Department of English

Alumni News

- Update Your Alumni Profile
- Visit Alumni Relations

Brandon Schrand writes:
I just wanted to drop a line to inform you that I have won the 2007 River Teeth Award for best book of literary nonfiction for my memoir, THE ENDERS HOTEL. The University of Nebraska Press will publish the book in the Spring of 2008 There were over 100 manuscripts submitted to this year's contest. More details to follow!

Liz Beacham (2006) writes:

I just wanted to say hello, see how your semester is going, and give you an update on my situation since graduation.

I am now into my fourth week in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Master's program at San Jose State U. in northern California. The coursework is fascinating, and I'm enjoying myself immensely. Many of my department's faculty also teach at other prestigious nearby universities like Stanford and UC Santa Cruz, so it's a great academic environment. I even have a professor who looks and sounds like Vincent Price, which keeps that class especially entertaining; I never thought derivational morphemes could be so creepy (ha ha...).

I have also gotten a tutoring job on campus in the Language Development Center. The program is much like the basic writing program there at SUU; we work one-on-one and with groups of freshman undergrads, many of them international/ESL students, to improve their academic English composition skills. It's going to be great experience to add to my time in the SUU Writing Center.

I really think applied linguistics and English language teaching are excellent career options for English majors, but options which they don't often hear about simply because both fields are still relatively new to formal academia. But if you have any English majors who think they might be interested in linguistics and/or any related careers, feel free to give them my email address; I would be happy to tell them what I learn as I do my degree.

Anyway, I hope your semester is going well. Please let me know how the department is, and give my best to all its marvelous professors!

Claudia Hensel writes:

I begin the MLIS program through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (distance learning) tomorrow and am really looking forward to it. I attended orientation in Milwaukee last weekend, and it only helped to reaffirm that this is the right career path for me. Thank you so much for your help--I wouldn't be here without you!!

Good luck in the new school year!

Brandon Schrand (schr9450@uidaho.edu) writes:

I thought I would drop a line to let you know what I am up to. After leaving Cedar, I took my master's degree in American Studies from Utah State University, and now will be graduating with my MFA in Creative nonfiction from the University of Idaho in Moscow.

I have been hired on as a "lowly" lecturer by the U of I where I will teach upper division creative writing and literature courses beginning next year.
I might also add that one of my recent publications, "An Old Home, Who'll Stay?: Field Notes From the Nebraska Sandhills" (RIVER TEETH: Vol 6, No. 2, Spring 2005), has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in nonfiction.

I have done some other things of note in the past year or so, some that may or may not be of interest. In 2004, I won the national Wallace Stegner Essay Contest ($1000.00 prize) sponsored by the Gallatin Writers and the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment. I won a $1,500.00 grant from the Charles Redd Center for the American West (BYU) for my continuing research on Capt. John Codman (1814-1900); and wrote a forward to Codman's 1888 memoir, WINTER SKETCHES FROM THE SADDLE, published by the Long Riders Guild Press, 2005. And just a few days ago, I received word that my essay "Collusion" was a finalist in Drunken Boat's National Pan Literary Awards in nonfiction. I have won a number of other awards not worth mentioning here, but this is the condensed version.

I am currently finishing my memoir, THE ENDERS HOTEL, and will begin a biography on John Codman afterwards.

Brianne Millett (Eng 2005 - millett25@gmail.com) writes:

I just accepted a position at Cambridge University Press as an Editorial Assistant in Economics and Finance. I'm really excited about this position even if
the subject matter is far from the Humanities and Social Sciences! I start the 8th of August and now that the stress of finding a job is gone, the stress of finding an apt. in New York is setting in quickly.
I just wanted to keep you posted on what was happening.

Leah Wuergler (Eng 2004 - leahfederation@hotmail.com) has been named managing editor of The Cedar City Review.

Pete Chidester (Eng 1997 - peteman@cox.net) sends update on his doctoral work at the University of Connecticut. He writes:

Do you remember Sam Pickering?  He visited SUU back in 1995 and spoke at a convocation.  Sam is my major advisor now, and I’m very excited to be working with him. I’ve decided to focus on the writings of Edwin Way Teale, a twentieth century American nature writer, for my dissertation.  We have his collected papers here at UCONN.  He wrote 32 books, and nobody has done much with him, so it should be fertile ground.

Travis Lovell (Engl minor 2004 - tcl254@nyu.edu) is attending grad school at NYU. He recently wrote to Dr. Cook to say:

"Thought I would drop you a line from New York. My time so far has been more than I could have hoped for. The cultural art scene is amazing and NYU has exceeded my expectations. I would like to express my appreciation for all that you did for me. Had it not been for your personal reference I would not be where I am. Thank you!"

Ben Crosby (Eng 2002 - ben.crosby@library.utah.edu) writes:

"Ben Crosby here. Just wanted to let you know that our new writing center is open up here at the U. The official grand opening is tomorrow. It will include guests such as the Program Director, the College Dean, and probably the President of the University. I think they're actually going to use giant scissors to cut a ribbon or something. Our space is tight but located nicely in the middle of campus--right in the middle of the library on the main floor. We are very visible and already wondering how accommodate demands. I am letting you know all of this because 1) several faculty have given me credit for motivating this project so rapidly ., I have seldom encountered anything I had not already been exposed to in my training and work under you. So accept my thanks and say hello to everyone down there."

Pete Chidester (Engl 1997 - peteman@ctconnect.com) is attending the University of Connecticut.  He recently contacted Dr. Cook to tell her the following:

"If you have any students that are seriously considering graduate work, I would recommend UCONN's program to them. The stipend is good, it includes medical benefits, we only teach one section per semester, the section is limited to 20 students and the library facilities are impressive."

Jennifer Carroll (Eng 2003 - jlcarroll@arlington.rusd.k12.ca.u) writes:

"In case you do not know, I teach at Arlington High school in Riverside, CA.  I teach Sophomore and Junior English; in CA, they call these "World Literature" and American Literature" respectively because they base it upon literature (at least in theory), and work from there.  Only because I know the English department likes to be aware of these statistics, I can tell you that this district started me at 38,699 with full benefits paid for and a $2,000 moving allowance, since I moved to teach at a Title I school (that means the school's overall test scores are below the average).  Since I am younger (in fact, I am pretty sure the youngest teacher on campus), most of my students think I am "tight" and a "gangsta."  One period calls me "Ms. Cazarroll"  instead of Ms. Carroll (to pronounce this Ebonics version of my name correctly, the emphasis must be on the first syllable:  CA-zar-oll).  Most of my classes are just plain fun to be around; one is absolute hell, to say the least, but they are finally beginning to shape up.  They were throwing food across the room at each other at one point!  But most of the nightmares with that period appear to be over; unfortunately, due to their behavior, I can't really have much fun with the material; I end up giving them a lot of quiet seatwork and detentions if they get too loud.  It feels like babysitting, but I have learned a lot about classroom management from that class."

| English |