Meet New Poet Laureate Philip Levine

Even my dad knows about our new poet laureate, Phil Levine, so you better get up to speed. Of course my dad and Levine are both native Detroiters, but still.

Anyway, you can find out more about Levine here and here.

And if you'd like to hear Levine read one of his most famous poems, "They Feed They Lion," you can do so here.

Finally, isn't this a great book cover? I certainly think so.

2012 Appalachian Studies Association conference to be held in Indiana, PA

This CFP caught my eye when it popped up in my mailbox.  The Appalachian Studies Association is a great organization, and I've heard good things about their annual conference, although I've never been.

But here's a terrific opportunity for anyone who's looking for a national conference venue that's close by (about a two-hour drive from Morgantown) and relatively inexpensive--registration is $125 for faculty and $75 for students; both rates include a one-year membership in the ASA.

The theme of next year's conference is "The Wide Reach of Appalachia," and organizers are especially interested in papers on northern Appalachia (that's here, folks):

As mapped by the Appalachian Regional Commission, Appalachia extends as far north as southwestern New York State, but this will be the first time that a national ASA conference has met anywhere to the north of Morgantown, West Virginia. It has been remarked that in the minds of many people, “Appalachia is always somewhere to the south”—but in reality, Appalachia is to the north, too. By a large margin, there are more square miles of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s “official Appalachia” in Pennsylvania than in any other state. We especially encourage proposals on any aspect of northern Appalachia—but also, considering “The Wide Reach of Appalachia,” proposals about the Appalachian diaspora and about Appalachian influences and connections in other parts of the country.

Featured panels will include, among others, literary readings and at least one on Marcellus Shale natural gas “fracking.”

For more information, visit the conference website or download the registration details here.  Deadline for proposals is October 15, 2011.

Babar Goes Back to School and So Do You

Pretty soon, right? I've had that "Sunday night feeling" since last Saturday, so school must be upon us. But not in a bad way...

Anyway, Babar! Remember him? Your other favorite blogger, Dennis Allen, mentioned the return of breezes—"there was quite the cooling little zephyr" the other night—and I suddenly remembered Babar's monkey friend, who is also named Zephyr. Or Zephir. But close enough, and once I started to think about Babar, I sort of had to write this post. To cheer you up about school. Not that you don't like school, but, well, Babar had to go too and he didn't much like it and, so, um, maybe you can think of him as you get your pencil box in order and all that.

The deal with Babar's return to school was that he complained (don't do that!) and thought that going to school was easier than being a grown-up. (Who knows what he'd say about grown-ups who keep going and going to school...) Of course he was wrong. First his pencil broke; then he sat in gum. Let's not even mention the bus ride. Babar was exhausted. And, he had learned his lesson.

Now that you're remembering Babar I bet you want to know all the characters' names. I know I did. Because, in a lot of ways, Babar himself is sort of the least interesting. Isn't that often the case? So here they are. Or, most of them anyway.

They're having a party, it seems. Maybe for the littlest one's birthday. Or maybe it's their version of the back-to-school department picnic. Ok, so of course that's Babar and his wife, Queen Celeste, standing up in the back. Now the monkey is Zephir, as I told you already. The others... well... here's where I might need your help. I think the elephant with the little hat is Babar's brother-in-law, Arthur. The two younger boys and the girl who seems about their size are the triplets. Right? Pom and Alexander are the boys, and Flora (great name) is the girl. The littlest girl is Isabelle. Pretty sure. Not pictured: The Old Lady (aka Madame) and Cornelius, the wise old elephant whose head is sort of misshapen because, presumably, he's so smart.

So, ok! I feel better. Don't you? And please do feel free to chime in with your Babar knowledge. And yeah, I know, Babar is bad bad bad... those books are criticized for a bunch of things. But it's still early-ish August! Don't get all grumpy yet!

The Appalachian Prison Book Project

Appalachian Prison Book Project
PO Box 601
Morgantown, WV 26507
appalachianpbp@gmail.com

August 2, 2011

"It turns out that the story I informed you of that was selected for publication has become a winner. I’ve enclosed a copy of the press release. I owe it all to a book [APBP] sent me called “The Toughest Indian in the World.” ~ A letter to APBP from a man imprisoned in Virginia

Dear Friends,

We write to you on behalf of the Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) in Morgantown, West Virginia. APBP is a community and student organization that provides free books to men and women imprisoned in six states (MD, KY, OH, TN, VA, WV). The Project is staffed by enthusiastic volunteers who have mailed over 8,000 books since 2006.

Each month, we send out hundreds of books that positively impact prisoners' lives, from those who are avid readers to those who are struggling to catch up on their education to those in need of medical information. Take, for instance, a man from Tennessee who wrote to us:

"I received books from you over a year ago. I would like to receive more if at all possible. My situation has changed. I have MS and am bound to a wheelchair so I spend most of my time reading. I don’t have anyone on the outside that can help me with finances or packages. You are very special people to do this for us. It transports me to different lands, tests my ability to solve murder/mystery, and laugh at the comedy."

It is our hope that APBP will continue to serve people who so clearly desire the chance to acquire knowledge and information and to improve their lives while incarcerated.

For the last three years, APBP has benefited from a WVU Public Service Grant that has enabled us to pay for postage, our primary expense (approximately $4000.00/year). We are no longer eligible for the grant, which has put a great financial strain on our day-to-day operations. It is possible that APBP will have to close its doors, temporarily or permanently, if we are unable to raise a significant amount of money.

To continue our work, we need your help. Donating just $20.00 would enable us to send books to 10 people while a $50.00 donation would enable us to provide books to approximately 25 prisoners. NO GIFT IS TOO SMALL.

Appalachian Prison Book Project
PO Box 601
Morgantown, WV 26507
appalachianpbp@gmail.com

You can also donate paperback books to the project at any time. We are especially in need of the following:
Dictionaries
Law dictionaries
Health/Medicine (asthma, diabetes, cancer, AIDS)
History
Westerns
Native American and African American cultures
Foreign languages
How to Books (Drawing, Music, Construction, Home & Car Repair)

We accept donations of supplies as well, such as business envelopes, clear packing tape, and sturdy brown wrapping paper. Brown paper grocery bags can also be used. 

Please make your check payable to the Appalachian Prison Book Project, and send to this address:

Appalachian Prison Book Project
PO Box 601
Morgantown, WV 26507

You can also help us through PayPal at aprisonbookproject.wordpress.com. Additionally, if you join us on Facebook you can keep up with the latest news about fundraisers, press coverage, and how our work continues to make a difference to prisoners across Appalachia.
 
If you would like to be on our listserv or have any questions, please contact Katy Ryan (kohearnr@mail.wvu.edu)

Many thanks for helping us to promote literacy, education, and hope.

Sincerely,
Katy Ryan, Founder of APBP
Dominique Bruno, APBP Intern
James Holsinger, APBP Intern

Attention Tenants: Request for Help with Diversity Week

Rachel Holmberg, former Tenant of Colson Hall and now a counselor at Career Services, just sent us the following query:

Is anyone in the English department interested in doing an event for diversity week?

Diversity week is Oct. 17th - 22nd and freshmen are required to attend at least one event as part of their orientation course. Our theme this year is "Peace, Love, and Understanding." The theme is just a starting point, though. If you think you have an event that helps students understand some aspect of diversity better, we will welcome it.

Currently planned events range from the African Dance Ensemble performance, to a "Swords to Plowshares" engineering design contest, talks from international students about their journey to WVU, a discussion of the Muslim practice of wearing head scarves, and a celebration of Diwali (including entertainment and great food).

If you have an event you'd like to do or just want to talk about the possibilities, please contact me, Dr. Rachel Holmberg, at Rachel.Holmberg@mail.wvu.edu.

P.S. If you have students practicing descriptive pieces, doing research, or journal entries, you might consider having them write about diversity week. It will encourage students to go and do something to promote tolerance and growth as well as writing about something different and interesting. Most events are free (all except those that include food, like Diwali), on both campuses, and are running during the days and evenings, so access should not a problem for them.

As mentioned on my other blog...

It's not that I don't love you best, Tenants, but I do have a job, ya know. So this is a post that's also on the Bolton Writing Workshops blog, which of course you'll want to start frequenting so you can know what's up with creative writing in the residence halls.

Ok, enough apologies and pleas. Here's the scoop:

There will be a meeting for this year's Boltoneers—that is, the program's MFA students who will lead the workshops—on Wednesday, July 27, at 2 p.m. in the 2nd floor meeting room in Colson Hall.

If you're an MFA student and interested in participating in this year's program, send me an email (maryann.samyn@mail.wvu.edu) and come to Wednesday's meeting.

Call for articles

I am editing the Essays on Art column of the September issue of Connotation Press an online journal. I am looking for writers who may be interested in contributing a short, informal but well-informed article on a movie. The topic is "Cities in Celluloid" which is about famous and not so famous movies where a historic city features as the main character. So basically it's about movies which have been succesful in capturing the particular essence of a city in celluloid. Its a lot like a movie review, but more spontaneous. There is no word limit and the official deadline is the 10th of August although that is negotiable! The chosen articles will be published in the September issue of Connotation Press. If you are interested, please send me an email, with a brief bio and a photograph (not the Passport ones please) as early as possible.
I can be reached at sreyachatterjee86@gmail.com

The Matter of Our Mascot

Summertime is the time for idle chatter, so, Tenants, let's talk about our mascot, the Scone.

It certainly has its charms, but I'm thinking it might be too . . . um . . . inanimate for our purposes.

Perusing the creatures of the bestiary (as one does when one is a medievalist), it seems to me that the Magpie might be good fit, since it is likened to a poet. Here's what Pliny the Elder has to say about it:

"they become fond of some words, and not only repeat them but can be seen to ponder them. To learn a word they must hear it said often, and if a word is too difficult for them to learn they may die. When they forget a word they cheer up greatly when they hear it spoken."

Let us hope that our own poets never encounter words that are too difficult. And try this: when you see Jim or MaryAnn in the hallway looking melancholy, shout out a few forgotten words to see if it perks them up.

Cruel Summer

It's been awhile since the Tenants posted a cheezy video, and given the current heat wave Bananarama's "Cruel Summer" seems meterologically appropriate, even if the song itself doesn't quite stack up to "I Heard a Rumour" or "Venus." Note that video contains most of the very best features of British videos of the early '80's, viz.:

1. A $37 budget
2. Most of which went to hair and makeup
3. "Choreography"
4. NYCophilia
5. Costumes left over from the last Dexy's Midnight Runners video.

The unexpected benefit here is an homage to The Dukes of Hazzard.

Cultural Studies theorists should be glad to see that the ending fully confirms Richard Dyer's assertion about the musical as a vision of plenitude and social harmony in the final "dancing with Boss Hogg" sequence.

Where Are They Now?

....or, more accurately, where will they soon be? The Tenants are pleased to note that two recent doctoral graduates have taken fulltime positions for the coming academic year:

Aparajita De (PhD 2009) will be a Visiting Professor of English at Towson University (in Maryland)

Lori Zerne (PhD 2011) will be a Visiting Professor of English at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (in...uh...Pennsylvania).