I Went to the EGO Conference and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt…

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As a first year graduate student in the English Department here at WIU, I generally have little to no idea about what I’m doing at any given time. So when the opportunity came… Continue reading

Our Favorite Books From Our Childhood

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I have recently been reminiscing about the amazing books that my parents spent countless hours reading to me throughout my childhood. I have fond memories of my father making silly, monster voices while… Continue reading

Ivory Towers and Grain Silos: EGO Conference 2014

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Written by: Abigail Tichler & Chelsea Brotherton On October, 24th, 2014, students and scholars from across the nation gathered in Simpkins Hall less than an hour after the sun rose. These academics were… Continue reading

Screening “Inside Buffalo”: A Commentary on the Ironic and Contradictory

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There were about 50 other people sitting in the red chairs of the theater. The majority were spaced out, with only a few clumps of whispering students, heads bowed before cell phones; the… Continue reading

Creative Writers Fire Up the Boiler Room

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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, dies at 86

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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

Announcements, Publications, Presentations, and Other Notables 2013-2014

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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

A Letter From the Chair–Reading Lives

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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

The English Minor: How It Has Enhanced My Experience as a Liberal Arts and Sciences Major

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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

A Shadow of a Doubt

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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