Bright Enough for the Fulbright

3 Myths Debunked, 4 Reasons to Apply, and 3 Tips to Get Started by Erika Murphy First, what is it? The Fulbright Award is a scholarship that could help you attend graduate school, conduct research, or teach abroad. There are the most awards for teaching abroad. The award is known to be highly competitive –…

NUCL 2015

Photos by Hannah Wilkes and Hope Dorman On Saturday, March 28th, students and professors from all over the northwest (and beyond!) gathered at UP to share, listen, talk, and celebrate literature. All in all, UP’s 11th annual NUCL was a great success, and not to mention, a great day to be an English major. Take a look…

Alumni Panel Preview: Bridget Flaherty

by Danielle Childs  This Monday, March 30th at 5:45 PM in Franz 025, is UP English Department’s Alumni Panel where current English majors can come and learn from actual real life human beings about some of the options available to them with a degree in English. In the flesh! I know we’ve all sat in class…

An Interview with Caleb Crain

by Hope Dorman  American novelist, essayist and nonfiction writer Caleb Crain will be giving a presentation on campus titled “The Disenchantment of Literature in the Age of the Hit Counter.” The presentation will be on Tuesday, March 31st at 7:30 PM in the University of Portland bookstore. His novel, Necessary Errors which was published in August…

A Preview of Fall 2015 Upper-Division English Courses

by Erika Murphy Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass in Just— spring when the world is mud— luscious the little lame balloonman whistles far and wee e.e. cummings, Chansons Innocentes  A little Madness in the Spring Is wholesome even for the King. Emily Dickinson, No….

Back from India

by Erika Murphy Dr. Molly Hiro is a favorite English professor at UP, married to fellow English professor Dr. Lars Larson. The two, both on sabbatical this year, won Fulbright awards to travel and teach in India. They decided to temporarily uproot their family to a country of festival-loving, vibrant-color-wearing people. Can you share why…

Freshman Spotlight: Amanda Zazueta

by Danielle Childs I have the pleasure of living next to Amanda on campus in Mehling. I am an RA and she is the lone English major on my floor. One of my favorite things to come home to is Amanda in her room, door open, sitting on her bed reading a book that isn’t…

Charming Alice: An Interview with Alice McDermott

by Ana Fonseca American Catholic novelist Alice McDermott will be on campus for a Reading and Lecture on Thursday, February 26th at 7 PM in BC Auditorium. Alice McDermott is the winner of the National Book Award for Charming Billy, the novel featured in UP’s first annual campus-wide reading program, Read UP. Over 300 copies…

Why I Love My Major

by Emily Neelon I’ve always loved to read and write. I used to devour book after book, my well-worn library card burning a hole in my pocket, begging to be used. The characters in my favorite books were my best friends and the lines on the pages of a notebook were my closest confidants. When I…

Aspire to be Hired

  by Erika Murphy Hundreds of applicants have whittled down to three candidates who pursue a single position, that of English professor in 18th Century British literature. Not only are the numbers daunting, but the man whose position they’ll replace has left high expectations. Dr. Herman Asarnow is beloved for his vivacity and wisdom, and…