Winners of Vachel Lindsay Poetry Contest Announced

Congratulations to the following Hiram poets, winners of the 2008 Vachel Lindsday Poetry contest:

First Place: Ryan King
Second Place: Katey Lauer
Third Place: Ashley Nuzzi
 
Honorable Mentions:
Eli Walker
Dan Scott

Judge George Bilgere’s comments on the poems are below.  To read the poems in full, please go to:
 
First Place: “A Feeling Movement”
Ryan King
“This extraordinary dramatic monologue, written in the voice of a young woman saved from the concentration camp because of her musical talent, is a powerful and almost unbearably poignant poem. From the first lines, which describe the barking of the camp dogs, to the middle section, a description of her hands which “talked / With Russian accents” as she played Rachmaninoff for her captor, to the diminuendo of the last stanza, which is the sound of his crying, “A Feeling Movement” is full of music and anguish and breathtaking imagination.”

Second Place: “Passing”
Katey Lauer
“The bland, understated humor of this poem’s first lines*”Nothing says I love you like / Weather-resistant roses”*doesn’t prepare the reader for the moving and original exploration of grief that follows. I loved how the poet creates a taxonomy of mourning that somehow captures both the absurdity and the touching, inarticulate sincerity of America.”

Third Place: “Bodies”
Ashley Nuzzi
“When I read these lines: “The Moon / pulls the ocean back from the dead / *raking in bloated images of itself,” I was startled into saying “oh!” aloud. That’s how I respond to something perfectly right and inevitable. Every line of this marvelous poem reminds us why poetry is important in the first place: it scours, cleans, and renews the language.”

 

Honorable Mentions

“An Elegy for Guy Fawkes”
Eli Walker
“There’s a wonderfully urbane ease and deftness to these lines. I’m reminded of John O’Hara at his freewheeling best. I had no idea where this broad and adventurous poem would take me, but I was delighted to go along for the ride.”

“The Cunning Craft”
Dan Scott
“This poet has a gift for describing the familiar world in ways that make it brand spanking new. The lines about the “A.D.D. chickadee / Who jerks her head at even a moment’s tick, a flea,” is worth the price of admission in itself.”

 

Chuck Kraus ’09 wins scholarship to study in China

Charles “Chuck” Kraus ’09, holds a 3.95 GPA and is double majoring in political science and history. But apparently, that doesn’t keep him busy enough. According to Kimberly Mick, coordinator for study abroad and exchange programs at Hiram, Chuck applied for the NSEP (National Security Education Program) David L. Boren Scholarship to spend a year studying in China.

“Chuck has been awarded $20,000 to attend a Chinese language immersion program hosted by the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing through Associated Colleges in China and administered by Hamilton College,” Mick says.

The program begins September 2, 2008, and ends May 4, 2009. “The (application) process was arduous,” Mick explains, and required the coordination of a team of people from Hiram. “Nozar Alaolmolki also helped Chuck with his essay but most of the credit goes to Chuck,” she says.

Chuck is going to be studying the Mandarin language. Congratulations!

Instructor of English has Book Article Published

Instructor of English Paul Gaffney recently had his book article, “Controlling the Loathly Lady, or What Really Frees Dame Ragnelle,” in The English Loathly Lady Tales: Boundaries, Traditions, Motifs, edited by Elizabeth Passmore and Susan Carter.

To purchase a copy of the book, visit:
http://www.mipcatalog.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=MIPCATALOG&Product_Code=978-1-58044-124-7

Other contributors include:
“Through the Counsel of a Lady: The Irish and English Loathly Lady Tales and the “Mirrors for Princes” Genre” – S. Elizabeth Passmore

“The Politics of Strengthe and Vois in Gower’s Loathly Lady Tale” – R. F. Yeager

“Sovereignty through the Lady: ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’ and the Queenship of Anne of Bohemia” – Elizabeth M. Biebel-Stanley

“A Hymenation of Hags” – Susan Carter

“Folklore and Powerful Women in Gower’s ‘Tale of Florent’” – Russell A. Peck

“Controlling the Loathly Lady, or What Really Frees Dame Ragnelle” – Paul Gaffney

“‘The Marriage of Sir Gawain’: Piecing the Fragments Together” – Stephanie Hollis

“A Jungian Approach to the Ballad ‘King Henry’” – Mary Edwards Shaner

“Repainting the Lion: ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’ and a Traditional British Ballad” – Lynn M. Wollstadt

“Why Dame Ragnell Had to Die: Feminine Usurpation of Male Authority in ‘The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell’” – Mary Leech

“Brains or Beauty: Limited Sovereignty in the Loathly Lady Tales ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale,’
‘Thomas of Erceldoune,’ and ‘The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle’ – Ellen M. Caldwell

Hiram Hosts Historical Societies & Museums Gathering

The Ohio Association of Historical Societies & Museums and the Hiram Historical Society hosted a gathering of Northeast Ohio history and heritage organizations on Saturday, April 26 at the Hiram College Library.

The theme, “Keeping Ohio’s History Healthy: Caring for and Managing Our Collections” included presentations: “What Does it Take to Run a Healthy and Successful Small Historical Society” by Wendell Lauth, “Pros and Cons of Local History Publications” moderated by Bill Lawson with Hiram English professor Joyce Dyer and Suzie McCabe, and “Bringing Collections Back to Life” with Jessica Trickett, former Hiram College archivist Joanne Sawyer, and current Hiram archivist Jennifer Morrow.

The meeting was one of ten regional society meetings held through out the state in March and April. 

Comp Sci Grad Accepts Research Fellowship

Senior computer science major Cory Boatright has accepted a four year research fellowship with Dr. Norman Badler’s prestigious Center for Human Modeling and Simulation at the University of Pennsylvania. Reportedly, Cory is the only student Professor Badler has accepted in two years into his laboratory. Over 600 applicants apply to the computer science program at the University of Pennsylvania each year and Dr. Badler screens all applicants. Hiram College computer science graduate Michael Johns, completed his Ph.D. with Dr. Badler a few years ago.

Commence with Commencement!

Commencement Day Schedule

It’s that time of year again! The countdown is on, and commencement is just around the corner! Read more

Senior art exhibition reflects on life

By Jarrad Davis ’09

The 2008 Senior Art Exhibition, which runs through May 9, displays the work of six seniors whose art provides viewers with the opportunity to reflect, and see the world through the eyes of the artist. Read more

Cheryl Kerfeld of the Joint Genome Institute Speaks

Cheryl Kerfeld, Education Program Head for the Joint Genome Institute, U.S. Department of Energy, speaks Friday, May 2 at 11 a.m. in Gerstacker 123.

Read more