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They grew up in nearby towns on the Iron Range, attended MSUM at the same time, and have lived within 10 miles of each other in Los Angeles for nearly 30 years. But they didn’t meet until they attended a Dragon Alumni reunion in June 2011. Since then, they have collaborated on one book project and expect to work together on at least one more.

Leni Ramberg (1973, Speech-Theatre and English) has been a writer for years, authoring plays, screenplays and short stories. “I thought it would be fun to write a mystery book, or series of books, aimed at middle-grade readers, ages 10-12,” she said. Read the rest of this entry →

Graduating English majors, emphasis in literature, Matthew Pullen and Vanessa Perkins have both been accepted to the English Masters Program at South Dakota State University. Both were awarded Teaching Assistantships. They will begin their program in Fall 2012.

A December 2011 graduate, communication arts and literature major, Maren Tunseth, interviewed for three jobs as an English teacher in Grand Forks and was offered all three!

Tunseth said, “After I graduated in December I moved back to Grand Forks, and was an English substitute teacher for 9th graders.  I interviewed for three openings in Grand Forks; I was offered all three jobs. There were 30 applicants and I was their first choice, so I am now facing the dilemma of choosing which school to work for. I never thought I’d get my dream job and be able to choose four months out of college!”

Find your way to one of the Lake Agassiz Regional Libraries listed and celebrate 150+ years of poetry by Minnesota women! Join poet/editors Joyce Sutphen, Minnesota Poet Laureate; Thom Tammaro, three-time Minnesota Book Award recipient; and Connie Wanek, Witter Bynner Fellow of the Library of Congress, for an afternoon of poems and discussion about their groundbreaking anthology, TO SING ALONG THE WAY: MINNESOTA WOMEN POETS FROM PRE-TERRITORIAL DAYS TO THE PRESENT (New Rivers Press, 2006). WomenPoetsPoster Read the rest of this entry →

The Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society is working with Better World Books to sponsor a BOOK DRIVE through May 9th. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the National Center for Family Literacy. In addition, Sigma Tau Delta will receive $1 for each accepted book we collect. The money that is raised will be used to fund future service projects and assist members in attending the International Sigma Tau Delta Conference in 2013.  Read the rest of this entry →

Kevin Zepper, MFA in the English Department, recently had an audio poem listed on the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) website. The NCTE annually posts works by members of the NCTE in audio or video format. Zepper’s piece, “Fossils” was selected for Poem of the Day on April 21 for Poetry Month. The piece can be accessed here.

Publication marks 49 years of literary journals at MSUM

The 2012 edition of the literary journal Red Weather has been published and you’re invited to celebrate with Minnesota State University Moorhead students, alumni, and faculty as they read from their work and discuss their visual art at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in the Livingston Lord Library porch. Copies of this year’s journal will be available for purchase at the event. Light refreshments will be served. Read the rest of this entry →

Please join us Thursday, April 26, 12 to 2 p.m. in the English lounge, Weld 201 to celebrate our graduating English majors. There will be light refreshments, convivial company and lively conversation.

Jamee Larson, MFA student and graduate teaching instructor in the English department, as well as Sigma Tau Delta’s president, was awarded a $2,000 scholarship from Sigma Tau Delta, at the international level, at this year’s conference in New Orleans. Larson received this award because her essay and supporting documents won honorable mention in the category for graduate students.

English major, Kai Thorstad, who will graduate May 2012, has been accepted into the graduate English program at NDSU and been given a teaching assistantship to help him complete his Master’s degree and support his studies there.

Kevin Zepper, MFA, read work from his new chapbook, Sugartown, at the University of North Dakota’s Writer’s Conference in Grand Forks, N.D. on March 24. Zepper is a writing instructor in MSUM’s English Department.

More than 2,000 people attend the UND Writer’s Conference to listen to readings and panel discussions and ask authors questions. The University of North Dakota has been an active literary festival since 1970.

Inclusive Pedagogies: Health, Science, and Online. Friday, April 13
Century College

Keynote speakers include:

• “Liberatory biology: the practice of an immunologist in the liberal arts“ Dr. Devavani Chatterjea, professor, Macalester College
• Hands-on Workshop “Online Instruction: Beyond the Four Walls of a Classroom” Dr. Linda Lein, online teaching specialist from MSU Moorhead

Register for free.

Two members of The Advocate staff received awards at the 2012 Associated Collegiate Press Best of the Midwest conference in Minneapolis, Feb. 10-12. Charly Haley was awarded fourth place in the Feature Story category for her article “Students experience homelessness,” published Sept. 21, and was awarded an honorable mention in the News Story category for “House looks at cutting Pell grants,” published Nov. 3.

Tyler Sorensen was awarded an honorable mention in the Editorial/Commentary category for his column, “The importance of showing interest,” published Oct. 5. Read the rest of this entry →

DK Custom Framing @ Gallery 14 is delighted to announce a book publication of new poetry, “Sugartown” by author Kevin Zepper. “Sugartown” is about Kevin’s experience living in the Fargo-Moorhead region.

Today from 7 to 9 p.m. join us in celebration; hear Kevin’s story and listen to him read from “Sugartown.”

14 Roberts St., Fargo
701.239.0063

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the English Department present Larry Aitken, “Speaking of Languages, Ojibwe, and Minnesota” Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. in King Hall Auditorium.

Professor Larry Aitken is the Endowed Chair and Director of American Indian Studies at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minn., and the Tribal Historian for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Read the rest of this entry →

Kevin Zepper, English, is the author of a new book of poems, Sugartown, recently published by Finishing Line Press. He is also the author of The Fifth Ramone: Prose Poems and I Bring You Dead Things.

The lead quote in Sugartown is “Dulcius Ex Asperis”, which is Latin for “After difficulty, sweetness.”

“This poetry book is about where I live or at least how I vision things in this region,” Zepper said. “Then, there’s the idea of “sweetness” in just about every piece. The theme of earthiness and humility are represented.” Read the rest of this entry →

Reminder:

The Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society is working with Better World Books to sponsor a book drive through Dec. 15. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the National Center for Family Literacy. In addition, Sigma Tau Delta will receive $1 for each accepted book we collect. The money that is raised will be used to fund future service projects and assist members in attending the International Sigma Tau Delta Conference in New Orleans, La., in February 2012. Read the rest of this entry →

December 8 @7 p.m. • Red Raven Espresso Parlor • Fargo

Let our festive event overshadow your spirits dampened by thoughts of finals. Come rejoice in the cheerful recital of holiday stories. Bring family and friends to this child-friendly event. Whether it is Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Yule, religious or secular, ALL holiday-themed works of prose or poetry welcome! Sign up to read at the English Office in Weld Hall. Reading is encouraged but not required.

Internationally acclaimed Dutch writers Arjen Duinker and Kees ‘t Hart make a rare visit to the United States for a special literary event Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 4:30 p.m. in MSUM’s Library porch, hosted by MSUM and the Tom McGrath Visiting Writers Series. Read the rest of this entry →

In honor of Native American Heritage month, Sigma Tau Delta is hosting a Native American Literature reading Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Red Raven Espresso Parlor in Fargo. Bring family, friends and your favorite works of prose or poetry by American Indian authors and/or about Native culture. Oral stories are welcome, as they are a huge part of Native history.