The OWU English Department Blog
On Thursday, March 6th, before we all went on Spring Break, the English Department was pleased to host poet Marianne Chan as part of the Poets & Writers Series. Chan read poems from her recently published collections All Heathens and Leaving Biddle City. She also shared a few poems that she is currently working on as part of her next collection.…
In all honesty, writing was not my first love. It was not the career path that I was willing to center my future around, not immediately. However, it was always there in my life somewhere. As a child I had a great passion for art—painting, drawing, and such. I remember the fun I had making drawings for the kids in my first-grade class who would give me a quarter to draw whatever they wanted. …
If someone were to ask why I chose to become an English Literature major, at first the question might make me laugh. When I think back on my life, it feels obvious, it’s hard to imagine myself ever choosing a different path. I’ve loved reading my whole life, after all. And yet, I realize that I really didn’t decide to become an English Literature major until my freshman year of high school.…
Hundreds of unidentified coal mines burrow beneath the surface of Perry County, Ohio, and its surrounding communities, forming a skeleton of the region’s once-thriving economy. These towns, known as The Little Cities of Black Diamonds, once thrived; reliant on coal, miners, and the economic flow this industry supplied. However, since coal’s peak in Ohio during the 19th century, industrialization, technological advances, and shifting energy priorities have pushed the industry into decline, weakening the demand for coal. …
Abandoned small towns throughout the Southeastern Appalachian region of Ohio share roots deep within the mining industry. These towns are commonly called “Little Cities of Black Diamonds,” honoring their historical ties to coal, industrialization, and once flourishing economies.
Perry County, Ohio, is among these Little Cities of Black Diamonds. Once an industrial hub consisting of multiple coal boomtowns, Perry County and its residents have faced economic declines since the mid-1900s.…
West Virginia is known for its natural beauty and remote communities, nestled in the Appalachian mountains and valleys. Minden, West Virginia is located in the center of the state, lodged between two peaks, and is home to 250 dying residents.
In Minden, nearly 36% of residents have been diagnosed with a form of cancer. …
One of the most infamous catalysts for the modern environmental justice movement is the Warren County PCB Protests that unfolded in Afton, North Carolina throughout the mid-1980s. These protests defined contemporary modes of environmental justice, highlighting intersections of race and economic status to every human’s right to safe and habitable land.…
Located in Niagara Falls, New York, the Love Canal site encompasses 16 acres that were once home to working-class families; however, its rooting on poisoned land serves as a reminder of the violent consequences of improper disposal of hazardous waste.
In 1984, William T. Love purchased the land now labeled as Love Canal, with plans to build a canal connecting Niagara Falls to Lake Ontario to harness hydroelectric power.…
The Romatics believed nature was healing–and science has proved that to be true! We all need time in the sunshine no matter how busy our schedules are. But now that finals are over and you can wander outside again, how are you going to embrace your inner Romantic?
William Worthsworth was a champion hiker.…
Over the past several months, we have all become very familiar with sharp winds, gray skies, and rainy days here at Ohio Wesleyan. Starved of the sun and stuck indoors, we live our lives under harsh, white fluorescent lights.
These conditions have a significant impact on many people’s health. Research shows that the winter season increases stress and anxiety and decreases energy and motivation.…
