Gannon University offers workshops for young writers

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At Gannon University, writer’s colonies and workshops are as much a sign of summer as are lawn chairs and beach umbrellas. This summer tradition takes the form of two camps aimed at nurturing aspiring young writers. High school students interested in journalism careers can attend a one-week workshop July 8-12 taught by Frank Garland, director […]

“Totem” literary magazine wins prize in national competition

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Gannon University’s Totem is the winner of the 2013 Program Directors’ Prize for Undergraduate Literary Magazines in the design category. The Association of Writers & Writing Programs will award a cash honorarium and recognize Totem in the Writer’s Chronicle and other media. The judge for design, Roger Lathbury of Orchises Press and George Mason University, chose this […]

Wordplay in the workplace

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On Nov. 3, 2010, I published a blog here on Edge called “Wordplay: I Love My Major, Write or Wrong.” More than two years later, I’m happy to report that this statement still holds true (if you substitute “Job” for “Major,” that is). I graduated from Gannon in the spring of 2011 with a degree […]

What I did with a BA (and MA) in English

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Amidst all the warnings, I became an English major. English majors aren’t real majors, they scoffed. Why are you majoring in the language you’ve spoken for 18 years? they questioned. Print media’s dead, they shouted! There’s no money in a career in writing, they whispered. Don’t go swimming for 15 minutes after eating, they purported. […]

From floppy disks to bleeding-edge technology

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A decade before there was such a thing as a “blog,” I attended Gannon as an undergraduate science major. In the late 1980s, I spent many hours in labs doing things such as classifying and dissecting sea creatures for Dr. Stan Zagorski’s invertebrate zoology class. I also spent many hours in the office of the […]

Backstage and on-stage adventures

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1. To create the look of stained glass windows for the Schuster Theatre’s production “Lives of the Saints,” the crew and I used shower liners and paint.  2 & 3. Over fall break, I went with students from the theatre and English departments to Staunton, Va. to visit the American Shakespeare Center. We saw five […]

‘Sula,’ spicy Thai and Elizabeth Cady Stanton with Ann Bomberger

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Ann Bomberger, assistant professor of English, can often be found on the third floor of the Palumbo Academic Center. Let’s find out all about her. Hometown: Hicksville, N.Y. High School: Hicksville High School Favorite color: Purple Favorite movie(s): “Amelie” Favorite TV show(s): “Frontline” Favorite book(s): Toni Morrison’s “Sula” My favorite food: Spicy Thai Top track […]

Fall break for a Shakespeare geek

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It’s currently fall break on Gannon’s campus, so the streets of Erie are much quieter than usual. Many students have headed home, but I did not. This year, I’m headed to Staunton, Va. to visit the American Shakespeare Center with the theatre and English departments. We’re seeing five plays, mostly ones that aren’t traditionally produced or are […]

T is for Totem

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Totem, the university’s nationally recognized literary arts magazine, is a creative outlet for students and faculty alike. Published once a year, the magazine features original artwork, photography, poetry and prose — including fiction, creative nonfiction, plays and film scripts — by members of the Gannon community. An editorial board made up of students advised by […]

Stephanie Smith: An English major in a computer world

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Stephanie Smith, a senior English major, works as an office assistant for the computer information services and engineering departments. What kinds of duties are you typically assigned to do? I assist the faculty and staff of the CIS and engineering departments by making copies and helping create original documents. On slow days I get some […]