Pub Fest 2024

Last Tuesday the English Department celebrated its annual Pub Fest. English professors, majors and friends gathered in Founder’s Pub to celebrate the writing achievements of the academic year. We celebrated students’ writing, our newly re-established English honor society, our senior creative writing minors, and our professors.

The ceremony kicked off with a comedic introduction from Professor Graff about the fears of graduation. He shared a sentiment that no matter where life takes us, at least we can read poetry. This sentiment was strengthened by his reading of a passage of the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. He used a passage from this book to ease our soon-to-be graduates’ fears. The passage discusses the author’s brother’s projects on birds. He had procrastinated months and now had a whole project to do in a day. He was overwhelmed by the number of things to get done and couldn’t figure out where to start. His father sat him down and advised him to take the project “bird by bird,” a sentiment that was shared with our seniors. We then moved into the awards.

Writing Awards

Each year the English department awards students for their hard work. These prizes go to scholarly writing at each year level, but they also celebrate creative works from our department. With a strong emphasis on building creativity and fostering a safe environment, we love to see the work our students do. Listed below are this year’s winners for the various awards.

The 2024 Ostrom Awards for Expository Writing ($300 award for 1st place, $100 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd):

SOPHOMORE PRIZE: These essays reflect a meticulous reader whose careful attention to the language of earlier literary texts pays off immensely. In the first essay, the author traces shifting theological perspectives through slippery uses of the word “lord” in “The Wanderer,” a poem originally written in Old English. The second and third essays contextualize theories of knowledge production before 1700. Both essays revel in the ways language constructs and complicates our sense of reality; I am especially impressed by how the author analyzes “spectacles” and “engines” in literary production to discusses larger issues of gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic class. All three essays attest to the longstanding tradition of philology in the English discipline, and particularly in Medieval Studies. The 1st Place Ostrom Award in Expository Writing Sophomore Prize goes to . . . Allyson Gardner! 2nd Place goes to . . . Clarissa Beard, and 3rd Place goes to . . . DeLaney Jordan.

JUNIOR PRIZE: This essay cleverly weds formal analysis with historical context to produce a queer reading of Margaret Cavendish’s closet drama, The Convent of Pleasure. With a touch of humor combined with a seriousness of purpose, the writer shows through their own fluid writing the fluid politics of gender and sexual identity in post-Civil War England, and how one drama intended to be read among friends can have a profound effect on how we read gender and sexuality today. In a category with many strong contenders, this essay stood out for how it combined theory, history, and close reading to produce a compelling reading of, at times, a confusing play. The 1st Place Ostrom Award in Expository Writing Junior Prize goes to . . . Kristina Withem! 2nd Place goes to . . . Christian Nicewaner, and 3rd Place goes to . . . Reagan Simpson.

SENIOR PRIZE: The first-place essay applies Sara Ahmed’s affect theory to the 1892 novel, Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted, by Frances E. W. Harper, one of the first novels published by an African American woman. The paper historically situates the novel by considering gendered and racist stereotypes, while using Ahmed’s theory to interrogate conceptions of happiness within the patriarchal family unit. Through this critical framework, the paper reveals why the novel’s main character ultimately turns away from a life of comfort. The author contends: “[Iola] rejects the false promise of happiness in white-passing leisure and adopts the struggles of her Black foremothers.” The 1st Place Ostrom Award in Expository Writing Senior Prize goes to . . . Jo Perkins! 2nd Place goes to . . . Jake Moore.

2024 Creative Writing Awards ($300 award for 1st place, $100 for 2nd place, $50 for 3rd):

THE SHERWOOD ANDERSON PRIZE FOR FICTION: In just one polished chapter, this writer creates a very large, very real world, one replete with ‘blue-green horses with tail(s) like those of crocodile(s).” Through natural dialogue and fresh description, this writer breathes life into their characters. Their control over pacing and plot and their attention to detail and atmosphere are on full display. In this fully realized world, actual gravel crunches underfoot and real twigs brush your face—readers are left dying to wander through its markets, rub elbows with its characters, anything to stay in the magical world of this work a little longer. This year, the 1st Place winner of the Sherwood Anderson Prize for Fiction is . . . Jake Moore! 2nd Place goes to . . . Hanna Stefanik, and 3rd Place goes to . . . Allyson Gardner.

NON-FICTION PROSE AWARD: In “Sweetened,” the author braids personal experiences of separating from her family’s Christian sect with critical reflections on the writings of Thomas King and Zitkala-Ša. She considers oppressive gender norms and methods of control while grappling with the Native American boarding school system, as described by Yankton Dakota Sioux activist Zitkala-Ša. Ultimately, the author confronts her own biases as a reader to challenge and critique received truths. The 1st Place winner of the Non-Fiction Prose award is . . . Clarissa Beard! 2nd Place goes to . . . Jo Perkins, and 3rd Place goes to . . . DeLaney Jordan.

POETRY AWARD: With deeply playful language and stone serious content, the poem ‘A Sonnet to the Addict who Broke into My Garage’ took took our breath away, and we didn’t want to get it back. The 1st Place winner of the Poetry Award is . . . Jo Perkins! 2nd Place goes to . . . Danny Bean, and 3rd Place goes to . . . DeLaney Jordan.

PLAYWRITING AWARD: The winning play, “The Obvious Choice,” was, in fact, an obvious choice for this category! It offers a funny, cynical, slightly surreal critique of the interplay between the non-profit world and late capitalism’s production of incompetent “nepo hires.” At just 13 pages set in a “conference room that looks like it may have come out of the Spanish Inquisition,” this darkly humorous one-act packs a cynical punch! Congratulations! The 1st place winner of the Playwriting Award is . . . Danny Bean!

THE LESTER S. CROWL CREATIVITY AWARD: This year’s Lester S. Crowl winning portfolio showcases a range of genres: a sequence of connected poems, the opening chapter of a novel, and a piece of short fiction that reflects on the creative process. Though the work spans various genres, the pieces channel the same magical universe through lively prose and vivid imagery. The author summons the supernatural found in everyday experiences, inviting all daydreamers to join in his reverie. One poetic speaker commands: “Reach through slimy shells till that vaulted voice is freed.” The judges are proud to present the 2024 Lester S. Crowl Creativity Award to . . . Jake Moore!

THE ALLEN J. KOPPENHAVER PRIZE, established in honor of the late Allen J. Koppenhaver, professor of English (1961-1991), is awarded annually to the outstanding senior English major who best represents the breadth and depth of Professor Koppenhaver’s scholarship and interdisciplinary interests. 2024 Recipients: Jo Perkins and Jake Moore!

THE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LITERARY STUDIES is given to the senior English major or majors who best exemplify excellence in literary criticism and scholarship. 2024 Recipient: Kaleigh Dulin!

Sigma Tau Delta Induction

Following the awards, Dr. Hinson announced the newest members of Sigma Tau Delta. Sigma Tau Delta is the only international English honor society. While it has a past on Wittenberg’s campus, it had fallen inactive due to COVID. On this night, Sigma Tau Delta officially inducted its newest (and only current) members into the honor society. The chapter is being rechartered with the help of our newest class of members: Abigail Alcorn ’25, Reagan Simpson ’25, DeLaney Jordan ’25, and Kristina Withem ’26. This new class of members hopes to revitalize the chapter into an important figure on Wittenberg’s campus.

Senior Creative Writing Showcase

After the new Sigma Tau Delta initiates received their awards, the senior creative writing minors shared excerpts from their creative works. First up was Jake Moore. He shared an excerpt from his fantasy novel for the group. The work centered around a young boy that lives in alienation due to his family’s past. This excerpt showcased the violence the family deals with in the town beautifully through a bag of spilled beans and discrimination. Next up was Kaleigh Dulin. She shared a ghost story with the group. The details placed the reader within the story in a haunting way. As she read, the words seemed to swirl through the air. Both of these stories were beautifully written. We hope to receive a signed copy when they get published.

Faculty Superlatives

Wittenberg’s English department had a beautiful past tradition that we worked hard to bring back this year. In years passed, SAGE members would award the professors with superlatives. This offers a chance for the students to show their love for their professors (in a humorous way) on a night about celebrating a year of hard work. Faculty Superlatives were a victim to COVID in 2020, but have been reborn this year. Our faculty awards are as follows:

Dr. Cynthia Richards: Most Likely to Make Students Cry

Dr. Scot Hinson: Most Likely to Have Class Run Over

Dr. John Gulledge: Scariest Papers to Turn in

Professor Andrew Graff: Happiest Class to Take

Dr. Lori Askeland: Students’ Favorite Course Materials

Dr. Marlo Starr: Most Likely to Make Someone’s Day

Dr. Mike Mattison: Biggest Comedian

Christina Reynolds: Best Person to Organize Anything

In the night’s closing remarks, Dr. Richards honored Dr. Askeland for her hard work during her six years as department chair. She gifted Dr. Askeland with the honorary red cap associated with the position, a long standing Lutheran tradition. Following this humorous but heartfelt dedication, Professor Graff closed out the ceremony by revisiting his comedic opening. Instead of the comedic “have no fear, you can read poetry,” he instead left us on a sentimental note that I will leave you with:

“No matter what, we will always be your department.”

Kristina ’26