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Just a Minute Newsletter

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Want to know the latest happenings, events, news, and book publishing in the department? Meet faculty, alumni, and students in each issue. Just a Minute publishes every other week during the fall and spring semesters.

Latest Issue

May 5, 2023

In this issue, look back on the English Undergraduate Excellence Conference, Glossolalia, and the Undergraduate Language Research Showcase; read an interview with NEH-Mellon fellow Tyechia Thompson; get a sneak peek at our end-of-year award winners; meet alumnus Timothy Larson; listen to a microcast featuring Grace Turner;  learn about the student founder of Kids Can Write; watch Jim Dubinsky talk about one of his favorite courses; and travel along with Sherri Craig’s Studies in Rhetoric class  as they visit a historic site on campus. 

Past Issues Archive

May 5, 2023

In this issue, look back on the English Undergraduate Excellence Conference, Glossolalia, and the Undergraduate Language Research Showcase; read an interview with NEH-Mellon fellow Tyechia Thompson; get a sneak peek at our end-of-year award winners; meet alumnus Timothy Larson; listen to a microcast featuring Grace Turner;  learn about the student founder of Kids Can Write; watch Jim Dubinsky talk about one of his favorite courses; and travel along with Sherri Craig’s Studies in Rhetoric class  as they visit a historic site on campus. 

April 21, 2023

In this issue, Sweta Baniya sounds the alarm, study abroad calls to students, meet alumna Sandy Hagman, faculty go above and beyond for students, an English major is part of the 50 years of women in the Corps legacy, Lucinda Roy discusses D.E.I., and Nikki Giovanni visits campus.

April 7, 2023

In this issue, catch up with our keynote speaker for the Undergraduate Excellence Conference, meet alumnus John Archer, read Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq’s arctic research guide, relive the VT Authors Event, see Matthew Vollmer’s memoir, learn more about the Writing Center’s diversity statement writing workshop, follow our Words & Pictures Correspondents on Instagram, and enjoy a moment from Derek Mueller’s food-themed course as it tries out ChatGPT.

March 24, 2023

In this issue, learn how the Writing Center helps students, check out our course Look Books, meet alumna Crystal Starling, learn about M.F.A. alumna Soraya Palmer’s upcoming reading with Matthew Vollmer, say goodbye to Don Rude, see how Travis Webster incorporates D.E.I. into his writing, and take a therapy dog break with Katherine Hall’s class.

March 10, 2023

In this issue, learn about Katy Powell’s Andrew Mellon Foundation grant project, see the Giovanni-Steger Poetry Prize ceremony video, discover what a degree in English did for Distinquished Alumni Board member Mimi Walters, get to know alumnus and guest speaker Orland Dos Reis, celebrate Clinton Craig’s new book, mark your calendar for Audrey Hayes’ Instagram takeover, and take a look at Women & Madness — Jane Wemhoener’s Introduction to Women’s Literature. 

Feb. 24, 2023

In this issue, learn what undergraduate poets experience as they prepare for the Giovanni-Steger Poetry Prize and see who won; meet L. Lamar Wilson ’10; Giving Day gratitude; catch up with once facilities staff, now English student, Millie Yopp; and get to know Molly Ryan.

Feb. 10, 2023

In this issue, see who you support when you donate on Giving Day, meet Distinguished Alumni Board member Laurel Beeden, join us for special events such as the Giovanni-Steger Poetry Prize Celebration, read about our movers and shakers, meet some of our Words & Pictures Team who will be doing Instagram takeovers, get some great teaching advice from Vanessa L. Ruccolo, and get to know André Jones.

Jan. 27, 2023

In this issue, discover the student researchers who work on the Juneteenth Scholars Program, meet alumnus and Distinguished Alumni Board member Michael Germana, help welcome Douglas Kearney to the Visiting Writers Series, see the department’s offerings for Humanities Week, check out where our faculty will be outside of the department, learn how graduate teaching assistant Kat Gray incorporates DEI into her classes, and get a sneak peek at Khadijah Queen’s latest publishing enterprise.

Jan. 13, 2023

In this issue, share the adventures of an alum who minored in English, make plans to join Khadijah Queen as she moderates a Q&A with Kevin Young, celebrate two retired faculty members, see our prestigious ranking, catch up with Kelly Wright, and check out our faculty book offerings.

Vol. 10 — Dec. 16, 2022

In this issue, we take a moment to congratulate our graduates, thank Rebeca Weaver-Hightower for her service, see how experiential learning affects our students, share our latest news and kudos, meet Bessie Flores Zaldívar, kick-off a new column by Kelly Elizabeth Wright, and introduce LaKela Atkinson Webson.

Vol. 9 — Dec. 2, 2022

In this issue, we look back at the English Career Connections; celebrate M.F.A. Literary Award Winners; catch up with Devon Keyes, an M.A. alumnus; learn about Shelly Maycock’s dedication to diversity; and meet Kelly Elizabeth Wright.

Vol. 8 — Nov. 18, 2022

In this issue, hear about the impact the Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies has on interns; faculty, staff, and graduate students came together for Shanksgiving; hear from Sweta Baniya about her work with displaced people; meet Kira Gulko Morse, and more…

Vol. 7 — Nov. 4, 2022

In this issue, discover what one of our Distinguished Alumni Board members put in William Addison Caldwell’s backpack, follow a Marching Virginian on game day, relive moments from Ginney Fowler’s bench dedication, and so much more.  

Vol. 6 — Oct. 21, 2022

In this issue, we chase spiders, vote for the Great Pumpkin Prize winner, celebrate the thrills of autumn, share our favorite scary stories, meet an alumna who is an attorney at the Department of Justice, kick off a new column by our Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and see the latest book offerings from the department.

Vol. 5 – Oct. 7, 2022

In this issue, we congratulate Safyque xRichardson, a creative writing major, who won the Wilson Essay Contest; invite you to our events; ask for scary stories; celebrate alumni and faculty achievements; catch up with Lucinda Roy; and introduce you to Megan Richardson and Ari Corradi.  

Vol. 4 — Sept. 23, 2022

In this issue, meet Janine Joseph, Michael Craddock, and Hannah Ballowe. We also have some great events and opportunities coming up. And we mourn the death of Lisa Leslie.

Vol. 3 — Sept. 9, 2022

In this issue, Nikki Giovanni retires, see our upcoming events and reminders, celebrate the accomplishments of colleagues, meet Geovani Ramírez, and get a peek at Janine Joseph’s upcoming book.

Vol. 2 — Aug. 26, 2022

A new semester brings new events. We bid Virginia Fowler a fond farewell. We celebrate our faculty accomplishments, meet Clay Delk – our Distinguished Alumni Board President  — and say hello to Sophia Terazawa, a visiting assistant professor. 

Vol. 1 — Aug. 12, 2022

Our inaugurial issue of Just a Minute. Meet Khadijah Queen and see what we've been up to this past summer.