The Inkwell Quarterly

Transcription

Volume 10
Issue 4
Volume 10
Issue 4
Spring 2016
Photo
courtesy of
morguefile.
com
IQ: A Decade of Change
In This Issue:
The Crucible/Faster
Than Light
4
L.J. Smith and The
Vampire Diaries 6-8
A Very Merry Unbirthday
9
Shakespeare Trip
12-3
What Stirs Our
Blood
16-7
Shelley Puhak
Changing
Perspectives
20
29-30
Do You Still Chop
Wood?
31-2
Sigma Tau Delta
Updates
34
Senior Spotlights
38-9
by Dr. Marcia K. Farrell
Inkwell was not my idea. In fact, a former visiting professor, Dr. Maria
Hebert-Leiter, is the one who came up with the idea of starting a departmental
newsletter after seeing the Psychology Department’s newsletter, Psychles. She thought that
if a student or two wanted to put the newsletter together, then it could contain a
calendar of upcoming departmental and university events, a senior spotlight or two,
Faculty and Club updates, an article by the department chair, and maybe information
pertinent to being an English major.
BecausesheandIsharedanofficeattime(whatisnowDr. Kuhar’sofficenext
totherefrigeratorroomonthe“other”secondfloorof thebuildingwhichIsupposeis
technicallyfloor1.5),sheaskedmeif Iwouldwanttoco-adviseitwithhersinceIwasa
tenure-track faculty member and she was visiting. I said, “Sure.”
We held a contest to name the newsletter, and settled on Inkwell, a suggestion by
then-junior Kacy Muir, who became Inkwell’sfirstmanagingeditor.Kacy,alongwith
ahandfulof othermajors,puttogetherourfirstissue—atwelve-pagercontainingtwo
senior spotlights, an article on the GREs, information on available internships for English
majors, an article on “What to Do with a Degree in English,” faculty and club updates,
and an article by Dr. Kuhar. You can check out the whole issue online under our archived
issues.
Ourfirstmastheadforvolumeonelookedlikethis:
We put out three issues that year. The second issue was ten pages, and the third
waseight.Oh,andjustforfun,here’sourfirstphotoof Dr.KuharforKuhar’sCorner:
Hamill’s Hunches
41
When Lawmakers
Don’t Think
44-5
Review: AMY
46-7
ThatwasmyfirstyearatWilkes—AY2006–2007.
1
Continued on page 5.
Volume 10 Issue 4
Messitt presented original, creative nonfiction work iat her reading on February 23 in the Kirby Salon.
Photo courtesy of Jason Klus.
Maggie Messitt Workshop
by Sara Pisak
On February 23, 2016, nonfiction writer and journalist Maggie Messitt conducted a workshop and a
public reading as part of the Allan Hamilton Dickson Spring Writers Series.
A few days before the workshop, students, who had RSVP’d to attend the workshop, where instructed to
bring with them an object of sentimental value. While attending the workshop with their object of sentimental
value in tow, students heard Messitt discuss how she reconstructed aspects of her deceased aunt’s life with
sentimental objects once belonging to her. Messitt is currently writing a book about the disappearance and death of
her aunt. Therefore, with the sentimental objects belonging to her aunt, Messitt was able to reconstruct part of her
aunt’s life before her disappearance.
The students attending the workshop utilized their sentimental objects to recreate Messitt’s writing
approach, which she named, “The Artifact Approach.” Messitt employs this approach to create her narratives.
Messitt helped the students work through her approach, consisting of the following shorted/abridged steps:
1. Physical- Describe in detail your object.
2. Manufactured history- What is the history you know about the object? Or don’t know? Consider economics,
geography, function, etc…
3. Origin Story- Who originally had the object? How did you come to possess the object?
4. Place- What place do you think of when you interact with the object?
5. Association- What words and phrases do you associate with the object?
6. Association II- Reflect on the ideas from the word/phrase list made in step five.
7. Timeline- Make a timeline for the object based on memory or any association explored in the other steps.
When all the steps are completed, Messitt stressed the writer should be able to see themselves through
someone else’s eyes and experiences.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
In addition to our regular staff members, IQ 10.4 features articles written by students
from Dr. Farrell’s sections of English 120 and English 234. Additionally, past editors
of IQ have contributed personal reflections on their time as members of the IQ staff.
Our editors thank these individuals for their contribution to this anniversary issue of
The Inkwell Quarterly.
English 120 Students
English 234 Students
Mackenzie Egan
Tommy Bowen
Michael Warkala
Chelsea Workman
Mason Gross
Elissa McPherson
Catherin Morocho
Whitley Culver
Carissa Wehr
Melissa Young
Brittany Smith
Nicole Jankowski
Rachel Wood
Shane Flannelly
Eugene Vadella
Salena Diaz
Erin Michael
Dian McKinney
Rebecca Voorhees
Jennifer Baron
Michael Wozniak
Andrea Circelli
Emily DeAngelis
Alumni Editors
Dave Cook
Matt Kogoy
Tony Thomas
The Inkwell Quarterly Staff
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Marcia K. Farrell
Editor-in-Chief: Tara Giarratano
Copy Editor: Sara Pisak
Copy Editing Assistant: Grace Graham
Layout Editors: Jason Klus, Nicole Kutos
Staff Writers: Mackenzie Egan, Brooke Giarratano, Tara Giarratano,
Matthew Judge, Jason Klus, Nicole Kutos, Elissa McPherson,
Jeremy Miller, Tobias Mintzmyer, Michael Morrison, Sara Pisak, Maddie Powell
Faculty Contributors: Dr. Thomas A. Hamill, Dr. Marcia K. Farrell, Dr. Larry Kuhar
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Volume 10
Issue 4
Faster than Light presents ﬂeshed
out narrative combined with
strong gameplay
by Tobias Mintzmyer
Faster than Light is a tactical role playing game in
which the player controls a starship and its crew on a secret
missiontodeliverdatatothefailingfederation.Theflight
acrosstheuniverseisfilledwithdangerasthepowerful
rebelfleetpursuesyourshipthroughpiratefilledsystems
and the dark and eerie nebula. Metal scrap is the main
source of money in game that you use at trading points
to hire a crew, repair the ship, fuel up and buy new gear.
While the game is immersive in many ways, my favorite
part is the compelling narrative that is conveyed through
textboxdialogue.Thewritingisfunandinteresting
Courtesy of Steam.
andusesthetextboxmechanictoallowtheplayerfree
choice of what to do. Among the options the game gives, players can choose to give mercy to a surrendering
ship, help civilians from giant space spiders, and hide from powerful rebel scouting ships. On the other hand, the
surrendering ship would give more scrap if it’s destroyed, the giant space spiders might kill your crew if you help,
and the powerful rebel scouting ship looks less tough now that you’ve gotten some gear. Some of the eight races
don’t use common language, which is why a multi species crew and a translating machine is just as important as
Broadway’s The Crucible is fun and modern while telling a serious
story
by Tobias Mintzmyer
On a recent trip to New York City with the Honors English class taught by Dr. Davis, we had the pleasure
of seeing The Crucible by Arthur Miller performed live on Broadway directed by Ivo Van Hove in addition to a
delicious local Korean place and the Met. The stage was constructed to look like the interior of an old school
house, and serves as the backdrop to the whole play. Ben Whishaw as Jon Proctor was compelling, especially near
the end when John Proctor yells to the audience again and again, “It is my name!” I felt a true sense of grief and
raw indignity that Proctor felt. Sophia OkonedoplayingElizabethProctorwasexcellentandshewasperhaps
the most believable character. Reverend Hale played by Bill Camp was similarly heart wrenching as the truth
worms its way into his mind and his voice becomes weaker with distress. The use of trash to make the stage dirtier
throughout the play was visually appealing and serves as a pathetic fallacy to the looming danger of the courthouse.
Theplayalsoincludedseveralscenesof magic,suchasaflyinggirlandawolf beingsummonedwhichthoughwere
well constructed but took away from the plot point that Abagail is lying and there are no witches. The Crucible on
Broadway has a modern setting that clashes somewhat with the dialogue and diction of the script, but for the most
part felt natural. Overall, Ivo Van Hove and the cast deliver a fabulous show.
4
Volume 10
Issue 4
Continued from page 1.
Article by Dr. Marcia K Farrell.
Foroursecondyear,wedecidedtoexpandtheideaof experientiallearningandallowthoseonstaff totake
on different editorial positions to stretch their professional writing capabilities a bit while also joining the Manuscript
andtheWritingCenterinofferingourfirstEng190credit-bearingelectiveoptions.Thatyear,wehadourfirst
co-managingeditors—Melissa Bugdal and Lauren Carey.Wealsoexpandedourstaff toincludeatotalof fifteenstudents.Ourissuesremainedrelativelysmall,withthefirstthreerunningatotalof eightpageseachandthe
lastameretwopagesthatcontainedmostlyannouncements—capstones,informationontheHeamanScholarship,
and Faculty and Club updates.
Thatwasalsotheyearweputoutourfirstspecialissue—atwo-page“Bestof Kuhar’sCorner”thatfeatured
a collage of images associated with Dr. Kuhar along with reprints of some of his best responses. Dr. Hamill keeps
angling for a “Best of Hamill’s Hunches,” by the way. Yet, somehow we’ve resisted the pressure thus far…
By volume three, we had started to develop our own style. Dr. Hebert-Leiter had left the university by then,
so I became the sole advisor for the newsletter. Not only had we changed the masthead:
butalsothefontsfortheheadlinesandarticletexts.WithbothMelissaBudgalandformerLayoutEditor,Stefanie
McHugh,wehadgraduatedtoCopyEditingandLayout“Teams.”Wemaintainedalargestaff (fifteenstudentsby
issue2),butourthreeissuesthatyearremainedrelativelyshort,althoughissue3.3didruntwelvepages,andwith
the smaller font sizing, we were able to include a lot more information. Volume 3, by the way, saw the introduction
of “Hamill’s Hunches” as a “regular” part of the publication.
Thefollowingyear,though—2009—markedTHEsignificantturningpointforInkwell.Underthedirection
of Matt Kogoy,weaddedseveralnewpositionsinanefforttoprovidestudentswiththetypesof experiencesthey
wantedandtoaddressourrapidgrowth.Inadditiontoamanagingeditor,wenowhadanassistanteditor(thefirst
one was Jackie Butwinski),aheadcopyeditor(Melissa Leet—who,Imightadd,isnowtheeditorof The Wayne
IndependentnewspaperupinHonesdale,PA),anassistantcopyeditor(Phil Muhlenberg),ateamof copyeditors,an
OnlineCoordinator(Justin Jones)whostartedourfirstFacebookgroupandworkedtomakesurethatourissues
were available on the department website thanks to the university Communications department, a group of staff
writers,andevenagraduatecorrespondent(Stefanie McHugh).Youshouldhaveseenthestaff meetingsinthose
dayswiththatmanypeopletryingtocramthemselvesintomyoffice(Imoveduptomycurrentlocationbackinthe
fallof 2007)!
By4.3,weknewthestaff hadrecognizedthatwehadchangedsosignificantlythatweneededtodo
something to solidify that change, and The Inkwell became The Inkwell Quarterly.AsMattKogoyexplained,“In
ordertomeetthedemandsof anexpandingreadingaudienceandacademicparadigm,The Inkwell is now titled The
Inkwell Quarterly” because “I felt envious of other academic publications renowned for their prestigious voice in the
scholarly world, and so felt Wilkes deserves some recognition in this respect, as well.” Promising to “continue to
offer past favorites such as ‘Kuhar’s Corner,’ the game, and ‘The Senior Spotlight,’” IQ planned to “delve into new
areas of interest based on faculty and student input.”
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Volume 10 Issue 4
L.J. Smith, Writers for Hire, and the CW
by Tara Giarratano and Dr. Marcia K. Farrell
MF: I remember first being introduced to The Vampire Diaries trilogy in the early 1990s. At the time, the mega bookstore
featuring cafes and comfortable seating wasn’t even part of the book-buying culture yet, and if you didn’t take a trip to
Waldenbooks in the Millcreek Mall in Erie (where I grew up), the closest place where you could find age-appropriate
books was Kmart. (My parents live out in the county, so a trip to the Mall just to dally around Waldenbooks wasn’t a light
undertaking before I was able to drive.) At any rate, because no one quite knew what to do with Smith’s vampire books (there
really wasn’t a publisher-designated category for “Young Adult”—which, incidentally, is NOT a genre, but a sales category),
her books were housed between the Sweet Valley High series, The Babysitters’ Club, and Sweet Valley Twins. I remember that they
looked new and edgy, and as a seventh-/eighth-grader who loved reading and was fascinated by the supernatural, I was intrigued…
TG: When I was in middle school, my future sister-in-law introduced me to the works of LJ Smith. She had grown up reading
The Vampire Diaries and Smith’s multitude of other supernatural series in the late nineties. Rebekah was especially disappointed
that she had donated her LJ Smith collection just weeks before she began dating my brother. The Marian Sutherland Kirby
Library in Mountaintop had an impressive collection of dated Smith paperbacks, but in 2009, when the series was adapted
for television by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson of the CW, reprints of her novels started popping up everywhere. Plec’s
adaptation of The Vampire Diaries was an explosive success, but it was Twilight author Stephanie Meyer who got the credit for
reinvigorating vampire fiction-specifically as it was written for young adults.
MF: You’re absolutely right! Smith came way before the Twilight phenomenon.
TG: Thirteen-year old me was perplexed by the popularity of Twilight. I found Edward Cullen’s extreme brooding and Bella
Swan’s problematic lack of agency to make for a disturbing, if not downright creepy, relationship. For that reason, I especially
enjoyed The Vampire Diaries. Smith’s Elena Gilbert, while also in love with a teenage vampire, was habitually autonomous
and regularly took her fate into her own hands if it meant protecting those she loved. Stefan Salvatore, her morally righteous
vampire, too came as a breath of fresh air after the disturbances of Twilight.
MF: Agreed. Smith’s Elena is a strong, empowered young woman, who despite being seventeen at the start of the series, is
written as smart, cunning, and a real go-getter. In the first novel, The Awakening, one of my favorite moments is when Elena
drags her best friends Bonnie and Meredith to the cemetery (teenage gothic novel, people. They hung out in cemeteries a lot),
and makes them swear to do whatever they can to help Elena get Stefan. Smith even describes Elena’s smile as “feral” when
she declares that Stefan is hers (58). And, even when Elena does become a vampire, her great gift isn’t some ridiculousness
about unnatural self-control and possession. She’s dangerous and deadly.
As for Stefan, his ethical and moral positioning in the Smith novels is so much more complicated and authentic than
what Meyers does with Edward Cullen, especially since there are so many pieces of The Vampire Diaries novels that Meyers
appears to have (mis)appropriated. One example of such misappropriation would be Meyers development of the character
of Jacob Black, who, like Smith’s Tyler Lockwood, discovers he’s a werewolf in the course of the series. Tyler’s werewolf
curse causes him to behavior more violently than he would otherwise, culminating in his near rape of Elena at one point. This
attempt to assert dominance through sexual violence is significantly problematized in Meyers, whose Jacob kisses Bella against
her will, claiming that even though she breaks her hand in punching him afterwards that she really wanted to kiss him, and
then essentially lets Jacob off the hook for being sexually aggressive. One would think that Meyers, writing well into the dawn
of the twenty-first century would be more sensitive to the promotion of rape culture, but she isn’t. Rather, Smith, writing in
the early nineties, clearly sets up Tyler as the bad guy in her series, and he is never forgiven for attacking Elena.
TG: Yes, Meyers seems to have misinterpreted the fundamentals of LJ Smith’s novels in reworking the teen vampire trope
for publication a decade and a half later. I think that one reason why The Vampire Diaries television series has been such a
rousing success is because Plec’s and Williamson’s resurrection of Smith’s Gothicism brought the novels up to date without
compromising the integrity of Smith’s myriad troop of characters. The period in which Smith was writing did not allow her to
fully explore the implications of maturity the gothic themes she played with inevitably triggered. For me, the appeal to Smith’s
writing isn’t so much her texts themselves, but rather the seeds they planted for the future growth of teenage gothic fiction,
whether in print or on the silver screen. Meyers’s work does not reflect the evolution of Smith’s teenage Gothicism, as Plec’s
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Volume 10 Issue 4
and Williamson’s does. From a decontextualized perspective, Smith’s novels can be interpreted as children’s novels—albeit
racy and scary ones at that. The CW has served as an effective platform for exploring the potential for maturity Smith was able
to touch upon only in latent hints in order to achieve publication before teenage readers were validated with a marketing category
tailored to them.
MF: Great points! Yes! I think that Plec and Williamson were able to adapt The Vampire Diaries in a particularly meaningful
way so that it does speak to not only a teenage reading audience who was reintroduced to the novels but to an adult audience
who grew up with them. The introduction of twenty-first-century technology and the heightened focus on maturation in the
television series melds quite nicely with the foundation of narrative established by Smith. And, as a network, I think CW is
beyond compare with its ability to address that marketing audience, as it has been doing so since the late nineties with shows
like Dawson’s Creek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even their series that crossed into the adult world—like Charmed and
Angel—demonstrate the network’s agility at addressing multiple generations in relatively timeless ways. While FreeForm, the
former ABC Family, attempts to emulate this behavior, at times that network attempts to be too edgy, whereas the CW has an
established legacy of working with these types of dramas.
Part of the success of The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off, The Originals, though is that Smith’s novels from the nineties
provided a solid, almost timeless foundation for Plec and her team to play with for a network like the CW.
TG: Your analysis of Smith’s novels as “almost timeless” is especially accurate given the narrative origins of The Vampire
Diaries. After Smith’s first publication, a middle-grade supernatural novel, hit shelves in 1987, she was approached by an editor
at Alloy to write a series about a teenage girl in love with two vampire brothers. Smith was twenty-four at the time of accepting
the offer, and maintains that she was unaware that Alloy would control the intellectual property of the novels. Alexandra
Atler, in a 2014 interview with Smith published on The Wall Street Journal’s website, reveals that “[Smith] drew on characters
and scenes that she had created for an adult novel she was writing at the time: ‘I cannibalized a book that I was tinkering
with and pulled out my best characters’ [Smith] says” (Alter). While The Vampire Diaries novels are considered juvenilia on a
surface level, they undoubtedly served as hearty source material for a television drama targeted towards twenty-somethings
and beyond. Plec’s and Williamson’s mature adaptation of the novels feels like a natural extension of Smith’s work into the
twenty-first century. It makes sense that Smith herself admits to pilfering from a novel written for adult readers in her for-hire
construction of The Vampire Diaries.
Source:
Alter, Alexandra. “Vampire Diaries writer Bites Back.” Wall Street Journal. 17 April 2014. Web. 7 April 2016.
MF: I’m so glad you brought up the story of the series publication and subsequent adaptation of The Vampire Diaries in
the CW television show because this story offers an interesting examination of the role of authorship within the corporate
sphere of book publication. Lots of popular novels are written by “writers for hire,” where the author is contracted through
his or her agent to pen a series based on a “marketable” premise. L. J. Smith’s story is particularly interesting because while
the original four novels of the series were all penned and published in the early 1990s, she took a hiatus from them for more
than a decade before the CW decided to try and produce the television show. At that point, Alloy decided to have her pen
additional novels featuring the characters in quasi-trilogy format. Because I remembered enjoying the novels as a tween, I
picked up the new trilogy—The Vampire Diaries: The Return, and, because of what I assume may have been pressure from Alloy
to “update” the storyline, was immediately thrown out of the story which was suddenly bound by technological advances and
time-specific information that very clearly situated the novels in the twenty-first century. This disconnect between the original
novels and those of The Return was jarring and, to be honest, frustrating because the charm and eloquence of the original series
was suddenly morphed into something that didn’t quite fit with the narrative that Smith had crafted.
Tara, you have some information on the publication history, I believe.
TG: Harper Collins bought the series from Alloy and published the first three Vampire Diaries novels in 1991 and the fourth in
1992. Smith was prolific for the next eight years, simultaneously writing a number of supernatural series geared towards young
adults. In 1998, Smith stopped writing to care for several ailing family members. When television adaptation for the series
began a decade later, Smith struck a deal with Alloy to write three more novels. As of 2014, Smith’s series had sold over five
million copies, for which Smith has received 50% of the royalties (Atler). Deciding to part ways over creative differences—
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Volume 10 Issue 4
MF: According the blogosphere and some fan exchanges with Smith, Alloy was unhappy that she was building up a BonnieDamon pairing while maintaining the Stefan-Elena relationship (along with Elena’s complicated love for Damon, as well).
Supposedly, Alloy wanted the books to be somewhat concurrent with the television show by pushing for a Damon-Elena relationship—
TG: In 2011, Alloy declined to renew Smith’s contract and hired a ghost writer instead. Smith says she suspects the publisher
wanted the novels to closely track the plotting of the television series, but admits that “’I didn’t realize they could take the
series away from me…I was heartbroken’” (Atler).
In what Atler denotes “one of the stranger comebacks in literary history,” Smith has decided to continue publication of her
version of The Vampire Diaries via Amazon’s digital fanfiction sector, Kindle Worlds. (Atler). Atler asserts that this “parallel
fictional universe” is regarded by many of Smith’s hardcore fans as “more legitimate than official canon” (Atler). A series’
original writer continuing to exert creative control through unofficially official fanfiction is a fascinating concept, especially
given our extensive discussion in ENG 397: Whodunnits, Harry Potter, and the Impact of the Novel in Fall 2015 regarding
the ways in which writers can continue to expand canon post-publication via technology.
MF: This complicated publication narrative really does set up a riveting discussion about authorship, authenticity, and the
publisher-author dynamic—a dynamic that I think we often forget about when surrounded by piles of books we deem worthy
of study. All books have been published by some publishing house. And, when thinking about the politics and difficulties that
we don’t often hear about within the publishing world, I think we’re forced to confront the fact that perhaps our dismissal of
the self-publishing phenomenon might be short-sighted, to a degree.
TG: LJ Smith’s first novel length fanfiction for sale via Amazon is titled Evensong: Paradise Lost. It picks up where the seventh
Vampire Diaries novel and last to be written by LJ Smith, Midnight leaves off. Following Evensong: Paradise Lost, Smith published
a novella length fanfiction titled Evensong Part 2: The War of the Roses. As of 2014, Smith announced plans to write eight more
novels to bring her version of The Vampire Diaries to a close.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
A Very Merry Unbirthday
by Matthew Kogoy
Since joining The Inkwell Quarterly in 2008, it’s been exciting to watch it burgeon into what it is today. After 10 years,
it’s safe to say that IQ has become a department fixture, and I’m very proud to have been a part of its history. In small part to
my efforts and even larger consideration and commendation to others who have worked to make IQ a proud marker of the
English department, I am humbled to be asked to write about my experience while a part of the IQ staff.
My time as Editor-In-Chief was eventful. Together with Dr. Farrell and the rest of the staff, we managed to enact
some changes and tweak the publication’s standards a bit. The Reformation began with a simple name change—The Inkwell
became The Inkwell Quarterly. Nothing spectacular, but it got the ball rolling. At the time, I was reading several academic
journals and had the thought that maybe IQ could take on a similar identity. So, I went to Dr. Farrell, explained my concerns,
and decided that I wanted IQ to adopt a more informed and cultured perspective. To my great delight, it did just that. And
soon we were churning out articles that were tackling interesting topics and writing about ideas that went beyond Wilkes’ campus.
We were, in essence, committed to creating a conversation that not only bridged other disciplines, but also other
universities. If I’m not mistaken, it was about this time that the university implemented a Core Curriculum (maybe Reading
Across the Curriculum: Writer’s note- please check into this for me. I’m not sure of the exact name or title. Thank you). With
the help of my staff and Dr. Farrell, we began writing articles about the arts and the sciences and even started bringing on
writers from other majors. We even began submitting articles on the arts and popular culture. Being the film buff I am, I even
got to write a couple reviews on some of my favorite flicks.
I am proud to say that in the two years I spent as Editor-In-Chief so much was accomplished. Due to the diligence
and dedication of my phenomenal staff, the excellent guidance from Dr. Farrell and a little creativity on my part, we were able
to transform this little newsletter into, arguably, a cornerstone in the English department. Since I’ve been gone, I know that
more changes have been made for the better. I’m a firm believer that you can never stop improving and I’m glad to see others
take over and use their talents to make IQ their own. I hope that this “tradition” continues and that others find as much joy as
I found in joining IQ.
Book Review: Pointe
by Elissa McPherson
Pointe is told from the point of view of main character Theo, who is focused on
maintaining her position as the best in her ballet class and completing her last year of high
school. She has struggled with mental illness due to the disappearance of her best friend
Donovan, but after spending some time in a mental hospital, she feels ready to finish her
senior year and become a professional dancer. Four years after Donovan goes missing he
returns, and has taken a vow of silence. He won’t talk about his abductor or even where
he was held captive, creating a problem for investigators and his legal team. When the
main suspect pleads not guilty, Theo realizes that she must dig up the demons she buried
long ago to get justice for her best friend, even if it destroys her mental health that she has
worked so hard to repair.
The story is written through the flow of Theo’s thoughts, and the reader is brought
on the roller coaster of her emotions as she feels them. Though at times can be tough to
follow, it explains her reasons for making the decisions that she does, even if she knows she
isn’t making the best ones. The story focuses less on Donovan’s kidnapping, instead making
his disappearance and sudden return in Theo’s life the focal point. The reader is shown how much these events have drained
her mentally, while also helping her to realize and accept the harmful events that have happened in her past.
Brady Colbert has molded a story that discusses almost every trope and stereotype associated with young adults,
and laces them into a powerful, yet heartbreaking story. Theo has many problems and imperfections, which makes it easy for
the reader to relate to her. Pointe is an inspiring story about strength in times of weakness, and it discusses just how much one
decision can impact your entire life.
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Fall 2016 Course Offerings
ENG 376: Studies in Modern American Poetry
MWF 10-10:50
Dr. Mischelle Anthony
In this course, students will examine selected North, Central, and South American poetry from the twentieth and
twenty-first centuries. The course will emphasize the details of poetic form, language, and tension as we work to understand
how these texts grow from their cultural moments.
Possible Assignments
Author /context introduction
Weekly reading responses including craft exercises
Research project (presentation, essay)
Midterm & final exams
Eng 397 Seminar: Studies in the American Novel
TR 3:00-4:15
Dr. Sean J. Kelly
This course will examine the American novel from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century.
Although our approach to these works will remain open and speculative, our tentative focus will be on the complex problem
of identity (racial, sexual, regional, national, class, spiritual, and intellectual) in American life. Because this is a seminar,
students will be expected to not only present scholarly research that extends our discussion of these works, but also develop
an extended research project that will be delivered as part of a public showcase near the end of the semester.
Course Requirements: All students are expected to complete the required reading and participate in class discussions. Formal
writing assignments will include: a midterm essay, an informal in-class presentation (10-15 minutes), a formal conference-style
presentation of research, and a final 18-20 page research paper. *Students may take elect to take the course as a fulfillment of
the genre requirement (equivalent to ENG 352) with the department chair’s approval.
ENG 398: Horror and Science-fiction in Modern Literature (DH elective)
TR 1:00-2:15
Dr. Chad Stanley
This course will focus on a close, careful, and historicized study of writings within the literary sub-genres of Horror
and Science-fiction, as represented by significant literary works in English and American literary history, from the late-19th
century to the present (Modernism to Postmodernism). We will study the contextualized work of writers who have shaped
these literary sub-genres, as well as examine how literary texts commonly placed within these sub-genres alternately: a) respond
to works within the preestablished literary canon, and to dominant literary movements; b) are often differentiated from
canonical works; and c) define new literary forms or larger movements, thus potentially revise and even redefine the literary
canon. We will consider the canonical inclusion of works generally placed within these sub-genres, the taxonomical exclusion
of these sub-genres from the canon of “mainstream” literature, and the ways in which these sub-genres participate in the
determination of Modernism and Postmodernism.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Favorite Article from IQs Past
by Tara Giarratano
My retro article of choice is “Pop Culture Literature vs The Canon” by Annie Yoskoski published by IQ in 6.4.
I enjoy this article written by Annie Yoskoski (who is now pursuing a law degree) because of how relevant discussions
regarding canon and the tension between pop-culture and the literary world continue to be. What properly constitutes cannon?
How do we measure literary value as students of English? Can once-popular texts achieve canonical value over time? These
are all questions we ponder often as students of English.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
ENG 342 Takes a Trip to Philadelphia
by Michael Morrison
Dr. Hamill and seven students,
mainly from the Studies in Shakespeare
class, traveled to Philadelphia on an April
Fools’ Day field trip to get a first-hand look
at some of Shakespeare’s earliest printed
texts and a professional rendition of Richard
III. The group first visited University of
Pennsylvania’s Van Pelt Library, in which
the university has amassed not only thousands
of scholarly books and journals, but also an
enormously large and diverse collection of
rare books, original manuscripts, and even
antique artifacts such as Ben Franklin’s
writing desk. After a tour of the main library,
the group took the opportunity to be able
to examine and handle several original folios
and quartos containing Shakespeare’s works
and other literature that was printed as early
as 1590. John Pollack, the library specialist,
who gave the class the tour, also facilitated
A manuscript of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
their session with the texts, some of which
were worth several million dollars. Pollack and
a student assistant carefully displayed the texts on felt stands in the Lea Library, which is an actual private room-sized library
that once belonged to a Philadelphia book collector, Henry Charles Lea, who lived during the latter half of the 18th century.
After acquiring the library, the university had disassembled, transported to the Van Pelt Library, and reassembled. Many of the
texts the students handled were a part of Lea’s own collection.
I was astonished to find that Pollack and the library staff allowed us to handle the books so readily. After a hand
washing, the only requirement Pollack gave us was to be careful. He explained that the university believed the books are not
just artifacts, but are to be learned from as any other book in the library. We were able and even encouraged to hold and turn
the pages of some of the earliest printed editions of Shakespeare’s famous plays. The majority of texts displayed were Merchant
of Venice, Richard III, and Hamlet because they were the most recent or current plays the class had been studying at the time.
Upon leaving the library, the class and Dr. Hamill killed some time with an exploration of UPenn’s campus and
dinner, and then made the short 30 minute trek to the People’s Light Theatre in Malverne, PA. There the group attended a
fantastic production of Richard III in which Shakespeare’s history play was accompanied by military garb and innovative digital
feature. At certain points during the play, the actor playing Richard of Gloucester, Pete Pryor, gave a speech or soliloquy into
a camera, which was simultaneously projected onto screens on either side of the stage in an interesting staging decision that
had the feel of self-documentation. The screens were also utilized to portray the ghosts that plague Richard’s dreams in Act
V. Pryor did a fantastic job portraying Richard as a dark and villainous yet charismatic and comedic leader that interacted well
with the other character and the even audience.
On the ride home and in the following class period, the class unanimously agreed that the play was very well directed
and staged, and it received a very positive reaction from both the class and the rest of the audience. Similarly, the class
approved of the library and rare book experience and appreciated the valuable materials with which we were provided. On the
whole, the trip was an immensely and equally enjoyable as it was educational.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Top photo: John Pollack facilitates the tour at the Lea Library. Photo courtesy of Jason Klus
Bottom photo: Students of Dr. Hamill’s classes pose for a photo at the end of the trip. Photo courtesy of Dr. Hamill
13
Volume 10
Issue 4
Continuedfrompage5.
Matt and I had several discussions about his “vision” for IQ, and one of the primary changes he wanted
to make was to move us from being a newsletter that came out maybe once a semester was to a regular publication
that came out twice a semester and had more of a magazine feel to it. To that end, we began to publish a variety
of articles—fromexplanationsof MiddleStatesaccreditationtoalumnifeaturesandfilmreviews.Wealsodecided
to make a drastic change in our look and went from black and white to color (both because it was eye-catching
and because we found out that color copies would not be an extra charge to the department). Our new masthead
looked like this:
Whileweretainedtheoldquillandinkwellclipart,weoptedforasleeker,moreprofessionallookandmovedtothe
traditional blue and yellow coloring accents.
Of coursethefollowingyear,weplayedquiteabitwithourcolors.OptingforaHalloween-themed5.1:
toaChristmas-coloredthemed5.2:
backtothemoretraditionalblueandyellowfor5.3and5.4:
Wealsostartedtoplaywithourquillandinkwellcornerphotoabit.
Theissuesbegantogrowandbecomelonger,with5.2totalingsixteenpages.Thatyearwepublisheda
serializedmurder-mysterystorywitha“guesstheauthor”game(Specialissue5.5containedthestory’sconclusion
which revealed the authors as consisting of the then-editors, Matt Kogoy, Phil Muhlenberg, Justin Jones, Dave
Cook, Matt Kovalcik, and Tony Thomas).Wealsopublishedtwospecialissues—theaforementioned5.5and
issue5.2½,whichwasaspoof versionof Dickens’ A Christmas Carol by Holly Evans.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Matt’s vision of our little publication starting to push the boundaries and become a staple of the department
began to be realized with volume 5, and I will always view his tenure as our lead editor as the moment that shaped
the vision of IQ.
With Matt’s graduation, IQ was under the direction of Dave Cook, who decided to expand the scope of The
Inkwell Quarterly even further. Dave’s work took Matt’s vision and turned it into a mission statement of sorts. In
his first issue in this new role, Dave took on the title of “Editor-in-chief ” because we had moved beyond needing
a managing editor. His idea was that our issues would be longer, contain even more interesting information and
reviews, and do things that went well beyond what would normally be expected in a newsletter. To that end, I think
it’s appropriate to reprint his Editor-in-chief introductory letter to reader in its entirety:
Dear readers,
As you may have noticed, the Inkwell Quarterly has undergone some changes this year under the direction
of senior Matt Kogoy and the rest of the editorial staff. We’ve changed the colors, the name, and added a
serialized Murder Mystery story. All things, we believe, help better reflect not only our own personal ideas,
but embody who we are as a department. In issue 5.4, the new Editorial Board has started making more
subtle changes which we believe will continue to push our publication forward. We want to be more than a
newsletter, and the English Department deserves more than just a newsletter.
The study of English is a study of the exploration of language and human emotion, and we, the Editorial
Board, intend to bring Inkwell Quarterly into that study. In order to achieve this goal, we believe IQ must
become more investigative, more assertive, and more diverse. Essentially, IQ will become the voice that
Salman Rushdie spoke of: the voice of literature with its ability to challenge authority and change society.
This is a lofty goal which will require not only dedication from the staff, but the appreciation and passion
of our readers. The meaning of language is constructed through communal understanding, and in order for
Inkwell Quarterly to harness the true potential of language, we will need all of you.
In issue 6.1, you will see new features, including a critical analysis of the winning Manuscript poem from their
Spring release, music and book reviews, a new serial story, and a brand new layout. Of course, the new IQ will
still contain some of your favorite columns, including “Kuhar’s Corner” and “Hamill’s Hunches,” the latter
of which should be spectacular in the first fall issue given the great deal of time he has had to ponder on his
“hunch.”
The outgoing editors have done a fantastic job to move the Inkwell Quarterly forward, and we will follow
behind their bright, burning stars as they move out against the horizon illuminating their and our still
unknown futures.
Sincerely,
David Cook, Editor-in-chief While 6.1 only totaled sixteen pages, the other three issues that year were each twenty pages in length—a new record
for IQ. We had another serialized story written by Dave and Tony Thomas, this time a sci-fi/fantasy piece heavily
influenced by Dave’s love of Dr. Who entitled “The Prismatic Portal of the Professor.” We tackled stories about the
Flood of 2011, the research methodologies of faculty, the difficulty of wanting to go to graduate school but dealing
with other life-demands, music reviews, theatre reviews, Luzerne County history, the art of writing about food, the
differences between an M.A., MFA, and Ph.D., different study abroad experiences, recipes, film reviews, local events,
articles about contemporary authors, political commentary, and even an article about the narrative theory of video
games. While we found our focus with volume 5, we found our voice in volume 6—one that continues to shape
and reshape itself as a reflection of the concerns and thoughts that are specific to each cohort that takes control of
IQ.
15
Volume 10 Issue 4
Articles from English 234 Students.
The Prompt:
“What about the study of English stirs your blood?”
An Easy Choice
by Erin Michael
Becoming an English major was an easy choice for me. I have been a bookworm since I learned to read, so
I was naturally drawn to study the English language and literature. The first novel that made me realize how much
I love the study of English was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I was 13 at the time, and I instantly fell
in love with Smith’s characters and the honesty of her depiction of Brooklyn in the early 1900s. I reread the novel
every summer and each time read it I find something I hadn’t noticed the before and appreciate the all the small
details Smith included into the novel. Betty Smith’s writing is what led to my appreciation of literature, and what
led me to decide to major in English. My parents were supportive of my decision to study English, but other family
members and some of my teachers tried to convince me that I will never get a job or make money after college.
Despite having my parent’s support, I began to doubt my decision and started to consider switching majors. By the
time I started my freshman year at Wilkes, I thought I would change my major at some point during my first two
years. After taking both general education and upper level English courses, I realized how much I love studying the
English language and literature, and I no longer doubt my decision to major in English.
Fascinating Intricacies
by Andrea Circelli
I have always been interested in the study of English, particularly when discovering the viewpoints of
femininity and masculinity. After reading many different texts, I have noticed the apparent distinctions in these
viewpoints, and how different these concepts can become. I am always open minded to the different possibilities
that can ensue in a piece of literature before reading it. This is the main reason why studying English excites me.
Whether it is William Shakespeare or John Milton, I am fascinated with the many different ideas and
concepts that writers come up with and share in their stories. These ideas and concepts do not particularly pertain
to novels or plays. Even a poem that is only 5 lines long may include all of the thought and energy of a novel that is
50 pages long. Each time I open a text and read a poem, novel, or section of a piece of literature, I am expecting to
understand the author and be “in their shoes.” By studying English, I am beginning to have a grasp on how that is
done. I hope, as a future English educator, to bring those same emotions I feel when reading to my future students
and to help them “be the author” when reading pieces of literature.
Different Perspectives
by Michael Wozniak
The study of English provides a wealth of perspectives within one domain. As a reader, one is fortunate
to be able to seemingly get “lost” within a character, because that character seems so real. By reading, one is able
to learn about a particular character while learning about him or herself at the same time. Readers can laugh,
cry, empathize, and rejoice with characters from all walks of life, as time seems to stand still around them. In
that moment, worldly troubles disappear. The best part is that no matter how young or old someone is, or how
inexperienced or experienced of a reader they are, some genre is suitable and interesting enough. American novelist
Ernest Hemingway once said, “There is no friend as loyal as a book.” It is an exhilarating experience to witness a
character develop within 50 pages or 500 pages, just as humans develop.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
The Beauty of Language
by Emily Rose Deangelis
As a lover of the English language I must admit, loving English is no easy task. Loving math, biology, or
any of the physical sciences would be less of a challenge because of their concrete and definite nature. English,
however, lives in a world of abstract analysis, vague grammar rules, and arbitrary exceptions. In the three sentences
I’ve written thus far I have already started a sentence with a gerund, a coordinating conjunction, and committed the
sinful error of a comma splice. It pains me to leave them uncorrected.
The beauty in English is that these errors leave room for expansion- and our language is growing endlessly.
We, the speakers of English, have infinite power to change and add to the vocabulary. We’re the generation
responsible for making “Google” a verb, and creating gender neutral pronouns. However, we’re also the generation
that has created fleek, yolo, swag, and several other unrepeatable terms. While it makes my ears bleed when I hear
some of the crazy new phrases that are taking over youth slang, I must remind myself that this is the way language
grows and evolves.
Perhaps the one thing about studying English that I cannot tolerate is when people perceive my choice to
study English as an easy one. As much as I would not want to pursue a high level calculus course, the students in
that class would likely vomit at the thought of speaking Middle English or memorizing facts about the Great Vowel
Shift. While these are the students that frequently write their entire papers in a string of simple sentences, even their
use and misuse of the language is tolerable because they are progressing their own English skills. Although slight
grammar errors like confusing your and you’re are ugly and frustrating, there is something captivating in the fact
that we can all still communicate and understand one another regardless of imperfect grammar.
Expression and Freedom
by Eugene Vadella
English stirs my blood because, as a writer, I demand the right to put whatever I want into words. Since it
is my first language, English serves as my medium to express ideas to others, both written and orally. Freedom of
speech and the American English dialect go hand-in-hand. English to me is a way of life. It is a school subject,
like math or biology, yet it demands to be capitalized when written on paper. English, as literature, has been around
since the sixth century and has been expanding ever since; new words are created everyday and the variety of uses
a word can have in this language really has no boundaries. This is one of the beautiful things of the language that
gets me up in the morning- the fact that English is not set in stone. If it were, what else would there be to write
about?
Above all, English serves as a way to prevent oppression in society. It has been used to gain civil liberties, as we
know them today. If anyone in an English society is being mistreated, you know somehow, someway, they will
figure out how to put their feelings into words- to speak out against mistreatment. We, as an English speaking
society, must do our best to continue to preserve and create the language we love. If not, Newspeak may be in our
near future.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
by Sara Pisak
My retro article choice is, “Murder in Kirby Hall: Part Three.” The article was originally published in IQ 5.3.
I was instantly drawn to this article because it highlights what every Inkwell Staff member and English major
loves about the Wilkes University English department - locating “Hamill’s Hunches” and “Kuhar’s Corner” for
publication deadlines as well as references to Dr. Farrell’s amazing baking skills. Further, the article combines
elements of literature which I enjoyed studying the most: Gothic Literature and gothic conventions. Finally, the
article is a perfect example of what the Inkwell offers. The Inkwell offers students the opportunity to be creative and
to expand their writing and editing skills, while applying what they have learned in their various English classes.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
WGS Reading Recap
by Maddie Powell
The creative writing panel of the Women’s and Gender
Studies Conference was held in the Wilkes University Ballroom on
Monday, April 11, 2016. The event was sponsored by the Wilkes
University Manuscript Society and the King’s College Campion
Society. Readers presented original creative work ranging all
written genres, including poetry, fiction and nonfiction prose, and
even a dramatic performance from King’s Campion Society. Wilkes
English majors Gabriella Romanelli and Josephine Latimer, as
well as Dr. Mischelle Anthony each read original pieces of poetry.
The pieces presented at the reading concentrated on women’s issues
and personal experiences of women writers.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Puhak in Wilkes-Barre
by Jeremy Miller
Poet Shelley Puhak visited the Wilkes University English
department April 13th to conclude this year’s Spring Writer
Series, which also included visits from creative non-fiction writer
Maggie Messitt and novelist Andrew Krivak. Puhak, creative
writing professor at Notre Dame of Maryland University and
author of two poetry collections, Stalin in Aruba and Guinevere in
Baltimore, visited Dr. Hamill’s afternoon Shakespeare class as a
guest lecturer, hosted a poetry workshop, and read several poems
from both collections at the evening reading in the Kirby Salon.
While visiting the Shakespeare class, she discussed the
development of the sonnet as a poetic form, which she utilized
in her Two Sonnets for Torricelli, Inventor of the Barometer.
She explained that the form of the sonnet developed in 13th
century Italy, and that writers who use the form participate in a
conversation with those poets and all other poets who have done
the same since the creation of sonnet. She also discussed other
types of forms of poetry with structural limitations, including
the newly popular “twaiku,” which is simply a poem written on
Twitter and conforms to the 140 character limit of the social
media platform.
During the workshop, Puhak talked about the use of persona
in poetry, walking through a few preliminary practices and
eventually having the participants write their own persona poems.
She explained that writing a poem from a perspective different
from one’s own can often free the author from the fear of creating poetry from personal experiences by attributing
the emotions and experiences to a different speaker, and she began the process of creating the poems by asking
the participants to contribute a well-known character as a possible persona for a poem; these included Freddie
Mercury, Ishmael, and Dr. Seuss. Then each participant offered a specific location, such as a bedroom, and an
object, such as a pen or a car. Finally, she had us choose one item from each category – a character, a location, and
an object – and use them to create our own persona poems. After the exercise, several brave authors volunteered to
read their poems aloud for the rest of the workshop group.
In the evening, Puhak read some of her own persona poems, including “The Führer’s Girls,” which tells
the stories of Adolf Hitler’s five lovers from each of their individual perspectives. She also read a handful of
poems from Guinevere in Baltimore, each from the perspective of a character from Arthurian legend, set in Baltimore,
Maryland. Overall, Shelley Puhak’s visit to the university was a wonderful conclusion to an excellent Spring Writers
Series, and I look forward to next year’s series.
Coming Soon!
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Volume 10 Issue 4
A Reflection on Inkwell
by Tony Thomas
I was sitting in my armchair, contemplating jazz when
I heard a curious knock at my window. I set my brandy snifter
down and pulled the great curtains apart. At my window sill was a
curious owl. I opened the window and let the creature in.
“Dr. Farrell has a request of you”, the bird said.
That was a name that I have not heard in quite some time.
“She requests you to go and reminisce. Tell us all about
The Inkwell”, the owl said as it nudged my arm.
“Then write I shall,” I declared as I ran out of my study.
I remember the times writing for the Inkwell quite fondly.
The early days consisted of writing articles about activities around
Kirby Hall and then a feature or two. Perhaps, there was even an
interview I conducted. After many months of turning in articles
late, much like this one, I rose to the rank of Layout Editor and
The Inkwell’s new editorial staff revolutionized the publication.
Many long hours in a strange room in a strange building
dragging and dropping articles and photos. Cursing when Publisher
thought it could do better than I and my editorial colleagues. There
were times when I thought the Inkwell was becoming sentient.
The following year Dr. Farrell and the Editorial Staff
performed the sacred ritual of arranging a new editorial staff. There
was much smoke, fire, strange organ music and the occasional
sandwich from Circles as we discussed our vision for the next year.
My time as Copy Editor saw much excitement at The
Inkwell. My fellow Copy Editor David Cook and I, along with Dr.
Farrell, started a serialized murder mystery involving Inkwell Staff
Photo courtesy of Tony Thomas.
and some English faculty who wanted to have fun. The story was a
smash hit and was rumored to be nominated for a Noble Prize in Literature. We followed up that story with a wacky
sci/fi adventure that was the love child of Hunter S. Thompson and Phillip K. Dick.
I stared down at my quill pen and wondered what else, what else. Dr. Farrell informed me that word limits
were banished. Surely, she had waited for several Inkwell writers to leave before she’d allow ultimate freedom. No
word limits with the staff and editors I worked along side would have meant that we would still be working on the
Fall 2007 issue.
I turned to the owl and smiled. I handed him the parchment that I wrote on. This would be in great hands. All glory to
The Inkwell.
The Inkwell Quartlerly staff sends congratulations to this year’s new inductees into the
Alpha Gamma Alpha chapter of Sigma Tau Delta!
Taylor Balasavage
Jennifer Baron
Andrea Circelli
Mary Cordisco
Emily Rose Deangelis
Ashley Evert
Elyse Guziewicz
Robert Hildenbrand
Dian McKinney
Erin Michael
21
Jeremy Miller
Michael Morrison
Maddie Powell
Christopher Santo
Jocelyn Sickler
Volume 10 Issue 4
Why I Read
by Jennifer Baron
When I was a sophomore in high school, my English teacher asked all of us on the first day of school,
“Why do we read literature?” We needed to write down at least a five-sentence response to this question for
homework to hand in. To this day, I have never spent so much time thinking about how to answer a question. In
short, I came to the conclusion that we read literature to connect ourselves to the world around us. Literature allows
us to experience so many different types of situations, stories, and individuals, all within the confines of a book. It
was because of this one assignment that I became fascinated with English, and used it as a source of inspiration for
my decision to pursue my dream of becoming a high school English teacher. I hope that one day, I can teach my
students the same lessons and values about English that my teacher instilled within me.
Nostalgia and Sentiment
by Rebecca Voorhees
When I was a little girl, my grandmother read to me whenever I stayed over her house. We would snuggle
up together and open a book underneath a dim, ornate lamp. This may sound like the average childhood story time,
but my grandmother did not read books like Cat in the Hat or The Hungry Little Caterpillar to me. Instead, we read
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous collection of detective mysteries, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I ran my
fingertips over the smooth, evergreen leather binding and embraced the crisp scent of each page. With every word,
I held my breath in anticipation and wonder. I painted the spots on the scales of the speckled-band when I closed
my eyes, and felt the steam burn my ears when the nefarious Stark got away.
These emotions and memories are what inspired me to study English at Wilkes. Literature has a beautiful
complex quality that appeals to my sentimental being. Language is not just a way of communicating with others, but
it is also a way of motivating one’s self interests and dreams. A part of me would be withheld if I could not relish
in the art, history and depth of English studies.
Just Can’t Stop
by Salena Diaz
I am not pursuing an English major, or even an intentional minor at this point in my career, but I can’t bring
myself to stop taking English classes. Stopping would be like leaving a part of me unused. It is because the study
of English stirs my blood (in a good way).
It is difficult to put into words, but to explore a written piece more deeply than I would have otherwise done is such
a rewarding experience. Before any analysis is even done, the words are able to move me and make me feel closer
to the creative brilliance that goes on in a writer’s brain. Then when I can get over my gut emotional reaction,
performing a close reading puts me inside of the work and makes me feel like a Batman-level detective, finding
clues that the passive reader may have missed. It helps me to learn about history when it was present, often on an
individual scale. It helps me find art in places I would have never thought possible. The study of English makes
me feel brighter and more in touch with the world and that is why I love it!
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Why Did I Choose to Become an English Major?
by Dian McKinney
Why did I chose to become an English major? Why would anyone? Why did I chose a major that I knew
would force me to push the limits of my own creativity? Why would I chose a major that spoke to my heart when
my head repeatedly barked at me, “You need to have a plan and make money after college.” It took me a long time
to come to this conclusion, and it might have been the most risky decision I have made in my entire life.
In middle and high school, I had always pushed myself to be successful in the STEM subjects: Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics. I had taken almost every honors science class I could get into, including Honors
Biology, Chemistry, and AP Biology. In every one of these classes, I was up until the late hours of the night (which
is around 11:00PM for high school students) cramming information a few days before the test. For some reason,
I just didn’t understand the information and could not grasp why it wasn’t speaking to me as it did with my fellow
students. It was as if Biology and my mind were constantly in opposition of each other, just like same sides of two
magnets.
This occurred within me for a long 3 ½ years until I finally took my first college Dual-Enrollment English
class in my senior year. I still remember the spunky professor that was clearly annoyed with her role as an instructor
for us high school students. She assigned us a whopping 10-page research paper on any topic that we could pick,
due at the end of the semester. Our only response was a predictable, simultaneous groan. However, throughout
the semester as I wrote and researched more for my paper, I realized that my hard work was paying off. This was
something that I could be good at! Every time I showed my professor my progress, I realized that my dedication
and hard work paid off.
Throughout this semester, and going into my second Dual-Enrollment class of my senior year, I realized
that English had changed my life. My second college English professor, who taught a general literature and poetry
class, revealed the depth and passion within English through our readings of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The
Yellow Wallpaper” and Naguib Mahfouz’s “Arabian Nights and Days,” two of my favorite pieces of literature and
poetry. I stayed up through the late hours of the night (12:30AM for a transitioning college student) reading and
rereading the pieces, highlighting and taking intense notes of the key moments and themes. Whereas my late night
experiences with Biology and Chemistry had been stress-filled and teary-eyed, those with literature felt like a job
well done, a breath of fresh air.
Although studying English involves hundreds of pages of reading every week, long, quality papers, and
numerous meetings with professors to forever continue one’s progress, the feeling of a job well done is invaluable.
Through this experience, I have learned that, to be the best yourself, you cannot look outward at what the world
expects of you. If you are descendant of doctors and aspire to become a teacher, don’t hesitate to go forth with
your dream. Furthermore, if your parents have never attending college, and you want to achieve a degree, go forth.
If I could give one piece of advice to any incoming first-year student, I would tell them to take the risk and go forth
with what calls to their heart. Their head will be following closely after.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
by Jason Klus
I’m going to go for Kuhar’s Corner from issue 6.2, subtitled “Revising the Postmodern Set List: Making
Music and Literature Real.”
The article itself reads like one of Dr. Kuhar’s lectures: fragmented, full of postmodern jargon, and even
at times metatextually pointing out its own awareness as a piece within the IQ. Looking away from the trademark
Kuharian discourse, the piece tells us something about ourselves that is undeniable: “Our writing–essays, texts,
emails, Facebook posts, everything–tell[s] us something about who we are.” While Dr. Kuhar connects twenty-first
century music to works of contemporary literature (using examples like Foster the People’s likeness to Truman
Capote and Mumford and Sons’ similarities to Toni Morrison), his discussion of writing is what remains
important and captivating. He argues that what we write is a “song we sing,” and that in his own drafting process,
“[his] soul cried out for a reality that was not an imitation of self.” In a way only he can explain, Dr. Kuhar reminds
us of something we should already know: to write what you know and to write what you love. I think that this
advice is something that has already given the IQ a new scope and will continue to affect the way the IQ staff writes
for editions to come.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
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Volume 10
Issue 4
Volume7allowedustobeatourrecordof twentypageswiththetwenty-four-page7.2,thatfeatureda
photo of Gabby Zawackiinherfamoushotdogcostumeonthefrontcover.Underthedirectionsof Annie
Yoskoski, then Gabby Zawacki and Kendra Kuhar,volume7soughttoincludemorephotographs,innovative
games,andmoreinformationpertinenttomajorsandminors,suchasthenewrequirementsfromthePDEfor
English-SecondaryEducationmajors.Weevenincludedafewarticlesonphilosophy,thankstothen-majorJohn
Carroll,anEnglish-Philosophydoublemajor.
With Kendra KuharasEditor-in-Chief forvolumes8and9,IQcontinueditsfocusonvarietyof content
andseemedtofinditsgroove.Weinitiatedthe“FreshmanFaces”featuretowelcomeincomingfreshmanintothe
program,GuestFacultyarticlessothatthedepartmentfacultycouldhaveyetanotheroutletforramblingonand
ontoyou,theinclusionof articlesbystudentsinourfirst-everEnglish222course—theinauguralcoursefor
theDigitalHumanitiesconcentration,guestAlumni-authoredarticlessuchasMattKogoy’sRhetoricof Hockey
piecein8.3,therecurringContemporaryAuthorscolumn,anincreasedfocusonthedesignandvisualsof IQ,
albumreviews,andastrongerattentiontoreviewsabouttexts—sincetextsarethecoreof whatdrawspeopleto
theEnglishprograminthefirstplace.UnderKendra’sleadership,IQ was able to relax and be able to put out its
issueswithoutthenaggingandcajolingof writerstogettheirarticlesinthatusedtotakeplaceinthepast.Because
writerswerewritingaboutthingsthattheyfoundinteresting,theywereabletogettheirworkinratherquickly.
Also,westreamlinedmuchof ourcopyeditingandlayoutprocesses,asJason Klus and Nicole Kutostookoveras
ournewLayouteditors.
WhileIwasonsabbaticalforthefirsthalf of volume9,andDr.Kuhartemporarilytookoverthereigns
asfacultyadvisor,whatIsawuponmyreturnintheSpringof 2015wasthatIQ was fully ensconced in its current
identity.And,wehadyet,anothernewmastheadandanother,easier-to-readprimaryfont:
And,thankstothenewDigitalStudio,wewereabletoutilizethenewcomputersandtheirsoftwareto
createmoreprofessional-lookingissuesthatusedindustry-standardtechniques.Again,thankstoJasonandNicole
who actually know how to use this software and were able to use beautiful digital photography so that our images
are now crisp and clear.
Thisvolume,ourTENTHvolume,ledbythetalentedTara Giarratano, has taken IQevenfurther.Not
only has Tara been able to create a relaxed atmosphere for the IQstaff,butalsowehavedelvedevenfurtherinto
ourexaminationof books,movies,mini-series,questionsof authorshipandcopyright,concernsaboutauthorcontrolledcriticisminadigitalage,differentapproachestothenovel,atoptenreasonswhy10.2lackedaHamill’s
Hunches,areviewof thenewMerriam-Websterwebsite,andevenquestionsaboutthenatureof sequels.This
volume,perhapsmorethananyof ourothers,isprofoundlyconcernedwithtext—thewayweconsumeit,theway
itsdistributed,thewaywereacttoit,andeventhewaythatweproduceit—whichisratherfitting,giventhefactthat
as a text, IQhashadaratherinterestingcharacterdevelopmentalongtheway.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
So, indulge me for a moment as I thank our current staff: Editor-in-Chief Tara Giarratano, Head Copy
Editor Sara Pisak, Copy Editor Assistant Grace Graham, Layout Editors Jason Klus and Nicole Kutos,
Staff writers Mackenzie Egan, Brooke Giarratano, Matt Judge, Elissa McPherson, Jeremy Miller, Tobias
Mintzmyer, Michael Morrison, and Maddie Powell, Faculty Columnists Dr. Thomas A. Hamill and Dr. Larry
Kuhar, and all of our wonderful guest contributors for this extra-special tenth anniversary issue. You make this job
easy. Love you!
English students and faculty from the department’s spring picnic on April 21.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Marcia K. Farrell.
27
Volume 10 Issue 4
My Guilty Pleasure: “Forensic Files”
by Kendra Kuhar
I work at Cigna, and am preparing law school and graduate program
applications. Since graduating, I’ve read a variety of work ranging from
Susanna Clarke’s “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell” to Shonda Rhimes’
“Year of Yes.” I look forward to seeing what the future brings regarding the
next step in my education and career.
If you missed the first 400 episodes of “Forensic Files,” don’t sweat
it— re-runs play almost every day on HLN and new episodes air on Saturday
nights. The show’s non-fiction crime tales take viewers through processes
used by investigators and scientists to solve mysteries. Peter Thomas
narrates each 30 minute episode with both enthusiasm and compassion to
tell a compelling story. It is usually obvious who committed the crime early
on in each episode; however, the way the forensic investigators find proof to
support their suspicions fuels the fascinating series.
“Forensic Files” is the perfect guilty pleasure television series that you
can easily get addicted to because it satisfies two key elements: entertainment
and a large quantity of episodes. The show has been on-going for 16 seasons
and Thomas’ voice will pull you into the heart of a storyline before you
Photo courtesy of Kendra Kuhar.
even realize it. Current primetime television slots with the common crime
theme include series such as “How to Get Away With Murder” and “Person of Interest.” More recently, non-fiction
crime sparked interest through Netflix in which a documentary titled “Making a Murderer” grabbed the attention
of millions— and made way for petitions to get a seemingly-innocent Steven Avery out of prison. Don’t get me
wrong— I am an advocate for primetime television shows and the current popular choice; however, “Forensic
Files” has 16 seasons and supports binge-watching habits because it can be watched on Netflix, Hulu and HLN.
The first episode aired in 1996, and has a timeless quality to it that is difficult to find in other guilty
pleasures. If you’ve never watched “Forensic Files” but have tuned into “C.S.I.” (or any of its counterparts), you
may find yourself closer to “Forensic Files” than you think— the franchise has been inspired by the documentary
crime series. The backbone of the true crime series is this: it is well-produced and the stories are told, structured
and paced in a way for the audience to keep up with both the science and emotion of each tragedy.
“Forensic Files” satisfies qualities needed to meet both guilty pleasure and binge-worthy criteria, but would
be incomplete if not for its threat to productivity. Amidst a 40-hour work week, my most productive time lies
between the hours of 6:30pm and 11:00pm and are utilized for LSAT preparation. Naturally, “Forensic Files”
begins airing repeats shortly before I need to go to sleep and all of a sudden its 1:00 in the morning. I would not
recommend “Forensic Files” as background noise while trying to study efficiently; although they are re-runs, you
may still find yourself as interested in the episode as you were the first time you saw it. However, if you’re looking
to procrastinate a simple task like putting away laundry then “Forensic Files” may be the guilty pleasure, bingewatching television program for you.
Game Answers:
1. A Discovery of Witches
6. The Tempest 11. Frankenstein
2. War and Peace
7. To the Lighthouse
12. Dr. Zhiavago
3. Ulysses
4.Clarissa
5. Pride and Prejudice
8. Possession
9. The Princess Diaries
10. HP/Sorcerer’s Stone
13. Murder on the Orient Express 14. The Sign of Four
15. Wicked
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Articles from English 120 Students.
The Prompt:
“What is one book that changed your world view and why?”
1984
by Mackenzie Egan
1984 is a dystopian novel written by George Orwell, published in 1949 through Harvill Secker in London, England.
The novel is a politically fueled science-fiction novel depicting a dystopian society where the leading figure is an illusory being under the
name Big Brother. Orwell creates a unique environment in 1984, one that was never before seen at the time of the novel’s publication.
The environment Orwell creates in the novel does not reflect the usually warm, luxurious, if not overly sterile,
environment created by utopian authors before the novel’s publication. Instead, Orwell uses an environment of cold filth and
destruction, following his belief that technology will not improve the overall condition of life. On the contrary, Orwell was a
serious believer that technology would hinder instead of enhance and that is why air warfare and V-bombs play a crucial role in the novel.
Orwell’s ideas about comfort and the enhancement of technology stem from the idea that to frustrate one’s enemies
or move towards a goal one will eagerly toss aside comfort of the whole. 1984 was based on Orwell’s beliefs and the
experience he had living in London during World War II. 1984 was also influenced by several utopian writers, including H.G.
Wells and Jack London. Wells, Orwell accredited, gave him ideas about the speculation socialism and its appeal. The context
with which Orwell gives Wells credit is the idea that socialism appeals to people because of orderliness, the connection to all
things being dictated and laid out step by step. London, on the other hand, thought about the shift to socialism as a difficult
occurrence, an idea that greatly influenced the inspiration behind 1984.
Another connection between Orwell’s thought process and London’s is the idea that language influences perception
and a man’s mind. Thus concepts like doublethink and newspeak are sprouted, both of which were created by Orwell as a
creation of his totalitarian government. Both doublethink and newspeak are both language constructions meant to twist the
truth, or forgo it all together, and to instill fear in the citizen’s Big Brother rules over. The constructs of language, as well
as the governmental controls and the environment of the novel, are what Orwell feared for the future of humanity. A fear
Orwell developed from novels he’d read and his experiences living in London during World War II.
1984 has been adapted several times. Two television adaptations in the early 1950s were followed shortly thereafter
by the first of three big screen adaptations, 1984, which came out in 1956. In 1984, a commercial for the Macintosh was aired
during Super Bowl XVIII titled 1984, and loosely based on the novel. 1984 also saw another film adaptation for the novel,
being the most recent this adaptation is the one most people are familiar with. Lastly, Brazil, a movie based on both 1984 and
8½ directed by Federico Fellini aired in 1985.
1984 has inspired me ever since I was fourteen years old, the beautifully done writing and ideas Orwell presents
leaving a lasting impression. An impression that inspired me to aim to write something one day that leaves as great an
impression on someone else.
What got to me the most was the ending of the book, in those final lines when Orwell claims that Winston loves
Big Brother that has stuck with me. Those lines stuck me because they’ve entranced me, brought a whole new idea of reality
to me. While reading that final chapter I began to wonder if the content was what was meant to happen, if Winston was
really killed or if the bullet was a metaphor of something bigger. These thoughts brought about another one; “What if our
perception is all illusory, what if all we see, all we interact with, is just a construct of our own imagination?” If Orwell meant
for the metaphysical when Winston is shot, then are we to expect that Big Brother was all just a construct of Winston’s
imagination? Or his whole affair with Julia, his encounters with O’Brien, was that all made up while Winston rotted in a cell somewhere?
Knowing what I do about the forces that shaped Orwell’s writing of 1984, I truly believe Orwell chose the wording he
did to make readers wonder. If there was something he devised while writing the novel that included a very broad ending, with
many possible understandings, especially considering Winston’s death does not follow the mold of the other traitors to Big
Brother, all of whom were hung publically. O’Brien tells Winston he will die the way his execution is carried out, leaving more
speculation as to why the execution was carried out that way. And also supports the idea that Orwell might have made up more
than half the events that happened to him during the novel, presumably as far back as his first interaction with O’Brien.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Cat’s Cradle
by Carissa Wehr
If someone were to walk up to me and ask me which piece of literature has changed my world view the most, I would
hands down reply with Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. Cat’s Cradle is a piece of literature that has changed my world view
because of the portrayal of religion’s acceptance or denial, the effect that power has on the attitudes of people, and the cynical
tone that results in apocalyptic doom. These factors really sculpted my world view because although you may find sick humor
in the novel, these are things that are true among the world today.
Today, people practice certain religions while pretending that they do not due to fear or shame forced upon them
by the higher powers or the people amongst them and refuse to admit to each other that they practice the same. Hypocrisy
involving religion is one of the major themes in Cat’s Cradle due to the immensely popular secret practice of Bokononism in
San Lorenzo, where Bokononism is punishable by “the hook.” This is relevant to many religions today with shaming such as
Muslim in the United States, which many people are becoming scared or embarrassed of practicing due to the views of the
higher powers and people amongst us, but many people in the states practice the Islamic religion.
Along with religion hypocrisy, people in power seem to care very little, if at all, about terrible things they are doing
to their enemies or even the people they are supposed to care about. We could compare this to Martin Shkreli who is a
pharmaceutical industry entrepreneur who raised the price of life-saving drugs excessively. Shkreli is in a high power position in the
pharmaceutical industry and because of excessive price hikes, people may not be able to get the necessary drugs to save their lives.
(I’m sure many of you have seen the video of him giving not a single care about this, if you haven’t, I suggest you check it out.)
The cynical tone of this novel, that is the fact of individuals being motivated by self-interest, like the higher powers,
results in the apocalyptic setting due to ice-nine. This book bears warnings that are relevant outside of the novel in the real
world. Despite the novel being fictional, it could be debated that the events and people that Vonnegut created for this novel are allegorical.
Therefore, Cat’s Cradle should be taken as a warning about what the future holds if we keep treating people as
something less than they are worth and religiously shaming people. We need to get a grip on who is in power and start caring
about other human beings rather than being egocentric or the future will turn out to be extremely dejected.
Hurt Go Happy
by Elissa McPherson
When I was in the fourth grade, my mother surprised me by bringing home a box of new books. In the box, there
was one book titled, Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby that caught my eye due to its futuristic looking cover. The book describes
the life of Joey Willis, a thirteen year old girl who went deaf at the age of six. Her mother doesn’t support her wish to learn
sign language, so she forces her daughter to read lips and carry around a microphone and speakers. One day while out in the
woods, she meets a man, Charlie, and his sign language speaking chimpanzee, Sukari. The three form a bond, and through
Sukari and her owner Joey is able to slowly learn sign language and communicate with those around her. One day, Charlie
dies and leaves Sukari under the ownership of Joey, who is now around sixteen years old. Joey gives Sukari to Charlie’s niece,
but since his niece has started her own family, she gives Sukari to a zoo. This poses a problem for the zoo, because she has
been raised by humans and has never seen another chimpanzee. Unsure what to do with her, the zoo gives up on Sukari and
sends her to an animal testing facility. Once Joey is able to, she flies out to the facility to rescue her old friend. She takes her
home with her, but Sukari soon dies of cancer due to the pesticides that were sprayed in her face. I remember Hurt Go Happy
being the first book I ever cried over. It exposed the harmful treatment of animals, and caused me to develop a passion for
boycotting products tested on animals at a young age.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
“Do You Still Chop Wood?”
by David Cook
“Do you still chop wood?”
No better question highlights the cultural disconnect which
must exist between me, having graduated in 2012, and you who
are graduating some four years later and beyond. To several of the
professors reading this, the question carries an identity, a weight; a
certain undefined, yet oddly specific moment in time. To the rest
of you, I am unaware entirely of any significance this question may
have. I do not have the luxuries of modernity on my side—what is
signified cannot be easily linked to its signifier. Such is the curse of
the retrospective; I must appear either antiquated or nostalgic, and
as such, misunderstood.
Of course, this retrospective is in itself part of a greater
body of work which inherently affords it an historical and cultural
context. Everything I have said above is only true in the vacuum
of this single volume, 10.4. When enjoined to the larger English
department cultural narrative, we can all begin to ascribe meaning
from the chaos of these second order signs. If you want to
understand the contextual meaning, you have the great privilege of
being able to read it. In this way, Inkwell is myth—a textual account
of the second order meaning of “Wilkes University English
Department.”
By now, I imagine most of you are thinking, “What is
this guy on about?” Please, allow me to explain. An English
department, as a first order sign, can be easily denoted. In general,
we can all agree that an English department is an organization of
various persons engaged in the act of writing and reading in an
academic context, specifically at a collegiate level. What subtleties
exist beyond that do not necessarily interfere with the defined
meaning of the term. (I understand that some of you may be
yelling, “but the first order sign is just an agreed upon series of
connotations which interpolate us into a system of belief, and as
such there can be no real meaning in any sign without eliminating
Photo courtesy of David Cook
the ability of the individual to exist outside the system,” but for the
sake of the existence of a written language, please accept the notion that a first order sign simply is, even if just for
the remainder of this article.) Inherently, on a denotative level, any English department is the English department
or, to put it another way, Wilkes’s English Department is the same, at its core, as any other English department in
the country.
You’re right of course, that what I said isn’t true. Wilkes’s English Department is not the same as any other
English department in the world. The reason why is found in the second order sign. The second order is where
myth exists; where a word, phrase, or thing begins to absorb a more powerful and extended meaning. Our beloved
English department has several second order signs working together to construct an over-arching metamyth which
informs our understanding and affects the way in which we portray both ourselves and our department. For the
sake of all of our sanity, I will focus on only a few.
Dr. Tom Hamill as Myth
More so than any singular person in the department, Hamill finds himself living both in the center of our
contemporary existence and far removed from it. In this way, he is the pure embodiment of the professor. In one
stroke of his pen (keyboard) we can see him self-articulating the role he both lives and has been ascribed. In issue
4.2 of Inkwell Quarterly he asks, “Will ubi sunt motifs suffice? Can they legitimate –as press release –the foretold
31
Volume 10 Issue 4
arrival? Will readership sustain across the sea of Winter Break? Will the structurality of the structure (speaking of
deferral) be enough?” (8). In this excerpt, as in most of Hamill’s Hunches, the contemporary interjects itself with
the academic, illuminating the cognizant struggle to remain relevant in a world which increasingly devalues our
expertise. The press release, the most basic and creativity strapped of all writings, forces itself upon the surrounding
prose, reminding us of our place in the overarching narrative of university life. We are regulated to a quasi-existence
where our intelligence is applauded but is not necessarily considered practical. Juxtaposed to this bleak reminder
of potential futures, however, is an illuminating ubi sunt motif. Hamill sets it there on a tee for us, but if we’re not
paying close attention, we stand to strike out.
In executing his message in this way, Hamill is at once the professor on high and the student. He embodies
both the knowledge of his position and an uncanny familiarity with the position all English students find
themselves in. Indeed, this is another pillar of the Hamill myth, and one which Inkwell has helped to propagate.
In issue 3.3, Hamill, in one of the rare “Hunches” sections which held content not related to the non-writing of
Hamill’s Hunches, notes that since becoming a professor at Wilkes, he had learned to “let go” of the small, generally
rage inducing things students did in order to focus on “the more valued and intensive demands of undergraduate
education” (4). There is a specific intention here to let students know that the professor understands that the ever
increasing, on-demand nature of our technology and communication inherently means that some of the art form
which is letter writing will be lost. Hamill continues that he, “had come to accept, even appreciate, my students
relatively informal relationship to email. I had not just ‘let it go,’ …. I had learned something about and from my
students, and I was grateful (and more healthy) for it” (4). As we continue to read, however, we come to see the
true reason for Hamill’s assurances of the contemporary. He is defending himself, as if to say, ‘I know what I’m
writing here is professorial and inherently old fashioned, but look above, I get it.’ In the second portion of his
article, Hamill rallies (very rightfully so, I might add) against the use of the ‘urgent message exclamation point’ a
classic hallmark of Microsoft Outlook. Admittedly, I am not sure how urgent messages are marked in Google,
and suddenly feel dated and curmudgeonly myself. Perhaps this best articulates the significance of the Hamill
myth. We all do, or will, find ourselves torn between what is and what was, and will, to varying degrees, lament the
corruption of our ‘ethos’( I couldn’t resist) at the hands of the contemporary. Hamill passionately captures this
sentiment, writing, “I soon declared publicly that I would henceforth automatically delete all “exclamations” that
blighted my INBOX with the trumpet sounds of the new apocalypse: the death of rhetoric, ushered in by its own
pale horse, a mare reified and colorized as punctuation and priority” (4). The argument he makes here is one as old
literature itself. The new mode must always destroy the old, and the old guard will resist with valor until the bitter
end. As students of English, we are all members of this jaded tribe, fighting to promote our value, our place, and
our significance to the world around us. Hamill is our General in this fight; he has lived it and knowingly prepares us
for our life ahead, as evidenced by his description of his final English 101 essay assignment from “Unique Teaching
Methods in English 101 Courses,” in issue 3.3, where “students must rethink an object that they might otherwise
see as disposable and of limited value and argue for the surprising ways in which such an object, in its common
everyday uses, in fact teaches profound life lessons” (8).
English Education as Myth
What is the value of an education in English? This singular question, I imagine, must be on the minds of
our faculty every day. Before every lecture, before every student meeting, and before any curriculum decisions are
made, this must be the most pressing question. Why? Because how we answer this question defines who we are as
students of English. I would venture to guess, (having done no real research, given the time constraints and the
effort it would have taken) that every English department has a different set of core values which influence the way
students think about their major and what it means in the world. Inside the walls of Kirby Hall, our faculty (though
I am removed now by some years, I will always feel connected to this place) have worked to ensure that the answer
to this pressing question is “life.” The value of a degree in English is that you will have a meaningful understanding
of life. This is the myth of English education within our school, and it is one which has been propagated by
professors and students alike within the sacred pages of Inkwell.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Shelley Puhak Visits
by Tara Giarratano
Shelley Puhak’s visit to Wilkes University on Wednesday, Friday 13th culminated with a public reading in
the Kirby Hall Salon. Puhak read several poems from each of her published collections, the first, Stalin in Aruba
(2009), was awarded the Towson University Prize for Literature, and her second Guinevere in Baltimore (2013),
received the Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize.
Sharing the inspiration behind her first collection, Puhak explained her interest with “the hidden lives of
the people you pass on the street.” As an example she explained that one of her favorite poems from the collection,
“Dictator’s Daughter from a Nursing Home in Wisconsin” is written from the perspective of Stalin’s youngest
daughter, who finished her life in relative obscurity in the setting Puhak’s title describes. Puhak noted the extensive
fact-checking she conducted prior to writing the poem, asserting that “research is the closest you can get to other
people’s lives.”
Puhak regards her most recent collection as an “extended conversation with The Waste Land,” and notes
the modernist influence T.S. Eliot’s work has had on her own poetry. Guinevere in Baltimore heavily draws from
Arthurian legend and utilizes multiple voices—Puhak read poems from the perspectives of speaker, Guinevere, and
Lancelot during the reading, all of which related to each other in real time. During short breaks from her reading,
Puhak explained what inspired her to write Guinevere in Baltimore, noting that she was stirred by the traditional
literary portrayal of Guinevere as silent as well as her own obsession with the conflict between empathy and
complicity, a theme particularly evident in the legendary imploding of Camelot, for which Lancelot and Guinevere
are largely responsible. Puhak addressed this archetypal moment in a poem written from Guinevere’s perspective:
“Lance, in our love, the seed of all dismay that will follow.”
Puhak, who now teaches at the Notre Dame of Maryland University, graduated from the University of
Delaware’s M.A. program (with our very own Dr. Thomas Hamill) before earning her M.F.A. from the University
of New Orleans.
Contemporary Author Update
by Sara Pisak
Press 53 announces the new release of Hard Toward Home. Hard Toward Home are stories composed by C.D.
Albin. Press 53 describes the work as, “C.D. Albin crafts a reverent, clear-eyed but heartfelt look at his people,
the love, the violence, the myriad forces at work in lives that push the hidden up through the ground, to be seen and
reckoned with in surprising ways.”
War Hawk is a novel by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood. The work is a new release from publisher
HarperCollins. War Hawk is a fictional war story regarding former Army Ranger Tucker Wayne. Wayne must work
to uncover a national conspiracy looking to control modern warfare before American democracy is abolished.
Thomas Dunne Books announces the publication of an exclusive Kindle Edition text entitled, Kick Kennedy:
The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of the Favorite Kennedy Daughter. The text composed by award- winning biographer,
Barbara Learning, tells the life story of Kathleen Kennedy. Thomas Dunne Book informs, “This is the comingof-age story of the female star of the Kennedy family, and ultimately a tragic, romantic story that will break your
heart.”
Night Sky with Exist Wounds is a new poetry release by Ocean Vuong. Published by Copper Canyon Press,
the book of poetry is the debut work by Vuong and explores America as a body. Vuong’s work is showcasing
the self-survival of varying but all-encompassing American voices. Night Sky with Exist Wounds is being called
“haunting” and “fearless.”
33
Volume 10 Issue 4
Wilkes’ Sigma Tau Delta Chapter Award
by Sara Pisak
Wilkes University’s Alpha Gamma Alpha Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta has been awarded a national service
award by the Service and Partnerships Committee from the national branch of Sigma Tau Delta for our chapter’s
holiday book drive.
In one month’s time, the book drive yielded 2,033 books from local libraries and community members.
These generous contributions were then donated to several local charitable organizations. Organizations receiving
donations from Sigma Tau Delta included: Ruth’s Place House of Hope, St. Hedwig’s Veteran’s Village, United
Charities, The Catholic Youth Center (CYC) of Wilkes Barre and several local retirement and nursing homes.
The Sigma Tau Delta website informs, “Sigma Tau Delta’s Service Awards honors local chapters performing
exemplary community service projects and benefit the agencies served by those chapters.” Also according to the
website, “The Society will make a limited number of awards, each of which will consist of a plaque for the chapter and a
contribution of up to $500 to the agency.”
Vice-President Nicole Kutos spearheaded the application process, while getting Dr. Anthony and myself
involved to attest to the success of the drive.
On behalf of all of the members who participated in the book drive, I would like to offer my thanks to the Wilkes
University community and the surrounding communities for helping our chapter of Sigma Tau Delta achieve its goal of
spreading literacy.
Sigma Tau Delta Update
by Sara Pisak
Sigma Tau Delta will be inducting
new members during a ceremony on Sunday,
May 1st at 1:00 p.m.. 15 invitations to join
the honor society have been sent.
As listed on the Sigma Tau Delta
website, “Candidates for undergraduate
membership must have completed a
minimum of two college courses in English
language or literature beyond the usual
requirements in freshman English. The
candidate must have a minimum of a B or
equivalent average in English and in general
scholarship, must rank at least in the highest
thirty-five percent of his/her class, and must
have completed at least three semesters or five
quarters of college course work.”
Congratulations to all new eligible and
returning members.
Sigma Tau Delta’s 2015-2016 Officers pose for a photo after the induction ceremony with
the plaque from their recent service award. Left to right: James Jaskolka, Dr. Anthony,
Nicole Kutos, Tara Giarratano, Sara Pisak, Gabriella Romanelli, and Jason Klus.
Photo courtesy of Tara Giarratano.
34
Volume 10 Issue 4
Articles by English 120 Students.
Shakespeare’s Sonnets
by Catherin Morocho
One of my favorite Shakespeare Sonnets is Sonnet 130. Sonnet 130 changed the way in which I view the world
because it perfectly emphasizes the importance of a spiritual and mental connection with a significant other. Physical features
are of no importance in a relationship when true love is concerned. A genuine love and connection with someone overpowers
everything. The humorous tone of Sonnet 130 coupled with its strong message about love is one of the reasons why it is my
favorite sonnet.
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
by Chelsea Workman
One novel that has changed my worldview is The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. Overall,
the book is an entertaining tale about a woman who discovers who she really is while uncovering her past. While searching
through old church archives, the main characters, Connie and Sam, discover a ledger containing the death dates for people
in Salem between 1650 and 1670. Sam spoke about how weird it is, “That you can have this whole entire life, with all your
opinions, your loves, your fears. Eventually those parts of you disappear. And then the people who could remember those
parts of you disappear, and before long all that’s left is your name in some ledger” (Howe 76). This one line really struck me,
for although it is a true statement I never really thought about its significance before. Everything about you and your life will
one day be forgotten, which is either the scariest or most awe-inspiring thing ever. You have one life that you can do whatever
you want with, so live life for yourself and not for those around you. One day, long after you’re gone, none of it will matter.
This quote really exemplifies the common saying of “live life to the fullest.”
The Last Lecture
by Mason Gross
A piece of literature that has changed my worldview is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. The book is about Randy
Pausch, a college professor diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, who goes on a last series of lectures to give his life story, and
hopefully inspire some young minds. He stresses the importance of fun in all aspects of life and tells stories of his children,
and the things he hopes his children have learned from him in life, wanting to continue to inspire them in some way after
his death. My father gave me this book to read as a child, with all of the important things Randy believed underlined and
highlighted. It did not mean much to me at the time, but now when I read this book I understand what Randy and my father
were trying to say. I return to read this book almost every year, and am inspired each and every time. This book has shown
me that the world we live in can be unforgiving, and that every moment we have counts. Even facing death, Randy was able to
always find the good in everything, and although I am in no way as positive as he, I still try to follow his example. This book
has truly changed the way I view the world.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
The Once and Future King
by Whitley Culver
Literature has always amazed me at its ability to impact a reader’s view of the world in a way that is effortless. For
me, one the most significant pieces of literature that I have read is T.H. White’s The Once and Future King. The tale of the life
of King Arthur and his Round Table has an addictive quality that binds you to the text, and has many vital messages that are
still relevant today that hold a connection to modern-day government. The key message in The Once and Future King discusses
how to prevent war, and how to overcome the flaws in human nature that make us susceptible to war. This greatly impacted
my view of the world because it puts into perspective just how difficult evading war is when our own human nature is part of
the cause. It also makes me realize that literature has a way of highlighting lessons about ourselves that we might overlook in
our day-to-day lives, and relates the past to our present so we can learn how to better ourselves and society. While The Once and
Future King ends with Arthur’s downfall because of his struggle with these issues, it does instill a sense of hope that through
his story we can learn from his mistake and make it possible to eventually have a world without war.
Fahrenheit 451
by Shane Flannelly
A book that has significantly changed my view of the world is Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 which was published
in 1953. It has changed my view because of its description of the world hurdling towards total destruction. In addition, the
book emphasizes a society that doesn’t care about human life and literature. The people in Fahrenheit 451 lack basic human
emotion, and are practically brainwashed into believing that books are a terrible thing and should be burned upon discovery.
The book features dark and morbid scenes which make the reader vicariously envision a society like the one Guy lives in. One
such scene occurs when Guy is forced to burn an elderly woman alive because she possessed outlawed books, which makes
the reader wonder if society could ever stoop that low. Although the world may never see people being killed because of book
ownership, it has seen people killed because of their religion and ethnicity.
Towards the end of the book, Guy flees a police officer for killing his boss. The chase is televised for the public to
watch, with many of them hoping that justice would be served by killing Guy. Because Guy successfully evades the police,
an innocent man loses his life so the public can be satisfied. What is frightening about this scene is that similar scenes have
happened in reality, notably the OJ Simpson chase and the San Bernardino terrorist attacks that were widely televised for the
whole world to watch. I believe Bradbury wrote this book so people could understand what life without literature under total
government control would be like.
Is Heaven for Real
by Nicole Jankowski
One book that I have read that changed the perspective of the way I think is, Is Heaven for Real by Todd Burpo. This
story is an astounding story about a family who almost lost their little son, but ended up getting a glimpse of Heaven. This
story really captivates me because it gives me a sense of hope. Hope is the feeling of not giving up and instilling confidence in
yourself; without this sentiment, humanity would not be able to survive. All humans strive for hard evidence and confirmed
experiences to give us belief, and this book provides both on a spiritual level, making it possible for you to believe in the ideas
you strive to. I am writing this to the Inkwell Quarterly to tell you that hope is out there and you don’t need to search for it,
because it’s right inside of you. It’s you that needs to take in what’s going wrong and have confidence for the best. Books like
this make you actually think and believe, unlike other ones which have nothing more than a dynamic plot. Overall, you just
need hope to pull you through your worst. It’s what I rely on.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Article by David Cook.
In issue 4.1 Dr. Sean Kelly writes in his article “Why Literature,” that the study of literature is not, “a
means to another (professional) end, but as an end in itself,” but an opportunity to understand “the potentially
ethical nature of the encounter between reader and text” (6.) The relationship established between ethical outcomes
and the act of (close) reading is the most demonstrative example of the English Degree myth. Our value, Kelly
so clearly argues, comes from our ability to understand the world, and improve it through what we learn from our
studies. Indeed, in the same essay, Kelly notes that, “when one engages literature in good faith—as I think English
majors are uniquely in a position to do—the text, the reader, and the world are, or at least have the potential to
be, changed” (6).Kelly’s argument, while incredibly idealistic, serves a very specific function, insofar as it works
to counteract a competing narrative which would have us believe that the only purpose of an English degree is
to develop marketable skills for professional careers. In issue 3.3 of Inkwell, this alternative messaging comes
forth in the form of an article titled “‘No, I’m not going to work in fast food’; or, How Majors Find Valuable Job
Opportunities.” (This particular article contains no by-line, so I am unable to credit an author.) The article has a
militant practicality to it, complete with bullet points and corporate buzz words like “training tools, fine-tune, and
uniquely qualified” (10), which serve to push a detached relationship with our academic studies where our principle
focus should be solely on our marketability and not on our humanistic value.
As an unashamed capitalist, and a surprisingly practical person (who has his master’s in English and certainly
does not work in a field related to his studies) I struggle with the argument I am in the middle of making, but
this is to be expected, given the competing frameworks vying for my subscription. Thankfully, I am not alone in
this struggle, as Dr. Larry Kuhar, former department chair, and the man responsible for leading the ethic of our
shared meaning, seems to have had some difficulty on this subject as well. In “English Program Introduces Two
New Minors,” an article from 6.1, Kuhar writes extensively about the professional advantages offered by these
programs, citing research from Richard Light and others to support his claim. Yet for all of the effort to focus on
the marketability of the minors, Kuhar continually returns to the holistic value the programs afford, using various
phrasings of “life story” as a caveat to the rigid structure of the career path focused rhetoric. Even in a paragraph
dedicated to the statistical advantages these two minors can provide, Kuhar is sure to point out, summarizing from
a report offered by The National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges that, “leaders such as
Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Abraham Lincoln…all…have used words, language, and writing to
remind Americans of what high standards they have set for themselves—and what these ideals mean to the rest of
the world” (13). Our skillsets can never be reduced to simple professional necessity, because, as English Majors at
Wilkes University, we agree to believe in a more powerful meaning for the term.
Conclusions to Long Articles Which are Totally Off Prompt as Myth
Oddly enough, I was simply asked to write a reflection of my time with Inkwell, and though, on the surface,
it certainly doesn’t seem like I have fulfilled that objective, I think, I actually have. When I took over as editor-inchief in issue 5.4, I had evidently written that my goal was to “better reflect not only our personal ideas, but embody
who we are as a department,” and that “the study of English is a study of the exploration of language and human
emotion, and we, as the Editorial Board, intend to bring Inkwell into that study” (2). (Lofty, I know) I was always
focused on the power of communal language, and how we develop meaning within our shared structure, and in
this article, I had the chance to explore those topics, and prove—to what degree of success I will probably never
know—that Inkwell is the voice of our department, the metamyth of life as a member of the Wilkes University
English program.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Senior Spotlights
by Maddie Powell
Sara Pisak is an English major with
concentrations in Literature and Creative Writing. Sara
also has a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. She
is President of the Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society, a
member of the Alpha Chi honor society and a member
of the Society of Professional Journalists. She is Opinion
Editor at The Beacon, Copy Editor at The Inkwell Quarterly
and a writing center consultant. After graduation, Sara
plans on attending graduate school in order to obtain
her MFA in creative writing and perhaps peruse a
doctorate in literature. Sara will be presenting a creative
writing capstone centered on creative non-fiction. Her
favorite quote is probably one of the many comments
Dr. Anthony made in class that Sara laughed too hard at
when no one else did.
Photo courtesy of Sara Pisak.
Jason Klus is an English and Spanish major
with concentrations in Writing and Digital Humanities,
and a minor in Integrative Media and Design. He is
the Executive Editor of the Manuscript Society, Layout
Editor of Inkwell, and thinks he might be the secretary
of Sigma Tau Delta. He is also a part of Sigma Delta
Pi, a Spanish honors society, and Alpha Chi. He plays in
the Wilkes Jazz Band but hates the saxophone. Jason’s
post-graduation plans include immediate relaxation,
possibly grad school and maybe moving to Berlin.
Overall he would like to continue doing cool things.
For his capstone, he is trying to track the movement of
trauma and anxiety through twentieth century literature
by connecting The Wizard of Oz to the revisionary
Wicked and is illuminating some of the main points with
Latin American texts like Maria Luisa Bombal’s The
Shrouded Woman and Guillermo del Toro’s film Pan’s
Labyrinth. Jason notes “It sounds odd, and it sort of is.”
He is proud that he found time this semester to sit on
the couch and touch his pet cat. While he cannot recal a
favorite quote, he thinks that the sound of Dr. Farrell’s
laughter will stay in his mind for some time. When he
dies (sure to happen soon), he requests that he be buried
in the Gucci store. Jason has asked that his spotlight
be concluded with a proclamation of “Long live Amy
Winehouse.”
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Jeremy Miller is an English major with a
concentration in Writing. He was in engineering until
the end of his second semester when he realized he
didn’t like it at all. He is a co-president of the Christian
Fellowship Club, and was briefly involved with the guitar
club. Jeremy’s immediate post-graduate plans include
moving back into his parents’ house and working on
some art projects. His more long-term plans include
finding a job as a technical writer and maybe writing a
novel. Somewhere between his long-term and short-term
plans he hopes to live and travel in a van while making
art (mostly of trains). He also plans to spend part of
his life working on the railroad, and eventually aspires
to purchase his own steam locomotive, which he will
ride between his two houses. His capstone focuses on
JRR Tolkien’s use of songs and poetry in The Lord of
the Rings and other works, and the way it works to create
a cohesive universe and history of different races in that
universe. Jeremy’s favorite quote from Dr. Hamill is
“Chaucer is your brain on Petrarch; Shakespeare is your
brain on Chaucer on Petrarch.”
Artwork courtesy of Jeremy Miller.
Gabriella Romanelli would like to begin with
a shout out to her family whom she loves very much.
She is an English major with minors in Creative Writing,
Secondary Education, and Women’s and Gender
Studies. She is a part of the Education Club, Sigma Tau
Delta, and is a manager with a passion for fashion at
Aeropostale. Her post-graduation plans include getting a
new bike, planting a garden, learning new recipes, being
a teacher, making her own clothes, and practicing cursive
writing so that she can write paper comments for future
students as beautifully as Marcia Farrell does. Gabriella
did not have to do a capstone; considering the matter she
writes, “don’t hate me ‘cause you ain’t me.” Her favorite
quote from a professor is “Thank you for your message,”
which she has since adopted from Dr. Hamill. Gabriella
will be leaving her legacy to her cousin and best pal
Salena Diaz, class of 2018.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
For our reprint section from favorite past articles, my choice is “What’s For Dinner?: A Rhetorical
Reflection” By Tony Thomas from volume 6.3.
I selected this article because I think it exemplifies what IQ attempts to accomplish--a pushing of the
boundaries of our examination of texts in an effort to reconsider the larger implications of the study of English.
In the article, Thomas blended his interest in food culture with the rhetorical implications of competing messages
regarding diet and the social and cultural implications of imposing various belief systems upon geographic regions
that often have restricted access to a variety of gastric choices. The application of the study of literature and
language to a humanistic examination of the ways in which we discuss food and eating underscores the core of the
study of English--a deep consideration of what being human means.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Hamill’s Hunches
by Dr. Thomas A. Hamill
“Ten years gone, holdin’ on….”
Led Zeppelin, “Ten Years Gone”
“And a record of the symptoms is all I have accomplished.”
Dawes, “To Be Completely Honest”
Photo courtesy of Sarah Simonovich.
I want to congratulate the entire staff of The Inkwell, past and present, and founding and long-time faculty
advisor Dr. Marcia K. Farrell, on the 10-year anniversary of the publication. As is obvious to anyone who reads it,
The Inkwell (or IQ) has become institution both within the English Program and across Wilkes more broadly—and
I mean institution in all the best senses of that word. The Inkwell has at once affirmed and shaped and changed the
culture of Kirby Hall by providing a multi-faceted vehicle and venue for the work and talents and interests of our
students. It started, innovatively, as a newsletter we’d never had before, but my sense is that is now much more: it’s
still a news letter, but it often reads like a departmental magazine, or a disciplinary journal, or a review, or…well, a
quarterly. You get my point. Right? (I know: I’m using my Hunches to (try to) write direct, declarative sentences.
It feels weird to me too. Don’t worry; I’m almost done.)
I have only been a Faculty Contributor to IQ since Spring 2009 (Vol. 3, Issue 3), back before Hamill’s
Hunches were called Hamill’s Hunches. And actuarial projections are currently charting the 10th anniversary of
“Hamill’s Hunches” at some point in the academic (not to be confused with “fiscal” or “calendar”) years of 2021or
2022 due to past and trending “submission anomalies and omissions.” But I’ve been lucky to witness these past 10
years of Inkwell, and I’ve been privileged and honored to have had the opportunity to contribute to its pages and to
have a space to write and play—even in the issues when I’ve been…we’ll say…“anomalously submission deficient”
because I simply couldn’t keep up with the profoundly impressive and highly professional indefatigable quarterly
pace of good ol’ IQ (or because members of a secret society of “originalist” orthoepists have absconded with my
draft texts to correct phonetic anachronisms). Thank you for 10 great years. And congratulations! I know we all
know there’s much more to come. And we can’t wait.
(Not that I’m rushing anyone, though. Seriously. Keep the deadline logic exactly as it’s always been. We’ll all get
it done. Just let me know when you need my Hunches. I mean really.… Just sent me a reminder. Or maybe a
few….)
Actuarial projections update: AY 2023*
*If current production rates hold. And if IQ lets him stay that long.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
A Discovery of Witches
by Rachel Wood
A Discovery of Witches written by Deborah Harkness is a story about four different kinds of creatures:
witches, vampires, daemons, and humans. The different creatures have rules against interacting with other groups,
and if one group goes against the rules they are looked down upon by the others. Each group has their own opinion
about the other groups, and most of the opinions are rude and degrading. When the reader sees each individual
group for themselves, they can see how the opinions are wrong and stereotypical. Harkness showed me that just
because people are from a different place or look different does not mean that they are bad people. Everyone is
different, and we should accept them as equals instead of segregating and stereotyping them.
The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave
by Thoams Bowen
When United States is described, it is described as a country where people are free and safe. So why do
people every day complain about their lives and go through days saying that their life sucks? When you live in the
safest country and a country where everyone is free, how is it that you can look at your life in a bad way. When
others who do not have the opportunity to be able to live in America, and have to fight for their lives every day
because they are under attack, or have diseases they cannot be cured and have nowhere to go. People who live in
America should embrace their life because people around them are living a way harder life and are not complaining.
I am making this point because my point of view on the world has changed dramatically from the book The Hunger
Games by Suzanne Collins.
Even though this book is fiction, you can pull details, scenes and the way people live in the districts and
connect them into real life. From doing the connections you can see how your life is not bad after all. The Capitol
of the nation of Panem has 12 districts. Every year they make one girl and one boy from each district battle for
their lives in an arena. As the kids are picked randomly from each district and they battle till there is only one person
standing. The harsh reality is put in place but the capital as through the fighting the capital army brutally beats
people of towns if they act in a matter that does not satisfied the capital. These people of these districts have no
rights, they are taken away and they have no freedom of speech. The people of these districts have no life as each
district is fenced off and people are only allowed in certain areas; no traveling, no going to see others and no fun.
People who live in these districts will never experience the freedom that people have in America.
I have learned many lessons from The Hunger Games and the first one I learned is, do not take life for
granted. I say this because you never know when your life will change or something in your life will change. Also
you may never get the opportunities in life you had ever again so take them serious. The second lesson I have taken
out of this book is, life is bad and we are living in a land where people are free and where people can speak what
they want. Do not complain about life and says it sucks because other people in the world are wishing they had the
same life as you. The world and your life may seem to suck but just remember you are living in the greatest, safest
and most free country in the world so live it up because “Life is too damn short to take it half speed.”
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Volume 10 Issue 4
“The Fray”: An Inspirational Poem
by Melissa Young
One of the poems that I know that has really had an impact on my life is actually from one of my favorite
movies titled “The Fray.” The poem by John Treloar appropriately goes,
“Once more into the fray…
Into the last good fight I’ll ever know.
Live and die on this day…
Live and die on this day…”
I think this is probably one of the most pivotal pieces of literature that I have come into contact with
because it is so simple and so short but its words carry so much weight. It is a mere four lines but it defines the will
to live each day inside of losing the fight which is every day. It describes going into the unknown and being willing
to fight even though we have no idea what we may come into contact with. It depicts bravery. Waking up every
single day and facing daily struggles isn’t always easy and get old really quick. But every day, we persevere through
those things and come out on top. I really admire how that message is presented in such few words. I really admire
it.
A Discovery of Witches
by Brittany Smith
A piece of literature that affected my life in a big way was A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.
Her character of Diana was a true inspiration and a great character to look up to. Diana was very confident in
herself and I feel like that is a quality that all girls need to have in this society. She treats herself as an equal and lets
no one bring her down. The major characteristic of her that I found to be inspiring was that of her “discovery.”
Throughout the novel we find that she is avoiding her true self and trying to forget the magic that she is blessed
with although using it the whole time. This was something that made me think of how each one of us has a
characteristic or a skill of our own that we don’t embrace as much as we should. As the novel continues and she
embraces her power, it shows how truly blessed and talented that she is. This theme was something that hit hard
and made me realize that I should embrace the traits that I have and not try to run from who you really are because
in the end it will all catch up to you and you can never escape yourself.
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Volume 10 Issue 4
How Dare They?: The Fundamental Problem with SmallMinded GOP Lawmakers Like Senator Roae
I don’t know how many of you caught this particular news item. A string of emails between various
Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers was leaked to a Philadelphia newspaper in early April. According to The Titusville
Herald, “The email string began with a two-page memo of talking points to all House Republican members, with
some replies calling for preemptive tax-cut bills, as a shot against Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who wants to hike
state taxes and alleviate local school district property taxes en route to delivering increased public school aid.”
One of the emails by PA State Senator Brad Roae who represents Crawford County detailed a list of items
that Roae claimed should be cut for budgetary purposes. Furthermore, The Herald reports, “One of the replies
from Roae called for a flat funding formula for schools, and killing programs such as grants for college students
whose ‘major is poetry or some other pre-Walmart major.’”
Instead of retracting such an offensive statement (among many others he made within the same email),
Roae doubled down. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the paper that broke the story on the leaked emails,
“Roae told the Tribune he did not intend to be critical of Wal-Mart employees. ‘I was really questioning taxpayers
subsidizing college degrees that are very unlikely to actually result in the graduate getting a good job related to their
degree,’ Roae said. ‘I feel bad when people go deeply into debt earning a degree they cannot use.’”
In other words, Roae didn’t care a lick about whether or not he offended those individuals majoring
Literature, the Humanities, or other Arts programs, not to mention the fact that his assumptions are deeply flawed
and horribly inaccurate.
According to a 2014 report out of Georgetown University, while the unemployment rate for recent college
graduates in the Humanities is 9.4%, that percentage drops once those graduates are able to gain a bit of experience
to 6.1%, and drops even further if they obtain a graduate degree to 3.9%
Now, here’s the interesting thing: Stacked up against other degree programs, students with degrees in the
Humanities are doing quite well. Similar graduates with degrees in architecture saw an initial unemployment rate
of 13.9% that was only cut to 7.7% if those same graduates sought a graduate degree. Furthermore, Humanities
majors fared slightly better than other majors oft-thought to be more “career oriented.” The Georgetown study
found that Computer and Mathematics degree earners see 8.2% unemployment rates shortly after graduation that
drops to 5.6% with experience and then to 4.1% with a graduate degree. Similarly, Business degree earners saw
initial unemployment of 7.4% that dropped to 5.3% with experience, and only 4.4% with a graduate degree. And,
even those with degrees in the Social Sciences saw 8.9% initial unemployment, with 5.7% after they gained some
experience, and 4.1% with a graduate degree.
That same study found that those with Engineering degrees—often hailed as the major for future job
seekers thanks to the focus on STEM—saw 8.9% unemployment among recent grads, 5.7% among those with
experience, and 3.5% with graduate degrees. While the rates are slightly better than those for Humanities graduates, they
are NOT SIGNIFICANTLY better.
Those of us in the study of literature have been well-versed in the arguments about the viability of degrees
in English and the utility of the skill sets developed with the completion of the degree. An article within this
issue by Alumnus Dave Cook points out the trend within the discipline to defend its marketability. Our familiarity
with these arguments and the statistics I mentioned above are plenty to debunk Roae’s short-sighted comments.
Furthermore, the idea that anyone who studies prose and poetry would be naïve enough to believe that they will
find a job in the want ads for “a poet” is preposterous. Higher Ed was never intended to be technical job training.
Rather, Higher Ed is meant about developing about the whole person. Employment afterwards is a byproduct, not
a right or a guarantee.
But, these aren’t the only arguments against such inflammatory, ignorant, and uninformed statements by people
like Roae.
My parents have sent me copies of various letters to the Editor of The Erie Daily Times that speak out
against Roae, pointing out that students studying poetry and the arts enrich the human experience because of their
ability to displace themselves and view situations in the world from someone else’s point of view. This type of
sympathetic displacement allows for an appreciation of diverse cultures and experiences, for the ability to bear witness to
multiple viewpoints and then acknowledge their values while simultaneously recognizing their shortcomings, for a depth
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of understanding of what it means to be fully human.
In short, the study of literature allows for us to not become the type of people who see the world through
the narrow-minded, empty-headed, money-driven lens that offers nothing but a deadening of the human experience
that reduces it to being about nothing more than the pursuit of employment outside of which there is nothing
valuable, worthwhile, compassionate, stimulating, thought-provoking, blood-stirring, or passionate. A world in
which connecting with other humans, other life-forms, other co-inhabitants of this planet whether human, animal,
mineral, or elemental, does not exist. A soulless world where people can make half-witted remarks that stereotype
and denigrate people who think deeply, read deeply, and act deeply and suggest that they lack value because their
existence seems to threaten the foundations of a warped vision of reality rife with inaccurate beliefs about economic viability.
You know, the kind of world view that permeates the heart of Roae’s comments.
The study of poetry and prose is threatening. Not because of a false assumption about the job market,
but because the study of poetry and prose destabilizes seemingly stable world views by exposing them for their
limitations. The study of poetry and prose threatens people like Senator Roae because it exposes their weak
attempts to control the critical thinkers of the world and shows those attempts to be the empty shells masquerading
as persuasive arguments that they are.
Besides, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the English-speaking world who has never heard of
Shakespeare. But, how many milk-livered politicians are remembered four hundred years after their deaths?
Sources:
Carnevale, Anthony, Ban Cheah, and Jeff Strohl. Hard Times: College Majors, Employment, and Earnings: Not All College Degrees are Created Equal. Washington D. C.: Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce, 2014. Web. 15 April 2016.
Couloumbis, Angela. “Roae, GOP Begin Budget Strategy.” The Philadelphia Inquirer 6 April 2016. Web. 15 April 2016.
“Leaked emails reveal Roae’s GOP budget strategy.” The Titusville Herald. 5 April 2016. Web. 15 April 2016.
English Award Winners
Dr. Mischelle Anthony and the English department are pleased to announce this year’s departmental
award winners. The faculty send these students their profound congratulations.
Frank J.J. Davies Award—Presented to graduating English majors in recognition of outstanding
achievement in English studies:
Secondary Education Track: Gabriella Romanelli
Writing Track: Sara Pisak
Digital Humanities Track: Jason Klus
Annete Evans Humanities Award—Honors the senior student who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship in the humanities and has participated constructively in cultural affairs:
Sara Pisak
Taft Achilles Rosenberg Naparsteck Scholarship—Provides assistance to a student who
shows promise as a writer of prose fiction, journalism, or poetry, broadly defined:
Michael Morrison
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Volume 10 Issue 4
Media, Music, and Melancholy in
Asif Kapadia’s AMY
by Jason Klus
July 23, 2016 will mark the fifth anniversary of the
passing of Amy Winehouse. While Winehouse’s time in the
spotlight was short and without a doubt cut tragically short, it
is incredible to see her legacy living on. Her breakout album,
2006’s Back to Black, turns ten-years-old this October, and while
at the time it may have seen like an anachronistic exploitation
of rhythm and blues girl groups of the 1960s, the five-time
Grammy Award winning album is still regarded as one of the
most significant works of contemporary pop music—ask stars
like Lady Gaga and Adele, who continue to cite Winehouse as
an influence. Her music seems to be standing the test of time,
and the subtle mixture of jazz, hip-hop, and pop is thriving
now more than ever (see artists like Alabama Shakes and
Kendrick Lamar, both recently awarded multiple Grammys).
What has seemingly disappeared in the time between
Artwork courtesy of Jason Klus.
Winehouse’s death and now is the criticism surrounding her
lifestyle and her addictive behavior. While alive, Winehouse’s life was constantly being reported, showing a lifestyle
of illicit drug usage, alcoholism, and bawdy behavior. We served as the voyeurs, waiting and watching to see what
was going to happen next. This disappeared, though, once images of a body bag exiting her Camden apartment
surfaced, and somehow, immediately, we understood that a great artist had been lost too soon.
The near fascination with Winehouse’s life and the way she spiraled into vice demands clarification and
has left many uneasy—that’s where filmmaker Asif Kapadia steps in. Stitching together preexisting footage of
the songstress and gathering new interviews from some of her closest friends and co-conspirators in music, his
2015 documentary AMY invites us to once again become voyeurs in the life of the Southgate-born singer so that
we can understand her traumatic experience. The film opens with two moments that nearly predict the narrative
the viewer is about to see. One, a recording of a teenage Winehouse singing the jazz standard “Moon River” over
Kapadia’s opening credits, suggests something we already know: the style and ease of her incredible voice, masked
by a barrage of images of a young Amy that almost makes us forget the caricaturized figure of Back to Black Amy.
The other scene, one of the very first full clips of the film, shows a young Winehouse at a friend’s birthday party.
As the group of four teenage girls begins singing “Happy Birthday,” Winehouse begins crooning from off camera,
overshadowing her friends as the camera operator pans over to her, shy and giggling. She was not singing for the
camera, and we do not know why she was giving perhaps the most soulful home-movie rendition of “Happy
Birthday” ever captured. However, this scene does work to show the power of Kapadia’s chosen form. He presents
no new footage in his film, relying only on personal footage from friends, record label recordings, and whatever he
was able to obtain from the BBC. Winehouse was not showing off in her performance—she was just being herself.
Winehouse was a human being above all else, and although this seems like something we should not need to be
reminded of, AMY shows us that somewhere along the way, we forgot that she was not living just to entertain us.
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Perhaps the most striking part of Kapadia’s documentary is the way he weaves together Winehouse’s
musical career with the personal anecdotes he uncovers about her life. Much of the film’s narrative is dedicated
to explaining the influence of Blake Fielder-Civil, Amy’s longtime boyfriend and ex-husband by the time of
her death. Blake becomes a catalyst in the writing process of Back to Black; after meeting Amy after the release
of her first album, Frank¸ the two get engaged and become nearly obsessed with one another. Kapadia is careful
to paint this relationship as another form of addiction in Amy’s life—a close childhood friend, Juliette Ashby,
recalls their relationship and other moments throughout the film, but in particular sheds light on Fielder-Civil’s
influence over the young singer. The two led a brief stint in rehab, and after returning home after only three days
of treatment decided to binge. Ashby recalls that after Blake cut his arm on a broken glass bottle, Winehouse took
the bottle herself, slashing her arm because she would do anything Blake did. Love corrupted Amy, and when the
couple broke up for the first time, she began to write Back to Black. We are directed not to pity Winehouse, but to
empathize with her: Kapadia overlays one of her songs, “Some Unholy War” with images of the lyrics written in a
diary and images of the couple to show us the pain of her lyrics. The implication of the way the film is presented is
that Amy’s lyrics are snapshots into the pain she experienced through life. She sings, “I refuse to let him go/At his
side and drunk on pride/we wait for the blow,” an indication to us that the Fielder-Civil/Winehouse relationship
would permanently leave a mark on Winehouse.
Fielder-Civil is not the only perpetrator in the downfall of Amy Winehouse, though. Over the course of
the film, it becomes clear that Mitchell Winehouse, Amy’s father, caused as much distress as Fielder did in her life.
Kapadia reveals this with scenes of Mitch’s infidelity, discussing his separation from Amy’s mother, Janis, and the
coordinating infidelity through the lyrics and the performance of her song “What is it About Men:” “Understand,
once he was a family man/So surely I would never go through it firsthand/Emulate all the shit my mother hate/I
can’t help but demonstrate my Freudian fate.” The lyrics are simple, but powerful when coupled with her life story.
It’s no surprise that Amy talks about her song writing practice with a statement of, “I would never sing something
that wasn’t directly personal to me.” So much of her music is a lamentation and an attempt to understand
where things went wrong, and that is the brilliance of her music and one of the highlights of the documentary’s
storytelling style. Mitch becomes particularly antagonistic towards the end of the film, too; following Amy’s divorce
from an incarcerated Blake, she moved to St. Lucia in order to try and remove herself from a dangerous lifestyle.
Her friends, including Ashby as well as former manager Nick Shymansky, mention that this was simply a coping
mechanism for her to get away from the press and, essentially, drink her worries away in the islands. Regardless, the
St. Lucian images of Winehouse show promise and hope for recovery—until Mitch brings a BBC camera crew to
the island, rightfully infuriating his daughter, who is forced back into the public eye which so closely watched her
through her career.
Viewing the film, I found the excessive amounts of camera flashes and tabloid footage to be a bit
overwhelming; however, AMY is more than anything an exposé of the terrifying influence of the media on a
public figure. Kapadia does not blame Fielder-Civil, nor does he accuse Mitchell Winehouse of any wrongdoing.
Winehouse was not ready to be famous—she was not supposed to be famous. Her own words from a 2003
interview follow her throughout the film: “I don’t think I could handle [being famous] […] I’d go mad.” Clearly
Amy Winehouse was unprepared for the worldwide success she achieved, or perhaps she simply was a victim of
self-fulfilling prophecy. The film does not force us to choose a villain. It allows us a glimpse back into Winehouse’s
life, but only so that we can see that we were trying to take something that did not belong to us. Kapadia spins this
tragedy back on us and calls our own motives into account. AMY is a film that helps us accept the death of Amy
Winehouse by realizing that our own desire for the songstress was the cause of her demise. By 2011, the end of
Amy’s life, we were not seeing the girl that could sing jazz and captivate the world with her talent, but instead a
simulation of that woman—we witnessed the rise and fall of a girl who lived to appease those around her, whether
it be Blake, her father, or us. Our role in the narrative is just important as any of the voices we hear while watching
the documentary. It is both a frightening and cathartic moment when we realize the power we have in today’s global
atmosphere, and AMY in its own way sheds light on that truth.
47
Volume 10 Issue 4
Below are excerpts from actual bad reviews on the site Goodreads. Try to match the review to the novel.
Game by Dr. Marcia K. Farrell.
Possession, A.S. Byatt Wicked, Gregory Maguire
To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf The Sign of Four, Arthur Conan Doyle A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
The Tempest, William Shakespeare
Book Bank
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
Clarissa, Samuel Richardson
Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak
The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
Ulysses, James Joyce
The Sign of Four, Mary Shelley
War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
1.
“It’s a bit like a Hallmark card wrapped up in an encyclopedia.” 2.
“This book is bloated old piece of crap. How this even got published in the first place is beyond me, much less how it has been considered a ‘classic’ for years.” 3.
“I can’t do it, It fell in my toilet and didn’t dry well, and I’m accepting it as an act of god. I decided against burning it, and just threw it out. Yes, I am a horrible person.” 4.
“It was so awful, I had to resort to audibooks to absorb it all, so my daily treadmill runs, which I enjoy immensely, fatigued me to death as the narrator droned on.”
5.
“The entire book seemed to be about hormone-driven marriageable-age creatures trying to outwit each other in word and on the dance floor.”
6.
“So, um, Daddy, did you notice that huge-ass storm that just crashed a ship on the shore of our previously deserted island?” 7.
“The only reason I even knew what happened in this book because of in class discussion so... that pretty much sums up my experience with the book.” 8.
“A honking great piece of literary self-gratification, a novel about writers (all novels about writers should be given a concrete overcoat), a grand excuse for [the author] to dazzle us with some fancy ventriloquism, and yes you can feel the throb of the author’s perfervid intelligence like a lawnmower hacking away at the tough grass at the edge of the lawn but after all of that you have to come clean and say that [the novel] isn’t worth the thinnest novelette written by Raymond Chandler or the most offhand poem by e e cummings or the most obscure B side by the Beach Boys either.”
9.
“This was definitely a case of the movie being better than the book. I was expecting something fun, not an oversexed mal-adjusted drama with a tiara.”
10.
“The Protagonist is the typical ‘I’m a poor little orphan destined for great things, I’ve never set a foot wrong in my life and I am the very obvious hero of this story’ fucker that we encounter too often in this day and age.” 11.
“As a narrator, [he] waxes poetically about the scenery for pages, and pages, and pages. Then, when he has gotten his fill of that, he whines about how only he has suffered. He reminds me of a guy I knew once called Can’t Beat Earl, no matter what the other characters go through – [this guy] has to point out how much WORSE he has had it.”
12.
“I quit, I give up! I didn’t want to, but by page 393 I still have no idea what is even going on.” 13.
“For one of the most well-known titles from one of the most prolific authors, I had very high expectations. Sadly, I was disappointed.” 14.
“This one was a misfire for me. I felt there was a lot of filler and unnecessary drivel (especially that last chapter- I kept thinking of the scene in The Incredibles when Syndrome was caught monologuing. Get ON with it, already!!!)” 15.
“Recommends it for: Nobody - literally not one body
I hated this book. Maybe it was because I was expecting so much with all the hype, maybe because I thought the original idea was so great, whatever. End result, I freaking hated this book. This is a book that makes you want to sit down and re-write it yourself because it is such a shame that such a great idea was so mishandled.
48

The Inkwell Quarterly

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