Dishes served at The Signature Room on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building are renowned for their exquisite flavor. Each dish, a balanced masterpiece, is served above the city and placed on the white tablecloths many pedestrians will never see. It’s the combination of different flavors, not to mention the ambiance, that gives each dish its particular character. Every note is accented, recognized as being an important part of the meal, the whole. Today’s Ex Libris is a happy compendium of news from all over the department. Read on to discover writing announcements, new publications, and cocktail parties. The beginning of the quarter is a tantalizing time filled with different flavors demanding student and faculty attention. It’s the fusion of all these different happenings that makes the Department of English a dish that rivals any on the 95th.
Academic Reminders
Today, September 17th, is the last day to add fall classes. This is it, last day, no turning back. Go forward into that young book and discover.
Next Tuesday, September 24th, is the last day to drop fall classes. If students drop a class before the 24th, it is not included in their tuition and will never appear on their transcript. If students drop a class after the 24th, they pay for the course and it appears on their transcript as a Withdrawal (W).
October 29th is the last day to withdraw from fall classes. Any student still on the roster after October 29th must earn a letter grade.
Partial Tuition Scholarships
The M.A. in English and M.A. in Writing and Publishing programs are offering Partial Tuition Scholarships (PTS) to recognize outstanding academic achievement of students in the English department’s two graduate programs. Partial Tuition Scholarships provide a partial reimbursement for tuition paid for 2013 autumn graduate courses in English taken toward the MAE and MAWP degrees.
To learn more about the requirements for the PTS click here.
The deadline for applying for PTS awards for the 2013 Autumn Quarter is Monday, September 23. All requests for PTS awards must be made electronically, and they must be sent to Ms. Hickey via email. Copies of this memo and of the application can be found on the MAE and MAWP D2L sites under “Content.”
The Guild Complex Writing Contest
The Guild Literary Complex has opened submissions for their Annual Prose Awards. Each fall, the Guild recognizes emerging and established writers. Winners will be announced during a ceremony at the historic Chopin Theatre in Chicago. Judges include Cristina Henríquez and our very own Prof. Miles Harvey.
Writers of all backgrounds and experience levels are invited to submit, and all themes and subjects are welcome. Illinois residents 18 years old and older should submit a single piece of short fiction or non-fiction of no more than a 1,000 words typed, to contest@guildcomplex.org. There is a $5 submission fee payable via the pay pal donation button on this page. Submission fee also includes admission to the live event. All applications must be completed by 5 pm on October 1, 2013
Newberry Center of Renaissance Studies Call for Papers
The Newberry Center of Renaissance Studies is calling for graduate papers for their 2014 Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference. The Center for Renaissance Studies’ annual graduate student conference, organized and run by advanced doctoral students, has become a premier opportunity for maturing scholars to present papers, participate in discussions, and develop collaborations across the field of medieval, Renaissance, and early modern studies.
Chosen papers will be published in a peer edited online conference proceedings page. The 2014 conference has expanded to accommodate 72 different presenters.
Abstracts for 15-minute papers from master’s or PhD students from any discipline on any medieval, Renaissance, or early modern topic in Europe or the Mediterranean or Atlantic worlds must be submitted by midnight, Tuesday October 15th. Complete this submission form.
The early conference registration fee will be $30 for students from consortium member universities and their guests and $40 for those from other institutions. Late registration (after January 10) will be $45 and $55, respectively.
New Publications
Kathleen Rooney has published a collaborative chapbook with Elisa Gabbert entitled The Kind of Beauty That Has Nowhere to Go. The chapbook has been released by feminist publisher Hyacinth Girl. Learn more about the publication and even order a copy from Hyancinth’s website. To tempt you, here is a poem from the book.
SOME NOTES ON REMORSE
Beware of people whose motto is “No regrets.” They are violent innocents. Ravaged by love.
I want a point of view that isn’t mine to tell me that what I did wasn’t wrong. And permission to be sorry for the outcome, but not the event.
If you can’t feel remorse, you may be a sociopath. This isn’t all bad. If you feel called to live your life like a dirty free-for-all, you can.
They say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, but you make me wish I’d never been born.
Guilt is associated with the sound of bells tolling; remorse, the sound of wind through trees.
I would never say I’m sorry in a dream. However, I might set my most regrettable moments in the sky like a starry galaxy, and try to detect a pattern.
To show more remorse, lower your eyes. To show less, fix them up and ahead like an equestrian statue. In general, be blue-eyed and statuesque.
Don’t even try to tell me that swans mate for life. Do swans seem normal to you?
You may be sorry now, but you’ll be even sorrier if you get tear stains all over those satin sheets.
I was working my way up to an apology when a songbird lit upon my shoulder. Something in his tune made cruel jilting sound sweet. If my present self is the sum of my past actions, how can I be sorry?
Remorse smells like tallow soap and agony, but you can never wash it off. It does get fainter over time, like an exceptionally tenacious perfume.
To express remorse you must compose a detailed account of whatever offense you committed. Choose your font wisely; serifs are more emotive.
Thanks for the sympathy, but “buyer’s remorse” doesn’t really compare. Unless what you bought was from Satan.
We name our daughters by the traits we hope they’ll possess; she chose to name hers Rue.
The mental compartment where I store my remorse is the haunted garret in a mansion full of otherwise pleasant rooms.
Some people say there are five languages of apology.
I’m sorry you feel that way.
The EGSA Needs You
The English Graduate Student Association is celebrating the new school year with cocktails and beer at John Barleycorn on September 27th. Come revel in the great literary tradition of Dylan Thomas, Dos Passos, and Hemingway while meeting like minded graduate students looking to bring renewed passion to the EGSA. The event will kick off at 6:30 pm, and all are invited to attend.