2013-2014 was an extremely productive academic year for the creative writing minor. The Boiler Room Reading Series kicked off, featuring faculty and student readers sharing original poetry, fiction and nonfiction at the University… Continue reading →

Dr. Robert Jacobs, former chair of the department, died March 31, 2014, at Heartland Healthcare Center in Macomb. He received his B.A. from Grinnell College, his B.D. from University of Chicago, and his… Continue reading →

Alumni Jenny Maddox Abbott (B.A. 2004) Technical Services Project Coordinator, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign  Chelsea McDougall (B. A. 2006) Reporter at the Northwest Herald, Crystal Lake Ayana Contreras (B. A. 2006) works at… Continue reading →

This past year I read a lot. I roamed through a whole set of authors and topics: works by David Foster Wallace, James Ellroy, Daniel Woodrell, Frank Bill, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Jaimy Gordon,… Continue reading →

Upon commencement of my first semester at Western Illinois University-Quad Cities (WIU-QC), I found myself unprepared—the areas of study that would consume much of my time, money, and focus for the following two… Continue reading →

Somehow I snuck my way into a graduate program halfway through the school year and nobody’s noticed yet that I don’t actually belong here. I’ve been told over and over again that what… Continue reading →

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” —Benjamin Franklin “My résumé is full. Too full—I can’t fit any more lines on one page, but… Continue reading →

I’m Nobody! Who are you? Are you – Nobody – too? Then there’s a pair of us! Don’t tell! they’d advertise – you know! How dreary – to be – Somebody! How public… Continue reading →

My boyfriend and I play a game in the winter called “Spot the UGGs,” where we count all the pairs of UGG boots we see every day – whoever sees the most wins.… Continue reading →