English Department Student and Alumni Accomplishments

Naomi White has been published in the Segullah Online Journal. Her essay "Cinderella" is currently posted and available to read online.

Corey Morrill will have his poem "M Theory" published in an upcoming issue of The Oakland Arts Review.

Seven SUU English majors presented papers at the SWAPCA Conference in Albuquerque, NM, February 11-14, 2015. Ken Ayers presented a creative writing paper titled "The Umbrella." Saskia Koch presented "Speaking without Speech: Hush, Hush, and Touch: Transformation of Language in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Chris Christiansen presented "I Came, I Saw, but I Did Not Conquer: Humiliating Patriarchy and Reconfiguring Voyeurism in Mike Leigh’s “Naked.” Gardner Stevenett presented "Fighting for a Place Beyond Race: Rebellion in the Works of Zora Neale Hurston."As part of a panel titled "(Re) Discovering “The Lord of the Rings”: Insights from Studying Abroad in New Zealand," Jenifer Drew presented "The Journey to Fearlessness: Finding Apotheosis in Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy." Mandy Jones presented "Fear and Superiority Complex in “The Lord of the Rings.” Melanie Jensen presented "You CAN Take It with You!: Embodying Home through Item Objectification in “The Lord of the Rings.”

Four SUU English majors had articles selected for publication in the Fall 2014 HSS Journal. Published articles include Robert Durborow's "Severus Snape: A Hero's Villain," Gardner Stevenett's "The Modern Hero Abides: Heroic Paralysis in Jacob's Room," Christina Meikle's "Changing Cultural Values as Revealed by Fairy Tale Curses," and Amanda Vincent's "A Light in the Darkness: Natural Treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder."

A reception to honor the Fall 2014 Scriblerian Award winners was held December 4, 2014 in the Braithwaite Art Gallery. Congratulations to Argumentative 1010 1st Place: Cassidy Lane, Argumentative 1010 2nd Place: Kelsey Keener, Expressive 1010 1st Place Brooklyn Woods, Expressive 1010 2nd Place: Anthony London, Argumentative 2010 1st Place: Kasen Lisonbee, Argumentative 2010 2nd Place: Payton Yerke. You can read the winning essays on the Scriblerian website.

Three SUU Writing Center Tutors and Writing Center Director Dr. Julia Combs presented papers at the 2014 joint conference of the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing and the International Writing Center Association October 30 through November 1 in Orlando, Florida. Rebekah Tobler presented "Tutors as Imagineers: Rethinking the Rhetoric of Writing Center Websites." Chris Christiansen presented "A Whole New World: Using Unfamiliar Tools to Chart Unfamiliar Territory Across Disciplines." Naomi White presented "Wish Upon a Star: How the Writing Center Makes Dreams Come True." Dr. Combs was on two panels discussing "Writing Center Research: a Portal for Professionalizing Undergraduate Staff" and "The Everyday Emotions of Students, Consultants, and Writing Center Directors."

A total of 36 English majors graduated from SUU May 2, 2014. English Major and Outstanding Student Valerie Owens was selected through a highly competitive process to speak during the university commencement ceremony. She spoke about "Continual Education and the Idea of the University of Experience." A reception was held for all English majors and their families that afternoon in the Braithwaite Building and then the Humanities and Social Sciences Commencement began at 4:30 in the Centrum.

Four SUU English majors were honored May 1, 2014 at the annual SUU College of Humanities and Social Sciences Academic Awards Night. Outstanding English students included Valerie Owens (Overall Outstanding Student), Emeline Brown (Outstanding Literature Emphasis), Terysa Dyer (Outstanding Creative Writing Emphasis), and Sydney Roberts (Outstanding Education Emphasis).

The Spring Scriblerian Reception featured winners from the English 1010 and 2010 writing competition. It was held April 23, 2014 at the Braithwaite Art Gallery. Expressive 1010: "No Pain, No Gain" by LoraLynn Jones (Dr. Simon); "Home" by Aljosha Speth (Professor Sorensen); Formal 1010: "College Students and Sleep Deprivation" by Lori Ransom (Professor Sterrantino); "Within the Written Word: the Value of Vampires" by Kaylee Petersen (Professor Sterrantino); Expressive 2010: "The Not So Big Game" by Sean Brandenberg (Professor Eagan); "Owl Land" by Megan Wesko (Professor Aton); Formal 2010: "Deforestation: More Than the Environment" by Lindsey Bracken (Professor Morrow); "Ever Texting Never Moving" by Ashton Jessup (Professor Sorensen). Each semester students from the English 1010 and 2010 classes submit essays for this competition sponsored by the SUU Writing Center. You can read the winning essays on the Scriblerian website.

The new 2014 Kolob Canyon Review was presented at a reception April 17, 2014 in the Sterling R. Church Auditorium at SUU. The annual publication features literature, artwork, and digital design projects from SUU students and faculty.

Ten English faculty members and 12 English majors were among hundreds of presenters at the annual SUU Festival of Excellence April 8, 2014. See English program.

Six SUU English majors were selected to present papers at the National Undergraduate Literature Conference at Weber State University April 3-5, 2014. Justine Layton presented "The Failure of Wharton's Women to Belong Anywhere." Jill Wagstaff presented "Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching Cod and Contemporary Society: Identity and Symbolism through Hegel's Master-Slave Dialectic." Valerie Owens presented an essay "Little Mouse, white Rose." Rochelle Rudd presented "Morality and Society: Alcott's and Wharton's Explorations of Moral Characters and Societal Demands." Elizabeth Burns presented "The Descartes Project." Christopher Christiansen presented "Poems to Read While Looking Out a Window, Especially the Window of a Bullet Train." Dr. Kyle Bishop moderated the "World Literature" panel.

Two SUU English majors were selected to present papers at the Society for the Interdisciplinary Study of Social Imagery at Colorado State University-Pueblo in Colorado Springs, Colorado March 20-22, 2013. Emeline Brown presented "The Glorious (and Not-So-Glorious) Deaths in 'Gilgamesh' and 'The Odessy.'" Gardner Stevenett presented "The Modern Hero Abides: Heroic Paralysis in 'Jacob's Room.'"

English majors Elizabeth Burns, Terysa Dyer, Anna Preston, and Tristen Fagg presented their poetry projects as part of the Outdoor Education Series: Poetry of Constellations and Myths March 20, 2014. They met in the Braithwaite Center Rooms 301 and 302 where their projects from their fall 2012 ENGL 3010-01: Intermediate Poetry Writing class are part of a permanent display.

Ten SUU students who work as tutors in the Writing Center attended the Southern California Writing Centers Association Tutor Conference in Irvine, California February 28-March 2, 2014. Ellis Dyck and Logan Gowers presented "Let's DTR: Define Tutor Relationships." Dr. Julia Combs, Emeline Brown, Larissa Reynolds, Rochelle Rudd, Jared Vanhille, Emily Homes, Coral Gardner, Heather Sundblom, and Ashlea Patterson also attended the conference.

SUU English major John Iler presented a paper at the Sigma Tau Delta International Conference in Savannah, Georgia February 25-March 3, 2014. He presented original poetry titled "Lamentations and Dreams: Mourning Formal Things."

The Fall 2013 Scriblerian awards ceremony was held December 6, 2013 in the Braithwaite Center Room 202. English 1010 and 2010 students submitted papers in "Expressive" and "Formal" categories. Winners were Tiffany Obray, Brett Baker, Heather Evans, Mariesa Miller, Amanda Vincent, J.S. Wayne, Christina Meikle, and Ana Sofia Weaver. Each semester students from the English 1010 and 2010 classes submit essays for this competition sponsored by the SUU Writing Center. You can read the winning essays on the Scriblerian website.

Nov. 5, 2013 - Congratulations to SUU English Education Majors who passed the Praxis II content test that is required for teacher certification in Utah. Their scores were 15 to 25 points higher than the required score. Great job Zach Allred, Chelsea Jones-Crosby, Kristin Adams, Sydney Roberts, Malori Crossley, and Emily Moss! Also thanks to Dr. Lisa Arter for going above and beyond to help our students get on track to take the test and prepare for it.

SUU English major Emeline Brown attended the Rocky Mountain Writing Centers Association Peer Tutoring Conference at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah October 17-19, 2013. She presented "A Room of Our Own: Redesigning Space in the SUU Writing Center."

The Kolob Canyon Review from 2012 was selected from thousands of projects as a Featured Project by the AIGA (the national design organization). Kudos to Mitch Grimshaw who submitted it. Here's a link to the page. http://portfolios.aiga.org.

Four SUU students were selected to present their work at the March 2013 International Sigma Tau Delta Conference in Portland, Oregon including Shannon McLean, Bob Durborow, Tim Morrise, and John Iler.

Brandon Schrand, an SUU English Literature alumnus, spoke at an SUU convocation lecture and reading February 19, 2013. Schrand teaches and directs the MFA Program in Creative Writing at the University of Idaho. His new book, Works Cited, has just come out from Nebraska. Some of you may recall his excellent convocation talk three or four years ago. His new memoir is partly about his time as an English major at SUU.

Lloyd Grimm and Blake London read papers at the 2012 National Undergraduate Literature Conference at Weber State University in April.

Four SUU students read their work at the March 2012 international Sigma Tau Delta conference in New Orleans: Robert Durborow read "At the Feet of the Master"; Carson Gadd, "Beneath the Water of the Moon"; Blake London, "The Heroic Snape: Exploring a Hidden Protagonist of Harry Potter"; and Shannon McLean, "Transportation." Congratulations to these students for their outstanding achievements!

Sorina Cornia, Joseph Dockstader, Blake London, and Allison Porter presented papers on twentieth-century African American literature at the 2012 conference of the Far West Popular and American Culture Association in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kyra Lehtinen, Andrea Minert, Dana LeCheminant, Jacqui Harrah, Kelsi Einfeldt Leavitt, Carolyn Elaine Bawden, Christopher Ritchie, Rebecca Chambers, Jackie Orton, RaeLynn Perez, Seirra Peace, Kirsten Christiansen, Mette Angerhofer, Vanessa Hunt, David Baxley, Carson Gadd, Madison Aycock, Brittany Long, Camie Jacobsen, Riley Bassett, Katrina Cox, Christine Taylor, Blake London, and Kevin Empey all have work being published in the 2012 issue of Kolob Canyon Review.

A number of English majors presented at the Sigma Tau Delta Far Western regional Conference at Chapman University in Orange, California, on November 12, 2011. Andrea Minert read her poetry collection titled "to: you," Johnathan Chidester read an essay titled "Confessions of an Individual," and Carson Gadd read both an essay titled "Value of Language and Proverbs in Things Fall Apart" and a creative piece titled "Out of Grasp."

SUU English graduate Brandon Schrand just sold his second memoir to the University of Nebraska Press, Works Cited: An Alphabetical Odyssey of Mayhem, Misbehavior & How a Good Book Can Save Your Life (Theoretically Speaking); Or, An Anti-Kindle Sort of Memoir. It will be published next year.

Four English majors now work as English teachers at the Gyeonggi English Village in South Korea: Adam Crosby, Chelsea Jones, Teanu Tonga, and Brandon Stevens.

Lauren Zachary's poem "Danse Macabre" was presented as part of a dance performance at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research in Ithaca College, New York, March 31, 2011--April 2, 2011.

Julie Combs' ENGL 2010 student, Tyrell Fife, a Construction Management Composite major, attended the prestigious Education Without Borders Conference in the United Arab Emirates this March. His paper on "Domes for Homes" was read as part of the "Science, Engineering & Technology: Solutions for a Better Future" section of the conference.

Dr. Kurt Harris and student Cyane Kramer have created the first website devoted to the study of Victorian novelist William Makepeace Thackeray: http://www.wmthackeray.com/.

Carolyn Bawden presented her essay "He's Got the Power: Jacen Solo's Journey of Self-Discovery," at the 2011 Life, the Universe, and Everything conference at Brigham Young University in February 2011.

Kirstin Bone took the top M. Rick Smith Memorial Undergraduate Prize at this year's Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference at Owens Community College in Toledo, Ohio, for her essay "The Forgotten Fool: Geoffrey Chaucer."

Kerry Goldman was hired for Fall 2010 as a language arts teacher at Green River High.

Amanda Utzman was named the 2010 College Valedictorian for Humanities and Social Sciences.

Dallin Jay Bundy was accepted to the Utah State University Literature & Writing Graduate Program where he will pursue an MA in Creative Writing.

Rayla Gomez was admitted to the Peace Corps; she will be teaching English in Africa for two years starting the summer of 2010.

Seven English Department students, and STD Honor Society members, presented at the 2010 Sigma Tau Delta International Convention in St. Louis (March 17-20): Taylor Bentley read a creative non-fiction piece titled "A Modest Dilemma"; Dallin Bundy read his original fiction work called "I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In"; Samantha Gay presented her poem "The Funeral Of George Skousen" and read her fiction piece titled "Selkie Child"; Adam Gowans read a CNF piece entitled "Four and Twenty-two" and a poem called "15 Hours"; Landon Mitchell presented his CNF work, "Honey On My Hands"; Rachel Oaks presented a critical essay titled "The Human Objectified" and read a work of fiction called "Scrapped"; and Amanda Utzman read her critical piece, "True as Jade," and her poem "Some Recurring Dreams."

An exhibit of poetry written by Dr. Dubrasky's Fall 2009 Intermediate Poetry Writing class was displayed at the Braithwaite Gallery as part the Department of Art and Design student exhibit "Parowan Gap: God's Own House." The exhibit included a poem by visiting writer W. S. Di Piero of Stanford University.

Bradley Barton, who graduated in May 2009 with a B.A. in English Education, is currently teaching English grammar and literature courses at Al-Qassim University in Buraydh, Saudi Arabia.

Kristin McLintock, an English major and 2009 SUU graduate, is working as an intern in the Washington D.C. office of Utah Senator Bob Bennett (Fall 2009).

Amanda Reeve, an English major and 2009 SUU graduate, has begun her graduate studies in library science in the University of Kentucky's Archive Program (Fall 2009).

Seven SUU students, under the direction of Dr. Kurt Harris, participated in the London Summer Study Abroad program in May 2009.

Creative Writing majors Robin Cole, Samantha Gay, Megan Woodard, and Josh Huntsman were part of the Zion National Park Museum's "Zion: A Creative Response" and presented their poems at the Student/Faculty Scholarship Day in April 2009.

Three English majors who work as Writing Center tutors—Mikayla Brent, Samantha Gay, and Chelsea Oaks—along with their advisor Dr. Julie Simon, presented a panel at the SUU Student-Faculty Scholarship Day on April 22, 2009; the panel was entitled "'Ending Up at the Tragic Gap': Assessment and the Writing Center Difference."

SUU English majors Amanda Utzman, Chelsea Lane Campbell, and Landon Mitchell presented their creative writing at the 2009 Sigma Tau Delta International Conference held in Minneapolis in March 2009. Three SUU alumni also presented their work at the conference: Sarah Staheli, Sarah LaRue, and Joseph Willis.