The Inkwell

Elena Kua, who completed our Master’s in English as a creative writing student in the fall 2014, has just had a creative nonfiction piece published in The Baltimore Review.

She’s excited to report that she even received payment for her work!

The piece, “Engraving,” tells about Elena’s aging father and recreates some of his years growing up in the southern part of Malaysia.

Elena is currently living back home in Maylasia with husband See Huang Lim (another of our Master’s alumni). The two of them are awaiting word this month on whether they will receive visas to do religious work in Japan.

You can read “Engraving,” HERE.

Two students who produced work in creative writing classes taught by Al Haley have each won first place in the annual Texas Association of Creative Writing Teachers student writing contest.

• Alikay Wood won first place in fiction for her story “Academy 6”
• Alikay also won first in nonfiction for her piece “All That’s Left to Do Is Fall”
• Stephanie Martin won first place in poetry for a group of poems

In this contest members are allowed to nominate one undergraduate and one graduate work in each of the three major literary genres. Al Haley is the ACU member of TACWT who nominated these students.

The honor includes a $100 prize and an invitation to read at the annual TACWT meeting held in September.

Alikay graduated in May. She is headed to New York City where she has a job at a Christian publishing house. Her short story was a witty, satirical take on a dystopian high school in which it’s not clear, until the end, if this is just a somewhat eccentric school or a mental institution. “All That’s Left to Do Is Fall” ponders some of the recent knowledge obtained about the origin of the cosmos and how this could affect one’s sense of who they are in day-to-day life.

Stephanie graduated in December 2014. She was accepted into the Professional Science Masters in Biotechnology at the University of San Francisco. A notable feature of her poetry was how she integrated her knowledge of science into the poems.

(Thanks to Al Haley for this article.)

Want the chance to have your work published, but have been held back because you do more than just write? Here’s your opportunity to get your work out there.

Mary Baldwin College’s online literary magazine is currently accepting submissions for their first annual publication of the year. They accept all areas of work, including digital files (e.g. video-recorded spoken word). They are looking for works of fiction, non-fiction, drama, art, photography and poetry.

They are accepting submissions until Nov. 20th.

For more information, feel free to visit their website as well as their Submission Guidelines. You can also go to their Facebook page for updates on the magazine and other content.

Organization: Hangar Ventures

Contact: Ed Ireson

Contact Information: ed@hangar-ventures.com

Site of Internship: Dallas, TX or Austin, TX

Dates for Internship: 1-2 per quarter for 3-6 month internship

Intern Responsibilities: marketing, pitch deck review and editing, document drafting and copyediting, minimal press interaction

Qualities of Intern: excellent communicator in both verbal and written form; interest in technology, startups, and related industries

Remuneration, if any, for internship: DOE

Deadline: ongoing

For more information, please visit Hangar Venture’s website

Read about what the company has been doing here

Completed applications should be sent to Dr. Stephen R. Weathers, Chair, Student Internship Committee, Department of Language and Literature, Abilene Christian University, ACU Box 28252, Abilene, TX 79699 or emailed to weatherss@acu.edu.

Click HERE to learn more about this opportunity!

Still in need of an internship?

New opportunities available HERE!

Jobs for Spanish Majors – Teaching at Independent College-Prep Schools

Southern Teachers Agency, the nation’s most experienced educational placement service, has helped great schools hire great teachers since 1902.  Today, we serve nearly 600 of the South and Mid-Atlantic regions’ top private and independent schools.

STA currently has 97 faculty positions listed for Spanish teachers.  Click to see a geographic list of current job openings for Spanish teachers.

Hiring Expectations at independent schools

• Schools focus on prospective teachers’ academic credentials and their skills in communicating and building relationships with teenagers.  Many teacher candidates have enjoyed working with kids as camp counselors and recreation league coaches.
• Certainly, a degree in secondary/language education and some undergraduate student-teaching experience can be advantageous, but they aren’t hiring prerequisites.  Schools hire Spanish majors to teach Spanish courses, and they provide new faculty members with ongoing support and professional development.
• Generally, students should have GPAs of 3.0 or higher to be strong candidates for these teaching positions.

STA Application process 

Click here to apply online.  Start the process as soon as possible!  There is no fee. STA’s services are free to candidates.

Once you’re accepted as an STA candidate, a Placement Counselor will contact you and begin working with you to find the right professional fit for your skills and interests as a teacher, a coach, a co-curricular program leader, and an enthusiastic new member of an outstanding school community.

            Apply today!    SouthernTeachers.com

Congratulations to Dr. Cole Bennett on winning the 2015 College of Arts and Sciences Colleague Service Award!

The Colleague Service Award is given to a faculty member who encourages, mentors, and supports faculty colleagues in pursuing the mission of Abilene Christian University. Past recipients of this award are: Tracy Shilcutt, Kim Pamplin, Deb Williams, and Neal Coates.

This year’s recipient shows a great disposition toward everyone and a willingness to help and assist in the varied needs of the department. By maintaining a sense of humor and academic integrity this person creates a relaxed and productive working environment. He personifies the three words used in selecting the winner of this award: encourager, mentor, and supporter of his colleagues. In spite of all the responsibilities as department chair and merging two departments, he takes care of each one of the faculty personally, regularly stopping by offices to check up and to see if anything is needed. As the director of a student-focused support center, he is in a unique position to extend the notion of colleague to the student body: both graduate and undergraduate. In doing so, he brings insights into campus-wide conversations that demonstrate a distinctive understanding of teaching and learning. I am proud to present this year’s Colleague Service Award to Dr. Cole Bennett.

New internship opportunity, majors!

Click on the link to find out more about this Technical Writing Internship!