Faculty Writing Camp Reflections

By Regan Postma-Montaño This past June I joined eight other faculty (including Marla Lunderberg and Kendra Parker from the English Department) for my first ever Faculty Writing Camp. Much like the time spent at Northern Michigan summer camps during my youth, this camp offered me the blessings of community and growth, along with good snacks and walks in nature, …

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 …

Why English 113 Is a Must

By: Trevor Sooy, ‘19 Most students coming to Hope College are required to take a semester of English. Like me, they may have thought, “I thought this was the time to study what I’m interested in and get as far away from writing lengthy papers on material that means next to nothing for me.” This …

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, …

For my Fellow Writers: How to Stay Motivated during the Summer

By: Katie McMorris ’17 If you’re anything like me, your first month or so of summer probably included the following: sleeping, eating, Netflix, then back again to sleeping. After spending the last two semesters constantly producing new material, you deserve a break; however, sometimes that break seems to last until the end of August. For …

Adventures in Liverpool

By: Professor Bill Moreau I am 40,000 feet above the Atlantic as I write this—aboard American Airlines flight #55 from Manchester, England, to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Professor Tony Donk and I are returning from a June Term in Liverpool with the Education Department. Our twelve students and the two of us are exhausted but elated with a very …

7 Things: Some Advice

By Sarah Baar Though I am not really an expert at anything, I have general knowledge about many things. Sometimes I like to give advice. Take it or leave it. Start saving for retirement immediately. Experts estimate that you’ll double your investment return if you start saving at 25 instead of 35. Most companies offer …

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 …

Winner of the Stephenson First-Year Writing Prize

Hope College has a plethora of awards given out to students on a regular basis. The English Department alone has the honor of awarding students over ten different types of honors and prizes for showing exemplary skills in literature and creative writing. One of the awards we recently gave was the “Stephenson First-Year Writing Prize.” …

A Letter to Hope College Prospective Students

Dear Prospective Hope College Students, First of all I want to wish you all luck on your college searches.  Having been through it myself, I understand the time and effort that goes into finding the perfect college.  That being said, there is no question that on the next level—the collegiate level—the stakes are higher.  In …