The Poem at the End of the Mind
In 2014, Robert Hass won the Wallace Stevens Award, the highest honor given by the Academy of American Poets. This is John Shoptaw’s piece on the occasion of Hass’s award.
Kathleen Donegan Wins Distinguished Teaching Award
Professor Donegan, along this year’s other DTA winners, will be honored at a public ceremony on April 21st at 5pm in the Zellerbach Playhouse. Click here to watch a video about this year’s winners. Kathleen Donegan, Associate Professor and Director of the Berkeley Connect Program in the English Department, has received a Distinguished Teaching Award. This is the 27th Distinguished Teaching Award won...
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Scott Saul’s Becoming Richard Pryor Featured in The New Yorker
In December 2014, HarperCollins published Professor Scott Saul’s biography Becoming Richard Pryor. The book has been reviewed widely—in publications ranging from TIME and USA Today to The Sunday Times (UK) and The Independent (UK)—but perhaps the most perceptive treatment of the book was Joan Acocella’s review for The New Yorker, posted on the magazine’s website this past week.
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From the Western U.S. to Western Europe: Running the Archive Gauntlet
Dennis Velasquez (‘15) was given the opportunity to pursue independent research through the McNair Scholars Program and the Haas Scholars Program (the only student awarded both research fellowships for 2014-15). His project is a comparative study of strategies of literary defiance of English Linguistic Imperialism across disparate temporal and geocultural locations.
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Exploring the Archives on Martha’s Vineyard
Charlotte Hull is a fourth year, double major in English Literature and History. Her academic interests include community building in Colonial New England, the impact of space and environment on society, and the ways in which stories shape and reflect our own histories.
On Teaching in the English Department
In Spring 2014, Rebecca Solnit taught a course in prose nonfiction at Berkeley. This is her account of some of the joys and difficulties encountered in teaching the course.
Review of Our Town at the Ashby Stage
In “On the Scene,” a series on theater, we ask current graduate students with an interest in theater to review select local plays. The ninth piece in the series is a review by Christopher Patrick Miller of The Shotgun Players’ production of Our Town at the Ashby Stage.
Stargazing in the Atomic Age
Anne earned her Ph.D. from Berkeley in 1993, taught for three years at the University of Colorado as an Assistant Professor, and then came home to the Bay Area after joining the faculty at Sonoma State. Nominated for a National Magazine Award, “Stargazing in the Atomic Age” appeared in the Georgia Review in 2006 and was listed as a “notable” essay in Best American Essays 2007.
David Adam Getman (1992-2014): In Memoriam
David Adam Getman, a brilliant writer, artist, son, brother, and friend, died in a traffic accident in the early morning hours of August 25th, 2014. David, who was a 2010 graduate of the Milken Community Schools in Los Angeles, is survived by his three sisters and his parents.
The Perennial Student
Karen Leibowitz was a graduate student in the department from 2001 to 2008 and returned as a post-doctoral fellow during the 2010-2011 school year. She is now a food writer who has published in The New York Times, Food & Wine, Lucky Peach, and Modern Farmer as well as a partner in restaurants including Mission Chinese Food and Commonwealth in San Francisco and Mission Cantina in New York City.
Remembering Rob Loewinsohn
On October 14, 2014, Rob Loewinsohn, a beloved member of the department, passed away.
Review of Harry Thaw Hates Everybody at the Ashby Stage
In “On the Scene,” a series on theater, we ask current graduate students with an interest in theater to review select local plays. The eighth piece in the series is a review by Aileen Liu of The Shotgun Players’ production of Harry Thaw Hates Everybody at the Ashby Stage.
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Stephen Booth on Shakespeare and Cognitive Science
Recently, Stephen Booth’s work on Shakespeare was profiled by the journal Nautilus. The elaborate piece juxtaposes Booth’s approach to Shakespeare with discoveries in cognitive science over the last several decades.
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In defense of writing for a “popular” audience
Shannon Chamberlain is a seventh year graduate student in the department, specializing in eighteenth-century studies. Her dissertation is about Adam Smith and the rise of the British novel, and this summer, she had the opportunity to turn some of that research into a series of articles for the Atlantic Monthly. This is her account of what it was like to write on academic subjects for a non-academic audience.
Review of Enda Walsh’s The New Electric Ballroom at The Ashby Stage
The seventh piece in the “On the Scene” series is a review by Aileen Liu of The Shotgun Players’ production of Enda Walsh’s The New Electric Ballroom at the Ashby Stage.
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