novel Red Clocks (selected for Publishers Weekly’s “Top 10 Literary Fiction” list), will be visiting campus later this month as part of the University of Portland’s 2017-2018 Readings and Lectures Series. Her reading will be November 15th at 7:30pm in the campus bookstore. Zumas teaches in the MFA creative writing program at Portland State University. She is also the author of the story collection Farewell Navigator, and…
An Interview with Dr. Hill on the German novelist Julia Franck
by Monica Salazar Award-winning, contemporary German author Julia Franck will be visiting campus for the University of Portland’s Readings & Lectures Series this November. In her writing, Franck explores Germany’s dark, complex history and how major political events shaped the lives of everyday German citizens—especially women—during the twentieth century. I sat down with Dr. Alexandra Hill, a German professor here at UP who has written extensively about Franck in her academic publications, to ask her a bit about…
An Interview with O. Alan Weltzien
by Elizabeth Barker As students at the University of Portland, we are fortunate to have many amazing artists share their work with us. Recently, UP alumni Kunal Nayyar, from the primetime TV show The Big Bang Theory, came to share some wisdom at a Q and A before midterms. O. Alan Weltzien is going to join this list of speakers, and you definitely do not want to miss this one. Weltzien, a current English…
Fall 2017 Course Preview
Welcome back from break, English majors! We hope you had fun adventuring, resting, and maybe even reading (Moby Dick, anyone?). Now we’re back in the throes of Spring semester and need to think about next Fall! That’s right, it’s time for registration. Get ready for new classes and the return of our beloved Dr. Hersh and Dr. Weiger! This preview of…
Life After The English Major
Listen. Listen closely. Can you hear it? It’s that ever-looming question of “English major? English… What are you planning on doing with that?” However, you don’t have to feel your stomach drop every time this question is asked, because the English Department is here to help. This coming Monday, February 6th, the UP English…