On behalf of the graduate faculty in the Department of English, we would like to welcome the fifty students who will begin their master’s studies this warm September.

For our friends and students returning to DePaul after a summer of adventure, literature, and stories, we extend a warm greeting and a blank page. We’re very excited to read the new poems, stories, and ideas summer break has inspired.

Prof. Ted Anton

I’m delighted to fill in for Prof. Michele Morano as Acting Director of the MA program in Writing and Publishing this fall and look forward to working with all of you. This year we have a particularly robust slate of courses in both areas of our program, from fiction, poetry, nonfiction and multi-genre workshops to classes in digital publishing, literary editing, and the independent press. We’re also thrilled to welcome back professor and poet Chris Green as our dedicated internship coordinator. Prof. Rebecca Johns-Trissler is putting together a terrific slate of visiting writers for the year, and we’re planning a number of events to showcase the work of both graduate students and faculty members. Keep an eye on Ex Libris for campus events and meetings, and consider becoming involved in the English Graduate Students Association (EGSA). In the meantime, please stop by my office in 312-23 Arts and Letters Hall and say hello.

Prof. John Shanahan

This is an exciting time in the Master’s in English program. We are running innovative new literature seminars this year such as Prof. Marcy Dinius’ “Topics in Digital Humanities,” Prof. Rich Squibbs’ course on the relations between the country and the city in the long 18th century, and Prof. Anne Clark Bartlett’s “Topics in Medieval Literature: Women Writing, Writing About Women.” We will continue to offer more courses in literature of all periods and in teaching topics. I believe that a vibrant and rigorous Master’s degree is a vital resource in today’s economy, and a report on the Master’s degree in English issued in June 2011 by the Modern Language Association confirms that our curriculum, for which training in pedagogy is stressed as well as original research, is ahead of the curve of national practice. I intend in the coming years to do all that I can to enhance the program further and to continue to foster excellent scholars and teachers. We can look forward this year to visiting writers, student socials and readings, faculty lectures, and the Spring Conference. Please feel free to make an appointment to speak with me so we can discuss your academic plans.

Josh Fisher, a first-year student and Graduate Assistant in the Master of Arts in Writing and Publishing, is the new editor of Ex Libris. He will be in charge of keeping the online newsletter and magazine up to date. Share any information or news on yourself, programs, events, and organizations that would interest students and faculty in the MAE and MAWP programs. He is excited to announce that Ex Libris will be experiencing a facelift this year. The new design will make it easier to access resources and news from your mobile device and computer. If you have any new features or ideas that you believe would take Ex Libris to the next level or may interest students, feel free to email Josh at JFISHE33@depaul.edu

Graduate students are being called to rally behind the English Graduate Student Association. There will be exciting developments in the coming weeks and the EGSA is looking for new members. Those looking to take on a leadership role are encouraged to apply. For information about EGSA activities, check the Ex Libris blog.

Best wishes for a successful fall quarter and an exciting, rewarding academic year. Graduate study is hectic, challenging, draining, but also exhilarating, fulfilling, and all too short. Come June 2013 (2014, 2015, …) we will see you cross the stage at the commencement ceremony to receive your Master of Arts degree. With this you will commence the next stage of your life as a thinker, scholar, reader, and writer.

Very best wishes,
John Shanahan and Ted Anton