Why Teach (Or Major) in English

The internets keep throwing articles our way about the value of an English major. Check out Adam Gopnik's "Why Teach English?" in The New Yorker online. Writes Gopnik: "Even if we read books and talk about them for four years, and then do something else more obviously remunerative, it won’t be time wasted. We need...

Edmundson’s “The Ideal English Major”

Here's another interesting "Why English?" kind of essay, "The Ideal English Major," from the Mark Edmundson in The Chronicle of Higher Ed. Writes Edmundson: "The English major at her best isn't used by language; she uses it. She bends it, inflects it with irony, and lets hyperbole bloom like a firework flower when the time's...

Famous English Majors

What do Jodie Foster, James Franco, Steven Spielberg, and Conan O'Brien have in common? Besides being famous? No, they're not Whitworth grads (are they? I'm sure Laura, Vic, or Leonard would have mentioned this to me by now). Answer (from the title of this blog post): They're all English majors. Check out Tyler Vendetti's snappy...

Better Food For A Better World (A Peek At Nicole’s Summer Reading & Old-Time Shameless Self-Promotion)

I'll bet you're wondering what Nicole's been reading this summer. And has she written any book reviews lately that she'd like us to know about? If you're at all interested in marriage, hippies, the power of positive thinking, or ice cream, you may wish to peruse my take on Erin McGraw's Better Food For A...

EL Alum Updates: Michele Ward (’10)

As a 2010 English (Writing Track) grad, I've participated in a writing residency (poetry and creative nonfiction) as part of my graduate program, continued to work as a freelance writing consultant (Writing Center jobs totally pay off!) and read at a Vagina Monologues event where other women and I shared pieces about our own bodies....