On November 14, the Department of English hosted “An Evening with Margaret Atwood,” held in the sold-out Bama Theater. This evening was not Atwood’s first time in Tuscaloosa; in 1985, she lived in a house on Riverside Drive while serving as writer-in-residence for the MFA program. According to English Department legend, it was there that she finished The Handmaid’s Tale, a novel that has remained, for three decades, one of her most enduring works. Margaret Atwood is a worldwide bestselling author and […]
Category: The Scarlet Newsletter
An Interview with Professor Trudier Harris
Trudier Harris is a University Distinguished Research Professor of the Department of English at The University of Alabama, an honor she has held since 2015. A graduate of Tuscaloosa’s Stillman College, Professor Harris earned a master’s degree in English and a Ph.D. in American Literature and Folklore from the Ohio State University. Prior to joining the faculty at UA, she held the position of J. Carlyle Sitterson Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Professor Harris […]
Dr. Delia Steverson: UA Alumna and SREB Fellowship Recipient
Dr. Delia Steverson graduated from The University of Alabama’s Department of English with a Ph.D. in African American literature in 2017. She is now an assistant professor in English at the University of Florida, where she also serves as an affiliate professor in the Department of African American Studies. Dr. Steverson’s scholarship has appeared in The Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, The Explicator, and The Journal of American Culture. Her courses at the University of Florida explore Black subjects in nineteenth century American […]
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Professor Phil Beidler’s Beautiful War: Studies in a Dreadful Fascination
Dr. Philip Beidler has been a professor in the Department of English since the 1970s and holds Master’s and Doctoral degrees in English from the University of Virginia. He also served as a lieutenant in an armored cavalry platoon in Vietnam. Professor Beidler recently spoke with Dr. Shanti Weiland about the most recent of his many books, Beautiful War: Studies in a Dreadful Fascination, which is forthcoming from The University of Alabama Press. In the book, Professor Beidler draws on his experience […]
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Interview with Dana Sweeney, English Major Alumnus and Recipient of the Truman Scholarship
Dana Sweeney graduated summa cum laude in May 2017 with a major in English Literature. While at UA, Sweeney earned a prestigious Truman Scholarship, beating out 729 candidates from 305 American colleges and universities. As a Truman Scholar, Sweeney spent his post-graduation summer in Washington D.C. working with the advocacy group, People for The American Way. He is now working in Chicago as an organizer with Change Corps through the Public Interest Network. Sweeney spoke with Van Newell about his […]
Interview with Lena Levendoski, English Major Alumna
Lena Levendoski graduated from UA with a BA in English in 1995. She is currently the founder of the non-profit organization, Stick’s Gift, which provides clothing to newborns in need in the greater Nashville and Davidson counties. Levendoski shared her story with Van Newell. Why did you decide to attend UA? The reason I chose the University of Alabama was simply because I lived in Tuscaloosa. It was an easy and convenient choice that worked out well for me. I […]
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What We’re Writing/Reading
Dr. Shanti Weiland I am currently editing my poetry manuscript, “Cracked Planet,” which is a dark, modern fairytale that explores the relationship between time and memory. I imagine the manuscript as a photo album of relationships (romantic and platonic) that emerge from the understanding of familial experience and the balance (and, at times, incongruent nature) of religion and enlightenment. Last year, I started a literary blog called, The Poets That You Meet, that discusses poetry and provides writing prompts. I am interested […]
Spring 2017: Masthead
The Scarlet Newsletter is a production of the Department of English at The University of Alabama. “Going to Bat for Writers: An Interview with Melinda Fields” By Shanti Weiland “Michelle Dowd: New Director of the Hudson Strode Program” By Chris Koester “Cassie Smith’s New Book: Black Africans in the British Imagination” By Tasha Coryell “Shanti Weiland’s Sister Nun and the Zen of Typing” By Van Newell “Report: English Major Recruitment Task Force” By Deborah Weiss “Report: Diversity Committee Achievements” By […]
Going to Bat for Writers: An Interview with Melinda Fields
Since 2004, Melinda Fields has been an invaluable part of the First-year Writing Program, serving as a liaison between students, teachers, and the Director. One of her many tasks includes helping students register for 100-level courses, a duty that she balances with her work as a Well Bama Ambassador. When I first walk into Fields’ office for this interview, she has heated her lunch, and the aroma of chicken and steamed vegetables fills the room. “Sorry I have to eat […]
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Michelle Dowd: New Director of the Hudson Strode Program
Michelle Dowd joined the University of Alabama in the fall of 2016 as Hudson Strode Professor of English and Director of the Hudson Strode Program in Renaissance Studies. Before joining the faculty at Alabama, she taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and at Fordham University. Her work primarily concerns the intersection of economics and gender in Renaissance drama. Her last book, The Dynamics of Inheritance on the Shakespearean Stage, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2015. […]
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