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PAPERS: Productivity with the ESA
For every week in the dark and dreary month of November, the English Students’ Association is providing a space for students to write their papers/read their readings/study for exams in a sympathetic and snack-filled atmosphere. DATES AND LOCATIONS: Wednesday, November 9, from 10:00AM – 12:00PM in BUCH B306 Thursday, November 17, from 12:30PM – 2:00PM in BUCH D304 Monday, November 21, from 4:00PM – 6:00PM in BUCH D304 Come write your papers with us! In exchange for your presence and perhaps even your hard work, we will offer snacks and refreshments. NOTE: This is not a tutoring session, although attendees are welcome to ask for and provide some help (and,…
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Not Just Baristas: The Case for an Arts Degree
We all hear the typical comment at some point throughout our degrees, whether it be from a family member or a friend: “Why are you taking Arts? The only job you’ll ever get is that of a Barista.” And while the first 10 or 15 times someone dissed my major I was mildly to extremely offended, eventually I embraced what I’d decided to do with my life. I’ll be honest, throughout my first year, I found it extremely difficult to bond with people in my residence because of my degree. While most people on my floor were in Sciences or Engineering, I was one of the few people in the…
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Monster Mash
With exactly a week until Halloween, some of the ESA execs and editors from TGS have gathered together to share their some of their favourite spooks, literary and otherwise. Read on for a collection of horrors most foul, strange, and unnatural! Jia – Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein is my favourite monster. Sure, it would be pretty scary if some kid chose to dress up as an eight-foot-tall, translucent-skinned, yellow-eyed creature (with bolts in their neck, if you’re into the Boris Karloff portrayal) and showed up at my door asking for candy, but let’s be real: a father with abandonment issues—a privileged, educated white dude succumbing to hubris, and abusing his power and…
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你会 speak 日本語 吗 ?
If I had to put a label on the way the English language and I felt about each other, and if I was the type of person to advertise my relationships on Facebook, I would say: It’s Complicated. Is it ever. A little background on my background: In 1995, I was born in Tokyo, Japan, to Chinese parents. Ma and Ba had immigrated there in the early 1990s for work, and when they found themselves pregnant with a second child… Well, I like to imagine that they high-fived and did a celebratory dance, but they probably were too busy trying to figure out how to swing the expenses. But despite…
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THEY CAME FROM BUCHANAN TOWER: Student-Professor Mingle
In the miracle of perfected Three-Dimension, the ESA presents THEY CAME FROM BUCHANAN TOWER. What are they? Where do they come from? Who are these all-powerful creatures dwelling in Buchanan Tower? And what do they want on campus? You can learn the amazing answers only when you come to the most thrilling professor-student event this October. Meet the department, get to know your professors, and learn to see them less like terrifying aliens and more like friendly ones. When: Thursday, October 20 4:30-6:00 Where: BUCH D MASS RSVP at our Facebook event! BuTo photographed by Jeff Hitchcock.
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Welcome back! Ice Cream Cake Social and General Meeting
The ESA tradition returns. Come by for—you heard it—ice cream cake! Catch up with friends, make new ones, and purchase a membership for $2 if you wish. Where: Buchanan Tower 599 When: Wednesday, September 28 4:30pm – 6:30pm
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A Comment on How Lists Shape the Mind
I love lists. Lists are important; they tell you exactly what you need to get done, and then maybe you’ll pat yourself on the back after checking off a task. They help you out when you’re grocery shopping or when you’re idly skimming through your newsfeed. Tables of contents, glossaries, and indexes wouldn’t exist without them. And like everything else, lists can be used to promote, deliberately or not, certain ideas and attitudes. Growing up loving books, I’ve always wanted to finish a “100 books to read before you die” list (still pending), for a variety of reasons that range from fueling my consumption for words, to wanting to be…
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Ice Cream Cake Party/General Meeting 2016
After a long wait the infamous ESA ice cream cake social is returning! Not only will delicious and punny frozen treats be served, but we’ll also be hosting our General Meeting. Elect next year’s executives or run for a position yourself. We’ll also be reviewing some updates to our constitution, and we would love to hear your suggestions. We hope you’re interested in participating in democracy, but if not, remember: there will be cake. Details: When: Wednesday, March 16th from 4-6pm. Where: Buchanan Tower 599 (the English Department conference room.) Price: Free for members, or $2 to become a member (required if you want to vote!) RSVP on Facebook Interested in…
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ESA Call for Executives 2016-2017
If you’re looking for an opportunity to get involved that both looks great on a resume and is a lot of fun, then you’re in luck! We are officially looking for executives for next year’s ESA. This is a great way to develop new skills and actually have an influence on campus. As an executive you will collaborate with the team to organize events ranging from ice cream cake socials to The Colloquium, and also support initiatives like The Garden Statuary. Of course, if you have new ideas, they are more than welcome and this is a platform that can help you realize them. Read on for more information! What…
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“Outlander” Part 1: A Second Honeymoon
As a student of English Literature, one of the biggest challenges I face is the ability to read for pleasure. I suppose after almost 5 years of dissecting novels for themes, motifs, and symbolism, it’s hard to think of a book as just a book and not a topic for a term paper. For this very reason, I have decided to start this blog, in the hopes that it will keep me motivated to continue reading for pleasure. After hearing raving reviews about the novel and TV show, I have decided to read and write chapter summaries of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. Chapter 1 – A New Beginning The novel immediately…
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Interview with Laura Bitterlich – Author of Shapeshifters Part 2
I sat down to have an interview with Shapeshifters author Laura Bitterlich, who is an accomplished writer in Germany. At just nineteen, she is a published author and an intelligent thinker of various social issues including gender and sexuality. Her writing is mature, well-thought out and gripping. Focusing her energies on the genre of fantasy, she pays keen attention to her readership and uses her big imagination to transport us all to the universe of Shapeshifters. In this part of the interview, she relays her in-depth views about her ideas on relevant social issues. You use your writing to address social issues as well. An example would be Leara serving…
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Interview with Laura Bitterlich – Author of Shapeshifters Part 1
I Laura and I met for the first time in person in Munich, Germany early last year. Laura had traveled from her town of Saarbücken to meet me while I was traveling around Europe during my semester abroad. We had an evening of pizza and ice cream where she let me know that Canadians are indeed too nice! She and I have known each other for years. We met online and quickly became friends. We bonded over our passions for writing, reading, and social activism. Over the years, I have gotten to know her to be equally nice and kind as she is talented. Laura has been a published…
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Colloquium 2016: Presenters and Abstracts
We are pleased to announce that our second annual conference, The Colloquium, will be hosted on Saturday, January 30th, featuring presentations by undergraduate students and faculty members! The Colloquium will take place in the Dodson Room in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre from noon until 6pm, and food and refreshments will be provided during two breaks. The Colloquium is open to everyone—students and members of the public; be sure to reserve a free ticket here. Colloquium Presenters: Undergraduate Students Click on the presenter’s name to view their biography and abstract. Taylor Tomko – ‘Why Dost Thou Laugh?’: Theatricality and Humour in Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus Alexandra Valahu – Bebop and the…
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The Case for Horror Fiction
Horror is perhaps the only genre defined by the response it is meant to create in the reader. No other genre works that way. You can laugh at a tragedy, you can cry at a comedy and still enjoy them. Conflicting responses are okay and even valuable. But you cannot not be scared with horror. Otherwise it is bad horror. Side note: what is the opposite of horror? Feeling safe? It is a genre that had endlessly intrigued me and the reason why I became the avid reader I am today. I grew up reading all types of gothic, horror, mystery and thriller books. And perhaps now, more than ever,…
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Get your work out there: submit to the Colloquium!
Deadline for submission has now been extended to Wednesday, December 23, 11:59pm! The English Students’ Association is officially calling for submissions to our second annual conference, The Colloquium! This conference features presentations from English undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty members. The Colloquium offers the opportunity to share your work and discuss ideas with other students and faculty members in the English Department. The Colloquium will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2016, and the submissions deadline is Friday, December 11, 2015, at 11:59 pm. Please see below for more detailed info! Submission Information How long should my presentation be? You’ve got fifteen minutes, with an extra five for set-up.…
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The Highland Experience
I was in the Scottish highlands, doing a tour of one of the lochs in the area when my tour guide asked me what I did. I told him I was a literature student. He asked me if I knew some of the Scottish authors like Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott. I had to confess to him that I hadn’t even heard of them before. I told him that we don’t do a lot of literature outside American and English authors. He quietly turned away. A couple of minutes later he handed me a crumpled up brochure. He said, “That book was recommended by an English professor up in…
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The Garden Statuary Launch Party
As term papers and finals loom, come escape the end-of-the-year chaos at The Garden Statuary‘s launch party. Join us to celebrate the launch of the fourth print edition. There will be free food, author readings, and a plethora of great company. Here are the details: When: Thursday, April 9th from 5-8pm Where: MASS (Buchanan D) Cost: Free Who: All our welcome!
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Stumbling Through the Wardrobe
It’s difficult and exhausting. It needs incredible attention to detail and thorough planning. Scheduling and organizing are key to this endeavor. Any slip-ups will cost priceless time and precious money. It is more physically intensive than you’d think while you operate on as little sleep as possible. Be prepared for subpar food, miscommunication, and a lack of adequate facilities. Your irritability might increase and frustration is a common symptom. Yes, that is indeed how much work travelling is. Oh, I should correct that: That is how much work travelling is when you’re a university student. I don’t know how many nights I have spent with snoring people, trying to sleep…
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General Meeting/Ice Cream Cake Social
After a long wait the infamous ESA ice cream cake social is returning! Not only will delicious frozen treats be served, but we’ll also be hosting our General Meeting. Elect next year’s executives or run for a position yourself. We’d also love to hear any ideas you have about events for next year. We understand if you don’t really care about the General Meeting, but remember: there will be cake. Details: When: Friday, March 20th from 3-6pm. Where: MASS (Buchanan D). RSVP on Facebook Interested in becoming an ESA executive? Find more info here.
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Breathing Life Into Books
Ello, Guvnah. That was my terrible attempt at the local lingo in an attempt to hook your interest while also hinting at the topic of this entry. How did I do? I am currently in England. The reason I have managed to be sitting here in the middle of the semester is because I am currently on exchange at the University of Manchester. It’s still surreal to me and I have not yet slipped into comfort or acceptance yet. Hopefully that will happen soon. Nonetheless, here are some of my initial reactions so far… My first reaction to being here is the aching awareness of my accent; it feels like…
