The Underground

Kristen Cypret
Contributor

April 1, 2009, was not a day just for fooling around.

English Society hosted one of its central programs in the Plaster Student Union on April 1, where they served cookies, soda, and delectable information,

Faculty members of the English department and other speakers discussed the possibilities  of what a student can do with an English degree.

A total of six speakers made presentations, kicking off with junior Tyler Snodgrass.

Through poetry and pure humor, he set the ball rolling and entertained the students and faculty that attended.
Tracey Glaessgen, academic advisor at the Advisement Center, followed with a spectacular presentation of her own.

She got to the heart of the issue, directly asking the students why they wanted to be English majors. Many of the answers were vague, like, “I love to read. I love to write. It’s all I can see myself doing.”

Glaessgen challenged the students to think deeper. She said English is a gray major because there are so many channels that one can follow.

She emphasized the critical thinking skills English majors attained through their various literature and writing courses.

Danielle Evans, an instructor for the English department, followed with information about publishing and creative writing. Evans received an M.F.A. in Fiction from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop.

Her short story, “Virgins,” was published in The Best American Short Stories of 2008. She was also published in the Paris Review, Phoebe, Black Renaissance Noire, and the L Magazine. She discussed the ins and outs of publishing, shared her experiences of M.F.A. workshops, and described the sacrifices one must make as a creative writer. Evans also touched on editing and agent opportunities.

Technical writing followed, with a presentation by Lyn Gattis, an assistant professor for the English department. Technical writing was described as the world of writing that’s invisible, but that people see every day.
Technical writers are responsible for the labels on toothpaste, proposals in the corporate world, and all the important stuff people tend to overlook.

Gattis discussed job opportunities that are available to technical writers, and her advice was supported by the speaker that followed.

Robert Blevins, a graduate student at Missouri State University, gave a show and tell presentation of his position in college. “It’s a lot of work. You are reading and writing about twice as much as you did in undergrad,” Blevins said. He discussed the big “GRE” and gave tips to proper preparation for it.

The event ended with an education section by Mara W. Cohen Ioannides, an instructor for the English department teaching professional writing. Her book, A Shout in the Sunshine, was published by the Jewish Publication Society in 2007. Besides discussing the facts of teaching English, she gave advice about what not to do as a graduate student. Ms. Ioannides advocated that, despite everything, English majors should love their jobs. If they don’t, then they’re in the wrong place.

Kristen Campus Events, News Danelle Evans, English Department, English Society, Lyn Gattis, Mara W. Cohen Ioannides, Plaster Student Union, PSU, Robert Blevins, Tracey Glaessgen, Tyler Snodgrass

Kristen Cypret

Contributor

English Society and S.A.C. was proud to welcome Michael Czyzniejewski at the Editing Q&A session at 7:30 p.m. in the Parliamentary room of the Plaster Student Union on Thursday, March 12th.

As the Editor-in-Chief of the Mid-American Review, Czyzniejewski was more than qualified to address the crowd of writers and several members of the English Department.

Through his vivacious nature, his words impacted students as he answered questions, from how he became a writer to what types of work the Mid-American Review accepts.

He talked about his own personal experiences and discussed the tactics that many universities use when trying to create a literary review.

He went further to explain the categories that some works are placed into when they are submitted.

“Ten percent of the work is really good,” he said. “Ten percent is really bad; like the person who prints on glitter paper, or the one who submits concrete poetry with the poem formed to look like a cat. And eighty percent is allotted to the competence submission section. These works are written by good writers. In essence they are a story, but the wow factor isn’t there.”

One of his greatest points of advice was to keep writing. A person won’t become stellar if they give up. Perseverance was the key in Czyzniejewski’s journey to publish, and he found success. His stories are scattered out in several reviews; The Cream City Review, The Bat City Review, American Literary Review, A Chicago Magazine and countless others.

Kristen Campus Events, Campus News Czyzniejewski, editing, English Society, Mid-America Review, Missouri State, Missouri State University, MSU, SAC, Student Activities Council