19 October 2020

Dear Everyone:

This past Friday, thanks to the efforts of a whole lot of people, we held a virtual Open House as our Friday Forum. Going into it, I wondered if anyone would show, because really, who is thinking about applying to grad school in the midst of, well, everything?  It turns out, quite a few.  Of the 110 people who had registered for the event, more than 70 showed. The best part about it for me was in getting to hear about the program from our colleagues – specifically, Nancy Silverman, Genevieve Bettendorf, Tanya Pollard, Peter Hitchcock, Inma Zanoguera Garcias, Daniel Hengel, and Jonathan Gray. Their thoughtfulness about what it would be useful for people to know as they consider doctoral work generally and with us in particular came across with every comment and answer; huge thanks to each for creating time to open our house to others. I want also to thank John Chianese, the IT wizard who guided us through, Kent Yuen, for the arrangements, and Christian Fryer-Davis, Sukie Kim, and Paris Shih, who round out the Recruitment Committee, for their vital organizational work. The sense of the program we were able to convey in the virtual mode was due absolutely to all of these people; it’s exciting to think about who among the attendees might become our colleagues a year from now!

Speaking of hearing and learning from each other, please join us for “Teaching in Emergency,” the conversation we’ll hold this Friday, 4p.  We’ll open with a roundtable featuring Amy Wan, Anna Zeemont, Sam O’Hana, Mark McBeth, Sharanya Dutta, Maxine Krenzel, and possibly (likely!) Mary McGlynn, and then open to general discussion.  The flyer for this Friday is attached (as Nancy observed last week, lol, we don’t actually have a door onto which we’re posting such things just now! Old habits!) and below.  Looking forward to the conversation!

I hope in the meantime you’re able to revel at least a little in the spectacular (gaudy!) autumn (here in the NY metro area, at least) colors.  Here’s Paul Laurence Dunbar to help with the revelry.

All well wishes,

Kandice

October is the treasurer of the year,
And all the months pay bounty to her store;
The fields and orchards still their tribute bear,
And fill her brimming coffers more and more.
But she, with youthful lavishness,
Spends all her wealth in gaudy dress,
And decks herself in garments bold
Of scarlet, purple, red, and gold.
She heedeth not how swift the hours fly,
But smiles and sings her happy life along;
She only sees above a shining sky;
She only hears the breezes’ voice in song.
Her garments trail the woodlands through,
And gather pearls of early dew
That sparkle, till the roguish Sun
Creeps up and steals them every one.
But what cares she that jewels should be lost,
When all of Nature’s bounteous wealth is hers?
Though princely fortunes may have been their cost,
Not one regret her calm demeanor stirs.
Whole-hearted, happy, careless, free,
She lives her life out joyously,
Nor cares when Frost stalks o’er her way
And turns her auburn locks to gray.

PhD Program in English//Friday Forum

Teaching in Emergency

23 October // 4p

https://gc-cuny.zoom.us/j/91462415560

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How’s teaching going?

Join us for a roundtable discussion of the specificities of teaching in the present.  We’ll share experience and insight in thinking collectively through the practice of teaching in emergency.

**Featuring**

Amy Wan      Mark McBeth

Anna Zeemont     Sharanya Dutta

Sam O’Hana         Maxine Krenzel

and, possibly, a special appearance by

Mary McGlynn!

With thanks to Sean Nortz for organizational efforts,

and Kent Yuen and Nancy Silverman for making it happen as always!

Hang out after – same zoom address! 

Free and open to the public, as always. We’ll try to live caption!