First order of business: Winter and Spring 2012 schedules have been UPDATED. The updated schedules can be found right here on Ex Libris under “Classes” and are also available in PDF form to download or print on d2l under “MA in English/Writing and Publishing” > “Content”> “Course Lists”.
And now for the fun part: Meet the new GA’s! This year we have seven new GA’s in the English Department. Welcome and congratulations, all!
Claire Rooney
Program & year: MAWP, second year
GA role: Assistant Coordinator for Writing Groups at the UCWbL
Bio: Claire graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in English and a minor in psychology. After graduation, she spent two years as a copy editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, where she worked on everything from chemistry articles to history books for children. When she’s not writing she’s cooking, and will probably make you chocolate chip cookies if you ask.
Favorite Author(s): Charlotte Brontë, Charles Dickens, Flannery O’Connor, Zadie Smith, Margaret Atwood
Favorite period of study: 19th century British and American literature
Favorite writing genre: novels and short stories
Claire’s dream job: editor at a university press
Matt Albert
Program & Year: MAE, 1st Year
GA Role: UCWbL In-Class Workshops Team Leader
Bio: Matt is from Mokena, a.k.a. that southwest suburb next to Orland Park and Tinley Park that nobody has ever heard of. He attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and majored in English with a minor in secondary education. After finishing his undergrad, he taught high school English for three years in the Glenbard, Lincoln-Way, and Monticello districts before coming to DePaul for his MA in English. Matt is an avid White Sox fan who feels fortunate to have been in the house for the Blackout game, Mark Buehrle’s perfect game, and the infamous Pierzynski-Barrett slugfest. When he’s not worrying about whether Adam Dunn’s strikeout total will eclipse his batting average or reading about Anglo-Saxon ring structure, Matt spends his free time working as a staff member for the Lincoln-Way East Marching Griffins in Frankfort.
Favorite Book: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Favorite Period of Study: Anglo-Saxon
Favorite Writing Genre: Satirical news stories
Dream Job: PA announcer for the White Sox (we all wish that we could have the voice of God just like Gene Honda)
Favorite Actor: Peter Sellers
Favorite Vulgar Chef: Gordon Ramsay
Favorite Sitcom: Frasier
Favorite Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich
Julia Harding
Program & Year: First year MAE
GA Role: Writing Center Tutor and Faculty Development Team Leader
Bio: Julia is a first year student in the M.A.E. program. She holds a B.A. in English from Boston College and an M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Providence College. She spent three years teaching high school English in southeastern Massachusetts before defecting to the professional world, where she dabbled in custom textbook editing and development at a major publishing house. When she’s not beefing up on her trivia knowledge in preparation for the next Jeopardy! online test, you’ll find her wrestling her love-hate relationship with caffeine or compulsively scouring the shelves of the nearest used bookstore.
If you see Claire, Matt, and Julia around make sure to say hello! And yes, there are four more of us, including yours truly… so make sure you keep checking in with Ex Libris for Part 2 of “Meet the New GA’s” as well as the usual updates on all things MAE and MAWP.