What Comes after Graduation - A Conversation with Dr. Jill Rappoport

by Barbara Olivis

            Thinking about life after college can be strenuous. A lot of college students go through feelings of fear upon reentering society and doing what many of us students would call “adulting.” Whether you are afraid that you won’t get into the graduate program that you desperately want to go to, or whether or not you’ll be able to get a job in your career, it is important to know that there are options out there for everyone.

Dr. Jill Rappoport

            Over this past weekend, I had a conversation with Dr. Jill Rappoport, the Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Kentucky. She gave me advice of life beyond college. “Do not go to graduate school unless you can get someone who is willing to pay for you to go,” Rappoport says. 

She went on to inform me that The University of Kentucky has a MFA program that invests in all of their students’ education. I was surprised to learn that there were programs that are willing to invest in graduate students because I was under the impression that all of the scholarship money in college was concentrated in undergraduate programs.

            I was intrigued to learn of all of the possible careers that I could explore after I graduated. “A lot of our students go on to become teachers, do editorial work, presses, digital initiatives, public activism, and of course become writers,” Rappoport says. I was surprised to hear the wide variants within the different careers because I always think of something writing related when I imagine jobs within the humanities.

            I also learned more about what graduate programs look for in their application processes. Many colleges require you to take the GRE General Test, but in the humanities it does not have a large impact in the decision to deny or admit you into their programs. For those who do not know the GRE General Test is a $205 test that is given to test undergraduate students on their ability to do verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing.  Rapport emphasized the fact that more weight is placed upon personal statements and your transcript grades in the humanities.

            I was very happy with the information that I received from the faculty of the University of Kentucky. Thanks to Dr. Jill Rappoport, I will be applying to the University of Kentucky’s MFA Program, and I have a much clearer understanding of the graduate application process.

To learn more about UK’s MFA program, click here: UK Master's of Fine Arts

African American Read In Wonderful Salute to Black History Month

by Barbara Olivis

            The annual African American Read In at TSU has come and gone. It was held on February 8th in room 113 of the Humanities Building, and it seemed that the whole English department came out to participate. Every seat in the room was filled, and various students and staff read selections by the African American authors, poets, and the screen writers that inspire them. In short, the event was only an hour, but it was an empowering one.

             Dr. Jennifer Hayes got the event started with a foreword that described the origin of African American Read Ins. She continued with the first reading of the day; Alice Walker’s poem “Outcast.” There was a variation of literature that was read at the read in ranging from monologues, poems, letters, and even children’s literature that was written by TSU alumni. Some students even recited their own poems, or

poems of a friend. Someone even recited a poem that their child had written for a class in school. Other recitations of poems or stories included artists Maya Angelou, Sojourner Truth, Margaret Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, Mari Evans, Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, Lucille Clifton, Claude Mckay, Kai Davis, Paul Lawrence Dunbar and more.

            The African American Read In is not done without reason. “I think the significance of it is the fact that it exposes African American students and faculty to African American writers.” English major Joshua Bolden says. It is extremely important to honor the memory of African American writers, and it is very fitting for the readings to take place during the month of February.

            The African American Read in did exactly what Bolden said it would for me. I now have knowledge of several different authors that I had never heard works from. I also was informed that African American Read Ins happen all throughout that nation. I had not heard of the Read In before I went to TSU’s Read In. It was an enjoyable experience that was filled with community, knowledge and finger snapping.

P.R.I.D.E Training. What’s it About?

by Barbara Olivis

            If you are a person who is looking to bridge the gap between the straight and the LGBTQ+ community you should look out for the P.R.I.D.E Training event this coming Friday. The event will be led by the Genders and Sexuality Alliance organization in search of their goal of “Pursing Respect, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity.” The three-hour event will be used to build relationships, learn new and correct terminology in regard to the LGBTQ+ community, and to highlight issues in the LGBTQ+ community.

The main goal of the training is to encourage better allyship for the LGBTQ+ community. “In terms of the LGBTQ+, an ally is someone who has identified themselves as someone who has committed to advocating, helping, and learning as much as they can, as well as using their privilege to help the community” Dr. Jill Anderson says. She is the event organizer and an advisor for GSA.

            Attendance of the event is not limited to any gender or sexuality. It is completely inclusive, giving people from different backgrounds and identities the opportunity to engage in the learning environment.

“The program is for everyone. I think that everyone can learn more about advocacy.” Anderson says. “Hopefully, people will come away with some new vocabulary words and a better understanding of some of the issues that people face in the community. They will learn about how gender and sexuality do not exist in a binary.”

            

Mark Your Calendar:

P.R.I.D.E. Training:  9:00am-12:00 p.m., February 8th, Humanities Building in room 113.

African American Read In: 12:30pm-1:30 p.m., February 8th, Humanities Building in room 113.

Nashville Visionaries Art Exhibit Features TSU Poets and Artists

by Barbara Olivis                                                                                          

            As some may know, Nashville Visionaries debuted their new exhibit January 31st, and I highly encourage everyone to check it out! The opening featured a DJ, various forms of artistry, as well as an opening speech by the director of the event Curtis Pope.

            The exhibit features a huge array of different art forms. The room is completely filled with color and personality, with each different artist bringing a different message to the table. Curtis Pope revealed to the audience that there was 73 artists in the show with contributions from TSU's Art and English majors, and local artists in general. He estimated that there were over 300 pieces of art in the exhibit total. 

            Art forms in the exhibit include: paintings, line drawings, photography, signs, sculptures, poetry and more! One of the main things stood out at the showcase is a pool that is filled with clear balls and a sign that asks everyone to write what they envision for Nashville's future. Though, this art piece was creative, I also enjoyed the different messages that adorned the room centering on feminism, sustainability, racial pride, and politics within the art.

            Even though an influx of people came into the exhibit about thirty minutes early, Pope did not hesitate to introduce the idea behind the exhibit. “This show is a conceptual art project. In conceptual art there are two major characteristics, one characteristic is the use of text; the second characteristic is the characteristic of art as instructions. So this particular show is the result of me giving instruction to local artists to make artworks about what they envision for themselves, the world, or the community of Nashville.”

            

           The “Spirit of the South” art exhibit is exquisite! The art there is so multidimensional, and so inclusive, that it allows for people like myself, that aren’t art connoisseurs, to see the beauty, significance, and the messages behind the art clearly.
            The exhibit runs through March 25 in the Hiram Van Gordon Gallery in Elliot Hall. 

Other Events in LLP  this Week:
African American Read In, 12:30-1:30p, Friday, Feb. 8, Room 113, Humanities Building
GSA Pride Training Friday, 9a - 12p, Feb. 8, Room 113, Humanities Building

Getting Back into the Groove Spring Semester With India Hunt

           Finding the motivation to pull through spring semester can be hard. Whether your winter break was spent working or relaxing, the thought of being submerged in assignments, essays, and exams is enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed. But, it is important to remember the end goal and finish strong.

            Balancing your personal life with the demands of academic rigor looming over your shoulder can seem nearly impossible.  However, there are tips that can make your life as a student considerably stress free.

            “The syllabus is the one” upperclassman English major India Hunter says. “I always make sure I write down what is on the syllabus in my planner so I always know what is going on, and I never feel like I am catching up.” Staying on top of your work and being mindful of due dates will relieve a great deal of pressure as a college student.

            “It is important to start the semester off the same way that you want to finish it.” Hunter says. “Trying to get things together in the middle of the semester is hard, if you already started the semester off right it would be easier.”  Go above and beyond with your academics now so you do not feel like you’re crushing under the pressure later.

Consider the following tips for successful college performance: 

·         Remember due dates

·         Complete assignments as they come, and

·         Get help when you need it.

These tips can be applied within every major at college, but it is extremely important for LLP students who have to set aside extensive periods of time in order to read and write. While everyone has a different way of navigating through the world of college that works for them, hopefully this will provide some assistance to the students who are still trying to figure it out and develop better study habits.

Written by Barbara Olivis

Barbara Olivis is an English major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She aspires to be a professional writer within the genres of poetry and fiction. Olivis has appreciation for Science Fiction, she hopes to someday turn her novels into movies and to direct a film. She expects to graduate in 2019.

A Little Info about the New Social Media Intern

Hello all! 

     My name is Barbara Olivis and I will be serving as your social media intern for the spring semester of 2019! I am none other than a literature lover from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

Barbara Olivis
LLP Social Media Intern

     First things first, if I am going to introduce myself I must confess that I am a dystopian genre lover. I am passionate about all things writing whether it is poetry, novel, or even script, but post- Apocalyptic and I’m all over it. I love the exploration of how the way we, as human beings, live now can impact the near future. I believe that this is what made my becoming an English major inevitable. The fact that literature is always in some way a depiction of the world we live in now, or in the future, intrigues me beyond measure.

            I would like to take you all on a journey with me this semester. My goal for this semester is to keep you all updated on various events that are going on within the department, as well as giving my fellow students tips on how to survive college, and miscellaneous topics here and there. I am looking forward to connecting with various faculty and students within the Language, Literature, and Philosophy Department. Though the primary focus is the LLP department, I hope to be of some use to all students, regardless of what major or minor one is pursuing. I also hope to give some insight into what to do after college, for the graduating seniors like me that may be struggling to figure out what life after college will look like.

            If I do my job effectively, all LLP students and faculty that read my blogs will feel updated, stimulated, and represented. I am looking forward to being your LLP social media intern this semester.

Sincerely,

Barbara Olivis

Barbara Olivis is an English major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She aspires to be a professional writer within the genres of poetry and fiction. Olivis has appreciation for Science Fiction, she hopes to someday turn her novels into movies and to direct a film. She expects to graduate in 2019.

             

WFP Series Vol. 7: Study Abroad with LLP

Students enrolled in Writing for Publication (Fall 2018) wrote and submitted blog stories related to the department. The fruits of those efforts will be published on our department blog every day during finals week.  The following stories were written by Kayla Tennille McCrary. 

Why LLP is for Me:  I believe LLP will play a role in my academic career because it will essentially give me the skills I need to be successful for post undergrad. I plan to go to law school, and that takes a lot of skill and experience in writing Academic papers as well as doing extensive and intensive research. Because I plan to be an author, being in this department helps teaches my how to be a diverse writer and how to be a creative and informative writer too. The skills I am gaining at Tennessee State University, I know will make me to be the best person for the job almost always, and that is a main reason why I chose this department.

Kayla Tennille McCrary

African American Literature Abroad

Dr. Jenifer Hayes in France

     LLP understands that studying abroad can be an amazing experience for students of African American Literature.  Drs. Rebecca Dixon and Jenifer Hayes are spearheading study abroad opportunities that help TSU students better appreciate the global impact of diasporic writers and texts. A couple of summers ago, they took students to Paris, France.  And, next Spring, they will take TSU students to Copenhagen, Denmark to study Nella Larson.
     Kierra Ewah, 21, travelled with Dixon and Hayes' class to Paris, and said the experience was revealing and educational.  She says she understand how travel enhanced the works of writers like Richard Wright, W.E.B. Dubois, and James Baldwin.She said that blacks went to Paris to feel connected to something and to essentially escape.

   

Dr. Rebecca Dixon in France

 Ewah was excited to mention that she saw another side of Paris that the world never sees. In traveling to a place called Barbes Street, she found thousands and thousands of Africans. She was both ecstatic and shocked to find out that her Nigerian father was actually raised in this place in Paris. She noted this experience as her most memorable one.

     Ewah is a senior and Mass Communication major with a minor in philosophy.  She hopes to travel abroad soon, and this time she aspires to go to Africa. She hopes that she has inspired other TSU students to get exposure and want to study abroad no matter what the major..

Where Literature meets Africa?

     Studying abroad can be an incredible experience. Not only are you able to see a new part of the world, but you’re able to study in a wonderful environment. I have had the privilege of experiencing studying overseas. Last summer, I was able to study World Literature in Cape Town, South Africa. 

     In addition to sight-seeing and volunteering, I was able to get a very intimate academic experience. In a class with about six students, we were able to engage in constructive conversation and share our experience in Africa through a different lens. The literature we studied dealt with apartheid, racism, and different forms of oppression, and we compared it to our lives in America. 

     We read two novels: The Born Frees by Kimberly Burge and A Thousand Splendid Sons by Khaled Husseini. The first novel told the stories of young girls living in Gugulethu, a small city in Cape Town, South Africa. These remarkable girls were a part of a creative writing group and we were able to read about their personal journeys. They struggled with things such as aids, poverty, relationships, and community responsibilities. 

     I even learned a valuable lesson there in which I got it tattooed while in Africa. The word is Ubuntu. Ubuntu means a person is a person through other persons. My humanity is tied up in yours, as yours is in mine. 

     While in South Africa we were able to witness racism and prejudices first hand. Majority of Cape Town’s population is full of European immigrants, and it was evident when we walked in certain places that our presence was not wanted. Apartheid in South Africa ended in 1994, so the idea and presence of this disgusting system is still evident. 

     Socially, you can see the barriers. 

     When you walked into a restaurant or hotel, the workers were always black, and the supervisors were almost always of European descent. This tied in with our literature because we read short stories that showed the systems of social class in their text. 

     Being that I am a LLP major, this experience was paramount to my English education as well as my outlook on studying abroad with TSU. Nonetheless, the experience taught me about myself as a person, a scholar, and a writer. I encourage students to not only see the world, but to experience it with optimism and gratitude. 

Kayla Tennille McCrary is a native of Atlanta, Ga and is currently a senior English major with a minor in political science at Tennessee State University. She serves as the 78thPresident of the Student Government Association. She also is the Vice President of the Alpha Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, English Honor Society, the National Society of Leadership and Success, the Pre-alumni Council, AIPAC, and serves as a member of TSU’s Women’s Center advisory board. She aspires to be an entrepreneur and essentially become a self-made millionaire.