Clubs, Colloquia, and Workshop News

Creative Writing

English Graduate Organization

Georgia Colloquium on Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century British Literature 

With support from the English Department's Rodney Baine Lecture Fund, the Postcolonial Collective, and the Willson Center for the Arts and Humanities, the Georgia Colloquium on Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century British Literature hosted a talk by Dr. Stephanie DeGooyer from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Dr. DeGooyer presented new research on shifting definitions of political "asylum" in late eighteenth-century transatlantic culture.

The Interdisciplinary Modernisms Research Cluster

The Interdisciplinary Modernisms Research Cluster (aka the ModSquad), co-directed by Susan Rosenbaum (English), Rielle Navitski (Film), and Nell Andrew (Art History), had a great fall schedule of events.

To honor the centenary of Swiss-American photographer and filmmaker Robert Frank's birth, we screened two short films highlighting Frank's long-time collaboration with the Beat poets: Pull My Daisy (co-directed with Alfred Leslie, 1959) and This Song for Jack (1983), a documentary film shot at the Jack Kerouac conference. Drs. Navitski and Rosenbaum gave short presentations on Beat film and poetry. On November 20th, the ModSquad hosted a workshop at the intersection of archival research, auto/biography, picturing, and queer lives with renowned photographer Kelli Connell and award-winning scholar Melanie Micir. This conversation followed Kelli Connell's November 19th lecture at Lamar Dodd School of Art about her current solo exhibition at the High Museum, "Pictures for Charis."

Spring events include workshops with Professor Heather A. Love (organizer Ro Martini Paula) and Professor Jonathan Eburne (organizer Erin McClenathan).

Sigma Tau Delta 

Leadership for UGA’s Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the National English Honors Society, have continued their work of creating community in the English Department. President Ellie Mercer, Vice President Sabrina Jones, Treasurer Shelby Williams, and Secretary Audrey Kirkland brought Halloween to Park Hall early, with a festive movie night held Oct. 17th, that was open to all English majors and minors. Attendees enjoyed snacks and Hocus Pocus, a movie that attendees voted on ahead of time on Sigma Tau Delta’s Instagram.

The honor society also welcomed a whopping SEVENTEEN new members at their annual induction ceremony on Wednesday, November 6th in the Park Hall Library. The newest class of inductees include:

•    Abigail Bales
•    Marissa Brown
•    Ava DeBrizzi
•    Kathryn Faglier
•    Garrett Hudder
•    Brantley Jenkins
•    Mianna Lotshaw
•    Caroline McQueen
•    Annabella Opipari
•    Nathalie Pagan
•    Norah Philipp
•    Brooklyn Potter
•    Haviland Pruitt
•    Meagan Runner
•    Heidi Shook
•    Bria Smith
•    Meredith Woods

Eligibility requirements for lifetime membership include:

•    A minimum 3.0 GPA
•    Successful completion of at least two English courses BEYOND First Year Writing
•    Three completed semesters of college coursework
 

Sigma Tau Delta is already planning some department-wide spring 2025 events. Keep watch on their Instagram: @sigmataudelta_uga for announcements.

Undergraduate English Association

In Fall 2024, the Undergraduate English Association, or UEA, provided the community of Park Hall with light-hearted recreation, community-building events, and genuine friendships. They kicked things off with a faculty/student mixer that hosted over 60 people, including new English majors and transfer students. After a rousing recruitment session at the Fall Engagement Fair, their first official meeting of the semester start with Speed Friending. Bonds and alliances were forged — even a few enemies were made! With the lines drawn, it was time for the allies to meet and exchange literature with a Book Swap. We shared our beloved books, our behated books, and made a few trades to ease the tension.