For Eastern Kentucky University’s Department of English and Theatre, it has been a busy, perhaps unprecedented, year for academic research and creative works.
During the past year, faculty in the department have produced 14 books, five chapters in books, 17 refereed journal articles, 24 refereed creative works, two published refereed proceedings, 17 non-refereed journal articles, 30 presentations at professional meetings and workshops, and 22 performances, exhibits and productions.
“This remarkable period of success is from a faculty who teach four classes a term and perform a great deal of service,” said Dr. James Keller, chair of the department. “The books that have been released this year are indicative of the broad scope of faculty endeavors, encompassing traditional literary scholarship, history, creative writing and editing. When one includes the multiple scholarly articles, poems and short stories that were also released over the past year, the full scope of the Department’s productiveness becomes apparent.
“The Department of English and Theatre at EKU is populated by an exceptional group of scholar/teachers … and I look forward to another year of teaching and research excellence as well as even more publications.”
The second novel by Derek Nikitas, “The Long Division,” is slated for release this fall, fresh on the heels of “Pyres,” which earned critical raves nationwide upon its release late last year and the screenplay of which is in production as a major motion picture. “Pyres” was recently released in Japanese and is forthcoming in German and French. Nikitas teaches in the University’s brief-residency MFA program in creative writing.
In “Conjoined Twins in Black and White: The Lives of Millie-Christine McCoy and Daisy and Violet Hilton,” Linda Frost, who also heads EKU’s Honors Program, examines the social and literary significance of historic texts describing the lives of two sets of conjoined twins.
Leading the publication list with four books in the past year is Keven McQueen, whose latest book is a collection of outlandish tales from the Hoosier State. McQueen’s books also include “Forgotten Tales of Kentucky,” a fascinating collection of bizarre Bluegrass history.
In a more modern academic vein, “Transcending the New Woman: Multiethnic Narratives in the Progressive Era,” authored by Charlotte Rich, focuses on the shift of Victorian attitudes toward women as domestics to a new era of social, political and economic autonomy at the turn of the 20th century.
Other books include “Cruelly Murdered” and “Kentucky Book of the Dead” by McQueen; “Journey’s Home: An Anthology of Contemporary African Diasporic Experience” edited by Salome Nnoromele and Lisa Day-Lindsey; “The Deep End of South Park: Critical Essays on TV’s Shocking Cartoon Series,” edited by Keller and Leslie Stratyner; “Road to Pleasant Hill,” “48 Hours” and “The Lost Dispatch” by Mason Smith and Marie Mitchell; “Backing into Mountains” by Dorothy Sutton, and “Looking Westward: Poetry, Landscape and Politics in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” by Ordelle Hill.
EKU’s Department of English and Theatre has 47 full-time and more than 60 part-time faculty members.
Local News
EKU English, theatre departments busy with book publications
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Measuring education
Brent Ray, a local contractor, helps Kit Carson Elementary third-graders Nathan Buck and Anijah Rembert measure an outside wall Thursday morning during a class project to determine the perimeter of the school. The third-grade class broke into groups to measure sections of the outside walls which they used to find the perimeter.
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Kiwanis auction Saturday at City Hall
The annual Richmond Kiwanis Club auction will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. until about 5 p.m. with proceedings carried live on TimeWarner Cable Channel 12 and WEKY 1340 AM Radio.
“We have lots of great stuff, as we always do,” said Amanda Stepp, the auction coordinator.
“We have gift cards for almost every restaurant in Richmond as well as two pickup trucks that will be sold,” she said. -
Man pleads guilty to voyeurism charge
A man accused of taking pictures of a woman showering at a Berea truck stop was sentenced to probation Wednesday in Madison District Court.
Paul S. Byrd, 41, of McKee, was arrested Oct. 29 by the Kentucky State Police after a woman reported the incident at the 76 Truck Center off Interstate 75. -
Berea one of state’s first five cultural districts
The Kentucky Arts Council on Thursday named Berea one of the state’s first five certified cultural districts.
Although the legislature designated Berea the state’s Arts and Crafts Capital in the 1990s, this newest designation will draw even more attention and tourism to the city, said Belle Jackson, Berea’s tourism director. -
LRC plans to appeal judge’s HB1 ruling
The leadership of the General Assembly announced Thursday it plans to appeal Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd’s ruling that the legislature’s plan to re-draw state legislative boundaries is unconstitutional.
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Facebook post leads to arrest
A post on the Richmond Police Department’s Facebook page led to the arrest of a man suspected of stealing two Blu-Ray players from Walmart.
Walmart employees reported to police Jan. 25 that a man had concealed the electronics under his coat and attempted to leave the store without paying, said Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock in a news release. -
Four indicted in Berea murder case
The death of a Berea man and the attempted murder of another came at the hands of four people, according to indictments handed down Wednesday by a Madison grand jury.
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Friday at library : Lecturer to portray founder of Berea
John G. Fee, abolitionist and founder of both Berea and Berea College, will be portrayed Friday night by performer Obadiah Ewing-Roush as part of Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua performance series at the Madison County Public Library. There is no charge to attend the 7 p.m. event.
As the son of a slave-holding father, Fee witnessed firsthand the benefits of having slaves and the profits that could be made from their labor. When he graduated from college and enrolled in Lane Theological Seminary, he began to understand the inherent wrong and destructiveness of slavery. -
Berea woman dies Tuesday in Laurel County crash
A Berea woman, Tommie Johnson, 60, died Tuesday evening in a Laurel County crash, according to the the Laurel Sheriff’s Office.
The accident took place about 7 p.m. at the junction of Maple Grove Road and KY 363 south of London, as Johnson was attempting to turn onto the state highway.
Laurel County Chief Deputy Eddy Sizemore said Johnson’s Chevrolet Cavalier pulled out in front of a Dodge Durango driven by Charles Joseph, 19, that was traveling south on KY 363.
After being extricated from her vehicle, Johnson was transported to St. Joseph-London hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Joseph also was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, according to the accident report. -
Finally February
Ian Rosser, an Eastern Kentucky University student from Lexington, clears snow from his car parked on campus Wednesday
morning after about an inch of snow fell in Richmond. Temperatures are forcast to be in the upper 40s today. Kentucky has seen a lot of rain in the past few months, as was predicted by the Farmer's Almanac, but very little snow has fallen. - More Local News Headlines
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