Introducing the new LLP Social Media Intern - Fall 2019

Greetings all!

Kiana Jones

My name is Kiana Jones and I am pleased to announce that I am the LLP Social Media intern for the 2019 fall semester. I am from Montgomery, Alabama and an English major with a concentration in teacher certification. Also, I am the first person in my family to go out of state to attend college. I chose to major in English because it has always been my strongest subject in school, and I desire to become a high school English teacher in the future.

The one special person in my life who has inspired me to pursue a career in education is my great aunt, Idessa O. Wherry. She has been a tremendous aid my life and career choices. Her story compels me to continue to study hard and persevere in college. She attended the University of Alabama during the mid-1960s, while segregation was very prevalent in the south. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and master’s degree from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanics University. She was the first African American teacher in Morgan County, Alabama and taught at Hartselle High School for forty years.

My goals for this internship include making sure that I keep you all up to date on all of the events happening within the Language, Literature, and Philosophy Department. I also intend on reaching students of ALL majors in any way I can because I know the struggles of being a college student. I hope to inform my fellow peers about how to make it through the day as a college student from prioritizing school work and study tips to how to dress accordingly for the weather and practicing healthy habits. Again, I am your Language, Literature, and Philosophy Social Media intern and I can’t wait to start working with you all in the semester!

Sincerely,

Kiana Jones
Social Media Intern Fall 2019

English Honor Society

by Barbara Olivis

      The TSU chapter of the English Honor Society (Sigma Tau Delta) will host its annual induction ceremony on April 25, at 2:30 p.m. in Humanities, room 203.  The event celebrates the accomplishments and potential of its major's, says Dr. Samantha Morgan-Curtis. 

      Sigma Tau Delta has existed since 1924, and is the largest honor society for English majors and minors.  The organization has over 900 clubs within the United States and abroad. At Tennessee State

Morgan-Curtis

University, the chapter for Sigma Tau Delta is called Alpha Alpha Eta.

      When considering joining any organization the immediate question that comes to mind is what does it stand for? Well, Sigma Tau Delta is about showing appreciation. 

      “It’s an organization to reward people who are committed to written and verbal communication and the study of literature,” says Morgan-Curtis. The benefits of joining Sigma Tau Delta include life time membership, publications, closed scholarship opportunities, and opportunities to present at the national conference. “You must be nominated by a professor so it is not just about GPA. You have to have faculty say that you are of character and scholarly potential.” 

       Other requirements for membership include being an English major or minor, having 6 literature course credits beyond the first year, and maintaining a 3.0 GPA or above average in your courses and as your cumulative GPA. There also is a one time $55 induction fee in order to join Tennessee State University’s chapter Alpha Alpha Eta.

       There are several benefits to being a part of Sigma Tau Delta as an English major and minor, so if you happen to be invited to join the organization you should consider investing. 

I Want to Write 2019!

Don’t You Want To Write?
by Barbara Olivis

      Mark your calendars now for the biggest creative writing event that takes place at Tennessee State University: The I Want To Write! Two Day Poetry and Spoken Word Festival. This year’s upcoming I Want To Write event will take place on April 19th and 20th and will have various learning opportunities as well as other fun activities throughout the day. This year will mark the fifth consecutive year that the conference has taken place. The theme is "Poetic Arts as Healing" with the focus of the workshops being about mental health. 

First Year of I Want to Write

      The workshops of I Want To Write are to place on the first day of the conference. The workshops will focus on different aspects of the poetry art form.Dr. Michelle Pinkard explains, “There are some workshops that are geared toward the writing, and other workshops that are geared toward performing because we want students to have a better appreciation art. Spoken word comes from lyricism, language and argumentation.”
     She also explains that this years I Want To Write is introducing a host of new workshops. “This year we have a workshop geared toward the GSA community: Exploring Queer Identities Through Poetry.” The event will also feature two award winning speakers: Grammy award winning producer Shannon Sanders who will lead a discussion titled "Write On to Fight on; and Caroline Randall Williams, whose work Lucy Negro, Redux is currently being adapted as a ballet by the Nashville Ballet, will lead a discussion titled "Poetry to Pirouettes." 
     The second day of the I Want to Write Festival will feature a poetry slam. Individuals who show up with their program can get in free.  Registration for the festival is now open. If you are interested in learning about poetry, or learning more tips about how to write poetry or perform better, then this event would be the perfect time to explore! The event is completely free! Learn more and register here: I Want to Write

A Tribute to Poetry Month: Soul Fire

By Barbara Olivis

Kelly Drew

            The National Month of poetry is upon us! National Poetry Month has been around since 1996, and is designed to give people time to appreciate the art form. Soul Fire is a group that makes time to appreciate the art of poetry every Wednesday at 5 p.m., so there isn’t a better way to kick of National Poetry week than to show them the same level of appreciation that they show to poetry.

            Soul Fire is a group that is very accepting of new members. This past week, there were at least five newcomers and they were all readily embraced and encouraged to be proud of the work that they create. The people that were in the group for longer periods of time greeted and encouraged the newbies to be more confident and share their words with the world, including the group’s faculty adviser Dr. Michelle Pinkard.

            “ I love when someone stands up and you can tell that their piece is coming from their heart,"Soul Fire member Kelly Drew says. "It makes me feel like the world is much bigger than I am.” It is interesting to find that Kelly Drew is a Dental Hygiene Major, because it seems to be a testament of how the love of poetry can bring people together within the group. 

    

        Soul Fire Cordarius Ellis explains, “It’s like the walls from everyday life tear down and I can just be myself. Poetry is just like an escape from the world.” Drew and Ellis have both been members of Soul fires for several years and strongly feel as though Soul Fire is a group that has a strong impact on their lives.

            Soul Fire meets at 5 p.m., every Wednesday, in Humanities 103.  Learn more about the group by visiting them on Facebook: Soul Fire Facebook.

Move Forward, Don’t P.A.S.S On Tutoring

By Barbara Olivis

            Passionate About Student Success (P.A.S.S) Tutoring is offered Monday- Friday in the Student Success Center as well as Boswell and the Avon Williams Campus with tutors in Biology, English, Math, Chemistry, Sociology, and Economics willing to help students succeed. All of the tutors are instructors, including an impressive number for the LLP department. 

            The English tutors of P.A.S.S include Dr. Jennifer Hayes, Dr. Michelle Pinkard, Prof. Marsha Williams, Dr. Rebecca Dixon, and Dr. Kellie Neal. All of these tutors have different times of availability, making it easier to find a time that fits your busy schedule.

Dr. Rebecca Dixon

            Tutoring and office hours are beneficial for various reasons. “I think that when most students

when they hear about tutoring they think ‘I don’t need tutoring’ but any student can benefit from tutoring,” Dixon says. “Tutoring allows students to learn how to get organized and that can help them do better with quizzes, tests, and papers.”

            At some point, every college student has a time where they are completely stumped on what is going on in class. In those times, one may try to search for the answers online and come up with nothing, or one will give websites like Sparknotes a try to see if there is a translation of a text in that is presented in way that actually makes sense.  Yet, studies show, that those who seek help in tutoring generally perform better than those who don't.

        In short, we all get lost sometimes, but when you find that you are getting lost all of the time in a certain subject or class it is important to seek help. We are now past the point in the semester where we can withdraw from classes, so if you find that you are on the edge of a passing grade, or you want to perform at your greatest potential, find a tutoring time that works for you!  It is important to take advantage of these tutoring opportunities when there is still time for improvement!

          

Moving forward while looking back - A moment of reflection before graduation

by Barbara Olivis

            As the school year is coming to a close, I would like to reflect on some of the notable moments that have made my academic career worth having. The last three years have been filled with lots of learning through trial and error. I came into Tennessee State as a scared, out-of-state student that had no real plan of action. And I’m leaving in the spring, admittedly still lacking a solid plan of action, but with an sense of confidence that I can handle whatever life throws at me.

            Freshman English classes were unforgettable experiences. It was the first time that I learned words like "unsubstainability" and how to make an argument in my writing that advocates for environmental stability. It was a different experience to me because it opened my eyes to the fact that without the earth we live on we have nothing, but so many of us have yet to take environmental abuses seriously. It was the first time that I heard someone advocate for the thing that matters most and the realization of this was exhilarating. It was a lesson that I needed to learn, and I am grateful that I did.

            The literature classes that I have taken were undoubtedly my favorite part of my academic experience. I feel like being drowned in reading assignments is what builds character in an English major. I was exposed to so many different authors such as James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Charles Chestnutt, Alice Walker and many more. The essays that accompanied the readings taught me how to look beyond the words and find meaning and now that is something that I find useful within my day to day life. One of my favorite literature classes was African literature because I found the writing to be culturally enriching and to be filled with meaningful themes.

            The writing classes that I have taken have been extremely helpful even beyond my academic career. I now know how to look beyond what I am trying to achieve creatively, and to be mindful of audience in my Writing for Publication Class. In my Critical Thinking class I learned how to analyze writing and make it fit different theories. This class was probably the most challenging class in my academic career but the knowledge I gained was unforgettable.

            The last class that I want to mention is Technical Report Writing. In that class I was taught so many techniques that could help me with my career. Learning how to write resumes, cover letters, make a Linkedin, and how to correspond with employers through emails has prepared me for life beyond TSU.

            There have been so many classes that have touched me as a person, and have changed me into a person that expects more from myself and from the people around me. The professors and students at TSU have made a permanent impact upon my life and I truly feel like this is the place that I have learned the most about myself.

           

What's new with SKETCHES, LLP's Online Literary Journal

 by Barbara Olivis

          LLP’s online creative writing journal SKETCHES is making a come back this year. The journal has been around on and off since 2002, but the new aim is to put out one edition a year. As of now, SKETCHES hopes to be more routine in accepting submissions in the fall and to publish the journals in the spring. The submission period for this semester closed on March 15th, but SKETCHES will be looking for more submissions in next fall, so make sure to be on the look out. They will be accepting submissions only once a year!

Dr. Elaine Phillips

            The SKETCHES journal is a non-theme based creative writing journal that features poetry, photos, and other visual art and short stories. They also accept videos and audios of spoken word. This means that you are unlimited in submitting the work that you would like to share with other creative minds. 

          “I think what we are looking for is just good quality work, whether it is in poetry, fiction or artwork” Dr. Elaine A. Phillips says. “Right now it is open to primarily students. We want to showcase students, but we also have work from TSU faculty, staff and alums coming in.”

            The goal of SKETCHES is to showcase art. “It’s to get students, as well as the TSU community, to know that people are writing and producing in terms of art work and to showcase it," Phillips says. "Ideally, not just for the TSU community, but eventually for the larger Nashville, or even regional community.” 

          SKETCHES has big plans for the future and they will need the help of the students to accomplish their goals. Share your work and inspire others!

View past editions of SKETCHES by clicking here: SKETCHES