VARIOUS STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS, 1998-2000

STUDENTS CONTRIBUTE TO PUBLISHED BOOK

Four students at Auburn University Montgomery have recently had their work featured in a new scholarly book. The students -- Kimberly Barron, Deborah Hill, Ann M. O'Clair, and Carolyn Young -- are listed as co-authors on the title-page of Ben Jonson's Major Plays: Summaries of Modern Monographs, which was published in August and is presently being sold to college libraries in the U.S. and abroad. Jonson, a friend of Shakespeare, is often considered the second most significant playwright of the English Renaissance. The new volume, published by Locust Hill Press of West Cornwall, Connecticut, summarizes comments about Jonson's plays from over a hundred books published during the twentieth century. It tries to fill a major gap in Jonson studies while making the most important ideas about his plays more easily available. Hill and O'Clair, undergraduate English majors at AUM, provided the volume with detailed plot summaries of Jonson's plays, while Barron, a student in the AUM Master of Liberal Arts Program, provided several comprehensive analytical indexes for the volume. Young, a graduate of the MLA program, carefully proofread the book and helped edit its phrasing. Other work by the four students will be printed, along with contributions by many other AUM students, in several other forthcoming scholarly volumes, including books on the American writer Kate Chopin and the Irish dramatist Brian Friel. The students' contributions are the latest in a series of such projects featuring work by AUM graduates and undergraduates. Most of the previous books have already sold out and have been well received by academic reviewers. As in the past, profits from the current book will be used to support university scholarship funds. (8/31/00)

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DEBORAH HILL WINS STUDENT RESEARCHER AWARD

Deborah Hill, an undergraduate English major, was named one of the first winners ever of the university's newly created awards for student researchers. Hill was one of six students (and one of only two undergraduates) chosen for the honor by the AUM Research Council. To compete for the award, Hill had to design and submit a detailed research proposal outlining her goals, methods, and projected results. The paper deriving from her project, a topical index of books on Ben Jonson published before 1972, is due to appear in volume 7 of the Ben Jonson Journal. She received a grant of over $300 to help support the costs of her project, particularly photocopying expenses. The student research awards, which will be granted regularly from now on, are designed to promote serious academic work by AUM's most dedicated students. Any student interested in further information about competing for an award should contact the university's office of Contracts and Grants. (8/31/00)

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KATIE MAGAW NAMED OUTSTANDING STUDENT OF ENGLISH

Katie Magaw, a graduating senior in AUM's Department of English and Philosophy, has been named the department's 1998 Outstanding Student. To be eligible for the award, students must have at least a 3.5 GPA (out of a possible 4.0), but must also have distinguished themselves in other ways. The winner is selected by a vote of the departmental faculty, and the student's name is inscribed on a plaque mounted directly outside the main English office. Selection of the outstanding student is one of the department's oldest and most venerated traditions. Magaw is a particularly outstanding student. Many examples of her writing, for instance, were recently published in the new book entitled Frank O'Connor: New Perspectives, which is already receiving recognition as one of the fullest studies ever undertaken of the important Irish short-story writer. Magaw has also been invited to prepare a lengthy bibliographical article for the next issue of the Ben Jonson Journal, and she is presently at work on numerous other research and publication projects. Faculty present at the meeting during which Magaw was selected for the award spoke of her class performances in glowing terms, and although choosing one outstanding student each year is often a very difficult task, the process was made just a little bit easier this year because Magaw is herself so widely respected and liked by her fellow students. (5/4/98)

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AUM STUDENT WINS PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIP

Jonathan Wright, a student in AUM's Master of Liberal Arts Program, was recently admitted into the doctoral program in English at the University of Alabama, which also granted him one of its highly competitive Strode Fellowships in Renaissance Studies. Wright, who has been extremely active in research and publication while at AUM, will begin his doctoral studies in the fall of 1998. Alabama's Hudson Strode Program in Renaissance Studies, which is internationally recognized, each year brings major Renaissance scholars to work and speak at the Tuscaloosa campus. Applications for the program's Strode Fellowships, which pay for a student's tuition and many other expenses, come from all over the nation and the world. "Jon's selection as a Strode fellow is a very gratifying recognition of his excellence and commitment as a student," said Dr. Alan Gribben, head of the AUM Department of English and Philosophy. "He is one of a number of other fine students who have had good success in our program at AUM," Gribben added. Wright was also offered full scholarships at the two other graduate programs to which he applied. (4/25/98)

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STUDENT PROFITS FROM NEWSPAPER INTERNSHIP

Roger Burdette, a participant in the internship program sponsored by the AUM Department of English and Philosophy, has been enjoying his recent work at The Montgomery Advertiser, the city's major newspaper. Burdette recently reported that he has so far "written three full articles -- one on a compromise reached between a hotel developer and a local historic neighborhood, one on pending legislation (front page!), and one on a retired Montgomery man bringing an old Boy Scout troop back to life." Roger has also written many "briefs" (short articles) and has "conducted numerous phone and personal interviews and done research on the Internet and in the newspaper's database of newspaper stories." He noted that he was "amazed at how much newspaper writers have to know, and how fast they have to learn about unfamiliar topics in order to write well. ... They persistently dig to understand the issues about which they're reporting." Roger also remarked that he has been "impressed with the editors. For a big story, as many as three editors will 'chop' on the copy before it finally goes to a page. The editors are also very crafty at eliminating wordiness, strengthening images, etc. They personally talk to the reporters to clarify ambiguities." Burdette, who is himself an information officer with the U.S. Air Force, has won high praise from Dr. Anne Little, who supervises the AUM internship program. "Roger is an exceptionally focused and motivated student. We are proud to have him representing us at The Advertiser," Little said. (4/23/98)

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INTERNSHIP PROGRAM HELPS STUDENT LAND JOB

Dusti Worley, a senior in the AUM Liberal Arts program, has accepted a technical writing position beginning Winter 1998 at Anteon Corporation (formerly Ogden). She will produce technical manuals and CDs, deliver order reports, and perform administrative tasks. Dusti participated in an English Department Internship at Montgomery Living Magazine during Fall quarter, 1997. (4/1/98)

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MLA ALUM EARNS DOCTORATE

Karen Pirnie, an early graduate of AUM's Master of Liberal Arts program, recently successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in the Hudson Strode Program in Renaissance Studies at the University of Alabama. Pirnie's master's thesis on Ben Jonson has already led to one publication (in the journal Comitatus, published at UCLA), and she is also the author of various other published articles. Her dissertation deals with the presentation of women on the English Renaissance stage. (4/1/98)

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STUDENT'S ARTICLE REPUBLISHED

An article co-written by former AUM student Michael Crocker and an AUM faculty member has been selected for republication in the latest volume of Contemporary Literary Criticism, a series of books available in most public and college libraries. The article, "Faulkner's 'Barn Burning' and O'Connor's 'Everything That Rises Must Converge,'" was originally published in 1993 in the College Language Association Journal. The piece compares and contrasts famous short stories by William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor. Crocker, who now lives in Atlanta, was involved in many different aspects of campus life during his time at AUM and was highly respected by students and teachers alike. Articles selected for reprinting in the CLC volumes become very widely available for use by students and general readers. (4/1/98)

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AUM ALUM HELPS RAISE MONEY FOR SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Carolyn Young, who earned both her B.A. and Master of Liberal Arts degrees at AUM after retiring from a long career as one of Montgomery's first female CPAs, recently helped raise funds for her alma mater's English Scholarship Fund by giving a presentation at Montgomery's Barnes and Noble bookstore. Young, who continues to audit classes at AUM, spoke about Martha Moulsworth's "Memorandum," an autobiographical poem written in 1632 by an English woman who recounted some of her most important experiences and deepest feelings -- including her desire for the founding of a women's university. Young was one of many AUM students who contributed to a book-length study of Moulsworth's poem. Copies of the volume were sold at the store, and all proceeds will benefit other AUM students. (4/7/98)

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A RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT: AUM STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM THE 1990s

A Record of Achievement:

Unusual Contributions and Distinctions

in Research and Publication

by Students of English

at Auburn University at Montgomery

We're proud of our students! Here are some reasons why:

Students of English at AUM have won

MAJOR NATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS

External national fellowships are usually highly competitive and testify to the quality of a student or a student's program because they indicate that objective, off-campus evaluators are willing to endorse a student's work by awarding a substantial sum of money.

* In 1995, Lynn Bryan was awarded a special six-week summer fellowship to study Latin language and culture by the American Classical League.

* In 1995, Kurt Niland successfully competed with more than 800 other students from across the nation to win a Younger Scholars Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Niland was the only undergraduate winner from a college in Alabama. His NEH grant allowed him to do a month's work at Yale University's Beinecke Library.

* In 1997 and 1998, the department was awarded a special grant of $54,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in New York, one of the largest and most prestigious foundations in the nation dedicated to supporting the humanities. These funds were designed to allow AUM to host a two-year seminar for graduate and advanced undergraduate students as part of Mellon's effort to promote study of connections between theory and practice in the humanities. Students from throughout Alabama received full tuition payments plus travel stipends ranging from $250 to $750. In all, over thirty students will have benefited from this two-year program. Only a few other colleges or universities were selected as sites for Mellon seminars this year. They included such schools as Brown, California State, Northwestern, Tulane, and William and Mary. Participants from AUM in 1997 included Patricia Angley, John Burdett, Kathleen B. Durrer, Ashley Gordon, Jacques Grant, Scott Johnson, Katie Magaw, Michael Probst, Claire Skowronski, Ondra Thomas-Krouse, Claudia Wilsch, and Jonathan Wright

* In the past decade, AUM faculty members in the department of English and Philosophy have won awards, fellowships, or prizes from such organizations as the Alabama Arts Council, the Alabama College English Teachers Association, the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Philosophical Society, the Bibliographical Society of America, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Center for Mark Twain Studies, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (UCLA), the College English Association, the Committee for Excellence and Innovation in the Use of Technology in Teaching, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Huntington Library, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, the Jervis Langdon, Jr. Fellowship Committee, the Katherine Ross Richards Centennial Teaching Fellowship Committee, the Lantern Award of Excellence Committee of the Southern Public Relations Federation, the Mark Twain Circle of America, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Newberry Library. Such recognition has not only provided objective testimony of the value of our department's work but has also made it easier for us to interest editors and publishers in the work of our students.

Students of English at AUM have been published in

RESPECTED SCHOLARLY JOURNALS

Even senior scholars know how difficult it can olden be to "place" an article in a peer-reviewed national or international journal. Rates of acceptance to rejection usually number at least one in ten, which is one reason that publication is taken so seriously in considering candidates for tenure and promotion. Work submitted to such journals is evaluated by outside readers (usually at least two) who have no knowledge of the author. For a graduate student to be published in such journals is very rare; for an undergraduate to be published in them is almost unheard of. These publications are routinely indexed in the standard scholarly reference works and are read and cited by scholars from throughout the world. Students who publish in them make a permanent contribution to knowledge and essentially become teachers themselves. For all these reasons, we are particularly proud that the work of our students has appeared in such periodicals as

* Notes and Queries Published continuously at Oxford University since 1849, N&Q is the standard international forum for short, research-oriented articles about English literature. In recent years, several AUM students have either written or co-written articles accepted for publication in N&Q These students include Lynn Bryan, Kurt Niland, and Neil Probst.

* The Explicator For more than fifty years, The Explicator has been the standard place for scholars to publish short critical articles about English and American literature. In 1997, an article co- written by an AUM faculty member and an undergraduate student, Paul Duke, was published there.

* The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America One of the top two or three journals in its field, PBSA deals with highly technical matters of scholarly editing. We are thus proud that one of our undergraduate students, Kurt Niland, had an article (co-written with an AUM faculty member) published therein 1996.

* The Flannery O'Connor Bulletin The Bulletin, which has existed for more than twenty years, is a prime outlet for scholarship focused on this famous writer from the American South. In 1995 an AUM undergraduate, Kurt Niland, published an article there co-written with an AUM faculty member.

* CLAJ Journal Another article on Flannery O'Connor, co-written by an AUM faculty member and an undergraduate student, Michael W. Crocker, was published in 1994 in the College Language Association Journal, a well established journal available in many libraries and.distributed to all members of the Association. Recently the article was selected for reprinting in Contemporary Literary Criticism, a standard series of reference books.

* Comitatus Published by the English Department at UCLA, this is one of the few national scholarly journals devoted exclusively to work by graduate students. In 1996, the journal published an article on Ben Jonson (Shakespeare's great contemporary) written by AUM graduate Karen Pirnie, whose work was based on the graduate thesis she wrote at AUM. Pirnie recently received her Ph.D. from the University of Alabama.

* RE: Liberal Arts Another article on Ben Jonson, co-written by an AUM faculty member and by undergraduate student Kurt Niland, was published in 1996 in the journal RE: Liberal Arts, which has existed for more nearly thirty years.

* The Ben Jonson Journal: Studies in the Age of Elizabeth, James, and Charles BJJ has thus far accepted work by a series of AUM students, partly because each such article has been so well received by readers and reviewers. For example, an article co-written by Lynn Bryan and an AUM faculty member was singled out as one of the two best published in the journal's 1995 inaugural issue when that issue was reviewed in a standard year-end round-up of Renaissance studies. The comments of the reviewer, James Shapiro (professor of English at Columbia University), helped make it possible to place in the journal's next issue (1996) an article prepared by AUM undergraduate Neil Probst. In turn, Probst's article was greeted so enthusiastically by readers and members of the editorial board that two more AUM students, John Burdett and Jon Wright, were invited prepare a survey of Jonson scholarship due for publication in the 1997 issue. And, finally, the excellence of the work done by Burdett and Wright led the editors to invite still another AUM student, undergraduate Katie Magaw, to prepare another bibliographical survey which will appear in the 1998 issue.

* The Wall Street Journal and The Freeman In 1996 the Wall Street Journal published an article originally written for an English class at AUM by graduate student Michael Probst. A more fully developed version of the same piece won a cash award and was then published in 1997 in The Freeman, a venerable journal of economic thought.

* The Faulkner Journal In 1998 the Faulkner Journal (devoted to the writings of the great Southern author) will publish an article written by Joe Csicsila, a former graduate student at AUM who originally wrote his paper for one of his English classes. Csicsila's writings, many of them the products of classes at AUM, have also been accepted for publication in such forums as American Literary Realism, Studies in American Humor, The David Mamet Review, the Encyclopedia of American Literature, and the Garland Encyclopedia of American Nineteenth-Century Poetry.

* Atlanta History and Alabama History Articles by Steve Goodson, who was five credits shy of a double major in English and History at AUM, have been published in the journals Atlanta History and Alabama History. Now a history professor in Georgia, Steve was offered a full graduate fellowship at Harvard University but chose instead (because of his interest in Southern history) to accept an even more generous Woodruff Fellowship at Emory University, where he won many prizes for scholarly excellence. He is currently finishing a book on Atlanta history.

* The Rectangle Two AUM students have had articles published in The Rectangle, the official journal of Sigma Tau Delta (the international English Honor Society). David Brown published an article on Mellville's Billy Budd in 1986, while Kurt Niland published an essay on Sylvia Plath in 1995.

Students of English at AUM have been published in

SIGNIFICANT SCHOLARLY BOOKS

Over the past several years, students in our department have had opportunities to publish work in books dealing with important topics, indexed in major bibliographies, and available in libraries throughout the world. These books already have earned many strong reviews, and this vigorous publishing program is currently growing only stronger.

* Essays by two students, Neil Probst and Karen Pirnie, were published in a 1995 volume entitled "The Muses Females Are": Martha Moulsworth and Other Women Writers of the English Renaissance. This lengthy work, edited by two AUM faculty members, featured contributions from some of the most prominent scholars in English Renaissance studies. It has already received a very strong review from Professor Anthony Low, chairman of the English Department at New York University, in the annual survey of scholarship published in Studies in English Literature. Royalties from this book are donated to the AUM Library and to the English Scholarship Fund.

* Work by a number of AUM students is included in a recent book entitled Short Fiction: A Critical Companion. This book, which provides detailed commentary on approximately forty of the most famous British and American short stories, was edited by three AUM faculty members. Over 400 pages long, it provides a thorough introduction to modern literary theories and promises to become a standard work of literary reference which is likely to be purchased by academic, public, and school libraries throughout the world. Negotiations for a paperback edition of the book are currently under way. Among the students included are Lara Bridger, John Burdett, Mike Cunliffe, Foster Dickson, Kathleen B. Durrer, Amanda Higgins, Barbara Larson, Mary Mechler, Dianne Russell, Geni Williams, and Jon Wright.

* In 1995, a number of AUM students participated in a two-course sequence on book-publishing that led to an innovative history of Montgomery street names. This work, edited by two AUM faculty members, is entitled Who Was Dexter Avenue, Anyhow? Students researched local history and contributed to the writing, editing, and design of the book. Royalties from the project have been placed in a special fund to promote similar future endeavors. The students published in the book are Ashley Gordon, Nicky Kilmer, Stephanie Larkins, Cindy Mantione, Gwen S. Price, Judy Beaver Sims, and Carole K. Whitby.

* Jon Wright, a graduate student at AUM, was invited in 1996 to contribute an essay to the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Tudor England, a major project edited by leading Renaissance scholars and due to be published by Garland Press. Wright is one of the few graduate students invited to participate, and in fact his first contribution was so well received that he was invited to prepare a second.

* The hundred-year anniversary of the publication of Bram Stoker's famous novel, Dracula, led to a summer 1997 conference held in Los Angeles by the International Transylvania Society, the leading organization of scholars interested in vampire lore. Not only was AUM graduate student Claire Skowronski one of the few students invited to present a paper at the conference, but her satirical essay on vampires won first prize in the writing competition and will be published in a book issuing from the conference.

* Because of the significant scholarly and popular interest generated by the recent discovery of Martha Moulsworth's 1632 "Memorandum," one of the earliest autobiographical poems ever written by an English woman and also one of the earliest and most vigorous calls for educational equality ever issued in England, two AUM faculty members decided to establish an international essay competition. Students from throughout the world were invited to examine Moulsworth's poem from as many different perspectives as possible. The resulting book, "The Birthday of My Self": Martha Moulsworth, Renaissance Poet, was accepted for publication both as a monograph and as a special issue of Critical Matrix, the award-winning journal published by the Women's Studies Program at Princeton University. The book has been adopted for classroom use throughout the country, has been well reviewed, and has become the best-selling issue the journal has ever published. The volume includes work by students from such universities as Oxford, Duke, Virginia, Missouri, Nebraska, Louisiana State, and many others, and it also includes work of varying length (from full essays to brief comments) by the following students from AUM: Kevin Bowden, Regina Clark, Chantinell Cooper, Randall Cobb, Mike Crocker, Joe Csicsila, Rebecca Cundiffe, James Diggs, Brad Burt Doleys, Emily Cobern, Ashley Gordon, Lisa Hambrick, Elizabeth Jackson, Allison Law, Charlyn Liddell, Kevin McGowin, Lisa Pappas, Linda Pegram, Karen Pirnie, Neil Probst, Jerry Sailors, Sharon Sarmiento, Melissa Simms, Judy Sims, Hubble Sowards, Nejla Stokes, Denise D. Sutterfield, Kathy Tucker, Jon Wright, and Carolyn Young. A state-wide series of lectures on Moulsworth's poem, sponsored by the Alabama Humanities Foundation, generated more than $1500 to support student research, and subsequent profits from sales of the "The Birthday of My Self" have been donated to the AUM English Scholarship Fund.

* Frank O'Connor was one of the leading short story writers of the twentieth century, and in fact his powerful work entitled "Guests of the Nation" is widely considered one of the best short stories ever written. 1998 saw the publication of Frank O'Connor: New Perspectives, a major collection of essays by noted scholars dealing with O'Connor's writings. The book, more than four hundred pages long, includes many contributions from students at AUM, including Curtis Bowden, John Burdett, Kathleen B. Durrer, Tasheka Gipson, Ashley Gordon, Scott Johnson, Katie Magaw, Karey Oakley, Lane Powell, Michael Probst, Denean Rivera, Dianne Russell, Claire Skowronski, Gwen Warde, Claudia Wilsch, Jon Wright, and Carolyn T. Young. Briefer contributions by the following students are also included: Kelley J. Beyer, Clint Darby, Jeremiah Deneve, Heather Edwards, Earl Eidem, Jennifer Henderson, Cheri Norwood, Douglas Scarborough, Angela Soule, Kalicia Spigner, and Clint Van Der Pool, Jr.

* Future publishing projects involving AUM students will probably include a book on Kate Chopin, the nineteenth-century American writer; an encyclopedia focusing on Ben Jonson, the major Renaissance author; a critical survey of significant English and American poetry; a guide to the typical thematic and stylistic traits of major English-language authors; and various smaller or more focused efforts.

Students of English at AUM have presented papers at

REGIONAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARLY CONFERENCES

Scholarly conferences have always offered excellent opportunities for researchers to present the results of their studies to the colleagues most capable of assessing their work's merit and significance. Speaking before a room full of experts (who can publicly ask questions, raise doubts, and issue challenges) can often be an intimidating--if invigorating--experience. This is one reason that we are so proud of the AUM students who have accepted this challenge by presenting papers at scholarly conferences throughout the U.S. and even abroad. Often these students have appeared on the same panels with seasoned Ph.D's, and the fact that so many of them have been undergraduates is especially remarkable. Among the students who have risen to this difficult demand by having papers accepted for presentation have been the following:

* Amy Blair, who presented a paper on representations of Renaissance women at the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference in Toronto in 1994

* Lynn Bryan, who contributed to a paper on a Latin treatise on history presented at the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference in Atlanta in 1997

* Regina Clark, Randall Cobb, Rebecca Cundiffe, Gary Goodson, Lisa Hambrick, Neil Probst, Jerry Sailors, and Kathy Tucker, who received very positive reaction to a panel presentation on short fiction they offered at a 1995 conference in Huntsville

* Kevin Bowden, Phil Festoso, Kurt Niland, and Karen Pirnie, who presented papers on a Renaissance woman writer at a conference at Florida State University in 1994 > Joe Csicsila, Gary Goodson, Kurt Niland, and Dan Seidel, who presented papers on short fiction at the 1995 meeting of the American Culture Association in Nashville

* Joe Csicsila, who, during his time at AUM, presented four conference papers and who has subsequently presented at least another eight. Joe's papers, many of them growing out of his work in English classes at AUM, have been given at conferences of such groups as the American Literature Association, the Modern Language Association, the Center for Mark Twain Studies, the Rocky Mountain Modem Language Association, the Southern Writers/Writing Association, the Mississippi Philological Society, the Fitzgerald Historical Society, and the UNLV Graduate Student Association.

* Kurt Niland and Karen Pirnie, who presented papers at a 1995 seminar on women writers at the University of Alabama in Birmingham

* Kurt Niland, who co-wrote and co-presented a paper read at the 1995 meeting of the Rocky Mountain Mediaeval and Renaissance Conference in Flagstaff, Arizona.

* Karen Pell,an award-winning country music songwriter and performer who spoke at a 1997 conference in Nashville (to mention only her most recent forum).

* Julie Sellers and Joanna Walker, who presented papers on business writing at a 1995 conference in Nashville

* Claire Skowronski, whose satirical paper on vampires was not only accepted for presentation at a 1997 conference celebrating the centennial publication of Dracula but also won first prize in the essay competition and will be published in the conference proceedings

Students of English at AUM have won regional, national,

and international PRIZES AND A WARDS

External prizes are especially significant indications of the quality of a student's work, since the outside evaluators have no personal knowledge of the student and can thus be especially objective. We are therefore proud of the students who have won recognition of this kind from such organizations as the following:

* The Alabama College English Teachers Association Each year, ACETA awards a prize to the best essay submitted by an undergraduate student at a college in the state. In 1994 the award was won by AUM's Chris Hansen.

* The F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Essay Contest The Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery holds an annual essay competition open to students at regional colleges. Students from AUM have consistently excelled in this contest. Winners have included the following students: Heather Edwards, Amanda Higgins, Judith Meyer, Susan Reeves, and Judy Sims.

* The Southern Literary Festival Held annually at campuses throughout the South, the Festival receives numerous submissions for its contests in creative and scholarly writing. Winners at recent festivals have included AUM students Lara Bridger, Shana Coley, Leeann Faulk, Wade Greenfield, Ondrea Longuet, and Beverly Moore.

Students of English at AUM are encouraged by much

ON-CAMPUS RECOGNITION

The Department makes many efforts to celebrate, on campus, the best achievements of our students, especially in research and creative writing. Each spring we host a festive Honors Luncheon to recognize student accomplishments, including winners of the following distinctions:

* The Chancellor's Scholar Award Each year AUM gives special recognition to student who has the best record of academic achievement in its component schools. In 1997 the award for the School of Liberal Arts was won by English major Amanda Higgins.

* The Departmental Outstanding Student Award Faculty members in the department vote annually to select the student who has compiled the best record of achievement. Winners of this award have included Jeff Andrews, Rhonda Boswell, Roberta Burgess, Pam Carlson, Joseph Fisher, Gary Goodson, Ann Hatch, Tammy Hearn, Elizabeth Heflin, Amanda Higgins, Katie Magaw, Kurt Niland, Joy Patterson, Alaina Pierce, and Joanna Walker.

* Publication in COLLEHCTIONS For almost a decade the department has been holding annual essay contests open to students in English classes at all levels. Winners in the various categories are published in CollEHctions, which takes its distinctive name from the "EH" designation for campus English courses. Over the years, the following students have had their scholarly or creative work published in this forum: Susan B. Andrews, Bebe Barefoot, Laura Borgmann, Curtis Bowden, Lara Bridger, Bruce Brooks, David R. Brown, Cynthia V. Clements, Randall Cobb, Shana Coley, Eyal Ben David, Leann Faulk, Joseph Fisher, Donna Thomas Glisson, Gary Goodson, Michael J. Goldman, Ashley Gordon, Elizabeth Griff th, Phyllis Hedrick Amanda Higgins, Lynne Irwin, Jerzy Jurus, Amy Katz, Jean Kerr, Daphne Key, Julie J. Kiser, Mike Lamar, Jill LeQuatte, Kristen McQueen, Judith Meyer, Beverly Moore, Paul Morgan, Kurt Niland, Linda Pegram, Mary R. Prin, Marc Redus, Claire Skowronski, Joshua Shows, Betty Wade, John White, and Linda L. Williams.

Students of English at AUM have published

significant works of CREATIVE WRITING

The English Department at AUM not only has a strong tradition of promoting research and scholarly publication by students but also has a worthy record of encouraging important creative writing. Students who have excelled in this respect include the following:

* Lara Bridger, a poet whose work has been published in such journals as Amaryllis, and who was recently accepted into the MFA program at the University of Florida

* Earl Fisher, a novelist with one book (The Manhunter) already in print and more on the way

* Kevin McGowin, a poet, dramatist, and short story writer whose work has been published in innumerable national and international journals and whose first book of poems has recently been accepted for publication by Louisiana State University Press. Kevin has been an award-winning student and teacher in the creative writing program at the University of Florida, where he is currently finishing his Ph.D.

* Lisa Pappas, whose poetry has been published in a number of periodicals, including Amaryllis.

* Karren Pell, an award-winning song-writer and performer whose adaptation of Lee Smith's novel Fair and Tender Ladies will be presented in 1998 by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

Students of English at AUM have chances to develop practical,

on-the-job research skills through the department's

INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Participants in the internship program, which gives students work experience at various local companies, have been involved in a wide array of projects, including editing books, producing company manuals, and generating and editing many other professional documents. Nearly every participant in the program has either been offered a job as a result of the experience or has been able to use the experience to gain a job with another company. Participants in the program have included the following students: Roger Burdette, Rebecca Cundiffe, Wade Greenf eld, Linda Pegram, Julie Sellers, Michelle Wiesman, and Joanna Walker.

NEWS FROM THE 2003 SPRING HONORS LUNCHEON

English Club Sponsors Book Sale

The English Club sponsored a book sale April 15-16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of Goodwyn Hall. The nearly $300 in proceeds from the sale will be used to purchase children's books for Brantwood Children's Shelter in Montgomery. The Club also held a series of well-attended readings of poetry and fiction throughout the year.


MLA Students Present Academic Papers at National Conferences

Two students in the Master of Liberal Arts program presented scholarly papers at a number of academic conferences this year. Angela Fuhrman spoke at the Southern Writers’ Conference, at the Southern Writing Graduate Conference at University of Mississippi in July 2002, at the PCAS (Popular Culture Association in the South) Conference in Oct. 2002, and at the College English Association Conference in April 2003. Erin Gambino also presented a paper at the PCAS Conference.


AUM Students' Work Highlighted in Retrospective Survey

Scholarly work by a number of past and present AUM students is highlighted in a major retrospective survey recently published in English Literary Renaissance, the flagship journal of its field. The survey, titled "Recent Studies in Ben Jonson," was prepared by Professor Douglas A. Brooks of Texas A&M University and covers the most significant books and articles published in the past decade. Jonson, a contemporary and colleague of Shakespeare, is considered one of the most important writers of his era.

Students whose work is cited in Brooks' survey are Kimberly Barron, Lynn Bryan, John Burdett, Clint Darby, Deborah Hill, Katie Magaw, Kurt Niland, Karen Pirnie, Neil Probst and Jonathan Wright. Inclusion in the ELR survey shows the kind of lasting contribution their work has made to the study of a significant author.

Barron is completing the master of liberal arts at AUM. Bryan, Burdett and Darby are graduates of the AUM School of Education. Magaw graduated with the bachelor of arts in English and is currently finishing the master of liberal arts, while Probst graduated with the bachelor of arts in English and recently completed a master's degree in education. Hill and Niland each received the bachelor of arts in English from AUM, and Pirnie and Wright completed the master of liberal arts and since have gone on to doctoral studies.


AUM Students' Scholarly Work Available Online

Scholarly work by more than 120 AUM students is now freely available online around the world to any visitor of www.ebrary.com, a major Internet electronic library database. The entire contents of Close Readings: Analyses of Short Fiction from Multiple Perspectives by Students of Auburn University Montgomery, a book originally published in both hard and soft cover in 2001, are now available through the database. This allows anyone to read and search for any keyword in 20,000 books and other authoritative documents from more than 150 leading academic, trade and professional publishers, according to the ebrary Web site.

Any student or scholar who wishes to view this growing body of documents online may do so for free, although anyone wishing to download or copy from the site must register to do so. The ebrary site is similar to several others, including www.netlibrary.com and www.questia.com, that allow anyone with access to the Internet to search for information in thousands of online documents, including many published books and monographs.

Past or present AUM students whose work appears in Close Readings are Jennifer Adger, Jeff Alexander, Amanda Allen, Debbie Altman, Patricia Angley, Ashley Ashworth, Melissa Baker, Kimberly Barron, Benjamin Beard, Janis Blaesing, Krissy Blankenship, Kathleen Bohen, Shon Boling, Curtis Bowden, Nataliya Bowden, Lee Bridges, Spencer Brothers, Jennifer Brown, Sonja Brown, Tanya Brummett, Roger Burdette, Shameka Carroll, Melanie Clark, Ree Ann Clark, Andrea Cook , Melissa Crane, Timothy D. Crowley, Todd Davis, Shannon Dean, Foster Dixon, Paul Duke, Kathleen B Durrer, Heather Edwards, John Elder, Jeremy Fore, Timothy Francisco, Matt Gilmore, Ashley Gordon, Jacques Grant, Shelly Green, William Greene, Kenneth W. Griffin, Alan Griffith, Kyla Gunter, Drayton Hamilton, Barbara Hartin, Phyllis Hedrick, Charlotte Henderson, Sonjanika Henderson, Deborah Hill, Michael Hitch, Kerrie Hopper, Laketa Huddleston, Connie James, Jamey Johnson, Scott Johnson, Willie Mae Johnson, Steven Jones, Connie James, John Kelley, Angelisa LaVan, Barrett Lee, Monica Felicia Lee, Anje Lister, Marty Mace, Katie Magaw, Mia Manning, Kathy Mayfield, John McGaughey, Regina Moates, Christy Myers, Kevin Nutt, Kurt R. Niland, Pat Norman, Ann O'Clair, Mike Odom, Margo Paraska, Edward Pate, Karen Worley Pirnie, Eleanor Planer, Lane Powell, Michael Probst, Neil Probst, Will Quincy, Stephanie Reed, Terri Richburg, Denean Rivera, Melissa Roth, Marie Robinson, Peggy Russell, Lorelei Jackson Sanders, Jay Sansom, Debbie Seale, Julie D. Sellers, Tawanda Shaw, Brian Shefrin, Claire Skowronski, Durand Smitherman, Charles Solomon, Angela Soulé, Patrick Steele, Frances Stewart, Mark Stewart, Randy C. Stone, Teresa Stone, Tammy Taite, Ondra Thomas-Krouse, Eric Thomason, Barbrietta Turner, Peter Walden, Gwendolyn Warde, Kristi Widner, Claudia Wilsch, Jonathan Wright and Carolyn Young.


More Than 50 AUM Students Contribute to New Book

More than 50 past or present Auburn University Montgomery students' work is published in a new book titled A Companion to Brian Friel.

Friel, an important Irish author, is well regarded both by audiences and by critics, at home as well as abroad. The Irish Times recently conducted an Internet poll asking respondents to name their favorite Irish plays of the past 100 years. Three of Friel's plays appeared in the list of top 10 dramas; no other author had more than one play in the top 10.

The new book, which examines the range of Friel's lengthy career, includes essays written or co-written by noted scholars as well as by a number of students affiliated with AUM. Contributors associated with AUM include Eric Atkins, Deborah Hill and Donna Smith, recent graduates from the Department of English and Philosophy; Joseph Csicsila, a graduate of the Master of Liberal Arts program and currently a professor at Eastern Michigan University; and Karen Pirnie, an MLA graduate who is now an adjunct professor in the Department of English and Philosophy.

The book also includes a lengthy chapter regarding "Ebb Tide," one of Friel's short stories. Past or present AUM students who contributed to the chapter include Jennifer Adger, Amanda Allen, Melissa Baker, Kim Barron, Ben Beard, Janis Blaesing, Krissy Blankenship, Kathleen Bohen, Shon Boling, Nataliya Bowden, Spencer Brothers, Tanya Brumett, Melanie Clark, Andrea Cook, Todd Davis, Paul Duke, Heather Edwards, Jeremy Fore, Alan Griffith, William Greene, Kyla Gunter, Drayton Hamilton, Barbara Hartin, Deborah Hill, Michael Hitch, Kerrie Hopper, Connie James, Jamey Johnson, Willie Mae Johnson, Barrett Lee, Monica Lee, Anje Lister, Marty Mace, Mia Manning, John McGaughey, Regina Moates, Ann O'Clair, Mike Odom, Margo Paraska, Edward Pate, Eleanor Planer, Lane Powell, Neil Probst, Will Quincy, Terri Richburg, Peggy Russell, Jay Samson, Lorelei Sanders, Debbie Seale, Tawanda Shaw, Brian Shefrin, Charles Solomon, Pat Steele, Mark Stewart, Teresa Stone, Eric Thomason, Barbrietta Turner, and Peter Walden.

Money from an external grant allowed the Department of English and Philosophy to purchase 100 extra copies of the book for distribution to contributors and to local public and school libraries.

NEWS FROM THE 1999-2000 SPRING HONORS LUNCHEON

WELCOME to the 1999-2000 Spring Honors Luncheon of the AUM Department of English and Philosophy. This event is the latest in a long tradition of festive get-togethers in which we celebrate our departmental graduates, prize-winners, and other students of distinction. This year, in particular, we have many such students to honor, and we also have many departmental achievements in which to take pride.

Before mentioning those students and achievements, however, please allow us to ask you to join us in honoring the memory of Judy Sims, a wonderful student who graduated from our department a number of years ago and who was honored many times at these luncheons. Judy passed away last fall, and she is enormously missed by all who remember her vibrant laugh, her splendid curiosity, and her sheer love of learning and writing. This university meant so much to Judy (who was a “returning” student) that when she died her family asked her friends, instead of buying flowers, to remember her with contributions to AUM. An inscribed brick in her honor has been donated by the English Club.

Please also join us in paying sincere and hearty tribute to the adjunct faculty who are so crucial to the success of our department. Their dedication to their students and subjects is both remarkable and inspiring, and we are very lucky to have them as members of our community. Adjunct faculty for 1999-2000 included Martha Abernathy, Susan Barganier, Bart Barton, Cliff Browning, James H. Conely, Janice Conerly, Debbie Cotton, Jacques Grant, Jonathan Griffin, Tammy Hearn, James Henderson, Lorna Ivey, Gail Klucking, Dianne McWilliams, Marion Michael, Dana Nichols, Karren Pell, Karen Pirnie, Terri Richburg, Jennifer Salter, Melissa Simms, Daphne Simpkins, Claire Skowronski, Sylvia Whitley, and Sonya Womack. Thanks very much to all of you for everything you do!


Claire Skowronski, an advanced student in the MLA Program, a former tutor at the Learning Center, and an adjunct instructor in English, has recently added still another role to her ever-growing list of responsibilities: Editor-in-Chief of a new international magazine, Cancer & Me, which has experienced phenomenal success after only three issues.

Last year we honored Karen Fuchs and Tammy Hearn for contributing essays to a forthcoming book on the poetry on Denise Levertov. Since this volume, edited is due to appear any day now, we’d like to extend congrats once again to Karen and Tammy.

We are delighted to provide an update about Joe Csicsila, a former student in the MLA program at AUM and a former adjunct instructor in English. From our program Joe went on to complete a Ph.D. in English atthe University of Nevada, Las Vegas, finishing it in record time. (He expanded his MLA thesis into a doctoral dissertation that was honored as the Outstanding Dissertation of the year at UNLV.) Joe recently notified us that he has accepted a tenure track assistant professorship at Eastern Michigan University. He wants to thank everyone for the excellentinstruction he received at AUM. He is truly one of our major success stories. Meanwhile, Jonathan Wright, another graduate of the MLA Program and winner of the prestigious Hudson Strode Fellowship at the University of Alabama, is ready to begin work on his own dissertation at UA. Jon will also be teaching as an adjunct faculty member here at AUM beginning next quarter. Welcome home, Jon! Jon thus joins Karen Pirnie as an alum of both the MLA Program and the UA Strode Program, and as a valuable addition to the adjunct faculty at AUM.

Two years ago a group of AUM students and faculty presented papers on Flannery O’Connor and Gothic Literature at the Third International Symposium on Language, Literature, and Culture in Gadsden, AL. We’re pleased to report that these papers have now been published as part of the conference proceedings, entitled Southern Gothic: Distortions of Reality. Permission has also been given to post these essays on the Internet so that they will be even more widely accessible. Student essayists whose work is included in the new publication are Bebe Barefoot, Curtis Bowden, Nataliya Bowden, Paul Duke, Jonathan Wright, and Carolyn Young.

PROGRAM FROM THE 2005 SPRING CELEBRATION

AUBURN UNIVERSITY MONTGOMERY

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

AND PHILOSOPHY

2005 SPRING CELEBRATION

_____________________

2004-05 Outstanding Student

Alisha Sullivan

_

2004-05 Randall Cobb Memorial Scholarship

for Returning Students

Diana W. Lacey

_

2004-05 Marion Michael Scholarships

Chelsea McCray, Melissa Matthews,

Holly Peterson, Alisha Sullivan

_

2004-05 Departmental Graduates

Samantha Batten, Mary Beth Hogan, Melissa Easter, Michelle Johnson, Diana Lacey, Elizabeth Lee,

Jessica McNeill, Cecilia Meredith, Deanna Puckett,

Richard Sherman, Sasha Woods

_

Winner of the Macmillan Award

of the Alabama College English Teachers Association

Mary Angel

_

2004-05 Outstanding Student of Philosophy

Alisha Sullivan

_

Winners of Awards for

Excellence in Creative Writing

Brondena T. Fanning, Jon S. (Shane) Gillis, Amber Hall, Dallas D. Merritt, Deanna Puckett, Debbie Taylor

_

Outstanding Students

in Business and Professional Writing

Cole Ferrier, Courtney Clanton Murchison,

Wallace Mac Sadler, Rhonda Sweitzer

_

Winner in the Southern Literary Festival

Thomas Kirksey

_

2004 Officers of the English Club

Sarah Fish, President

Hope Wilson, Vice-President

_

Student Assistants for The Scribblerian

Samantha Batten, Irina Traphan

_

2004-05 Participants in the

Writing and Editing Internship Program

Samantha Batten, Lauren Cagle, Amy Halpin, Mary Beth Hogan, Holly Peterson, Patrick Steele

SINCERE THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS

FOR SPONSORING OUR INTERNS THIS YEAR:

ALABAMA SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

ALABAMA WRITERS’ FORUM

CAPITAL CITY FREE PRESS

THE MONTGOMERY INDEPENDENT

MONTGOMERY LIVING

RIVER CITY PRESS

_

Durr Essay Contest Winner

Jon S. (Shane) Gillis (English major), first prize

_

Students Who Received MLA Degrees

Lou Ann Bruce, Jennifer Fausnaugh

_

Students whose writings have been nominated

for the Collections essay contest

Mary Angel, Melyssa Boone, Kathleen Bradford,

Rachel Carroll, Stevie Crosy, Audra Hagel,

Ian Haywood, Walter Hassey, Christi Hernandez, Deborah Hill, Starr Ingle, Andrew Jacobs, Boone Kinard, Thomas Kirksey, Di Khuong Mai, Crystal McCall,

Nancy Vasquez

_

Tutors in the AUM Learning Center

Susan Barganier, Marjean Corkran, Neil Foulger,

Barbara Hartin, Jean Kerr, Linda Miller, Karren Pell, Eddie Rollins, Ginger Shaw, Gail Waller,

Christine Windon

assisted by

Maryem S. Brewer

Secretary and All-Around-Indispensable Person

_

Winners, Robbie Walker Adjunct Teaching Award

Jean Kerr, Dianne Russell,

Peggy Russell, Melissa Simms

_

2004-05 Adjunct Faculty

Eric Atkins, James Barfoot, Susan Barganier,

Melanie Boulware, Cliff Browning, Jim Conely,

Linnea Conely, Marjean Corkran, Robert Ely,

Erin Gambino, Monica Glover, Judy Harrison,

Lorna Ivey, Andrew Jacobs, Jean Kerr, Amy Locklear, Danon Lucas, Linda Miller, Lisa Nathan, Karren Pell, Scott Richburg, Eddie Rollins, Dianne Russell,
Peggy Russell, Melissa Simms, Daphne Simpkins, Catherine Spivey, Jessica Wang, Annie West,
Sonya Womack

_

Instructors in Dual Enrollment Program

Lorna Ivey, Amy Locklear,

Linda Miller, Sonya Womack

_

Special thanks

to our wonderful Administrative Assistants

MONICA TINDOL

(who served many years in the job)

and

MOLLIE FOLMAR

(who we earnestly hope

will serve many years in the job,

if she can stand us),

and sincere thanks, too,

to their assistants,

HOLLY PETERSON

and CHELSEA McCRAY

PROGRAM FROM THE 2002 SPRING CELEBRATION

AUBURN UNIVERSITY MONTGOMERY

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

AND PHILOSOPHY

2002 SPRING CELEBRATION

_____________________

The 2001-2002

Outstanding Student

of the

Department of English and Philosophy

KRISTI OWEN

(also selected as Chancellor’s Scholar

for the School of Liberal Arts)

_

Winners in the Durr Essay Contest

Flannery P. Stanford, second place;

Jennifer Richardson, honorable mention

_

2001-2002 Officers of the English Club

Jeff Glass, President

Jessica Cook, Vice President

_

2001-2002 Participants in the

Departmental Internship Program

Jenifer Cooper, Heather Finley, Jeff Glass, Mary Beth Hogan,

Margaret Lewis, Gail Waller

SINCERE THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS

FOR SPONSORING OUR INTERNS:

THE ALABAMA SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

BEASLEY ALLEN LAW FIRM

COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS

THE MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER

RIVER CITY PRESS

_

Students Whose Writings were Nominated for the

Annual Collections Essay Contest

Elizabeth Baker; Leslie Black; Melanie Boles; Russell Boswell; Deb Carroll; Nyr Charles; David E. Cochrane; Kate Clemens; John Conway; Jenifer Cooper; Tameka Finklea; Angela Fuhrman; Kelley Laura Gaines; William E. Griggs, III; Philip A. Hegji; Deborah Hill; Bailey Jackson; Linda S. Joki; Amber Jones; Wendi Mann; Erin M. McGowin; Donalyn Miller; Suzanne Mutschler; Karen Naley; Tonya Norris; Lydia B. Olson; Kristi Owen; John Rawls; Karen Rhyne; Scott Richburg; Barbara Sanchez; Quiniece Sheppard; Theresa Tolle; Christine Watkins; Florence Waters

_

Tutors in the AUM Learning Center

Susan Barganier; Angela Fuhrman; Barbara Hartin; Tammy Hearn; Michelle Maxwell; Lisa Nathan; Kristi Owen; Karen Pell; Rian Rider;
Ondra Thomas-Krouse; Michelle Scott; Christine Windon

_

2000-2001 Adjunct Faculty

Martha Abernathy, Susan Barganier, Ron Blaesing,

Cliff Browning, Jim Conely, Jan Conerly, Debbie Cotten, Monica Glover, Ashley Gordon, Shelly Green, Tammy Hearn, Ann Howard, Lorna Ivey, Dean Kelly, Diane McWilliams, Marion Michael, Brandy Mitchell,
Lisa Nathan, Edward Pate, Karren Pell, Scott Richburg, Diane Russell, Peggy Russell, Jessica Sawyer, Melissa Simms, Daphne Simpkins,
Onddra Thomas-Krouse, Sylvia Whitley, Scott Wilkerson, Sonya Womack

_

Students Who Contributed This Year

to Various Scholarly Publication Projects

Currently Under Way

Michelle Ackerman; Suzanne Armstrong; Eric W. Atkins; Shannon M. Barco; Larry Boswell; Scott Bruner; Maranda Bryant; Lisa Bush; Karen Capps; Tabetha Carpenter; Scott Champion; Tenika Cottingham; Charity Daniels, Lauren Duke; Melissa Easter; Angie Fuhrman; Jimmy Garrett;
Anthony T. Hagan; Deborah Hill; Glenn Hunt; Jennifer Jacobs;
Jason Johnson; Travis Jordan; John Kelley; Meg Lewis; Tony Liang;
Danon Lucas; Katie Magaw; Josh Mustin; Zachary Myrick; Kelly Nelson; Kristi Owen; Jason Peacock; Rachel Phillips; Derrick Rainwater;
Alma Ramirez; Jennifer Richardson; Rian Rider; Jay Sansom;
Katrina Sansom; Tawanda Shaw; Kimberly Ann Sloss; Mollie Smith;
Charles Solomon; Patrick Steele; Patsy Stewart; Randy C. Stone; Laura Stough; Monica G. Tindol; Mike Trotter; Sharon Watts;
Marge West; Sasha Woods

_

NEWS FROM THE 2001 SPRING HONORS LUNCHEON

AUM STUDENTS WIN PRIZES ONCE AGAIN IN SOUTHERN LITERARY FESTIVAL

AUM's strong track record of consistently winning top prizes in the annual competition sponsored by the Southern Literary Festival has been extended again this year. The Filbuster, AUM's annual literary magazine, won first prize in this year's awards, much to the delight of AUM English major Donna Y. Smith, who edited the most recent issue of the journal. In addition, in the Informal Essay category, AUM student Jennifer Richardson won the second-place prize for her essay "Natural-Born Killers," while Tanya Brummett received the third-place award in the same category for her essay "My Worn Path." Entrants from colleges throughout the South competed in this year's contest. The awards were presented in April at the conference, which was held this year at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS. Warmest congratulations to Donna, Jennifer, and Tanya!

Students whose work was published in the prize-winning issue of The Filbuster included Eric Atkins, Tanya Brumett, Amy Camp, Amanda Townsend Darby, Teri Hedgpeth, Deborah Hill, Jared Hogan, Freddy Kendrick, Lee Kitchen, Michelle Maxwell, Candace Myers, Margo Paraska, Edward Pate, Eleanor Planer, Peggy Russell, Sheila Shaffer, Patrick Steele, Elizabeth Stewart, Aretha D. Wiley, and Dana Wright. Faculty advisor for The Filbuster is Dr. Susie Paul. Submissions to the Southern Literary Festival are coordinated each year by Mrs. Nancy Anderson. Publication of this year’s Filibuster was supported by a generous grant provided by Dr. Oliver Billingslea.


THREE ENGLISH MAJORS AMONG AUM STUDENTS SELECTED FOR Who's Who

The 2001 edition of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges will include the names of 15 AUM students who have been selected as national outstanding campus leaders.

AUM students to be included in this year's volume are Frances Crowell, Jessica E. Crownover, Kristie L. FitzGerald, Lori Brooke Golden, Kenneth W. Griffin, Greg J. Heinrich, Patsy D. Karnes, Wendy C. Mann, Daphne McCurdy, Kristi L. Owen, Igor Pashchuk, Heather M. Porter, Griffin Powell, Michelle Schutt and Jason Ward.


AUM ALUM HEATHER EDWARDS EARNS FULL-TIME JOB AFTER PARTICIPATING IN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Heather Edwards, chosen as the 2000 English Major of the Year by the AUM English Department, now has another achievement to her credit: she has accepted a full-time position with Community Communications, a local publishing firm where she had interned while still a student. Heather is now hard at work contributing to the research and writing of a book profiling the Montgomery community. Heather is just the latest in a long string of students who have received full-time job offers from companies with which they interned. At Community Communications, she works with such outstanding AUM alums as Wendi Lewis and Kurt Niland. Krewe Maynard and Eleanor Planer, two current AUM English majors, most recently polished their practical skills while interning with the company, where they received superb ratings from their supervisors. For further information about the AUM Internship program, please contact Professor Eric Sterling at sterling@strudel.aum.edu or at 334-244-3760.


TWO RECENT AUM STUDENTS ACCEPTED INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL

Two English departmental majors recently learned that they have been accepted for graduate study. Margo Paraska, who graduated last year and who has been working this year at the AUM Learning Center, will be heading off in the fall to study creative writing at Colorado State University. Meanwhile, Eric Atkins, who will be graduating this spring, will begin graduate study this fall at Middle Tennessee State University, where he has been awarded a research assistanceship. Congratulations, Margo and Eric!


“POETICA” POETRY READING LATEST EVENTS OF AUM ENGLISH CLUB

Student creative writers at AUM came together on Tuesday, March 14 and then again on Thursday, May 19 for "POETICA," a pair of readings sponsored by the AUM English Club. The club is an informal group of English majors and other students interested in literature and the literary arts, according to Dr. Jeff Melton, its sponsor. President of the club this year, and a major force in organizing the readings, is graduating senior Eric Atkins.

The original poems (and some short fiction) read at the events were quite varied in subject and tone and produced reactions ranging from enthusiastic laughter to stunned silence. Several professors who attended the reading remarked afterward that they were astonished by the skill demonstrated by many of the poems, and other members of the audience seemed to agree.
The students who read their poetry included Eleanor Planer, Jennifer Jacobs, Eric Andrews, Jared Hogan, Donna Smith, Deborah Hill, Jedidiah Steele, Sheila Schaffer, Wendy Mann, Neil Probst, Rian Rider, Heather Porter, and Eric Atkins. Several of the students thanked Dr. Susie Paul for the guidance and inspiration she had given them in her creative writing class. Dr. Paul, in fact, was one of several faculty members who read their own poetry at the second “Poetica” event. Other faculty readers included Dr. Alan Gribben and Dr. Eric Sterling.


WORK BY AUM STUDENTS APPEARS IN NEW SCHOLARLY BOOKS

Work by four AUM English majors was published this year as part of a new scholarly book entitled Ben Jonson’s Major Plays: Summaries of Modern Monographs. The volume, published by Locust Hill Press of West Cornwall, Connecticut, includes work by Kimberly Barron, Deborah Hill, Ann M. O’Clair, and Carolyn Young. The book was issued in the fall of 2000, and the first royalty payment, which arrived in April 2001, will help fund tuition for an English major’s studies during the coming summer semester.

Meanwhile, another Locust Hill volume currently in press will feature the work of Edward Pate, Dianne Russell, Jonathan Wright, and Carolyn Young. Entitled Kate Chopin’s Short Fiction: A Critical Companion, the book should be in print by mid-summer.

Other present or former AUM students whose work will appear in the book include Debbie Altman, Jennifer Adger, Jeff Alexander, Ashley Ashworth, Melissa Baker, Kimberly Barron, Benjamin Beard, Janis Blaesing, Curtis Bowden, Nataliya Bowden, Lee Bridges, Spencer Brothers, Jennifer Brown, Sonja Brown, Tanya Brummett, Roger Burdette, Shameka Carroll, Ree Ann Clark, Andrea Cook, Melissa Crane, Timothy D. Crowley, Shannon Dean, Foster Dixon, Paul Duke, Kathleen Durrer, Heather Edwards, John Elder, Matt Gilmore, Jacques Grant, Shelley Green, Kenneth Griffin, Drayton Hamilton, Barbara Hartin, Phyllis Hedrick, Charlotte Henderson, Sonjanika Henderson, Deborah Hill, Michael Hitch, Laketa Huddleston, Steven Jones, Connie James, John Kelley, Angelisa LaVan, Barrett Lee, Monica Felicia Lee, Katie Magaw, Kathy Mayfield, Christy Myers, Kevin Nutt, Kurt R. Niland, Pat Norman, Ann O'Clair, Mike Odom, Margo Paraska, Edward Pate, Lane Powell, Neil Probst, Stephanie Reed, Terri Richburg, Denean Rivera, Marie Robinson, Melissa Roth, Lorelei Jackson Sanders, Jay Sansom, Debbie Seale, Julie D. Sellers, Claire Skowronski, Durand Smitherman, Angela Soulé, Patrick Steele, Frances Stewart, Mark Stewart, Randy C. Stone, Teresa Stone, Tammy Taite, Ondra Thomas Krouse, Eric Thomason, Peter Walden, Gwendolyn Warde, Kristi Widner, and Claudia Wilsch.


WRITINGS BY AUM STUDENTS FEATURED IN NEW BOOK

The work of nearly 120 AUM students has been published in a new book of literary interpretation titled Close Readings: Analyses of Short Fiction from Multiple Perspectives by Students of Auburn University Montgomery, one of a number of forthcoming projects featuring the written scholarly work of numerous AUM students. The book, recently issued by NewSouth Books of Montgomery, collects a wide range of student commentary on short stories by such noted authors as Kate Chopin, Brian Friel and Frank O'Connor. Many of the commentaries already had been published in other books or soon will be. Close Readings brings them together in one volume.

Each student contributor to the book will receive one free paperback copy of the volume, which is currently being used as a text in the Department of English and Philosophy's course in literary criticism. More than 100 hardcover copies of the book will be given to local public schools, junior colleges and college libraries.

Publication of the book was supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which recently funded a two-year seminar on critical pluralism on the AUM campus. Much of the student work contained in the book is a direct outgrowth of the Mellon seminars.

Students whose work is featured in Close Readings are Jennifer Adger, Jeff Alexander, Amanda Allen, Debbie Altman, Patricia Angley, Ashley Ashworth, Melissa Baker, Kimberly Barron, Benjamin Beard, Janis Blaesing, Krissy Blankenship, Kathleen Bohen, Shon Boling, Curtis Bowden, Nataliya Bowden, Lara Bridger, Lee Bridges, Spencer Brothers, Jennifer Brown, Sonja Brown, Tanya Brummett, Roger Burdette, Shameka Carroll, Melanie Clark, Ree Ann Clark, Randall Cobb, Andrea Cook, Melissa Crane, Timothy D. Crowley, Mike Cunliffe, Todd Davis, Shannon Dean, Foster Dickson, Paul Duke, Kathleen B. Durrer, Heather Edwards, John Elder, Jeremy Fore, Timothy Francisco, Matt Gilmore, Ashley Gordon, Jacques Grant, Shelly Green, William Greene, Kenneth W. Griffin, Alan Griffith, Kyla Gunter, Drayton Hamilton, Barbara Hartin, Phyllis Hedrick, Charlotte Henderson, Sonjanika Henderson, Amanda Higgins, Deborah Hill, Michael Hitch, Kerrie Hopper, Laketa Huddleston, Connie James, Jamey Johnson, Scott Johnson, Willie Mae Johnson, Steven Jones, Connie James, John Kelley, Angelisa LaVan, Barbara Larson, Barrett Lee, Monica Felicia Lee, Anje Lister, Marty Mace, Katie Magaw, Mia Manning, Kathy Mayfield, John McGaughey, Mary Mechler, Regina Moates, Christy Myers, Kevin Nutt, Kurt R. Niland, Pat Norman, Ann O'Clair, Mike Odom, Margo Paraska, Edward Pate, Karen Worley Pirnie, Eleanor Planer, Lane Powell, Michael Probst, Neil Probst, Will Quincy, Stephanie Reed, Terri Richburg, Denean Rivera, Melissa Roth, Marie Robinson, Dianne Russell, Peggy Russell, Lorelei Jackson Sanders, Jay Sansom, Debbie Seale, Julie D. Sellers, Tawanda Shaw, Brian Shefrin, Claire Skowronski, Durand Smitherman, Charles Solomon, Angela Soule, Patrick Steele, Frances Stewart, Mark Stewart, Randy C. Stone, Teresa Stone, Tammy Taite, Ondra Thomas-Krouse, Eric Thomason, Barbrietta Turner, Peter Walden, Gwendolyn Warde, Kristi Widner, Geni Williams, Claudia Wilsch, Jonathan Wright and Carolyn Young.


WORK BY AUM STUDENTS CITED IN NEW SCHOLARLY COLLECTION

Scholarly publications prepared during the past several years by students from AUM are prominently featured in an important new work from Cambridge University Press: The Cambridge Companion to Ben Jonson. The new volume, likely to be a standard item in most libraries' collections of Jonson scholarship, cites published essays prepared by John Burdett, Clint Darby, Katie Magaw, Neil Probst, and Jonathan Wright.

Burdett, a former student of the School of Education, now teaches in a local public school. Darby recently graduate with an undergradute degree in art. Magaw, once an undergraduate English major at AUM, is now enrolled in the university's Master of Liberal Arts program. Probst, once an undergraduate English major, is now completing a master's degree in AUM's School of Education. Wright, a product of the MLA program at AUM, is now finishing his doctorate in English at the University of Alabama while working at Faulkner University.

The Jonson volume is part of Cambridge's series of published companions to great authors. The works of the AUM students are cited not only in an essay included in the volume but also in the master bibliography at the conclusion of the book.


WORK BY AUM STUDENT FEATURED IN BROCHURE SENT TO 15,000 SCHOLARS

An article by Deborah Hill, an undergraduate English major at AUM, is prominently featured in an advertisement to be included in a brochure that will soon be mailed to more than 15,000 scholars or libraries focusing on Renaissance literature.

Hill's article, recently published in volume 7 of the Ben Jonson Journal, is highlighted in an ad for the journal that will appear in a circular forthcoming soon from the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, one of the leading centers for scholarship dealing with European culture before 1700.


AUM STUDENTS ATTEND LITERARY READING, INTERACT WITH AUTHORS

Students from the AUM course in Literary Criticism were able to meet outside their normal classroom on Monday, March 12, when they gathered at the NewSouth Bookstore (at the corner of Washington and Court streets in downtown Montgomery) to hear readings by short story writer Tom Franklin and his wife, the poet Beth Ann Fennelly.

Students had earlier read and discussed in great detail a story by Franklin, whose recent collection of stories -- entitled Poachers -- has been issued by a major publisher and has been widely acclaimed by critics. Franklin read the same story aloud on Monday evening and answered various questions about it and about his fiction in general. The story, a brief tale called "Alaska," had provoked extremely warm and enthusiastic responses during class discussion.
Many students particularly enjoyed the poems read by Fennelly, whose work has been printed in such notable journals as TriQuarterly, Kenyon Review, and Shenandoah. Another highlight of the evening was the performance of a short, humorous tale composed (and read) jointly by Franklin and Fennelly.

NewSouth Books, which is both a bookstore and a publishing company, has been a good friend to the AUM English Department. A number of departmental majors have been interns there, and two of the store's leading lights -- Ben Beard and Kevin Nutt -- are graduates of the AUM English program. Also in attendance at Monday's event was Bart Barton, who has taught creative writing at AUM, and whose own collection of short fiction is due to be published very soon.


AUM RECEIVES SECOND DONATION FROM AUTHOR'S WIDOW

The annual Frank O'Connor short story and essay contests, adminstered by AUM and now in their third year, are likely to continue many years longer thanks to a generous new donation of $5000 by Mrs. Harriet O'Donovan Sheehy, widow of the famous Irish writer.

Sheehy originally established the contests with a donation of more than $11,000 to AUM; the latest donation ensures that the competitions will exist for nearly a decade, at least.
Each year the contests award $1000 to the person who submits the best story and $1000 to the persons who submit the two best essays. The latest winner of the short story prize is Melvin Sterne of Seattle, Washington. His story entitled "Bread" was selected from among numerous entries submitted from all over the U.S. and indeed the world. The number of submissions to this year's contest was nearly double the number submitted last year.


AUM ALUM CAMERON READER WINS PROMOTION AND NEW JOB IN BEAUTIFUL TOURIST AREA

Cameron Reader, who graduated with a B.A. in English from AUM in the 1980s, reports that he is "now the Executive Director of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. AMLA is responsible for tourism promotion in the 16 northernmost counties of Alabama. Our office is in historic Mooresville, Al. (where the Disney movie Tom and Huck was filmed!). Our website is www.northalabama.org." Cameron had previously worked for the Alabama Department of Tourism. Congratulations, Cameron! We are proud of your achievements!