News and Events

Coming in October: Lisa Russ Spaar

Lisa Russ Spaar teaches English at the University of Virginia. She is the author of several collections of poems, and her work has earned—among other honors—a place in the Best American Poetry series (2008).

She will give a poetry reading on Thursday, October 16, at 7:30 p.m. in the Bunker Interpretive Center. The event is free and open to the public, and a book signing will follow.

You can read two of Spaar's poems—or, if you're lazy, hear them read to you—on the website of The Cortland Review. More poems are available in Blackbird and The Virginia Quarterly Review.

What's On Tap?

A listing of English Department courses and section descriptions (including details about various 101 section offerings) for the Fall 2008 semester is available here.

Going to Grad School?

The Council of Independent Colleges offers two American Graduate Fellowships, designed to promote and support doctoral study in the humanities by accomplished graduates of small and mid-sized private liberal arts colleges. Two fellowships, worth up to $50,000 each and renewable for a second year, will be awarded annually through 2011.

The fellowships will be available to students from eligible institutions, including Calvin College, who enroll in doctoral programs at any of 23 leading independent research universities in the United States, Great Britain, and Ireland.

Deadline for application is October 15, 2008.

Advice on Applying to Graduate School

'Tis the season for applications, writing samples, and letters of recommendation. If you are applying to graduate school—or thinking of applying in the years to come—you might find it helpful to read Applying to Graduate School, a document written by Prof. Jennifer Williams.

Where the Alumni Are

This webpage tracks some of the majors and minors who have graduated from the English Department. Contact Chad Engbers if you have a blurb to add!