James Bryant Reeves’ Godless Fictions in the Eighteenth Century: A Literary History of Atheismwas published on July 9, 2020 by Cambridge University Press. The book focuses on depictions of atheists and atheism throughout the Enlightenment era, arguing that imaginative, literary reactions against atheism helped sustain various forms of religious belief throughout the period. His recent article “Antislavery Literature and the Decline of Hell” was published in Eighteenth-Century Studies.
MATC graduate Michael Trice’s co-edited book Platforms, Protests, and the Challenge of Networked Democracy was published on July 8, 2020 by Palgrave MacMillan. Michael is a lecturer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication Program.
An interview by Jon Marc Smith and Smith Henderson about their upcoming novel, Make Them Cry,was published in CrimeReads. See full interview: https://crimereads.com/what-does-it-take-for-two-people-to-actually-write-a-novel-together/
Susan Morrison’s article “Marie de France’s Saint Patrick’s Purgatory as Dynamic Diptych” was published in Le Cygne: Journal of the International Marie de France Society. Her essay “The Body: Unstable, Gendered, Theorized” appears in A Cultural History of Comedy in the Middle Ages, edited by Martha Bayless.
Recent B.A. in English graduate Cole Plunkett was awarded a scholarship to attend the MFA in Creative Writing Program at The New School in New York City.
MFA poetry student James Trask’s poem “Springtime and Single Again” was awarded Second Honorable Mention for the 15th Mudfish Poetry Prize. This year’s contest was judged by Erica Jong. This poem and three other poems by James (“Things That Can Kill You,” “The Stories,” and “A Smear of Red”) were selected for publication in the forthcoming issue of Mudfish. “A Smear of Red” previously won both 2nd prize in this year’s San Antonio Writer’s Guild Annual Writing Contest and 2nd prize for this year’s Austin Poetry Society Award. James was also a finalist for last year’s 14th Mudfish Poetry Prize.
Dr. Luan Brunson Haynes, professor (1967-2008) and Chair of the Department of English (1972-83), has published Ktimene, an historical novel set in ancient Greece. Those who know Luan know of her deep love for Greece the place, its history, and its literature. Her novel presents the epic of Odysseus through the eyes and experiences of a woman, Ktimene. As per the official description: “The narrative of Odysseus and his adventures—the Odyssey—has been a staple of ancient storytelling for millennia, but now the account of his sailing the Mediterranean has a new version: a woman has sneaked on board, in disguise. Not just any woman, but his own sister. Based on research in Greece and other locations, Luan Brunson Haynes has given us more than a glimpse of the primitive world. She has written a lively and entertaining tale of the fearless and beautiful Ktimene and her family. Come along on her far-flung journeys as this Grecian princess learns from her various roles—wife, mother, trader, hostage, heiress, protector, storyteller, ruler—and watches her children grow up to travel the known world and beyond. Through the twists and turns of fate, Ktimene is indeed the founder of civilizations.” Contact Teya Rosenberg (tr11@txstate.edu) for more information.
Please submit all announcements to the English Department’s Miscellany Submission Form found here: https://www.english.txstate.edu/news/Miscellany-Submission.html