The OWU English Department Blog
1. DO THE READING
I shouldnât even have to say this, but I do. You may be laughing, but itâs serious! Itâs a little obvious when you donât. Nothing is worse than being in class when you didnât do the reading and no one is talking. It is terribly awkward; itâs worse than when I called my 3rd-grade teacher âmom.â…
If I had to recommend something that every English major should do before they graduate it would be to go on a literary pilgrimage. My mother read me the first Harry Potter book when I was in fifth grade and I have loved the books and movies ever since. Last year I went to London with my mom and I turned a mother-daughter trip into a hunt for Harry Potter book and film sites.…
When Dave Lucas became Ohioâs second-ever Poet Laureate on Jan. 1, 2018, he approached the position with a mission. Despite his impressive academic background–B.A. from John Carroll University, MFA from the University of Virginia, and MA and PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor–Lucas firmly believes poetry belongs outside the classroom as a staple of everyday life.…
The Book of Salt, written by Monique Truong, is one of the reasons that I became an English major. We read this in Professor Comorauâs English 145 class, âReading the Global Kitchen,â and I continually find myself recommending it to anyone who will listen. Truongâs work fascinated me due to its ability to excellently pose the question of how we, as readers, take narrators at their word, often not ruminating upon the idea that this character may be untruthful and unreliable.…
Iâve always had an interesting relationship with writing. I often have periods of loving it so much that I canât stop writing and then other periods of not liking it at all. The difficulty lies in what I like to write. Usually, when I come up with a story idea, I think of the exciting event that kicks off the story or that ends it.…
Kiese Laymon is a Black Southern writer and professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Mississippi. His writing has been featured in a plethora of major publications, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, ESPN The Magazine, Oxford American, and Ebony.…
When it comes to writing I have always done things differently than what teachers say to do–start with characters, plot, theme, et cetera. I donât always think before I start writing. Once Iâve got the beginning, I go until I find the middle and the end. My mind flows so fast and I get lost in my own world itâs like when I get absorbed in TV.…
Skydiving and bungee-jumping a little daunting? Check out the first installment of our English Major Bucket List for fun, rewarding, and non-life-threatening activities to enhance your English major or minor. Then submit your own Bucket List entries!Â
1. Submit to the Owl Â
2. Complete a Sturges puzzleÂ
3.…
This summer, I was strolling through the book section of the Costco near my house when a book titled I Was Anastasia caught my eye. I decided to buy the book, which was undoubtedly the best thing I have ever bought from Costco. Ariel Lawhon tells the story of Anastasia Romanav, the youngest daughter of the last Russain tsar, and her best known impersonator, Anna Anderson, compellingly enough to create the illusion of possibility that Anna is the real Anastasia.…
