A fall month of archiving the past, amplifying the present, and imagining new futures.
by Fabiola M. Martinez Del Valle
As autumn deepens, our English community continues to make waves through research, public engagement, and creative storytelling. October brought new grants, thought-provoking media, and collaborative outreach efforts that reflect the breadth and brilliance of our department. Let’s take a look at what’s been happening.
Awards & Achievements
- Alison Rollins‘ book Black Bell was short-listed for the 2025 Maya Angelou Book Awards.
- Caroline Gottschalk (Literary Studies Professor), in collaboration with Encompass Social-ecological Consulting, the Heritage Museum of Newaygo County, and the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly, received a $15,000 grant from the Fremont Area Community Foundation. Their project, Documenting the History and Future of Penoyer Creek, will produce a multimedia StoryMap linking Penoyer Creek and Newaygo’s lumber milling history to the planned dam removal and creek restoration.
- The Communications team, led by Fabiola M. Martinez del Valle (ELL Graduate Student) and supported by Erin Polnaszek Boyd (Academic Advising Manager) and Joshua Calhoun (Literary Studies Professor), ran a successful Fill the Hill campaign. The effort increased alumni engagement compared to recent years
Publications
- Russ Castronovo (Literary Studies Professor) published an op-ed in the Wisconsin State Journal titled “About That Column I Didn’t Write as a UW Professor.” The piece reflects on academic voice and public discourse. Read it here.
- Season 3 of the Holding History Podcast continues this semester. In the latest episode, Joshua Calhoun and Sarah Marty (Management and Human Resources Professor) interview Ethan Kay, an English alum and OpenAI developer, about AI, physical books, and the art of information management. Listen here.
Presentations
- Lisa Cooper (Literary Studies Professor) contributed to UW Badger Talks “Quick Picks” with a 10-minute presentation titled “Knives Out: Medieval Recipes, Culinary Violence, and Literary Character.” The talk explores intersections of food, violence, and medieval literature. Watch or listen here.