Our New Widget, aka First Post of 2011!
I rang in the new year in rural West Virginia, far from cell phone towers or, for that matter, a satellite connection to transmit images of the ball dropping in Times Square. Although I felt a bit disconnected from my annual TV ritual, the night sky was dark enough for star-watching, a rarity in Washington DC.
And although this winter break barely feels like one, I’m looking forward to the spring semester. (The phrase alone–“spring semester”–has a good vibe.) I’ll be teaching ENGL 1320.80W (get used to those new four-digit course numbers!), Literature of the Americas, a course that critically examines the “American” in “American Literature.” For students who are still looking for a good course, we have several excellent offerings that have spaces left, including Global Literature and Cinema (with Prof. Daiya) and Topics in U.S. Latino/a Literature and Culture (with Prof. Lopez). Both of these courses are taught by highly praised professors.
- AWP Conference (Associated Writing Programs) in Washington, February 2-5. GW English is an institutional sponsor, and several faculty members–including Thomas Mallon, Gregory Pardlo, and Edward P. Jones–will be participating. Lucky GW English-Creative Writing majors will receive tickets.
- GW MEMSI hosts its “Animal, Vegetable Mineral” conference March 10-12.
- Acclaimed novelist E.L. Doctorow, one of our greatest writers, reads at GW on April 7.
I hope to see you at one or more of these events, most of which are free and open to everyone.
