AUM English/Philosophy Students, Alums, and Friends

NEWS FROM AUM ALUM MELYSSA BOONE

2007-09-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

Upon graduating, I moved to Kansas City, Kansas, and got a job as a receptionist three weeks after arriving. I worked in this position for three months at Kiewit Industrial, a construction company that builds power plants. My dad has worked with this company nearly all my life so it's ironic I now work for them as well. It's nice seeing my dad around the office now since I didn't get to see him much in college.

About three weeks ago, I was promoted to legal secretary/administrative assistant. My former supervisor was grooming me for this ever since I was hired since I was overqualified for the receptionist position with my degree. The administration believed my English degree would benefit me in the legal department. I now support three attorneys as well as the district contracts manager. My tasks vary, including document control with contracts and various accounting issues concerning legal consultation. Amazingly enough, my new supervisor even had me travel for business, sending me to our corporate office in Omaha, Nebraska, to train with his old secretary. I never believed I would get to travel for work so soon out of college!

Even though I feel amazingly blessed by this position, I feel called to go to the Philippines and work in an orphanage for three months as a missionary. God called me to this work during my time in Africa and I'm so excited about working for a longer duration now that I've graduated. I am in the planning phase now, completing my application, and will hopefully be purchasing my ticket soon. I really can't wait for this opportunity and look forward to God using me to make a difference in a child's life.

I still find myself missing AUM at times and hope to visit before leaving for the Philippines. No matter how far I may travel, I'll never forget my times there!

NEWS FROM AUM ALUM LINDA PEGRAM (NOW LINDA GOLD)

2007-09-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

After five years as a managing editor with a Montgomery publishing company (same company as Kurt Niland), I moved to beautiful British Columbia in September '99 to marry a wonderful Canadian man I met via the Internet. I landed a job in communications with the Government of British Columbia in September 2000, and have been here ever since - how time does fly! Since I've been here, I've worked in communications for a number of different ministries, including Energy and Mines, Finance and, most recently, the Ministry of Health, where I've been since June. My job involves LOTS of writing - news releases, speeches, communications plans, etc.

FREE JOURNALISM WORKSHOP ON OCTOBER 4

2007-09-14T14:38:00.001-07:00

From the AUM Career Development Center via the AUMNIBUS (Because when you think AUMNIBUS, you think future journalists of Alabama).

The Alabama Press Association will host a student job and internship fair Thurs., Oct 4 at the Bartow Arena's Green & Gold Room on the Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham's campus. (Go Blazers!)

The cost is free and so is lunch! There are three scheduled interview times for the day. Seniors and juniors majoring in journalism and/or interest in the newspaper industry are encouraged to attend.

The APA office needs copies of the registration from and copies of resumes by Sept. 28. Copies of the registration form are available in the AUMNIBUS office 318 TC for staff. If your department would like copies, please reply to this email.

For more info, contact Bethany Carr at 205-871-7737 or 1-800-264-7043.

(submitted by AUM English major Ashley Wright)

BOOKS CONTAINING WORK BY AUM STUDENTS RECOMMENDED IN STANDARD ANTHOLOGIES

2007-09-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

Books containing scholarly work by students at AUM are recommended for use by students elsewhere in a number of recent editions of widely-adopted anthologies of literature.

The newest edition of The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women (NALW) reprints the text of a seventeenth-century autobiographical poem titled “The Memorandum of Martha Moulsworth, Widow.” Moulsworth’s poem has been the subject of three different books containing work by AUM faculty and students. Two of those books are recommended by the editors of NAWL, including one that contains work by AUM alumnus Neil Probst, who is currently a staff writer with the national magazine of the Civil Air Patrol. Moulsworth’s poem was also included in the seventh edition of The Norton Anthology of English Literature.

Meanwhile, two books containing work by more than a hundred former students at AUM are recommended by the editors of the seventh edition of The Norton Anthology of American Literature (NAAL). The books, which deal with American authors Kate Chopin and Ambrose Bierce, are among select titles recommended in bibliographies at the end of volume I of NAAL.

Finally, the book on Chopin is also recommended by the editors of the ninth edition of Prentice Hall’s Anthology of American Literature.

The recommendation of these books by the editors of the various anthologies means that scholarship done by students at AUM will be assisting the further scholarly work of students at many other campuses throughout the U.S. and abroad.

VERY IMPORTANT NEWS; SPREAD THE WORD!

2007-09-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

Scholarships will soon be available to AUM English majors; application forms are available in the plastic bin outside Dr. Sterling's office. Interested students can also ask Dr. Gribben for further details.

The scholarships will be awarded very early in 2008, so please act soon.

UPDATES FROM AUM ALUMS ALISHA SULLIVAN AND BOB GENETSKI

2007-09-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

ALISHA GRADUATED A YEAR OR TWO AGO; HERE IS HER REPORT FROM RENO, NEVADA:

Well, this weekend I have mostly been avoiding the streets of Reno in order not to run into any playa dust-coated "Burners" (people who have attended the week-long Burning Man Festival in the Black Rock Desert).

More relevant to the blog update, perhaps, this fall I am starting on my second year in the Literature and Environment program at UNR, working on my MA in English. I have some interesting courses to look forward to this year, including "The Transcendentalist Tradition" and "Ecocriticism." I taught freshman composition last year, but this semester I'll be a discussion leader for Core Humanities.

Over the past summer I presented a paper at an academic conference for the first time. I also worked as a research assistant for a professor putting together a graduate seminar in environmental justice literature -- a topic that was especially interesting to me after my AUM internship with WildLaw.

I had some non-academic fun out here in the West, too. I did some hiking in the Sierras, went swimming in Pyramid Lake and Lake Tahoe (SO cold even in mid-summer!), and made a trip or two to San Francisco to hear music at the Fillmore and see the sights!

Hope all is well back in Alabama. I hear it was a very hot and dry summer. It was a very dry year here on the eastern slope of the Sierras, too. We had several bear and mountain lion sightings as they ranged farther out looking for food and water.

BOB GRADUATED IN 1991; HERE IS HIS REPORT:

I am well. I am still teaching at-risk students in Grandville, MI. It is still a wonderful challenge that humbles me on a regular basis. It is very humbling to be cussed out by a 15 year old kid.

I have created a few short fiction pieces, which, when I get the courage, I will submit somewhere!

Soon I will formally declare my candidacy for the Republican nomination for State Representative for the 88th District of Michigan (Michigan has the worst economy in the nation at present). It will be an exciting and challenging race.

I earned my M. Ed from Grand Valley State Universityin Technology during 2004. However, I will apply to a university of greater esteem. The first master's was to appease my school district. The next one will be for me.

I live in Saugatuck, MI - where I regularly write"letters to the editor" to complain about the taxes here (which no one changes). I have published a guest editorial appearing in the Holland Sentinel and Grand Rapids Press. The editorial slammed state universities for the tuition increases we have seen for 6 years straight. I have also penned an article for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which called out teacher certification in Michigan as a waste of time and taxpayer money.

I am blessed to be playing ice hockey twice a week.

HERE IS BOB'S POLITICAL WEB SITE; IF YOU VISIT, YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN AN ON-LINE VOTE: http://voteforbobg.com/

NEWS FROM ASHLEY WRIGHT ABOUT AUM'S CIRCLE K CHAPTER

2007-09-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

Circle K International, an Auburn University Montgomery student club, is starting up again after being in limbo for several months. This collegiate service group is affiliated with the Kiwanis organization and teaches college students about leadership, service to the community, and fellowship.

The AUM chapter will engage in various activities such as tutoring children who are not performing well in school, conducting book drives for children at the Brantwood Children's Home, arranging food drives for the benefit of the needy, and more rewarding activities. The organization, which exists on 525 college campuses around the world, is designed to serve various groups of people, particularly children.

The student-run group would also be happy to work in conjunction with other clubs. In 2006, the club represented AUM well by winning several awards at the state level, including the single service project award and recognition as a newly charted club.

The AUM chapter has been in limbo since the previous club president graduated in December 2006, but AUM student Courtney Tillery has decided to revive the club. AUM Circle K Faculty Sponsors, Professors Eric Sterling and Samantha Harvey, welcome Tillery's enthusiasm about the organization and the service it will provide to the campus and the community; however, she needs new members in order to reactivate the club and make it beneficial to those in need in Montgomery and the surrounding areas.

If you would like to be a member of the club, please contact Courtney Tillery at ctiller1@student.aum.edu for information about how to get involved.-- Ashley M. Wright

NEWS FROM RIAN RIDER AND SAMANTHA BATTEN

2007-08-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

Rian Rider and Samantha Batten are among the first of the former AUM English majors to send in info about their current circumstances.

Rian, presently a corporal with the Montgomery City Police, reports as follows:

"In the spirit of updating, I'll give the quick synopsis of my recent life. I made juvenile detective back in August '05, which means that I handle all investigations involving juveniles, whether they are victims or offenders. Then in February '06, I got promoted to Corporal, which didn't change my job any, but did change my pay! . . . In other news, I bought a house about two years ago. . . . [Meanwhile,] I took myself to Ireland back in April. I spent just over a week there, splitting time between Dublin, Killarney, and Galway. I did a bus tour, so I didn't have to worry about any of the arrangements for hotels, transportation, or food. All I had to do was enjoy the ride. It was incredible! I've always wanted to go to Ireland, and now that I've been, I know I'm going to have to go back. As for my writing, I still do the occassional bit of pleasure writing, but most of the writing I do is for court presentation. It's not nearly as enjoyable as my other writing, but a lot of it is just as interesting."

Samantha, who is presently a grad student at Auburn, provided these details of her recent life:

"I'm teaching 5 classes this semester (a world lit and two developmentals at Southern Union and two comp Is here at AU) and taking two (including my SIXTH theory class. . . . Gotta love some Jacques Lacan ;) "

If you have any info that YOU'D like to share, please send it to englishrce@aol.com

FIRST ASF CULTURE FEST

2007-08-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Jessica Skarda, a former AUM intern whose internship led to a regular position at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, has been instrumental in helping to plan ASF's first annual Culture Fest, which takes place on Saturday, September 1, 2007 from 1:00 to 7:30 p.m. For further details and a full schedule, please visit this link: http://newsletters.al.com/dm?id=D73E234FC1C48048A51FE8F0100F0B3050131FF9B4CFB7F2

Jessica is one of a number of past and present AUM English majors who have also been teaching this year in the university's English as a Second Language program. Other students involved include Audra Hagel, Mary Beth Hogan, Yer Kim, and Deborah Solomon.

ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY CLUB MEETINGS

2007-08-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

This coming Friday, August 31, starting at 6:00pm, the English Club will have its first meeting at Starbucks Eastchase. The purpose of this meeting is to establish leadership organization and the club's direction for the future. The English Club can be whatever we want it to be -- we just have to shape it. The English Club sponsor is Dr. Jeff Melton.

The English Club will be affiliated, fairly closely, with Sigma Tau Delta (the International English Honor Society founded in 1924). Unlike the English Club, Sigma Tau Delta membership is limited to those who meet certain prerequisites. For more information about joining Sigma Tau Delta, speak with the Sigma Tau Delta sponsor, Dr. Michel Aaij or see the Sigma Tau Delta website -- http://www.english.org.

In somewhat unrelated news, the Philosophy Club is also seeking members. Members are expected to enjoy and partake in conversations of a philosophical nature while maintaining a friendly and at least somewhat intellectual debate. Topics are selected by members, and meetings usually are held at local coffeehouses. The coffeehouse chat system has worked well, but we are always open to fresh and even eccentric ideas. Other activities have included movie nights, followed by discussions of relevance and philosophy of the films watched. Our meetings are always relaxed and friendly. Please contact Charles Leigh (contact information listed below) if interested in joining. Dr. David Walker is the Philosophy Club sponsor.

As an English Club and Sigma Tau Delta member, and as Philosophy Club President, Charles Leigh is more than willing to answer questions via email at cleigh@student.aum.edu in relation to any of these fine student organizations under the English and Philosophy Department.

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2007-08-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

The AUM English Department is proud that many of its graduates have become published authors, not only after their graduations but even during their time as students.

Kurt Niland, who graduated from the AUM English Department in the early 1990s, is surely one of the most widely published of all AUM English majors. During his time as an undergraduate at AUM, Kurt was the author or co-author of five peer-reviewed scholarly publications (all of which are indexed in the MLA Bibliography). He was selected as a recipient of a highly prestigious Younger Scholars fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities (just before that program was eliminated because of budget cuts). His fellowship allowed him to do intensive research for one month at the Beinecke Library at Yale University.

In the time since his graduation, Kurt turned to publishing of a different sort. He worked as a writer and editor for a number of companies, and he also found time to write a number of his own books, including such coffee-table guide books as Florida's Emerald Coast (1995), Philadelphia (2002), Gwinnett: Success Lives Here (2003), and, most recently, The Churches of Alabama (2003), which has been a major best-seller and is now in its second printing. Kurt, who spent a year in Thailand while in high school, has always been interested in foreign travel; recent trips have taken him several times to Polynesia, especially Tahiti.

Meanwhile, Kurt's good friend, Wendi Lewis, also a graduate of the AUM English program, now serves as Director of Communications for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Wendi is the co-author of a very handsome coffee-table book titled Montgomery: At the Forefront of a New Century (1996). A similar book titled Montgomery and the River Region: Together We Build (2001) contained significant contributions by Heather Edwards, who currently works for the AUM Speech and Hearing Clinic.

Ben Beard, an especially dynamic former English major who graduated in the late 1990s, is the author or co-author not only of Muhammed Ali: The Greatest (2002) but also of This Day in Civil Rights History (2005). Ben, who was himself a highly talented actor (especially noted for his role as Roderigo in a summer production of Shakespeare's Othello), for a time was a journalist whose job was to interview Hollywood celebrities (we are serious: this is not a joke).

Foster Dickson, who graduated with an undergraduate degree in English from AUM and is currently working on his Master of Liberal Arts degree, has become an award-winning creative writing teacher at Booker T. Washington magnet high school in Montgomery, where he has taken an active hand in fostering (pun intended) published work by his own students. In 2005, for instance, he helped edit (along with current stellar AUM English major Kevin Garner) a collection titled Taking the Time: Young Writers and Old Stories, and most recently he was the driving force behind a new book titled Our Hope, which was the subject of a major article in the Montgomery Advertiser (http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070816/NEWS01/708160322/1007)

Foster and Ben, who were good friends and who worked together at Montgomery's NewSouth publishing company, co-edited a number of books, including Hollow Bodies and Other Stories, King Midas in Reverse, and Kindling Not Yet Split (all published in 2002).

Scott Johnson, who graduated with a degree in English in the early 90s, was for years a copy-editor at the Montgomery Advertiser before recently trying his hand as a reporter. Scott's stories frequently appeared on the front pages of various sections of the paper, but he has now resumed the quieter life of a copy-editor -- a position also fulfilled at the Advertiser by Gary Goodson, also a graduate from Scott's era and a man widely admired for his skills as a wit, bon vivant, and raconteur. Neil Probst, also a graduate from the Age of Johnson and Goodson and also a one-time copy-editor and reporter at The Advertiser, now works as a full-time writer for the national magazine of the Civil Air Patrol. Before taking that job, Neil was a writer for Colonial Bank. His greatest accomplishment, however, was persuading fellow English major (and one-time departmental secretary) Julliana Ooi to become his wife. They are now the very proud parents of four very brilliant children: Noah, Caleb, Jonas, and Hannah.

MONTGOMERY
AS IT APPEARED
DURING THE
YOUTH OF GARY GOODSON

MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS

2007-08-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

SOME RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LIVES OF AUM ENGLISH MAJORS

Eric Atkins is the proud occupant of a new house. Marjean Corkran has begun teaching full-time at Enterprise Junior College. Heather Edwards was seen having supper recently at the Green Papaya (a restaurant she highly recommends). Lisa Harrison has begun working as a free-lance book editor and is receiving rave reviews from her clients. Mary Beth Hogan and her husband Kevin are doing their best to cope with the challenges of what Kevin has dubbed "mortability." Wanda Isham, Jennifer Jacobs, and Linda Uranga have begun teaching as adjunct instructors at AUM. Jennifer's brother, Andrew Jacobs, continues to wow his students at Faulkner University. Dallas Merritt and Catherine Winn were united this summer in holy matrimony; the new Mrs. Merritt began working this month as a tutor in the AUM Learning Center. Jessica Skarda recently accepted a position at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival after impressing everyone as an AUM intern there. Deborah Solomon and her husband Charles Solomon are celebrating their second wedding anniversary; earlier this spring they visited relatives of Deborah in Germany. Deborah was heavily involved in promoting this summer's CLEFWORKS chamber music series. Sarah Fish is having fun with her students at Macon East Academy. Robin Sulkosky visited Peru during the summer break, where he not only did some sight-seeing and mountain-climbing but also managed to survive the major earthquake that rocked Peru during his visit. Ashley Wright recently celebrated a birthday and was serenaded by a massive throng of musically-challenged admirers.

SCHOLARLY WORK BY AUM STUDENTS SELECTED FOR INCLUSION IN MAJOR DATABASE

2007-08-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

Various books containing the scholarly work of hundreds of AUM students have been selected for inclusion in the Literary Reference Center (LRC), a key electronic database that is widely available in public, school, and college libraries throughout the world. The re-publication of the books in the LRC means that the scholarship of the AUM students will now be easily accessible to researchers, teachers, and students working just about anywhere and at any time of the day or night.

Among the books selected for inclusion in LRC are titles dealing with such writers as Ambrose Bierce, Kate Chopin, Ben Jonson, and Frank O’Connor, plus a comprehensive volume dealing with American and British short stories. In addition, LRC also reprints the newest edition of a comprehensive volume titled Close Readings: Analyses of Short Fiction from Multiple Perspectives by Students of Auburn University Montgomery. An earlier edition of that book had already been reprinted in the Ebrary database (www.ebrary.com), which is also available through many libraries in the US and abroad.

LRC is produced by EBSCO Publishing, an industry leader in information resources. EBSCO describes its databases as “the most-used, for-fee, online information resources for tens of thousands of institutions worldwide” (www.epnet.com ). The work of numerous AUM students is now readily available to library users at all of those subscribing institutions, including through the Alabama Virtual Library (www.avl.lib.al.us) as well as through the AUM Library itself.

Each book prints the work and ideas of numerous AUM students; the one on Bierce, instance, contains the work of more than 120 past and present students, including Michelle Ackerman, Suzanne Armstrong, Eric W. Atkins, Shannon M. Barco, Bebe Barefoot, Ben Beard, Larry Boswell, Nataliya Bowden, Lee Bridges, Candice Briggs, Spencer Brothers, Scott Bruner, Tanya Brummett, Maranda Bryant, Lisa Bush, Karen Capps, Tabetha Carpenter, Missi Carrier, Scott Champion, John Conway, Jessica Cook, Tenika Cottingham, Melissa Crane, Erika Davis, Shannon Davis, Shannon Dean, Foster Dickson, Lauren Duke, Paul Duke, Kathleen Durrer, Heather Edwards, Leslie Evans, Angie Fuhrman, Heather Finley, Erin Gambino, Jimmy Garrett, Jeff Glass, Michael Goldman, Shelley Green, Kenneth W. Griffin, Anthony T. Hagan, Gina M. Harper, Barbara Hartin, Nikisha Hayes, Scott Hayles, Phyllis Hedrick, Charlotte Henderson, Sonjanika Henderson, Deborah Cosier Hill, Russ Holder, Laketa Huddleston, Jenny Hudson, Glenn Hunt, Jennifer Jacobs, Hashim C. Jeffries, Jason Johnson, Travis Jordan, John Kelley, Mark Koehler, Monica Felicia Lee, Meg Lewis, Tony Liang, Danon Lucas, Denah Lucas, Regina G. Lucas, Katie Magaw, Kathy Mayfield, Mandy McAlister, LaWendy Meadows, Daniel Meredith, Christy Meyers, Toinette Mitchell, Laura Moore, Josh Mustin, Zachery Myrick, Kristi Owen, Jason Peacock, Pamela Combs Pettis, Lane Powell, Neil Probst, Derrick Rainwater, Alma Ramirez, Jennifer Richardson, Rian Rider, Denean Rivera, Marie Robinson, Melissa Roth, Terri Richburg, Katrina Sansom, Julie D. Sellers, Tawanda Shaw, Kimberly Ann Sloss, Mollie Smith, Charles Solomon, Quesha S. Starks, Patrick Steele, Caryn Stewart, Frances Stewart, Patsy Stewart, Randy C. Stone, Laura Stough, Sara Sweeton, Daniel Talley, Lori Taylor, Monica G. Tindol, Mike Trotter, Barbrietta Turner, Sharon Watts, Michael Webb, Marge West, Ashley Wilkins, Lisa Williams, Sasha Woods, and Jonathan Wright.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? NEWS ABOUT RECENT GRADS

2007-08-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dr. Eric Sterling for news about the following graduates of our department!

ERIC ATKINS, after earning a master's degree in English at Middle Tennessee State University, is now employed in Montgomery as a program officer by Colonial Bank. SAMANTHA BATTEN is enrolled in an M.A./Ph.D. program at Auburn University. AMY BOAK was a full-time employee at the Fun Zone Learning Center before it was devastated by a tornado. (Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.) HEATHER FINLEY taught at Taylor Road Academy and then worked full-time in AUM's TRIO program. SARAH FISH recently earned her Master of Liberal Arts degree at AUM. JEFF GLASS teaches full-time at Wetumpka High School. LESLIE GROOMS owns and operates Invisible Fence, a company that helps solve that urgent question, "Who let the dogs out?!" MARY BETH HOGAN began a new job this year at East Memorial Christian Academy in Prattville. This summer she was an instructor in the AUM English as a Second Language program. MEG LEWIS is the Public Relations Manager at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, a job she earned after participating in the AUM internship program. KIM PATTERSON works full-time at Barnes & Noble bookstore. MANDY McALISTER earned her Master of Liberal Arts and is now in the Ph.D. program at Auburn University. JESSICA McNEILL, after graduating, received an attractive position working in public relations (thanks, in part, to her experiences in the internship program). MARGO PARASKA earned her MFA degree in creative writing at Colorado State University. HOLLY PETERSON is working for Planned Parenthood in Birmingham. STACIE PRITCHETT is enrolled in the graduate program at Oral Roberts University. RIAN RIDER is an officer on the City of Montgomery police force. BEN ROBINSON works at the Federal Court House and has just begun work on his law degree at Faulkner University. DANIELLE SEYMOUR teaches high school in Lannett, Alabama. She is currently working on a master's degree in Education. FLANNERY STANFORD teaches English full-time in a high school in Brewton. ALISHA SULLIVAN is in the second year of graduate studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. JONATHAN WRIGHT recently finished his Ph.D. at the University of Alabama and is now on the faculty at Faulkner University. [Preceding information is accurate and current, to the best of our knowledge, as of 8/27/07. If you spot any inaccuracies or need for changes, please let us know by writing to englishrce@aol.com.]