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News Archive 2023

November 2023

Photo of Emily Keefer holding her book The Stars on Vital Felice Court.The Scarborough Society will host a fall Art and Lecture Series event on Tuesday, November 7th, at 6:00 p.m. in the Scarborough Library Reading Room. Emily Keefer, a 2022 graduate who majored in English with a concentration in creative writing, will present a reading from her debut book The Stars on Vita Felice Court, followed by a chance to discuss and ask questions. The program is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the lecture.

Shepherd University’s Rude Mechanicals Medieval and Renaissance Players will present John Ford’s Renaissance tragedy of corruption, forbidden love, betrayal, and revenge—‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore—starting Friday, November 3rd, in Reynolds Hall. Ford, a younger contemporary of Shakespeare, took the themes of Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Hamlet and pushed them to extremes. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on November 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th, and 11th and at 3:00 p.m. on November 5th and 12th. Performances are free for Shepherd students and employees with a valid Rambler ID, $2 for all other students, and $5 for the general public. For more information, contact Betty Ellzey (bellzey@shepherd.edu). Shepherd University students in the cast and crew include Madeleine Absher, Cecelia Bechtel, Julie Bowen, Rachel Carroll, Brianna Cline, Ruby Coe, Jacob Collins, Gareth Cushman-Reynolds, Mark Cuthrell, Kat Grizzle, Bo Harrison, Bea Harrod, Drew Hill, Connor Izes, Stella Keller, Mackenzie Kuhn, Lacey Kelsey, Cecilia LeFebrve, Tracy Nyamnjoh, Daria Panova, Charlotte Puttock, Kit Shrout, Jude Stradley, Journey Sullivan, Olyvia Thompson, Asa Thurman, Hannah Tinsman.

AWilkins-Franks Award PicOne of our very own, Ashley Wilkins-Franks, has been recognized for excellence in teaching. Ashley, a 2017 English Education graduate who also completed a minor in Appalachian Studies, just this week received the prestigious Milken Educator Award. The Milken Family Foundation evaluates teachers from across the country and recognizes top educators annually. Ashley and other recipients this year will attend a Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in June, and the award includes a cash prize of $25,000. Ashley is an English teacher at Petersburg High School. We couldn’t be prouder of you, Ashley! Way to go!

October 2023

Three current students and an alumna—Olyvia Thompson, Rachel Carroll, Julie Bowen, and L Harvey—presented a talk entitled “Rude Mechanicals’ Queer Interpretations of Shakespeare” at the Young Scholars Literary Symposium, Shenandoah University, on Saturday, October 28th. These individuals have all taken part in multiple productions by the Rude Mechanicals over the past several years. We’re delighted to see these folks share their experiences with others at neighboring institutions.

September 2023

The next meeting of Shepherd University’s Stammtisch will be on Friday, September 8th, at 5:00 p.m. It will be held in the patio garden of The Blue Moon Café here in Shepherdstown. Stammtisch is a conversation group for those interested in the language and cultures of the German-speaking world. Everybody is welcome, from beginners to native speakers. For more information, contact Dr. Rachel Krantz (rritterb@shepherd.edu).

On Friday, September 1st, the members of our chapter of Sigma Tau Delta (the International English Honor Society) hosted an ice cream social for new and returning students. The event was well attended with plenty of students and faculty members enjoying free ice cream with ample toppings. Sigma Tau Delta members Clara Monson, who happens to be the chapter president, and Maddie Malin scooped up the tasty treats for everybody. The event was a great way to celebrate the end of the first week of classes and to get to know people.

August 2023

The Rude Mechanicals Medieval and Renaissance Players announce auditions for ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore. It’s a Renaissance tragedy that’s sort of like Romeo and Juliet meets Game of Thrones. Auditions will be on Wednesday, August 23rd, and Thursday, August 24th, in Reynolds Hall. They will run from 8:00 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. each night. Shepherd students can earn three credit hours for participating in the production. Community members 16 and older are also encouraged to audition. Multiple roles (both large and small) for all genders and levels of experience are available, and a diverse cast is highly desirable. Tech crew, dancers, choreographers, musicians, visual and video artists are also needed. For more information, contact Dr. Betty Ellzey (bellzey@shepherd.edu).

June 2023

The Rude Mechanicals Medieval and Renaissance Players present Euripides’s The Bacchae June 22nd through 25th. The performances on Thursday and Friday, June 22nd and 23rd, will be at 8:00 p.m. The performance on Saturday, June 24th, will be at 9:00 p.m. And the performance on Sunday, June 25th, will be at 3:00 p.m. All performances will take place in Reynolds Hall. Admission is free for all Shepherd students, faculty, and staff; all others will be charged $5 at the door. The running time for the performance is 75 minutes, and all audiences should be aware that the production includes adult content. For more information, contact Dr. Betty Ellzey (304 876-5208 or bellzey@shepherd.edu.)

Shepherd University’s National Writing Project site launched its inaugural Summer Institute on June 16th with an event titled “Creating Writing Projects, Building Writing Sites.” This workshop brought together local teachers and Shepherd’s writing faculty to collaborate on innovative ways to improve writing instruction and promote a culture of writing across the curriculum in our region. Teachers from Berkeley and Jefferson counties participated in workshops and interactive sessions, focusing on project-based learning and effective writing practices. The workshop displayed the Department of English and Modern Languages’ commitment to supporting local educators and enhancing regional writing instruction. Dr. Brian Santana, Visiting Assistant Professor of English, and Dr. Heidi Hanrahan, Professor of English, organized the event with the generous financial support of the President’s Fund. Dr. Valerie Stevens, Lecturer of English; Mr. Christopher Wilson, Lecturer of English; and Ms. Sadie Shorr-Parks, Lecturer of English, taught sessions at the workshop. Shepherd’s National Writing Project initiative recently received over $600,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending funds to support extensive in-state projects over the next two and a half years.

May 2023

Shepherd University’s Rude Mechanicals Medieval and Renaissance Players announce auditions for Greek tragedy at its most outrageous! The Rudes will be staging Euripides’ Greek tragedy The Bacchae this summer. Auditions will be held on Wednesday, May 10th, and Thursday, May 11th, from 7:30 to 10:oo p.m. in Reynolds Hall. There are multiple roles, both large and small, for all genders and all levels of experience. A diverse cast is highly desirable. Tech crew, dancers, musicians, and visual and video artists are also needed. Community members 16 years of age and older are welcome to audition. Performances will take place June 22nd through the 25th. For more information, contact Dr. Betty Ellzey (304 876-5208 or bellzey@shepherd.edu.)

April 2023

On Sunday, April 23rd, the Department of English and Modern Languages celebrated our students’ accomplishments with an award ceremony. This year’s award recipients include:

English major Lee DiFante, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, attended the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society convention in Denver, Colorado, March 29th through April 1st. Lee presented a paper titled “The Use of Witches and Witch Tropes in Toni Morrison Novels” that provides an in-depth look at the use of symbols and concepts associated with witchcraft and magic across in a number of Toni Morrison’s novels. Lee also chaired a session at the convention. Funding from the Department of English and Modern Languages and the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences made the trip possible for Lee. Way to go, Lee! We’re very proud of you, and thanks for representing Shepherd!

On Sunday, April 23rd, the English Capstone presentations will be taking place in the Byrd Center auditorium. The presentations will begin after student awards are distributed and new members of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society, are inducted. The events will start at 1:00 p.m. This year’s presenters include

The Capstone presentations and the ceremonies are free and open to the public. Bring family and friends and come celebrate our graduating English majors!

The final gathering of Stammtisch for the current academic year will be on Friday, April 14th, at 5:00 p.m. It will be held at the home of Dottie Gillwald in Ranson. Stammtisch is a conversation group for those interested in German language and the culture of the German-speaking peoples. Stammtisch is open to faculty, staff, students, and community members. Everybody is welcome to attend, from native speakers to those just learning the language. For more information, including Dottie’s address, please contact Dr. Rachel Krantz (rritterb@shepherd.edu).

March 2023

The Rude Mechanicals Medieval and Renaissance Players will perform an anonymous short medieval comedy, The Second Shepherds’ Play, and three short plays written by Shepherd University creative writing students March 31st – April 9th, in Reynolds Hall (Fridays, Saturdays, Wednesday, Thursday at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3:00 p.m.). The student plays are To Start a Flame by Olyvia Thompson, A Murder Most Foul by William Prudnick, and Playing God by Olivia Stevens. For more information, contact Dr. Betty Ellzey (bellzey@shepherd.edu or 304 876-5208).

Dr. Joshua Cross, senior lecturer with the Department of English at Coastal Carolina University, will discuss his debut story collection Black Bear Creek: Stories during the next Shepherd University Scarborough Society Art and Lecture Series event. Joshua, a Shepherd alumnus who graduated with an English major in 2003, will give the free lecture on Wednesday, March 22nd, at 6:00 p.m. in the Scarborough Library Reading Room. Set in a remote hollow of West Virginia’s Coal River Valley, the stories in Black Bear Creek explore the ways the characters learn to love, hope, and fight in a town ravaged by the mining industry on which its people depend. The Scarborough Society is a friends of the library organization sponsored by the Shepherd University Foundation. While in town for the reading, Joshua will also visit with several creative writing classes.

The next meeting of Shepherd University’s Stammtisch has been scheduled for Wednesday, March 1st. It will begin at 5:00 p.m. and will be held at Daan Vreugdenhil’s house. (Daan is a frequent participant in Stammtisch and lives here in Shepherdstown.) Stammtisch is a conversation group for those interested in German language and the culture of the German-speaking peoples. It is open to faculty, staff, students, and community members. Everybody is welcome to attend, from native speakers to those just learning the language. For more information, including Daan’s address, please contact Dr. Rachel Krantz (rritterb@shepherd.edu).

February 2023

The Rude Mechanicals Medieval and Renaissance Players performed the fifteenth-century medieval comedy The Second Shepherds’ Play at the Wilson College Humanities Conference on February 25th. Shepherd students who performed include Julie Bowen, Brianna Cline, Dannah Lohr, William Prudnick, Abigail Stradley, and Olyvia Thompson. Alumni TK Lindsay and Ash Wilson were also in the cast, as well as Admissions Counselor Catherine Ellzey. The Second Shepherds’ Play is from an anonymous collection of fifteenth-century northern English biblical cycle plays (sometimes referred to as mystery plays).  Dr. Betty Ellzey, Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English and Modern Languages, directs performances by the Rudes each semester.

The next meeting of Shepherd University’s Stammtisch will be on Wednesday, February 8th, at 5:00 p.m. It will be held here in Shepherdstown at Alma Bea’s Restaurant, which is located at 202 E. Washington Street. Stammtisch is a conversation group for those interested in German language and the culture of the German-speaking peoples. It is open to faculty, staff, students, and community members. Everybody is welcome to attend, from native speakers to those just learning the language. For more information, please contact Dr. Rachel Krantz (rritterb@shepherd.edu).

The Modern Languages faculty will be holding language lunches this semester. These are low-stress, informal gatherings for you to practice or bone-up on your language skills. There will be French, German, and Spanish language lunches meeting throughout the semester in the Student Center. More information about the French language lunches can be found on this flyer or by emailing Dr. Krantz (rritterb@shepherd.edu). If you’re interested in the German language lunches, check out this flyer or email either Dr. Krantz (ritterb@shepherd.edu) or Dr. Nixon (tnixon@shepherd.edu). Or for more information about the Spanish language lunches, take a look at this flyer or email Dr. Berenschot (dberensc@shepherd.edu) or Professor Lagarda (clagarda@shepherd.edu). Please do participate. These could be fun!