Hunger Benefit Nets $1500

Thank you to everyone who attended and donated at the Third Annual Benefit for Hunger last Wednesday, September 22. Your participation resulted in $1,500 being raised to help feed the hungry in the Twin Cities. Proceeds benefited Second Harvest Heartland, the Upper Midwest's largest food shelf. Thanks also to host Charles Baxter and our faculty readers: Madelon Sprengnether, Ray Gonzalez, Maria Damon, Maria Fitzgerald, and Patricia Hampl.

F.U.S.E. Kick-Off Event

The Fellowship of Undergraduate Students in English invites students, faculty, and staff to an evening of live jazz, refreshments, and conversation Thursday, September 16, at 6:30 pm in Lind Hall 150. F.U.S.E.'s mission is to to enhance the education experience of English Undergraduates through peer mentorship, writing workshops, engagement opportunities, and community-building events. See their Facebook page for more information!

Murray Defense

On Friday, September 17, Gregg Murray will be defending his PhD dissertation, A Performative Study of Playfulness in Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Frank O'Hara, and Elizabeth Bishop. All are welcome for the public portion at 1:30 pm in Lind Hall 207A.

Job Placement Meeting

The first placement meeting of the 2010-11 academic year for job seekers will be Friday, September 17, from 12-2 pm in Lind 202 (the Wright Room). The meeting is open to all graduate students, but graduate students on the job market this year and next are particularly encouraged to attend. We will overview the entire job search process and discuss application materials and other issues.

Nabil Matar Wins NEH Grant

Professor of English Nabil Matar was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities grant for a project entitled "Crossing Cultural Spaces: Islam and the West in Arts and Sciences." The grant will support an academic forum and program development workshop "exploring continuities between cultural and intellectual traditions in the Islamic worlds and Western civilization." Congratulations!