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Year: 2021

M.F.A. Alumni Updates Spring 2021

James Gamble (M.F.A. 1994; M.A. in Comparative Literature 2000; Ph.D. in Comparative Literature 2006) retired as Senior Instructor of English at the University of Arkansas after the Spring 2020 term. He misses interaction with students and colleagues but does not miss grading papers. At present he is reading and writing, watching hockey, and spending time with his…Continue Reading M.F.A. Alumni Updates Spring 2021

Interview with Luis Paganelli Marin (Ph.D. ’20)

Luis Paganelli Marin is an alum of not only the English doctoral program but also the English master’s and bachelor’s programs at the University of Arkansas. We recently had the chance to ask him about his time in all three degree programs, the inspiration for his dissertation focus, his current job with the Arkansas Immigrant…Continue Reading Interview with Luis Paganelli Marin (Ph.D. ’20)

Interview with Michael Ray Taylor (M.F.A. ’96)

Michael Ray Taylor, one of our M.F.A. alumni who specializes in nonfiction writing, is a Professor of Communication at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. He teaches courses on journalism and new media, has published numerous books and countless articles (in Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, Wired, and elsewhere), and has contributed to multiple documentary…Continue Reading Interview with Michael Ray Taylor (M.F.A. ’96)

Interview with Wanda Maureen Miller (formerly Harrell) (M.A. ’71)

We recently caught up with one of our English M.A. alumni, Wanda Maureen (“Mo”) Miller (formerly Harrell) who currently lives in California. In our interview with her, below, we ask her about attending graduate school at the University of Arkansas in the 1960s and early 1970s, balancing her teaching with her creative writing for many…Continue Reading Interview with Wanda Maureen Miller (formerly Harrell) (M.A. ’71)

Interview with English Professor, and New Brown Chair in English Literacy, Eric Darnell Pritchard

Eric Darnell Pritchard joined our department in Fall of 2020 as a new Associate Professor of English. They specialize in intersections of race, queerness, sexuality, gender and class with historical and contemporary literacy, literary, and rhetorical practices, as well as fashion, beauty, and popular culture. This past January, we interviewed them about moving to Arkansas;…Continue Reading Interview with English Professor, and New Brown Chair in English Literacy, Eric Darnell Pritchard

M.A. and Ph.D. Alumni Updates Spring 2021

M.A. Alumni Erin Gloster (M.A. 2019 with a cultural studies specialization) has started a position as Research Assistant at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS Northwest) in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She works with with the Office of Community Health and Research to help edit and revise medical research articles in preparation for journal publication. Their…Continue Reading M.A. and Ph.D. Alumni Updates Spring 2021

Interview with Laura Blankenship (Ph.D. ’07)

Laura Blankenship, who graduated from the doctoral program in 2007, has pursued an exciting career path in academia that has not involved the traditional tenure-track route. Read our interview with her, below, in which she reviews how she came to our graduate program in English, decided on a technology-focused dissertation topic for her English Ph.D.,…Continue Reading Interview with Laura Blankenship (Ph.D. ’07)

Interview with Jeff Ayers (B.A. ’11)

B.A. alum Jeff Ayers, an English and creative writing teacher at Rogers High School in northwest Arkansas, recently published Skate the Thief, his first book in what will be a trilogy, The Rag and Bone Chronicles. We had the chance to visit with Jeff about his time as an English undergraduate, who/what all inspires his…Continue Reading Interview with Jeff Ayers (B.A. ’11)