Severe Weather Awareness Week

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Mary Gondringer

In honor of the week, I compiled a list of some good reads about weather! Check out some of these novels/stories!

My top book about weather is Winterdance by Gary Paulsen! The book isn’t about weather, necessarily, but it does have aspects of bad weather throughout the story. It’s a nonfiction memoir about Gary’s run in the Iditarod dogsled race in Alaska. The book is filled with humor, horror, and haphazard attempts to do things right. You will find yourself laughing, crying, and everything in between! It’s not one of his common books, but it’s definitely one of his best!

One of my favorite short stories about weather is “To Build a Fire” by Jack London. The unnamed narrator discovers what true cold really means when he finds himself trying to survive the arctic cold. When the termometer reads “75 degrees below 0 (fahrenheit),” things get dangerous!

Poetry is also a great place to find stories about severe weather! Check out Emily Dickenson’s A Thunderstorm, a gripping piece of art!

The last text I’d like to cover is a song, called “The Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks. Sometimes, during sever weather awareness week, we just need to sit down and enjoy a good song about severe weather! I like this song particularly because of the use of instrumentation to convey the thunder! Of course, this song could also be a metaphor, but I like to think of the song as purely just a celebration of weather!

What are your favorite texts about severe weather? These are just four of my favorites, but there are so many other good ones out there!

April Fools’ Day

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Mary Gondringer

Today is April Fools’ Day.

Which got me thinking:

Where did April Fools’ Day come from?
How did we get to this point, of putting vaseline on doorknobs, tape on the bottom of our digital mice, etc?
What is the purpose of this day?

Apparently, April Fools’ Day has been around since 1700, when English pranksters starting playing practical jokes on each other.

Prior to this, the history of the day is actually unclear. Some historians think it may date back to 1582, but that is just speculation.

Throughout the 18th century, the tradition became a two-day event in Scotland where people would go on phony errands and participate in many other prank-type activities.

For more information, check out this short explanation on History.com! (All information is taken from this source.)

Great Black Authors

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Mary Gondringer

In honor of Black History Month, we compiled a list of amazing Black authors! Check out some of their works!

Lucille Clifton – A wonderful poet who was discovered by Langston Hughes! Clifton was born in NY in 1936 and attended Harvard University. My personal favorite poem is her poem, “sisters” where she writes about her relationship with her sister, Elaine! Clifton died in 2010 but her poetry still lives on!

Langston Hughes – A prominent figure during the Harlem Renaissance who often wrote about Black life! He truly shaped the way Black poets are viewed! If you get the chance, read his essay, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain.” You won’t be disappointed.

Ralph Ellison – Born in 1914, Ellison grew up loving music. It was thought that he would be a musician and composer, but instead, decided to write. Being the grandson of slaves, Ellison’s works are particularly important. I highly recommend reading his Invisible Man, written in 1952. It is a gripping novel right from the first page!

Alex Haley – Another very important Black author! He wrote his novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family after spending a decade researching his family’s history. The novel was such a success that it was made into a TV miniseries!

James Baldwin – The list isn’t complete without James Baldwin! He wrote many novels and essays that brought to light the unfortunate consequences of the American racial strife. He has been described as “bold and courageous writer who is not afraid to search into the dark corners of our social consciences, and to force out into public view many of the hidden, sordid skeletons of our society” by Therman B. O’Daniel in the College Language Association Journal.

Maya Angelou – Again, another prominent figure that must be on this list! She’s an absolute icon! Read her I know why the Caged Bird Sings. As I was research this book, I found out that it is one of the most challenged books for “its language and portrayals of violence, racism, sexuality, childhood rape and teen pregnancy” (source). To me, this is all the more reason to read it, especially because this novel is autobiographical and describes Angelou’s early life.

This list is far from complete. If you’d like to read more by Black authors, check out this list of great novels compiled by Oprah or this list compiled by Penguin Random House.

English words of African origin

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Mary Gondringer

In honor of Black History Month, I thought it would be fun to put together a list of English words that are derived from African languages!

Check it out!

aardvark – Afrikaans word, meaning earth (or ground) pig
apartheid – Afrikaans policy of separate development/living
banana – West African, possibly Wolof banana
banjo – probably Bantu mbanza
basenji- breed of dog from the Congo
biltong – from Afrikaans – cured meat (often used in South African English)
bongo – West African boungu
braai – from Afrikaans – barbecue (often used in South African English)
buckra – from Efik and Ibibio mbakara “master”^[1]
bwana – from swahili
chachacha possibly from Kimbundu, onomatopoeia for ringing bells or rattles worn around the legs of a female dancers.
chigger – possibly from Wolof and Yoruba jiga “insect”)
chimpanzee – from a Bantu language, possibly Tshiluba kivili-chimpenze
cola – from West African languages (Temne kola, Mandinka kolo)
coffee – disputed; either from the Ethiopian region/Kingdom of Kaffa, where coffee originated, or Arabic kahwa
conga – feminized form of Congo through Spanish
dengue – possibly from Swahili dinga
djembe from West African languages [2]
fandango- possibly from the kikongo empire[3]
Geranuk – Somali: Gerenuk means “giraffe-necked” in the Somali language
gnu – from Bushman !nu through Hottentot i-ngu and Dutch gnoe
goober – possibly from Bantu (Kikongo and Kimbundu nguba)
gumbo – from Bantu (Kimbundu ngombo meaning “okra”)
indaba – from Xhosa or Zulu languages – ‘meeting’ (often used in South African English)
jambalaya possibly from tshiluba
jamboree possibly from swahili “jambo”.
jazz – from West African languages (Mandinka jasi, Temne yas)
jive – possibly from Wolof jev
jumbo – from Swahili (jambo or jumbe or from Kongo nzamba “elephant”)
juju – Yoruba
juke, jukebox – possibly from Wolof and Bambara dzug through Gullah
kalimba
Kwanzaa – from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning “first fruits”.
kwashiorkor – from Ga language, Coastal Ghana meaning “swollen stomach”
impala – from Zulu im-pala
lapa – from Sotho languages – enclosure or barbecue area (often used in South African English)
macaque – from Bantu makaku through Portuguese and French
mamba – from Zulu or Swahili mamba
mambo – possibly West African through Haitian Creole
marimba – from Bantu (Kimbundu and Swahili marimba, malimba)
marimbula
merengue (dance) possibly from Fulani mererek i meaning to shake or quiver
mumbo jumbo – uncertain West African etymology
mojo – from Fula moco’o “medicine man” through Louisiana Creole French or Gullah
obeah – from West African (Efik ubio, Twi ebayifo)
okra – from Igbo ókùrù
okapi – from a language in the Congo
safari – from Swahili travel, ultimately from Arabic
samba from an African language through Brazilian Portuguese [4][5], carnaval website
sambo – Fula sambo meaning “uncle”
sangoma – from Zulu – traditional healer (often used in South African English)
tango – probably from Ibibio tamgu
tsetse – from a Bantu language (Tswana tsetse, Luhya tsiisi)
trek – from Afrikaans – move (often used in South African English)
ubuntu – Bantu languages
voodoo – from West African languages (Ewe and Fon vodu “spirit”)
yam – West African (Fula nyami, Twi anyinam)
zebra – possibly from a language in the Congo
zombie – Central African (Kikongo zumbi, Kimbundu nzambi)

Source Credit

From History to English

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Mary Gondringer

We have so many amazing Graduate Assistants in our department! Some teach, some do other things, and some work for the Write Place, our SCSU Writing Center designed to help students of all levels improve their writing!

Read below, an experience from one of our GAs working in the Write Place!

I have been a history student at St. Cloud for a few years and I loved my experience so much that now I am a history graduate student! One of my history professors thought I might be a good fit to be a graduate assistant with the English Department. I was hesitant at first, but after talking with people in the English Department, especially Tim in The Write Place, I thought I could make it work. Once the semester began and I started meeting with students, I realized how helpful these sessions could be for the student and for myself. I think I have learned a lot working with the English Department this semester! I look forward to working more with the other coaches and English Department staff as I continue to work on my master’s. I will always love my History Department relationships, but I am so happy to develop new relationships with the English Department as well!

–Jennifer Sonterre

For more information about the Write Place, visit their website or follow them on Twitter and Facebook!

From the SCSU Write Place website:

“The St. Cloud State writing centers provide free services to support any of the writing and reading you do in and outside of school. We work with writers from all levels of experience and ability at any stage in the writing process. Our purpose is to help you become a more effective, versatile, and confident communicator.

Most students who visit the writing center schedule appointments to discuss papers that they’re writing for their classes. Some want help getting started. Some have begun writing and are ready to discuss next steps. Some bring drafts that are nearly finished and need help with documenting sources and fine-tuning the language.

The graduate and undergraduate writing coaches on our staff have been trained to provide this kind of guidance, and they will collaborate with you in making many other kinds of writing decisions.”

This semester, the Write Place offers both in-person and online consultation! Consider checking them out!

My Experience with COVID and being a student athlete

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Mary Gondringer

It is no question the distress of the COVID-19 pandemic has been quite unfavorable to our regular way of living, no matter the role we play in society. As a student athlete at St. Cloud State University, my experience has been an anxious blend of challenging lows and uncomplicated standstills. As a person with attention deficit disorder who prefers physical lectures over technology-based methods, one major struggle for me has been the transition into courses that are completely online. This began as a call for concern but has gradually become less difficult to grow accustomed to. I can owe this easy familiarization process to my SCSU professors, who have been very understanding and helpful along the way.

I am also a student athlete who is on the SCSU tennis team, which has been the biggest obstacle regarding the pandemic so far. With restrictions on flying to avoid putting entire teams at risk, I am unable to visit my sisters in the near future for holidays, Air Force promotion ceremonies, or any other substantial reason that may arise. As someone with asthma, it has also been quite difficult for me to perform at our required workouts to the best of my abilities with restricted breathing underneath a mask. We are strongly advised against pulling them down for air, which completely eliminates the only strategy for me to grasp a full breath, and predominantly takes away the demanded energy for a successful workout. Although there have been obstacles and many other unmentioned changes that are minor to my SCSU athletic lifestyle, my coaches and fellow teammates have also made the transitional process much easier for me to endure.

There haven’t been any drastic changes to my regular lifestyle as a university student, but there have still been a multitude of social, educational, emotional, and health-related challenges I’ve had to conquer as a result of the pandemic, assumingly along with the rest of the student population. While living in a constant state of anxiousness and uncertainty for the future, I am grateful to be a student at SCSU, who has made me feel safe during these times of peculiarity and obscurity.

Thank you for reading,

Samantha Fitzpatrick

What’s it like to be a GA?

Posted on November 5, 2020 by Mary Gondringer

The SCSU English Department of Graduate Studies offers multiple assistantships to their students. Students who are a 191 GA or Graduate Assistant, are responsible for teaching one section of our first year composition course, English 191, as well as planning lessons, meeting with students, and grading. Teaching 191 is not the only GA position offered by the college/ For more information about becoming an SCSU GA, check out the English Department’s webpage.

This week, we are happy to feature writing from Ulysses Texx, a current GA.

Ulysses Texx, one of our second-year graduate assistants, shared some insight on teaching our first year composition course, ENGL 191 – Introduction to Rhetorical and Analytical Writing. Ulysses is one of our English graduate students. His students sure are lucky to have him as their instructor!

Check out what he has to say below!

Ulysses Texx Desk

What defined being part of the cohort of ENGL 191 GTAs last year was the community building of it all. Last year, eight of us shared an office, seeing each other almost every day of the week. Events hosted by last year’s second years often included former GTAs. The then-current cohort, most of which lived in the area and had been at St. Cloud for a while, was key to making me, the Twin Cities outsider, feel comfortable where I was, geographically, academically, socially.

From this community, our teaching emerged. We shared assignments and slides, sure, but also ideas about how to connect with our students. Games, discussion topics, conference days, reading activities, and other ways of making meaning passed from our lips and OneDrives easily and often. They connected us and the 200 students we taught collectively every semester.

Having the strength of a community influenced how I stood in the classroom, how I moved as I presented new topics and shared stories and food. I tried to use my energetic presence (and almost all my time) as fuel for their curiosity, knowing that students had acquaintances and friends in my section and across the other GTA, adjunct, and professor-led sections that they could interpret college life and its character (and often characters) with. I know they did, too—some introduced their friends to me whenever we bumped into each other on campus.

It’s difficult to give the fall semester such a charged impression. I’m back in the Cities, in my personal office, which I use infrequently, mostly as a background for Zoom and Microsoft Teams. On campus, I have an office to myself that I’ve seen once, when I reapplied the decor I took home from the cohort office in a panic in March to its dusty shelves and the side of the blond door facing the forlorn first floor hallway.

I have no other English teachers at home and have little patience for online meetups. I bounce ideas off my brother when he calls—he’s taken an equivalent of this class before—and my partner, who remembers taking an English class before. I’ve seen my current cohort maybe ten times this semester. I feel more a part of the pedagogies of nature and self-care I’m learning from the naturalists I read in the mornings and my cats as they frolic on the porch.

This cultural disconnect drives me to be as responsive to students as I can. Readings have been adjusted to their majors and are available free online, workload both laidback and rigorous. They write every week—often an essay—and I respond with an essay of my own on every submission received. I have strict deadlines but also an ear to lend to their lives. We’re taking our (structured) time making meaning out of everything. While we’re so isolated, it’s the only way we—my students, self, and cohort—can recreate the community so fundamental to 191 and our experiences at SCSU as students.

~Ulysses Texx

Honoring Indigenous People’s Day 2020

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Mary Gondringer

I’m an SCSU graduate student, a Graduate Assistant, and the English Department blog and social media manager. I am also a 5th and 6th grade English and Social teacher at a local elementary school.

In honor of Indigenous People’s Day this year (October 12), I took my 5th and 6th graders on a field trip to listen to my dear old 78-year-old friend, Julius, talk about his time doing mission work on the Red Lake Reservation where he spent 20+ years living and working alongside the Indigenous People living on the reservation.

My students were absolutely fascinated learning about Indigenous Peoples from someone who’s lived and experienced their way of life. It was so much better to hear him speak than to have my students read more out of a textbook. They thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Indigenous Peoples’ way of life! Instead of me sharing my experience, I’d like to share their experiences (in the red text) (and insert clarifications when necessary).

I like that he explained what he did. My favorite artifact was the dream catcher. My favorite part was when he said they came to take him home. The most interesting part was when he talked about the artifacts and how they were made with love. I did not dislike anything.

This student talked about the time when “they came to take him home.” Julius told a story about how years after his time on the Red Lake Reservation, his Indigenous friends invited themselves over to his house one day. When they arrived, they said, “Julius, we’re here to take you home.” They surrounded him and said they weren’t leaving his home without him. Obviously, they were only slightly serious as they knew he had other obligations in his life at that time and he couldn’t go back. The story demonstrated how much the people on the Reservation loved and respected him!

This student also talked about some of the Indigenous artifacts he had on display. He talked about how everything they create is made with love. He also showed many of the gifts these people had gifted him over the years. Everything was absolutely beautiful!

What I thought was it was very cool. It was very fun to see the paintings he showed to us. The turtle shell was cool. I liked it because there were so many details on the shell. I liked to see the process to see what they did to get it to look that cool. I liked the canoe. It was so cool because you could see all of the details on the canoe. My favorite thing there was the painting that he got from a kid that he drove a bus for. It was so cool to see what he did when he was younger. It was a cool experience.

Part of his mission work was to drive a school bus route for their local school (as you can see in one of the later pictures; he’s wearing his bus driver jacket!). He told many stories about the kindness the students showed him. Many of the students painted or drew him pictures as gifts. Since they didn’t have much, they would give handmade items as gifts.

I think it was cool for the stuff on the table, and I think it was cool that he could speak their language. My favorite thing about it is how good they are at art. My favorite artifact was the pictures. He should put more stuff on the table.

One point Julius stressed was the importance of learning a second language. He can speak fluent Ojibwe, but he suggested my students learn Spanish.

At one point, Julius recited the “Our Father” prayer in Ojibwe! It was really quite amazing! The written version of the “Our Father” is pictured here.

I loved it. It was so interesting. It was so cool to listen to all he had to say. I didn’t dislike anything. It was so awesome. The most interesting thing was all the pictures and artifacts. My favorite part was listening to everything. My favorite artifact was the birch bark wood canoes.

Everything was really cool and the paintings were amazing. The language was cool too. And the boats made out of bark and stuff were really cool. The necklaces were cool too. Everything was really cool. But my favorite thing was the turtle shell. It was REALLY cool.

I’ve always honored Indigenous People in my classroom, but this year was way more impactful to my students.

We’re curious to know:

How do you honor Indigenous People?

What was your favorite artifact that Julius showed the children? (I know, the pictures aren’t amazing and don’t show everything.)

SCSU Writer’s Club

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Mary Gondringer

Hey English Department!

Did you know that SCSU has a writing club??

Check it out here!

Now, joining a club is a big deal, I know! You’re in college. You’re already so busy! But there are so many psychological benefits to write more, so you should definitely consider joining the Writer’s Club!

Check it out!

Writing makes you happier!

I absolutely love this reason to write! In our world today, we can all use a little more happiness. Why not find your happiness through writing for the Writer’s Club?

Writing leads to better thinking and communicating!

I mean, I think this is pretty obvious, but what better way to experiment with enhancing your writing and thinking skills than joining the Writer’s Club?

Writing leads to increased gratitude!

This is another value we need to see more of in our society. Why not help contribute in increasing the world’s gratitude by first increasing yours! Join the Writer’s Club!

Writing leads better learning!

So, you’re here at SCSU for what? To learn!! Why not join a club that will directly help your degree mean more?

There are so many more reasons to write and join the Writer’s Club. Feel free to check out “The Psychological Benefits of Writing” from sparringmind.com for more valuable reasons to write!

Calling all English Department faculty, students, and alumni!!

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Mary Gondringer

Did you know that you can be featured on our blog page??

We absolutely love featuring our current students, faculty, and alumni!

Faculty!

Have you recently been published? Let us know the details and we’ll put together a post. We’d also love to publish a post you wrote.
Are you teaching a really compelling course? (The answer should be “yes” because ALL of you are teaching really compelling courses.) Write something about the course and send it our way. We love to read about what’s happening within the walls of Webster!
Got a fun story to share? Please share it!! This can be about anything. Exciting happenings in your class. Fun summer getaways. A funny story your niece told you the other day. We love to get to know our professors and would love to have you share your stories!

Students!

Have you written a really interesting paper recently? Send it to us! We’d love to publish it on the blog! We really enjoy seeing what students are doing within our classrooms!
Do you have any fun side projects happening? We’d love to hear about it! We like featuring students’ projects because we like showcasing our amazing English Department talent!
Are you writing a thesis or working a culminating project? Featuring something like this on our blog is beneficial because it may give inspiration to future students as they begin to think about their own culminating projects.

Alumni!

Are you published (or soon to be published)? Send us a link and short write-up about your pieces and we’ll link your work to our blog. We know we have some amazing alumni and your work deserves to be featured!
How about a story from when you were attending SCSU? We quite like taking trips down memory lane! Please feel free to share your stories with the blog!
What are you up to these days? We feel very connected to all of our alumni and would greatly appreciate to hear how you are doing, what you are doing, and how the English Department helped prepare you for your current adventures.

Do you have other ideas for submissions? Please, send them our way! If we haven’t said it before, we love featuring faculty, students, and alumni!! Please consider writing something for the blog!

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