Welcome back! In this week’s post, we want to share an incredible project that the students in Professor Susanne Davis’s Introduction to Creative Writing class completed last semester. The English 253 class created podcasts as part of the course curriculum, aiming to delve into a range of common human experiences in order to deepen and …
Continue reading “Writer as Witness: Finding Our Common Humanity”
As the fall semester draws to a close, two students — Paige Nelson and Isadora Baughman — offer their thought-provoking reflections on how they came to study literature and how it can enhance knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. More Than Fiction: How Stories Make Us Better People by Paige Nielsen My first exposure to literature was …
Continue reading “Is Literature a Vehicle for Learning Empathy?”
Today we continue with more brief personal reflections written for Professor Curtis Gruenler’s Literary Theory course. Aine O’Connor and Taylor Lombard illuminate how their study of history and biology (respectively) has intersected with their literary learning. Aine O’Connor, “Miracle of Miracles: Storytelling as Power” I am often asked, especially now in my senior year, what …
Continue reading “The Benefits & Beauties of Pairing English with Another Discipline”
On the second day of English 480: Literary Theory, I ask students to bring a “mirror paper” reflecting on their study of English literature thus far in their lives. As they read their responses out loud to the class this year, I was struck by how well they articulated a variety of perspectives — with …
As my four years at Hope College are coming to an inevitable end, the reason why I committed myself to an English and Business double major is becoming significantly more relevant to my vocational choices. In the past I’ve had many agitating conversations, trying to explain my reasons for choosing two opened-ended majors, even though …
Continue reading ““Why Study English and Business?” An Alumni Feature by Matthew Harkema ’19″
We’re delighted to share this year’s recognized poets and poems below. Congratulations to these talented student artists! About the Prize The Hope College Academy of American Poets (AAP) Prize award is funded by the AAP’s University and College Poetry Prize program. The academy began the program in 1955 at 10 schools, and now sponsors nearly 200 …
Continue reading “Hope College Academy of American Poets Prize 2019”
On March 7th, the poet Chen Chen and the writer Hilary Plum visited Hope College as part of the Jack Ridl Visiting Writers Series. They visited classrooms, dined with students, answered questions, and read from their latest books. Chen Chen read from his acclaimed first book of poems When I Grow Up I Want to …
Continue reading “Six Student Snapshots: A Day with Writers Chen Chen & Hilary Plum”
I shivered, rubbing my palms on my pants as I sat in the lobby of the Haworth Inn on that first snow day. While my friends were warm in their dorm rooms, I had made the trek across campus to meet with JRVWS visiting writer Sophfronia Scott. I had never met an author after reading …
Continue reading “Snowed In with Sophfronia Scott: A Memoir Writing Feature by Safia Hattab”
Hope English major Lisette Boer (’19) recounts why studying off-campus turned out to be one of her best college decisions. When I decided to commit to the Chicago Semester last spring, I was both excited and terrified. Little did I know that living, learning, and working in Chicago would be an integral part of my …
Continue reading “So You’re Thinking About the Chicago Semester?”
It’s been 25 years since Hope English professor Jack Ridl founded his Visiting Writers Series — JRVWS for short — and it’s time to celebrate! We have remarkable events scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on September 27th and November 13th. Will we see you there? Hope College has a true legacy in creating a rich community …
Continue reading “25 & Counting: The Jack Ridl Visiting Writers Series 2018 Preview”
