On October 7th, 1849: The world lost poet Edgar Allen Poe. Four days earlier, he was found delirious on the streets of Baltimore outside of a polling station. To this day, no one has a concrete answer on how he died, but theories of alcohol poisoning, rabies, tumors, and even murder are still in circulation. Do…
By Wes Cruse In preparation for his upcoming visit to campus, I sat down with author and PSU English Department Chair Paul Collins to discuss his newest book and his thoughts about writing. Collins’ work has been published in The New Yorker, Slate, and The New York Times, and his books that have been translated…
Portland’s very own independent publishing house is looking for interns for all departments in the upcoming year! Whether you’re interested in editorial work, design, marketing/publicity, or magazine publishing, Tin House has a PAID internship for you! Follow the link for more information about the internships available: https://tinhouse.com/internships/…
By Emily Nelson Founded in 2004, the Northwest Undergraduate Conference on Literature, aka NUCL, has been a cornerstone event for the UP English Department each year. NUCL has offered countless English majors and literature enthusiasts from undergrad programs around the region a chance to share their work, engage in critical conversations, and connect with other…
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…
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…
Writers Magazine 2018 By Keaton Gaughan As I sit down to write about the 2018 edition of Writers magazine, I’m finding it difficult to shift my thoughts away from the Launch Party that we held on Founder’s Day in the campus bookstore. For those of you who couldn’t make it this year or have no…
By Laura Eager ’12 “Social Work? What’s that?” Like many people, I did not know what social work was as an undergraduate. This lack of knowledge lasted until I had my first long-term substitute teaching position in 2013 at a Title I public school in Washington, DC and I interacted with the school social worker. After…
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…
By Laura Misch February is much more than a month-long rumination on your current relationship status. It’s a time to recognize and appreciate Black History Month through the acknowledgment of African-American achievements. Although we should always celebrate the past and present achievements of African-Americans, Black History Month designates a special time during which we can actively…