Written by Elsa Kim, Creative Writing major Sumita Chakraborty—essayist, scholar, and author of Arrow—strode to the podium. Setting down her sheaves of notes, she held up her phone. “I’ve set a duck noise timer,” she told us with a smile, “When the duck quacks I know I’ve run out of time.” Having introduced us to …
Continue reading “An Act of Remembrance: Visiting Writers Sumita Chakraborty and Noé Alvarez”
Written by Ben Opipari, Ph.D., a Hope alum and business owner. What I really wanted to be was a rock star. I settled on starting a business helping attorneys at some of the most powerful law firms in the world perfect the art of clear writing. I wanted to be a rock star because I …
Continue reading “From Literature to Lawyers: How I Used My English Degrees”
Hi! My name is Eileen Ellis, and I am one of the co-editors of Opus Literary & Arts Magazine. Now, I don’t know about anyone else, but this semester has been a doozy. I mean, reeeaaally a dooooozy. And if you know me, you’ll have already heard me complain endlessly about my parking ticket and my …
Written by Piper Daleiden, Hope College English and Psychology Major, Student Managing Editor for the English Department What role does a creative writing major play in a project focused on child development and education? This was one of Samuel Vega’s questions when he first joined a group of Hope students and faculty, as well as …
Continue reading “Alumni Spotlight: “Ready to Listen” with Samuel Vega ’22”
Dr. Ruben EspinosaThursday, October 6 at 7 pmWinants Auditorium in Graves Hall The 2022 Clarence De Graaf Memorial Lecture will feature Dr. Ruben Espinosa, associate professor of English and associate director of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Arizona State University. Professor Espinosa’s address is titled “Shakespeare and Belonging.” The lecture will …
At 7pm on November 18th, the English Department will co-host The Hope College Connection LIVE: Creative Jobs for English Majors. This will be a virtual event featuring a panel of alumni ready to share their advice and give some direction for landing an exciting and rewarding career. In advance of that event, the English Department …
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Kasidee Karsten ’13 took her English degree into the social media realm, working for the past few years as Social Media and Content Manager for the National Football League Players Association. She shares with us her insights on how her English courses at Hope led to her success. What are you up to now? I …
Continue reading “Alumna Feature – Kasidee Karsten (’13): “There’s No Right or Wrong Way.””
Recent grad Shanley Smith (2019) spoke with the English Department about her post-Hope path, which included mission work in Romania and a sudden return home to Holland in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “What do you plan on doing with your degree?” Of all the answers I had prepared throughout my years of undergraduate, …
Continue reading “Alumnae Feature: Shanley Smith (’19) on Community Building in Romania”
English Department alumnus Matthew Baker (2009) is still on a roll. His new story collection, Why Visit America, was named one of Esquire‘s “20 Must-Read Books of Summer 2020” and received a starred review from Booklist, which wrote: “Bold, captivating, and deeply relevant, Baker’s imaginative stories offer approachable, optimistic perspectives on morally ambiguous topics facing …
Continue reading “Alumnus Highlight: “Why Visit America” author Matthew Baker (’09)”
During the spring of 2014, I’d walk into the south entrance of Lubbers Hall and pass the oil painting of President and Mrs. Lubbers playing a diligent game of chess. I’d round the corner onto the stairs and proceed to the second floor where a cross listed English and philosophy course on Existentialism met each …
