Student Achievements and Support

AUBURN UNIVERSITY MONTGOMERY

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

     The Department of English and Philosophy at AUM [AUM English link] prides itself on offering students unusual opportunities for achievement and recognition, both on and off campus. (See also the AUM Student Achievements Update)

     Each year, for instance, the department holds an on-campus writing contest open to students in all English classes. Instructors nominate and submit the best essays written in classes at all levels, and the winning essays are published in an annual volume, CollEHctions, which is distributed at a festive Spring Honors Luncheon. The Luncheon also honors other student achievements from the preceding year, and usually there are many achievements to celebrate.

     Students at AUM often win recognition, for example, at the annual Southern Literary Festival, an event open to participants from colleges and universities throughout the region. Festival winners have often been able to attend the Festival to read their works (including creative writing) and receive their prizes. The same is true of the annual meeting of the Alabama College English Teachers Association (ACETA).  Here again, AUM students frequently have won state-wide recognition for their writing, and students also have been winners of the essay contest sponsored by the local Fitzgerald Museum. AUM students have also been recipients of prestigious awards from the American Classical League and from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

     In addition, AUM students (both undergraduates and graduates) have presented scholarly papers both on campus (as part of the Scholars Program, for example) and also at regional, national, and international conferences, sometimes speaking as part of a group of students, but often also appearing on the same panels with seasoned Ph.D's. Recent presentations have been offered, for instance, at Toronto, Canada; at Flagstaff, AZ; at Nashville, TN; and at Tallahassee, FL. Groups before which students have spoken have included the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference, the Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Conference, and the Popular Culture Association.

     One of the most unusual opportunities available to students at AUM is the chance to publish their work in journals and even books available to readers throughout the nation and world. Several AUM students, for instance, helped compile, write, and edit a recent book entitled Who Was Dexter Avenue, Anyhow? -- a study of Montgomery street names (published by award-winning Black Belt Press).  Furthermore, the work of many AUM students is included with other student writings from throughout the world in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self": Martha Moulsworth, Renaissance Woman Poet (published by the Women's Studies Program at Princeton University and also published as a special issue of their journal, Critical Matrix). AUM students also have been published, alongside distinguished scholars, in such books as "The Muses Females Are": Martha Moulsworth and Other Women Writers of the English Renaissance, Short Fiction: A Critical Companion, and Frank O'Connor: New Perspectives (Locust Hill Press) [books link]. One student recently had two articles accepted for publication in Tudor England: An Encyclopedia, a major reference work issued by Garland Press.

     Work by our students has appeared not only in books, however, but also in journals, many of them long-established forums for creative and scholarly writing, and many of them indexed in bibliographies throughout the world. Students at AUM have thus become teachers or artists themselves, contributing to a permanent body of scholarship or to a lasting repository of creative works. Creative writing by AUM students has been published, for example, in such journals as Amaryllis, Rosebud, Oregon Review, Ohio Poetry Review, Connecticut River Review, Piedmont Literary Review, New Virginia Review, and many others.

     AUM undergraduate and graduate students have published independent or co-authored scholarship in many standard academic journals, which are highly competitive and which usually do not accept student work. Brief pieces or longer essays have appeared, for instance, in Notes and Queries (published at Oxford University and in existence since 1849), Flannery O'Connor Bulletin, Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, College Language Association Journal, Ben Jonson Journal, RE: Liberal Arts, Alabama History, Atlanta History, and The Rectangle (journal of the International English Honors Society). Such work by students is often indexed in the printed and computerized MLA International Bibliography.

     AUM has numerous reasons, then, to be proud of the students in the Department of English and Philosophy, and the department will continue to commit itself to encourage and celebrate unusual student achievement. We are pleased to highlight the accomplishments of the following students in particular:

Amy Blair, MLA Program graduate, presented a paper on images of women in literature of the English Civil War at the annual meeting of the Sixteenth Century Studies conference in Toronto (1994).

David Brown, while an undergraduate at AUM, had an article on Melville' Billy Budd accepted for publication in The Rectangle, journal of Sigma Tau Delta (International English Honor Society).

Kevin Bowden, as an undergraduate English major at AUM, delivered a paper on a seventeenth-century woman writer at an annual conference on literature held at Florida State University. His paper was subsequently accepted for publication in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Lynn Bryan, while a student in the MLA Program at AUM, was awarded a summer fellowship from the American Classical League. She is also the co-author of two articles, one appearing in the Ben Jonson Journal and the other in Notes and Queries.

Regina Clark, English education student at AUM, gave a presentation on short fiction at a literary studies conference in Huntsville. Her work on a Renaissance woman poet is also included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Randall Cobb, an undergraduate student of English at AUM, gave a presentation on short fiction at a literary studies conference in Huntsville. His work on a Renaissance woman poet is also included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Joe Csicsila, a graduate student at AUM subsequently accepted into the  doctoral program at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, has given numerous presentations at national scholarly conferences and has had many papers accepted for publication. While at AUM, he presented a paper on Flannery O'Connor at the annual meeting of the Popular Culture Association in Nashville. His essay on a Renaissance woman poet is also included in a book entitled  "The Birthday of My Self." 

Rebecca Cundiff, formerly an English major at AUM, gave a presentation on short fiction at an annual literary conference in Huntsville. She also successfully participated in the Department's Internship Program. Her work on a Renaissance woman poet is also included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Leann Faulk, an English education major at AUM, won the informal essay competition at the annual Southern Literary Festival in 1994.

Phil Festoso, an MLA student at AUM accepted into the doctoral program at the University of Kentucky. While at AUM, he gave a presentation at an annual literary conference held at Florida State University.

Earl Fisher, a major in English at AUM, is the author of a published novel and of other works of fiction.

Gary Goodson, now employed by the Montgomery Advertiser but formerly an English major at AUM, gave a presentation on Flannery O'Connor at an annual meeting of the Popular Culture Association in Nashville.

Steve Goodson, who took numerous English courses during his time at AUM, is now a Professor of History at West Georgia State University. Although accepted into the Ph.D program in History at Harvard with a full fellowship, he decided to study Southern history at   Emory University, where he received the prestigious Woodruff Fellowship and also the award for best first-year graduate student. He has had articles published in Alabama History and in Atlanta History and is currently working on a book dealing with antebellum culture in Atlanta.

Ashley Gordon, while an undergraduate English major at AUM, contributed to the research and writing of the book Who Was Dexter Avenue, Anyhow? She was later employed as an assistant editor at Black Belt Press. Her work is also included in the book "The Birthday of My Self" and in the book Frank O'Connor: New Perspectives.

Wade Greenfield, an undergraduate English major at AUM, participated in the Department's Internship program and received an assistant editorship at   Blackbelt Press. His essay on Shakespeare won second prize in the Formal Essay competition sponsored by the annual Southern Literary Festival.

Lisa Hambrick, while majoring in English Education at AUM, gave a presentation on short fiction at an annual literary conference in Huntsville. Her work on a Renaissance woman poet is also included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Chris Hansen, an English Education major at AUM, in 1993 won the annual McMillan Undergraduate Writing Award sponsored by the Alabama College English Teachers' Association (ACETA) and presented his paper at the annual  meeting.

Nicky Kilmer, an English Education major at AUM, contributed to the research and writing of the book Who Was Dexter Avenue, Anyhow?

Stephanie Larkins, a graduate student in the MLA Program, contributed to the research and writing of the book Who Was Dexter Avenue, Anyhow?

Allison Law, formerly an English major at AUM, did work on a Renaissance woman poet that is included in the book "The Birthday of My Self."

Charlyn Liddel, a student in the MLA Program, contributed to the book entitled "The Birthday of My Self.  She teaches English at South College.

Cindy Mantione, a 1995 graduate of AUM, contributed to the research and writing of the book Who Was Dexter Avenue, Anyhow?

Kevin McGowin, an English major at AUM who also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Florida, is the author of poems published in nationally read journals, chapbooks, and books. He has given numerous poetry readings and won recognition at the annual Southern Literary Festival. He was awarded special honors as a teacher and writer when he graduated from Florida. His work on a Renaissance woman poet is included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Beverly Moore, a student of psychology and English at AUM, won first prize in the formal essay competition for a paper on Faulkner at the Southern Literary Festival. She read her paper at the annual meeting.

Kurt Niland, an English major at AUM, was selected as a Younger Scholar by the National Endowment for the Humanities. This $1500 award allowed him to do scholarly research at Yale University. He has presented papers at conferences at Flagstaff, AZ; Nashville; the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and at Florida State University. His article on Sylvia Plath was published in The Rectangle, the journal of Sigma Tau Delta (International English Honor Society).  He is the co-author of articles published in Notes and Queries, Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, RE: Liberal Arts, and the Flannery O'Connor Bulletin. His essay on a Renaissance woman poet is included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Lisa S. Pappas, formerly an English major at AUM, is a poet whose work has been published in the journal Amaryllis and elsewhere. Her work on a Renaissance woman poet is included in a book entitled "The Birthday of Myself."

Linda Pegram, an AUM English major, works as an editor for a Montgomery publisher. Her work is included in the book "The Birthday of My Self."

Karen Pirnie, a student in the MLA Program at AUM, recently completed her doctorate in the Hudson Strode program in Renaissance studies at the University of Alabama. She has given presentations at conferences held at Florida State University and at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Her essay on autobiographical poetry was published in "The Muses Females Are": Martha Moulsworth and Other Women Writers of the English Renaissance (Locust Hill Press, 1995), and another essay is included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self." An essay that grew out of her MLA thesis was recently published in UCLA's journal Comitatus.

Gwen Price, a graduate student in the alternative master's program in secondary English, contributed to the research and writing of the book Who Was Dexter Avenue, Anyhow?

Neil Probst, an undergraduate English major, is the co-author of two essays that have been published in Notes and Queries and of another published in the book "The Muses Females Are": Martha Moulsworth and Other Women Writers of the English Renaissance (Locust Hill Press, 1995). He is also the author of a piece recently published in the Ben Jonson Journal. His work is also included in a book entitled  "The Birthday of My Self."

Susan Reeves, an undergraduate English major, won first place in 1995 in the annual essay contest sponsored by the Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery.

Jerry Sailors, a graduate student in English education at AUM, gave a presentation on short fiction at an annual literary conference in Huntsville. His work on a Renaissance woman poet is also included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Sharon Sarmiento, an English major, contributed to the book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Julie Sellars, an undergraduate English major and later a student in the MLA Program, successfully participated in the Writing and Editing Internship Program and gave a presentation on her participation at a conference on business writing held at Nashville.

Joshua Shows, a science major but English minor, gave a special presentation to the Scholars Program of a co-authored essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Melissa Simms, a student in the MLA Program, contributed to the book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Judy Sims, an undergraduate English major who plans to enter the MLA Program, won the annual writing award sponsored by the Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery. She served as Editorial Assistant for (and contributed to the research and writing of) the book Who Was Dexter Avenue, Anyhow? She gave a presentation on short fiction at an annual literary conference in Huntsville. In addition, her work on a Renaissance woman poet is also included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self." She has successfully completed the Internship Program and has been employed as Publisher's Assistant at Black Belt Press.  Recently she was recognized in Who's Who Among American College Students.

Alice Smith, a graduate of the AUM Master of Liberal Arts Program, is now finishing her doctorate in English at the University of Alabama.

Nejla Stokes, an English major at AUM, contributed to the book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Denise D. Sutterfield, formerly a student of English education at AUM, contributed to the book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Kathy Tucker, a graduate student in English education at AUM, gave a presentation on short fiction at an annual literary conference in Huntsville. Her work on a Renaissance woman poet is also included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Joanna Walker, formerly an English major at AUM, is a successful participant in the Writing and Editing Internship Program and spoke about her participation at a conference on business and writing in Nashville. Her work on a Renaissance woman poet is also included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

Jonathan Wright, a student in the MLA Program, is the author of  two forthcoming articles in Tudor England: An Encyclopedia. In addition, his essay and other work on a Renaissance woman poet is also included in a book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."  Most recently he has been published in the books Short Fiction: A Critical Companion and Frank O'Connor: New Perspectives.

Carolyn Young, a student in the MLA Program, contributed to the book entitled "The Birthday of My Self."

ADDITIONAL STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Several AUM students who are not primarily students of English also contributed to the book "The Birthday of My Self": Martha Moulsworth, Renaissance Woman Poet.  Their contributions were prepared mainly during their involvement in composition or literature survey courses at AUM. These students include the following: Chantinell Cooper, James Diggs, Brad Burt Doleys, Emily Cobern, Elizabeth Jackson, Hubble Sowards.

LINKS

Return to  litpage