Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Former English Faculty, Ken Macrorie, Dies

From Las Cruces Sun-News "Ken Macrorie was born in the Mississippi River town of Moline, Ill., in 1918. He graduated from Oberl[l]in College in Ohio and served in the Army during WWII. He then earned a master's degree in English at the University of North Carolina where he became a civil rights activist and began his lifelong dedication to breaking down racial bigotry and bars to equality wherever he was. He taught at Michigan State University and was active in forming the teachers union. When he began work on his doctorate at Columbia University, he studied perception, concentrating on how it affected journalists and accompanying New York Times reporters on assignments. He wrote his doctoral thesis on objectivity/subjectivity in reporting. After receiving his degree, he returned to Michigan State, eventually moving to San Francisco State and then to Western Michigan University where he made the breakthroughs that led to his national leadership role in re-educating teachers trapped in unproductive teaching methods to learn how to express themselves in print and pass that knowledge on to their students." For the full obituary, visit the Las Cruces Sun News.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

WMU Alumni Kelly Sandoval's Update

Kelly Sandoval just got her BA in English/Creative Writing.  She wrote "How to Win in Reno" in a 5660 workshop last year.  The story was a runner-up for the 2009 Undergraduate Fiction Award, and is now going to appear in Esopus Magazine.