On behalf of the other committee members, I would like to tell you about The English Graduate Student Association.

The group was formed in Fall 2009 to bring together English and Writing and Publishing students, enhancing the experience of the students in both programs through social and cultural events in and around Chicago. In the 2009/2010 school year, we went to a production of Faust at the Lyric Opera House in the Fall, participated in a rousing tour of the Art Institute in Winter, watched a minor-league baseball game in the Spring, and took a few visits to Lincoln Park bars in between.

The EGSA will be sponsoring further events in 2010/2011 and will announce these through Ex Libris. We have ideas, but are always on the lookout for more, so please don’t hesitate to suggest a few to us if you’re interested.

Our proudest undertaking so far was the 2010 EGSA Spring Conference, held at DePaul on May 21, 2010. This day-long conference allowed students to present literary criticism, poetry, fiction and nonfiction to their peers and to faculty. It was well attended by both, something we were very happy to see. The night was capped off by the keynote speaker for the event, Toni Asante Lightfoot. Lightfoot, Chicago-based teacher, editor and author, gave an inspiring address on her experiences with literature, both from the role of student and teacher.

I presented poetry and short fiction at the conference myself, and was quite moved at the response we got, both at the conference and after. The quality of student work was excellent, and the discussions of the pieces by the authors and faculty in the audience was gratifying to say the least. I saw the conference as the culmination of everything the EGSA hoped to accomplish—bringing together MAWP and MAE students in an environment which was social and scholarly at the same time. And it was catered!

Once again, we want to thank everyone was involved in the 2010 conference—and there were many who worked hard on making it happen. We can only hope that the EGSA Spring Conference can become an enduring tradition at DePaul University. To that end, I am proud to announce that the 2011 EGSA Conference is already being planned for next Spring.

For any information on the English Graduate Student Association, please attend our next event or email us at egsaconference2011@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Steve Bogdaniec

EGSA Committee members:
Kimberly Anderson, M.A. in English
Heath Black, M.A. in English
Steve Bogdaniec, M.A. in Writing and Publishing
Christopher Smith, M.A. in Writing and Publishing
Brianna Tonner, M.A. in English