'Get Lit' for English at upcoming festival
Central hosts its fall English festival
Rose Pulido
Issue date: 11/3/08 Section: Entertainment
The pastime of today's digital youth rarely consists of reading timeless novels, plays or poetry, unless a course curriculum requires it, and students often have difficulty understanding and appreciating the depth these literary works provide.
Each fall, Central's English department hosts a literary festival to celebrate the written classics, with an event dubbed "Get Lit," created to inspire interest and awareness of the various types of literature courses and involvement provided by the college.
"The festival highlights how fabulous literature is to everyone," English professor Ann Pearson said. "It helps us remember what we're here for, reading and writing."
Charles Dickens' birthday inspired professors to dress in costumes of their favorite authors. Since then, the English professors keep that tradition and choose to dress in costume depicting literary characters.
The professors, along with students will act out scenes from literary plays, and other professors will conduct readings from their favorite literature books and poetry. Professor John Thornburg will be dressed as Walt Whitman, and Pearson will dress as the sensible Elinor Dashwood from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.
In its fourth year, the festival increases each year with more department participation to present extensive information about the various literary aspects. The focus of the festival is set on college sophomore literature requirements.
"This is the perfect opportunity for the different departments to showcase their course work and events," Barbara Brown, department chair for English and communications, said. "We want to make sure the students are aware of the wide variety of literature courses available."
Participating departments include the Honors Program, the library, QEP, foreign language, student life, the art department and the English department. Free snacks will be available, and everyone can enter drawings to win free textbooks and gift cards to the bookstore.
The festival takes place from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5 in the main foyer between the administration building and the ILC building.
Julia Jay, Central campus coordinator for the English Honors Program, will sing a show tune from Oklahoma during the festival, Joe Kirkland, vice president for instruction, will conduct a poetry reading at 9:15 a.m. and Central psychology professor Clare Zaborowski will read from Sybil at 10 a.m.
Each fall, Central's English department hosts a literary festival to celebrate the written classics, with an event dubbed "Get Lit," created to inspire interest and awareness of the various types of literature courses and involvement provided by the college.
"The festival highlights how fabulous literature is to everyone," English professor Ann Pearson said. "It helps us remember what we're here for, reading and writing."
Charles Dickens' birthday inspired professors to dress in costumes of their favorite authors. Since then, the English professors keep that tradition and choose to dress in costume depicting literary characters.
The professors, along with students will act out scenes from literary plays, and other professors will conduct readings from their favorite literature books and poetry. Professor John Thornburg will be dressed as Walt Whitman, and Pearson will dress as the sensible Elinor Dashwood from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.
In its fourth year, the festival increases each year with more department participation to present extensive information about the various literary aspects. The focus of the festival is set on college sophomore literature requirements.
"This is the perfect opportunity for the different departments to showcase their course work and events," Barbara Brown, department chair for English and communications, said. "We want to make sure the students are aware of the wide variety of literature courses available."
Participating departments include the Honors Program, the library, QEP, foreign language, student life, the art department and the English department. Free snacks will be available, and everyone can enter drawings to win free textbooks and gift cards to the bookstore.
The festival takes place from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5 in the main foyer between the administration building and the ILC building.
Julia Jay, Central campus coordinator for the English Honors Program, will sing a show tune from Oklahoma during the festival, Joe Kirkland, vice president for instruction, will conduct a poetry reading at 9:15 a.m. and Central psychology professor Clare Zaborowski will read from Sybil at 10 a.m.
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