Yesterday, English Studies Professor Kisha Tracy  held a reception for her  Writing II class students, mentors from the university community, as well as mentors from our Adult Learning in the Fitchburg Area (ALFA) Program, as part of this semester's  Heritages of Change exhibition. Students and their mentors discussed their various contribution to the project which is a practice of curatorial activism, bringing attention to the heritages of marginalized and emerging topics. 

The English Studies Department  held their annual High School Writing Awards and Creative Writing Awards Ceremony yesterday afternoon in Presidents Hall. First place and honorable mention writing award winners from area high schools were recognized.  Some of the first place high school winners' writing along with Fitchburg State student writing appear in the latest volume of Route Two literary publication which was available for free at the event.

Author Eveline MacDougall (Fiery Hope : building community with the Amandla Chorus) and renown musician John Clark were recent guests in English Studies Professor Michael Hoberman's Folklore in America class. MacDougall wove together the threads of her formative years as a Québécois and  life with civil right's activists Wally and Juanita Nelson. The two performed a French inspired piece for the class. The course introduces students to the academic discipline of folklore and to a range of cultural traditions found in the United States.

The university's first ever "Writer in Residence" with  The New York Times bestselling author, and Fitchburg State University Alum, R.A. Salvatore '81, '91 wrapped up today with Salvatore visiting classes. Yesterday, he stopped into English Studies Professor DeMisty Bellinger-Delfeld's Research for Creative Writers class, and today English Studies Professor Frank Mabee's Game Studies Seminar course to wrap up the week. Salvatore discussed his journey as a writer, starting at Fitchburg State University, and all of the many places, opportunities, and experiences that  brought to him to where he is today. He also held Q & A sessions with the students.

The university's first ever "Writer in Residence" with  The New York Times bestselling author, and Fitchburg State University Alum, R.A. Salvatore '81, '91 continued today with Salvatore visiting classes. First, he stopped into Communications Media Professor Kyle Moody's History of Interactive Media and Games, and then visited English Studies Professor Kisha Tracy's World Lit I: Myths & Traditions course. In both, Salvatore discussed his journey as a writer, starting at Fitchburg State University, and all of the many places, opportunities, and experiences that  brought to him to where he is today. He also held Q & A sessions with the students.

English Studies Professor Katharine Covino's Literature for Young Adults course students, who read Fitchburg State University alumni Robert Cormier’s canonical novel The Chocolate War. and who dug deeper into the story by working collaboratively with their classmates in the Robert E. Cormier Archive gave their final presentations in Thompson Hall.

Fitchburg State University hosted a dozen Fitchburg High School juniors during their February vacation for a writing retreat on campus.

The students included members of the Fitchburg High Honors Academy, through which they gain special access to their hometown university and its resources.

Students in English Studies Professor Kisha Tracy's Honors Seminar Literature discussed their work on the topic of Afro/Africanfuturism at the Student Literature Fair: An Exploration of Afro/Africanfuturism in the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library. University Librarians selected a winner of the Fair, with an additional Visitors' Choice award.

Members of the faculty looked at the historical factors that have led to what has been called the Second October War in Israel and Gaza, while exploring how the crisis fits into other contexts, in Ellis White Lecture Hall yesterday afternoon. Professor Joshua Spero moderated a panel discussion, which also included Michael Hoberman (English Studies),Eric Budd (Economics, History and Political Science), Yasser Derwiche Djazaerly (Humanities), Benjamin Lieberman (Economics, History and Political Science), R. Brad Bannon (Humanities) and Wafa Unus (English Studies)