Few departments boast the talents and luminaries found in Sinclair’s English Department. The longlist of professors and other faculty members is impressive enough. A meeting at the Library Loggia took things a step further, uniting the acclaimed team that keep one of the most celebrated faculties on campus running smoothly with an equally gifted student body.
The Meet and Greet allowed English Majors and their professors to meet their peers. Hosted by Professor Kate Geiselman, English Department Chair, students and faculty were given free reign to mingle, discuss the challenges they face on campus, and ways of improving an already effective department. Attendees also shared their experiences. A common theme was how welcome they felt at the college.
English Department Faculty Member Simon Workman said to The Clarion, “During my time as a student, the English Department always was a place where I could come and feel welcome. They really helped me sharpen my skills and inspired me to become an educator and writer myself.”
Just one of the many ideas discussed was the potential creation of a Discord group where English Majors and students interested in Creative Writing can share their work, receive feedback, and improve their craft. As Professor Geiselman explained, attempts to form a writing group in the distant past were heavily effected by scheduling conflicts and the pandemic. The discord option would go around that by allowing members time to post their work, read it, and gain feedback.
Students praised the department’s reputation as a beacon of literay excellence, highlighting its dedication to broaden their horizons as writers and readers.
Zach Osborne, student and author of ‘The Bardot Collection’, said, “Its definitely broadened my horizons and led me to read books I would not usually gravitate towards. Before, I was kind’ve stuck in this small circle and the English Department helped bring me out of that. I’ve since read works from around the world and that has had a bit of an impact on me as a writer too by showing me different styles.”
While a Discord group has yet to be announced, by the end of the event students were sharing their contact information to link up later. The future of the English Department seems bright, with or without the multimedia application.
Photos and words by Ismael David Mujahid
Managing Editor