Steven Isenberg’s Commencement Speech
This speech was given by Steven L. Isenberg to the graduates of the English Department of the University of California, Berkeley, at their Commencement, on Saturday, May 17, 2014.
Remembering Hillary Gravendyk (1979-2014)
Hillary Gravendyk, an accomplished poet, scholar, and teacher, passed away in May 2014 after a long illness. This page gathers remembrances of Hillary from her teachers and friends at Berkeley, along with links to her online work, collaborative poems she wrote, and videos of her readings.
On Translating Rilke
Joseph Cadora has published a translation of Rilke that he undertook in a poetry translation course with Robert Hass. What follows is a note on the translation from Professor Hass along with a reflection on the experience from Cadora.
Samira Franklin on Parenting and Academia
In this series on the blog, we explore the joys and the tribulations of being both a graduate student and a parent. Over the next several weeks, we will post pieces by graduate students from all stages of our program. Each has a unique perspective on parenting and academia.
Aurora Theatre-English Department Benefit: Hamlet in College
The Fourth Aurora Theatre-English Department Symposium took place on Saturday April 26. The event was organized around the Aurora’s production of David Davalos’s Wittenberg.
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Undergraduate Research: A Diegetic
In the following article, Emily Doyle (’14) considers the subject of her summer 2013 undergraduate research fellowship concerning Henry James and the phrase, ‘As if’. Emily will graduate from Berkeley this spring and is currently in the final stages of developing her research into an honors thesis focusing on the specific ways elements of fiction, grammar, and philosophy converge upon the...
“I have never seen myself teach before”: Maura Nolan on Frederick Wiseman’s At Berkeley
Renowned documentarian Frederick Wiseman’s At Berkeley aired on PBS in January 2014, clocking in at 4 hours and 4 minutes long. The documentary centers on extended, intimate looks inside Berkeley classrooms and administrative meetings. Of these classrooms, two happened to hold classes being conducted by English Department professors: one by Professor Mitch Breitwieser and another by Professor Maura Nolan. Here,...
READ MORE “I have never seen myself teach before”: Maura Nolan on Frederick Wiseman’s At Berkeley
Review of Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness by The Shotgun Players
In “On the Scene,” a new series for the blog, we ask current graduate students with an interest in theater to review select local plays. The fifth piece in the series is a review by Alek Jeziorek of Shotgun Players’ production of Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness at Ashby Stage.
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The Double Vision of Motherhood
Second in the series is a post by Catherine Cronquist Browning, who is currently serving as a lecturer in the department, since completing her Ph.D. here last year.
The State of the Humanities: Professor Scott Saul Discusses the Issue on KQED’s “Forum”
On November 19, our Director of Undergraduate Studies Scott Saul appeared on KQED’s “Forum” for a free-ranging hour-long discussion on the state of the humanities on college campuses.
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Introducing Insight at Berkeley
nsight at Berkeley is a bi-semesterly e-publication focused on success stories. The Insight team seeks out Cal alumni with all different backgrounds, majors, and careers. We sit down with these professionals and discuss how to get the best out of schooling, internship opportunities, extracurriculars, and ultimately potential career options.
Shotgun Players’ Strangers, Babies: “Injured things can survive.”
The fourth piece in the series is a review by Alek Jeziorek of Shotgun Players’ production of Strangers, Babies, directed by Jon Tracy.
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2014 Graduate Student Notes
Each year in the “Faculty Notes” section of the department newsletter, we list the most recent faculty accomplishments. In the same spirit of recognition and congratulation, listed below are only some of the many accomplishments of our graduate students from this past year. They include prizes, fellowships, academic and literary publications and prizes, conferences organized, and conference papers presented.
“Thy zeal deserves a miracle”: A Winter’s Tale at CalShakes
The third piece in the series is a review by CFS. Creasy of Cal Shakes’s production of A Winter’s Tale, directed by Patricia McGregor.
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On Reading Motherhood
In a new series on the blog, we explore the joys and the tribulations of being both a graduate student and a parent. First in the series is a post by Mia You, who helps run the website a.bradstreet, which publishes pieces on motherhood and poetics.