Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year! We’ve just finished our first week of classes and whew! What a whirlwind of awesomeness. We have lots of nifty things coming up this year such as . . . drumroll please . . . a new Office Manager! So as we transition to a new year, we might …
Author Archives: Sarah Baar
You Say Goodbye I Say Hello
By Sarah Baar, ’04 I first arrived on Hope’s campus in 2001 as a student. I remember standing in line in front of Dykstra Hall with my roommate, waiting to get checked in and get our keys. A bee buzzed around us in the late summer heat and humidity and I worried it would get …
Writing In Community
By Leigh Clouse, ’13 As a writer, there is often nothing more terrifying than sharing my work with others. Whether I’m in a formal class workshop or in a relaxed setting with fellow writer friends, my anxiety always finds a way to tag along for the ride. The critique process has a way of making me feel exposed, …
Eight Peas in a Podcast
By Susanna Childress This past January, on an icy Sunday afternoon, I took my husband on a hot date. I know, perhaps not a typical first sentence for the English Department blog. Stay with me. Somehow I’d snagged front-row tickets to see Ira Glass—yes, THE Ira Glass—at WMU’s Snow Auditorium. If you’re not familiar, Ira Glass is …
Either/Or vs. Both/And
By Sarah Baar A friend recently posted a screenshot of a text debate she had regarding the morality of Severus Snape, a character from the wildly popular Harry Potter series. (I feel weird explaining this, but who knows? Maybe not everyone is as obsessed with Harry Potter as I am.) Of course, I jumped in: “Snape …
Hope College Academy of American Poets Prize 2016
By Pablo Peschiera About the Prize The Hope College Academy of American Poets (AAP) Prize award is funded by the University and College Poetry Prize program of the AAP. The academy began the program in 1955 at 10 schools, and now sponsors nearly 200 annual prizes for poetry at colleges and universities nationwide. Poets honored through …
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How Writing a Novel Prepared Me to Run A Marathon
By Sarah Baar So, I did a stupid thing the other day. I signed up for the Chicago Marathon. There are a number of reasons this is insane. Here are a few: It requires running 26.2 miles. MILES. The marathon got its name when a man ran (26.2 miles) from Marathon to Athens . . …
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Congratulations, Graduates!
Today marks the final day of classes for the Spring 2016 semester. For many of our seniors, it’s the final day of classes for their undergraduate experience! We’ve had the honor of working with 45 amazing students who are graduating this year. Some graduated in December of 2015, many will walk in our May commencement ceremonies …
Of Masks and Men: Nathaniel Hawthorne and Human Existence
By Ernest Cole As a student of English at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, I was attracted to the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne. His rendering of the character Young Goodman Brown was compelling to me. Of particular importance is Goodman Brown’s search for the truth, and his journey into the forest where he confronts …
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Welcome!
Welcome to the Hope College English Department’s inaugural blog post. We’re excited to share stories from our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends! Our guest next week will be Dr. Ernest Cole, English faculty member and chair of the department. Meet Dr. Cole, and come back next week to learn more!