Join us on English Matters this time as we talk to UTC English MA program alumna Jessica York about her journey from grad student to published author. Since this recording, Jessica has signed with literary agent Elizabeth Copps, founding agent of Copps Literary Services. Jessica was also recently invited to speak about her writing at DragonCon in Atlanta. For more information about Jessica and her work, please visit jessicaannyork.com!

For more information about English at UTC, visit https://www.utc.edu/arts-and-sciences/english

Theme music, “Storybook,” generously provided by Scott Holmes (scottholmesmusic.com).

For this episode, English Matters talks with Dr. Hannah Wakefield about her recent Race and Protest course and using podcasting as pedagogy. We also get to hear student work from the class. (Credits below!)

Segment #1 courtesy of Hunter Burnheimer, Jacey Spann, Malachi Knight-Smith, Trip Carruthers

Segment #2 courtesy of Aja Washington, Dillon Simpson, Kobe Clark, Mollee Sneed, Tyler Mullins

Segment #3 courtesy of Cassidy Yarborough, Hiba Arkawazi, Kimbra Dunning, Obi Obidiebube


For more information about English at UTC, visit https://www.utc.edu/arts-and-sciences/english

Theme music, “Storybook,” generously provided by Scott Holmes (scottholmesmusic.com).

This episode of English Matters is devoted to exploring some of our exciting offerings for Spring 2022 - schedule now available on the university website!

Theme music, “Storybook,” generously provided by Scott Holmes (scottholmesmusic.com).

This episode, we're chatting with Dr. Jenn Stewart, Director of Composition at UTC, about UTC's Read 2 Achieve Program, and how inclusion and diversity foster a fertile environment in the composition classroom.

Theme music, “Storybook,” generously provided by Scott Holmes (scottholmesmusic.com).

On this episode of English Matters, we talk with Jo Kibble, a graduating senior in English, about the importance of proper naming, pronoun usage, and its significance to the transgender/non-binary community at large. Jo shares their experiences with the audience, and helps define an inclusive vision for UTC going forward.

This week, we’re talking to English lecturer Tiffany Mitchell and David Pleins from the Walker Center about their recent pedagogy book club and the experience of reading bell hooks’ Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom. Tiffany and David discuss the challenges of making sure that BIPOC voices are centered in pedagogy discussions, as well as the difference between active and passive allyship. Perhaps most importantly, we discuss the way that these ideas might make their way into college classrooms and help dismantle systemic racism in the university and beyond. (see the prior episode of English Matters with Beth Pearce and Tiffany

*Please note that this interview was recorded in October 2020, prior to the last presidential election. Check in with the Walker Center’s website periodically for information about future book clubs and opportunities.

Theme music, “Storybook,” generously provided by Scott Holmes (scottholmesmusic.com).

On this episode, we hear from author and UTC English Lecturer Andrew Najberg. Andrew talks to us about how he became a creative writing professor and how the teaching of creative writing differs from and mirrors other types of writing. Andrew also tells us about his own personal writing and publication process, and his inspiration for his forthcoming collection of poems, The Goats Have Taken Over the Barracks, available for pre-sale beginning November 23. You can see selected readings from the chapbook on Andrew’s Facebook page – and pre-order your copy from www.finishinglinepress.com

Theme music, “Storybook,” generously provided by Scott Holmes (scottholmesmusic.com).

This time on the podcast, we’re talking with Dr. Oren Whightsel about how the rhetoric surrounding the debate over women’s suffrage proved to be a helpful tool in composition courses. We discuss the value of historicizing the teaching of rhetoric and composition for our new students, and how it helps them in places other than the university. Additionally, Devori and Oren talk about the experience teaching the rhetoric of voter suppression is especially interesting in an election year. We also talk about how English departments and first-year composition courses are uniquely able to speak to broader social issues that students often don’t contact elsewhere in their university education.

Theme music, “Storybook,” generously provided by Scott Holmes (scottholmesmusic.com).

On this episode, we talk to UTC English major Anna Brewer about her experience with the department’s internship placement program. Through the program, Ms. Brewer was able to secure an internship with The Borgen Project (borgenproject.org), a non-profit that works to fight global poverty. She tells us about how she was able to secure her internship, the types of work she did, and how she plans to use her experiences to push her forward on a career path after she graduates.

For more information on UTC’s internship program, visit www.utc.edu/english/internships.

Theme music, “Storybook,” generously provided by Scott Holmes (scottholmesmusic.com).

In this episode, English department faculty Tiffany Mitchell and Beth Pearce discuss their process of teaching intersectional adolescent and YA literature in the UHON program, and how they hope to port those skillsets and questions into coursework in the English department. We talk about the value of adolescent literature when it comes to discussing tricky topics and ideas, as well as how a course like this can challenge instructors’ perceptions of the literature they teach. Additionally, Beth and Tiffany talk about the benefits of a team-teaching environment.

Theme music, “Storybook,” generously provided by Scott Holmes (scottholmesmusic.com).