English Department

Listen to Professor Luke Mancuso talk about the highlights of the English major at CSB/SJU in this brief video introduction.

Program Highlights

Diverse faculty members who are engaged and productive in their fields.
Through the CSB Literary Arts Institute, English majors learn what it means to be a working author by taking classes from visiting writers throughout the year.
Contribute to Studio One, a literary and visual arts publication, is produced annually. Students can submit poetry, short stories, photographs, paintings, and drawings to be published.
Connect with the English Department on Facebook.
Get involved with literary arts circles through Pseudonym, a student-led club for campus readers and writers.
Discover the English Web, a bi-annual online publication where you can hear from current English faculty and students, along with English alums, on their lives and works.

Overview of Program

Curriculum to include all literature written in English-e.g. works from India, Africa and the Caribbean.
Broad scope of world literature while examining traditional works.
Tracks through the Major: Literature, Writing, Teaching Secondary Education, Publishing, Popular Culture/Film.

Faculty Spotlight

A Captivating Catalogue of Teacher's Secrets:

Sr. Mara Faulkner (Associate Professor of English) engages in a lively conversation with Luke Mancuso (Associate Professor of English) about her nearly four decades of teaching hundreds and hundreds of students here at CSB/SJU. Sr. Mara is a recipient of the Sr. Mary Grell Teacher of Distinction Award, and unfolds her deck of pedagogical cards in a candid set of stories and anecdotes about her teacher's craft.

Sr. Mara also projects herself forward into the future horizon, in order to imagine her faculty retirement after the Spring Term 2013. To listen to the audio feature, click here.

The Importance of Reading Earnestly:

Cindy Malone (Professor of English) presents a slide show of images, showcasing her lavish book-arts project, based on Laurence Sterne's legendary novel Tristram Shandy, along with an audio commentary, which has led to the publication of a delectable critical essay, "Writers and Critics at the Dinner Table: Tristram Shandy as Conversation Model," in Issue 23 of the journal Post Road. Click here to read the witty piece: "It's time for dinner." Visual/Audio feature.

Alum Spotlight

English as the Passport to the World:

A lively Video Interview with English majors Tyler Speltz, Matt Doyle, and Will Moore (SJU 2013) by Luke Mancuso (Associate Professor of English), in which these articulate graduates reflect on their pleasures and challenges as English majors in the CSB/SJU communities over the last four years. Watch the video here.

Joy and Passion Galore:

English Graduates on the Creative and Critical Pleasures in the English Department:

Four voluble members of the CSB/SJU class of 2012 (Christian Knox, Kate Lutz, Jason Kaiser, and Ted Kain) sit down for a rollicking conversation with Luke Mancuso (Associate Professor of English), about their four-year pathways in the English Department, highlighting several strands of their compelling adventures, and forecasting their post-commencement plans as well. Listen to the podcast.

News - Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Check out the MPR news story by Will Moore (SJU 2013), on the new drinking laws in St. Joseph, MN, and the civic response of CSB/SJU students: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/05/10/news/civic-action-by-college-students-young-reporters

Chris Bolin (Instructor of English) has published his first collection of poems with the prestigious University of Iowa Press poetry series. Congratulations to Chris.

Kudos to Chris Bolin (Instructor of English) for this singular profile in the 22 March 2013 issue of the CSB/SJU Record, regarding his service writing course efforts in the St. Cloud metro area. Click here to read the article.

March 2013: The English Department is pleased to announce that Tierney Chlan has won this year's Wagner-Berger Prize for Excellence in Creative Writing for her story "Through Windows". Tierney is a sophomore English and Communication major from Lonsdale, MN. The $1000 Wagner-Berger Prize is awarded annually for the best original work of fiction written by a College of Saint Benedict student. Look for Tierney's story this spring in Studio One.

January 2013: Applause for colleague Chris Bolin, on this signal Minnesota civic distinction for the CSB/SJU English Department:

Presidents' Civic Engagement Steward Award - Chris Bolin

English Department faculty member, Chris Bolin, has been awarded the Presidents' Civic Engagement Award, by CSB/SJU Presidents' Offices and the Minnesota Campus Compact. "This award is for a member of the faculty, administration, or staff or for a group (e.g.,advisory committee, task force, project team) that has significantly advanced their campus' distinctive civic mission by forming strong partnerships, supporting others' civic engagement, and working to institutionalize a culture and practice of engagement." Chris has been reconginzed for his work creating, advising, and supporting community-based, creative-writing programs. These programs allow CSB/SJU students to deepen their engagement to their own writing, while leading creative-writing classes at Discovery Elementary School, the St. Cloud Public Library, and CentraCare's Dialysis Unit.

Presidents' Community Partner Award - ENGL 211 and Discovery Elementary School The English Department's partnership with Discovery Elementary School has been recognized with the Presidents' Community Partner Award. This partnership, created by faculty member, Chris Bolin, and Discovery Principal, Shawn Gombos, involves school-day and after-school creative-writing programming, provided by CSB/SJU students. It also employs the English Department's first AmeriCorps member, Kit Chambers, to help sustain and expand this valuable partnership. "This award is for a community-based organization that has enhanced the quality of life in the community in meaningful and measurable ways and has engaged in the development of sustained, reciprocal partnerships with the college or university, thus enriching educational as well as community outcomes." The wonderful work of English 211 students, AmeriCorps member Kit Chambers, and the 4th and 5th grade teachers of Discovery Elementary School deserves such recognition.

January 2013: Applause for Cindy Malone (Professor of English) who has published her essay, "Honey and Bread" in Ars Medica, Vol. 9, No. 1, Fall, 2013.

December 2012: St. Cloud Times, 12/13/12: "The deluge of digital in our everyday lives seems to be unstoppable. E-readers and tablets are increasingly popular. What, then, will become of the book, a durable technology that has contained and conveyed knowledge for centuries? Much, say some professors at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University." Click CSB book Arts Studio to read the article.

November 2012-The College of St. Benedict English Department is sponsoring the Louis A. And Mary Wagner Berger Memorial Prize for Excellence in Creative Writing. This prize honors the best original work of fiction by any full-time CSB student. The winning author will receive $1000, and her story will appear in Studio One. Stories should be from 1,000-2,000 words. The entries must be double-spaced, typewritten, and previously unpublished. Only one entry per contestant. No online submissions. The submission deadline is January 25, 2013. Submit stories to Bev Radaich in the CSB English Department, Richarda N28 or Quad 354A. A panel of judges will select the winner. If you have any questions, please contact Sister Mara Faulkner at x5912.

November 2012: We are saddened to report that our former colleague, Virginia "Sally" Melton passed away on Saturday, October 27, 2012. She was a member of the CSB/SJU English Department from 1976-1998. Sally was a beloved teacher who became friends with many of her students and continued those relationships once the students left CSB/SJU. Click here for the St. Cloud Times Obituary for Sally.

October 2012: Betsy Johnson-Miller published a new book of poetry called "Fierce this Falling" which is now avaliable in the CSB/SJU Bookstores. Johnson-Miller teaches English and FYS at CSB/SJU. "Fierce this Falling" is her second published book of poetry; she has also authored two books for young adults. Read about her new book here. Congratulations, Betsy, on your new publication!

October 11, 2012: At the CSB/SJU Study Abroad Fair in the Haehn Campus Center, Jessica Harkins (Assistant Professor of English) speaks to interested students about her enticing May Term 2013 in Venice, Italy: The allure of Venice. Click here to read more.

July 2012: Jessica Harkins (Assistant Professor of English) has published three lyric poems ("I dream to find you," "Sisters," and "Noctourne") in the July 2012 issue of Lingerpost. Read her poems here.