Barbara Henning: Reading in Chicago

Professor Barbara Henning will be reading with Tara Betts, Philip Sorenson, and Aurora Tabar in the Red Rover Series at Outer Space Studio in Chicago.

more info

Outer Space Studio
1474 N. Milwaukee Ave
suggested donation $4

TARA BETTS is the author of Break the Habit and Arc & Hue. She is also one of the co-editors of The Beiging of America: Personal Narratives About Being Mixed Race in the 21st Century and co-editor of a critical edition of Philippa Duke Schuyler's long out-of-print memoir Adventures in Black and None. Her work has appeared in Poetry, American Poetry Review, Essence, Nylon, and numerous anthologies. She has taught at Rutgers University, University of Illinois-Chicago, and as part of the MFA faculty at Chicago State University.

BARBARA HENNING is the author of three novels and several collections of poetry, her most recent A Day Like Today (Negative Capability Press), A Swift Passage (Quale Press) and a collection of object-sonnets, My Autobiography (United Artists). A new novel was just recently released, Just Like That (Spuyten Duyvil). She is the editor of Looking Up Harryette Mullen and The Collected Prose of Bobbie Louise Hawkins. Born in Detroit, she presently lives in Brooklyn. She has taught for Naropa University, as well as Long Island University. See http://barbarahenning.com/ . 

PHILIP SORENSON is the author of two full-length collections, Of Embodies (Rescue Press, 2012) and Solar Trauma (Rescue Press, 2018), and a forthcoming shorter work, New Recordings (Another New Calligraphy, 2018). He is the co-editor, with Olivia Cronk, of The Journal Petra.

AURORA TABAR is a Chicago-based performing artist and occupational therapist. Her professional and creative practices examine the process of healing and the potential for transformation. Her most recent performance work, Life/Guard, was presented last April at the 2017 Battles:SS3 Post-Butoh Festival (Chicago, IL). Aurora received a Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs Individual Artist grant for her current project, The Existential Coat Check. She works at Esperanza Community Services where she supports young people with developmental disabilities to become as independent as possible. She lives on the west side of Chicago with her partner, Kevin, and their two cats. See http://existentialcoatcheck.com/ .

Red Rover Series is curated by Laura Goldstein and Jennifer Karmin. Each event is designed as a reading experiment with participation by local, national, and international writers, artists, and performers. Founded in 2005, the over one hundred events have featured a diversity of renowned creative minds.

Sarai Rivera-Polanco: Congratulations!

We are very pleased to announce that Sarai Rivera-Polanco (BA 2018) is one of this year's recipients of the Alfred DiMaio Award for Outstanding Achievement in Political Science. In addition, she has won the Edna K. And Jacob S. Spiro Law Award. Congratulations!

Yu June Lee: Congratulations!

We are very pleased to announce that Yu June Lee (BA, May 2018, double major in English and Physics) is this year's recipient of the Mildred L. B. DeBarrit Premedical Science Award AND the Paula M. Cooper Memorial Scholarship Award. Congratulations!

Humanities Awards Ceremony 2018

On Tuesday, May 8, 2018, the English Department and the rest of the Humanities Division (Philosophy, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Gender Studies) held its annual awards ceremony to recognize this year's graduates and this year's winners of various awards and prizes.



Congratulations to the following English majors and graduate students who completed their degrees this academic year.

Graduated in September 2017

Heather Browne, English BA, Writing & Rhetoric
Huma Sheikh: Creative Writing MFA

Graduated in January 2018

Alan Carr: Creative Writing MFA
Brandi Sutherland: English BA, Literature & Creative Writing

Graduating in May 2018
Nerene Aberdeen, English BA, Creative Writing
Alexa Carter-Rodriguez: Creative Writing MFA
Alicia Folk, English BA, Writing & Rhetoric
Yu June Lee, English BA, Writing & Rhetoric
Ruby Perez, English BA, Creative Writing
Sarai Rivera-Polanco, English BA, Creative Writing
Roksolana Sheverack, English BA, Literature
Lazarette Strouble: English BA, Literature


The Omicron Zeta chapter of Sigma Tau Delta (International English Honors Society) announced this year's new inductees: Nerene Aberdeen, Cindy Chen, Leslie Kenney, Stacey Watson. 

In addition, the chapter honored members who are graduating this year: Nerene Aberdeen, Tamanna Afroze, Cindy Chen, Madison Gomez, Yu June Lee, Nathalie Meyers, Sarai River-Polanco, Martha Roldan, Susan Elizabeth Stuart, Jason Wong


The English Department gave the following awards and prizes.


Excellence in English (Undergraduate): Nerene Aberdeen, Alicia Folk, Yu June Lee, Sarai Rivera-Polanco, Roksolana Sheverack

Excellence in English (Graduate): Joseph Anderson, Alexa Carter-Rodriguez, Huma Sheikh

Louis and Ann Parascandola Graduate Award (English): Joseph Anderson

Susanne Popper-Edelman and Edward Edelman English Essay Prizes: Makayla Day (Freshman Composition, English 14), Wei Chen (Freshman Composition, English 16), Larry Vazquez (Core Literature)

Esther Hyneman Award in Poetry (Creative Writing MFA Program): Alexa Carter-Rodriguez (Poetry), Breana Ricketts (Non-Fiction)

Marilyn Boutwell Award in Fiction (Creative Writing MFA Program): Lam Lai


The Philosophy Department recognized Nicole Bartley, who has completed the BA in Philosophy.


The Gender Studies Program recognized the following students, who have completed the Gender Studies minor: Andrew Ibscher, Chloe Clemente, Daria Sowa, Idit Kobyely Yanskaya, Kassandra Nieves, Oleksandra Kashyrina, Yamilettes Villa.

Gender Studies also recognized this year's recipient of the Biology / Gender Studies Memorial Scholarship: Idit Kobyely Yanskaya.


The Department of Foreign Languages and Literature recognized the following students, who have completed minors as indicated: Jade Muyambo (French), Ane Nie (Spanish).

Erica Hunt: June Jordan Conference

Professor Erica Hunt (English) will be moderating a panel ("For the Sake of People's Poetry: A Discussion of Jordan's Essay About Inclusivity and Accessibility," 2:45-4 PM) and reading with others from Jordan's work (6:30 PM) at the conference "A Tribute to June Jordan" on Friday, May 18, 2018, at the CUNY Grad Center.

More info.

Also see flyer below.

Patrick Horrigan: Book Release Party

You are invited to celebrate the publication of PENNSYLVANIA STATION (Lethe Press), the new novel by Patrick E. Horrigan (English), on Thursday, June 7th @ 7pm at the Bureau of General Services--Queer Division, 208 West 13th Street in Manhattan, 2nd floor, NYC 10011. There will be food, drinks, and music by DJ Star Dao! Patrick will also read from the book and talk about how it came to be.

PENNSYLVANIA STATION is the story of a cross-generational romance between an architect and a political activist, c. 1962. 

To purchase a copy, click here.

All are welcome!

Barbara Henning: Poetry Reading

Professor Barbara Henning (English) will read with Chris Tysh at Klinger Studios in Detroit.

Wednesday, May 23, 7PM (doors 6PM)

more info