Fefu and Her Friends: Auditions & Zine Making:

This Friday, February 24^th from 5:30-7PM in Room 104 of the English Building, we will be holding a zine-making workshop inspired by Fefu and Her Friends! At this event, we will talk a little about the historical uses of zines, have a demonstration about how to make a mini-zine,  partake in a writing exercise devised by the playwright herself, and spend time crafting our zines. We will have copies of the play and supplies there, so you just need to bring yourself and your creativity. This event is free and open to the public, so invite your friends to come hang out! 

Sunday, March 5^th  from noon-2PM in Room 69 of the English Building (in the basement), we will be holding auditions for Fefu and Her Friends. If you’ve ever felt like you’ve been overlooked for certain roles, if you have always wanted to try acting but haven’t gotten the chance, if you want to build queer, feminist, minoritarian worlds together, please come audition for Fefu and Her Friends.  Everyone is welcome to audition: with this production, we’re really hoping to bring together folks across colleges and departments, bringing together undergraduates, grad students, faculty, & staff. You do not need to prepare anything, and there’s no experience required. We will have selections from the play prepared for you to read, and an audition sheet for you to fill out. If you or someone you know would like to see a copy of the play ahead of time, email Laura Coby (coby2@illinois.edu).

apply to present at undergraduate research symposium

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) invites you to present at the 2023 Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS).The URS is the signature event of Undergraduate Research Week (April 23 – 29), which brings together students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, as well as the public, to learn more about undergraduate research and its potential to change the world. Throughout the day, students will present their oral and poster presentations, including creative performances, and interact with members of the campus community.

When: April 27, 2023Where: Illini Union (A, B, C, South Lounge, and the 2nd Floor)
Application Deadline: March 10, 2023 at 11:59pm 

Why Present? Opportunity to network with other student researchers and faculty, staff, and graduate student judges.Develop communication skills and receive valuable presentation feedback from judges.Invite your friends and family to showcase your work and accomplishments.Presenters are eligible for OUR awards for outstanding presentations.Satisfies a requirement for the Undergraduate Research Certificate.

Who is Eligible? All undergraduate students currently (or were previously) involved with research are eligible to present. This includes course-based research projects.Students can present in-progress and completed research projects or creative works.  We welcome creative exhibits and performances (e.g., art displays, musical and visual performances, and architectural exhibits).Students can present individually or in groups. Groups only need to submit one application to present.Students can give multiple presentations throughout the day.For more information on URS, including answers to frequently asked questions, please visit: http://undergradresearch.illinois.edu/symposium.html

Alexis Pauline Gumbs Public Lecture:

Alexis Pauline Gumbs Public Lecture will be held on 2 March 2023 from 6:00-8:00 pm at Spurlock Museum Auditorium.

Student mental health resource info:

SKY Happiness Retreat is a total well-being training offered to thousands of university students, faculty, and staff across the country.  Recent study at Yale University found that SKY Happiness Retreat significantly reduces stress, depression, and has a long-lasting impact on mental health, mindfulness, positive emotion and social connectedness. The SKY Happiness Retreat introduces SKY Meditation, an evidence-based meditation practice integrated with breath work that can significantly increase one’s well-being and calmness, and significantly reduces anxiety and stress markers.  The course features interactive group processes, experiential learning, emotional intelligence training, breath-work, yoga, and evidence-based meditation. It’s a place to connect with yourself, make new friends, and most importantly, have fun.

The SKY Happiness Retreat is fully funded for University of Illinois affiliates. Availability is first-come-first-serve, by registration only and requires attendance to all sessions. Limited spots are available. 

Location: Sidney Lu Mechanical Engineering Building (Room TBD)

Timings:  
February 24th (Fri) | 6pm – 9pm
February 25th and 26th (Sat & Sun) | 1pm – 5:30pm
Apply here: http://tiny.cc/skyfeb2023uiuc

Course Modality Task Force – student input sought:

Students are invited to fill out this survey for a task force looking at course modality changes when they’re made short-term/on-the-fly as opposed to those that are intentionally made at the beginning of a semester: https://surveys.illinois.edu/sec/1217490565?referrer=https://webtools.illinois.edu/.

Q&A with Sports Writer and Novelist Will Leitch:

The following upcoming event might be of interest to students in creative writing and/or professional writing:

Event: Q&A with Sports Writer and Novelist Will Leitch
Date: March 2 (Thursday),               
Time: 4-5 p.m. CT
Place: 1000 Lincoln Hall

Details here: https://media.illinois.edu/leitch-2023
Handshake: https://app.joinhandshake.com/edu/events/1252707

Library Workshops:

Check out these “Introduction to Library Resources” sessions coming up next week:

Mon. Feb. 27, 10-11AM. Main Library 314
Tues. Feb. 28, 10-11AM. Main Library 314

For other sessions, view the schedule: https://uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/savvy. The calendar is also linked under “Research Services” from the top bar on the Library Gateway.

Library Student Food Pantry:

There is now a Student Food Pantry in the Orange Room (room 100, Main Library), located in the hallway leading to the Writers Workshop. It primarily has canned and dried goods and is available to any student. This service is a new partnership with Wesley Food Pantry, who will be in charge of restocking the food. 

If you are interested in contributing in some way, or have any questions or suggestions, please contact María Emerson (memersn2@illinois.edu). 

If any of you have used it and would like to share your thoughts, you can fill out a short survey here: https://go.library.illinois.edu/StudentFoodPantry

Don’t Forget These!

AbbVie Info Session

AbbVie is a global, research-based biopharmaceutical company formed in 2013. its mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. It strives to have a remarkable impact on people’s lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women’s health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio.

AbbVie will hold an info session about the opportunities for liberal arts majors at AbbVie around communications and strategy roles.    

Info Session: Wednesday, March 1, noon to 1pm (Come at noon for some food and a chat with Abbvie reps in GH 105, then move into GH 100 for the formal info session)

Lunch will be provided.  

Participants can expect to: 
-Gain an increased understanding of career paths for students in communications, political science, English, history, psychology, and more
-Develop insight about the role of change management and communications across AbbVie
-Learn about potential career paths and internships through the AbbVie Innovation Center at Research Park
-Network with AbbVie representatives

Office of Conferences and Special Events

The Office of Conferences & Special Events will be hiring several students to join the 2023 Summer Conference Team. There are a variety of full-time and part-time positions available ranging from Conference Clerk to Conference Coordinator. Summer housing, hourly pay, and discounted meals are included.

For more information, go to: go.illinois.edu/csejobs2023  

LAS Externship at Spurlock Museum:

Spurlock Museum of World Cultures is hosting an LAS Externship on Friday, March 10 from 1:30 – 4:30pm. You can register on Handshake: go.illinois.edu/SpurlockExternship.

Participants will get an insider perspective on what it’s like to work at a museum. We’ll have a tour of the museum, a panel discussion with museum professionals from around Champaign County, and informational interviews with Spurlock staff for a deeper dive into specific job functions. Participants will learn about the range of available roles, potential career paths, and the big issues shaping museum work right now.

2023 UNDERGRADUATE CREATIVE WRITING AWARDS

The English Department is pleased to announce its annual undergraduate literary competitions in Short Fiction and Poetry. Prizes range from $100 to $1500 with multiple awards in each category.

Contest rules are as follows:

Short Fiction: Submit no more than one unpublished story (7500 words, maximum length) Poetry: Submit up to 5 unpublished poems in a single document. Only University of Illinois undergraduate students are eligible. To be considered for a prize, submissions must adhere to the following rules:

• All submissions must be sent via email as an attachment to: jdudek4@illinois.edu.
• The subject line of your email message must read as follows: “UNDERGRAD POETRY: Last name” or “UNDERGRAD FICTION: Last name”
• If you enter in both categories (poetry and fiction), you will need to send separate emails.
• In the body of your email, please include: your name, address, phone number, email address, status (undergraduate student), and UIN.
• Your entry is to be contained in one attached .docx file. The name of this file must be the contest category followed by your last name, such as “FICTION JONES.docx” or “POETRY JONES.docx” Your name should not appear within the document itself.

Deadline: Noon, Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Please direct any questions to John Dudek, Associate Director of Creative Writing at Jdudek4@aivyillinois-edu

Junior Quinn Award 2022-2023

The Junior Quinn Award recognizes achievement and potential in Creative Writing MAJORS or minors with junior class standing by awarding one or more recipients with financial support to attend a writing workshop or conference. This year’s prize will be issued as a flat $1000.

We recognize that it is not always easy to determine eligibility. If you are not technically a Junior this academic year (e.g. if you have Senior standing because you came in with a lot of test-based credit) but plan to graduate no earlier than December 2023 and no later than December 2024, you may be eligible. If you have any questions about your eligibility, check with Anna Ivy or Keshia Atkins in Undergraduate Advising (englishadvising@illinois.edu). You may apply for the Junior Quinn only once. If you have eligibility questions, email John Dudek, Associate Director of Creative Writing, at jdudek4@illinois.edu. If you are eligible, we want to see a sample of your unpublished prose OR poetry:

• Prose submissions can be either fiction or creative nonfiction. Limit your submission to 1-2 pieces, no more than 15 pages total.
• Poetry submissions should contain 3-5 poems, no more than 7 pages total.

The first page of your submission (not included in page count) should be a statement of purpose explaining how attending a writing conference or other professional development opportunity would impact your writing. This statement should be no more than 250 words. A few conferences you might consider are listed below. Though feel free to find other opportunities that interest you more!

• AWP Conference: https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_conference/registration_overview
• Juniper Summer Writing Institute: https://juniperinstitute.umasscreate.net/tuition-room-board/
• Kenyon Review Writers’ Workshop: https://kenyonreview.org/writers-online/
• Port Townsend Writer’s Conference: https://centrum.org/the-port-townsend-writers-conference/
• Indiana University’s Writing Conference: https://iuwc.indiana.edu/

Submit your statement of purpose and creative work in one file (.docx only) to John Dudek at jdudek4@illinois.edu by noon, March 1. To make sure your submission does not get lost, the subject line of the email should be ALL CAPS and either JUNIOR QUINN POETRY or JUNIOR QUINN PROSE. The body of this email should include: Your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and UIN.

Writers Workshop Resources

You can make use of the Writers Workshop resources. See the flyers below:

GET $1000 TO LEARN, GROW, AND SERVE THE COMMUNITY

Interested in applying your humanities training to address a vital area of need in the Champaign-Urbana community? Apply to be a Fall 2023 Humanities in Action scholar. HIA Scholars receive $1000, training, and support for their participation in this semester-long service program. Learn more at an information session on Feb. 21. Complete applications are due March 5. View application details. Register here for the information session

Summer Institute for the Languages of the Muslim World (SILMW)

Summer Institute for Languages of the Muslim World will be held from June 12-August 5, 2023.

Session includes
• Arabic, Persian, Swahili, Turkish, and Wolof courses
• Small class sizes and dedicated faculty and staff
• Immersive experience, complete with instruction
• Cultural activities, opportunities for language practice, conversation tables,
cooking classes, movie nights, and more!

Program registration deadline May 7, 2023

Apply and earn up to 10 credits! To apply, visit https://linguistics.illinois.edu/academics/less-commonly-taught-languages/arabic/application-and-registration. For more information contact silmw@illinois.edu

OMSA Free Tutoring Class List

OMSA tutoring is free to all UIUC undergrads. For more information and the list of classes, see the flyer below:

Library Workshops, events, and services

With the start of the new semester, the University Library has been busy planning and scheduling workshops, consultation services, programs, and other helpful things for students. For information about the events and workshops visit events calendar as well as  Savvy Researcher workshops.

You can find some highlighted workshops and services below:

Research Consultations
Research consultations start again this Sunday! Students can receive help with their research papers, ranging from brainstorming a topic to synthesizing their sources.  Consultations are from 4-9pm, Sunday-Thursday, and are geared towards first- and second-year students.

Speaking Center
The Speaking Center opens again this week! Students can sign up for a consultation to work one-on-one with a trained Speaking Consultant to improve presentations and speeches, attend workshops focused on building lasting speaking skills, or participate in language sessions to build foreign language skills. Upcoming workshops include “Coping with Speech Anxiety” and “Nonverbal Communication for Presentations.“

Academic Success Series and Student Success Workshops
The Academic Success Series is in collaboration with the Counseling Center, and covers topics like “Healthy Relationships,” “Imposter Syndrome,” and more. Student Success Workshops will include some repeats from the fall, like “Study Skills for Neurodiverse Students,” and “Budgeting 101,” and also introduce new workshops, like “Using and Creating a LinkedIn Profile.”

Inclusive Speaker Series: Salvatore De Sando
Funded by the Library Innovation and Seed Grant, this series highlights members of the UIUC community who have done important work highlighting underrepresented voices. Salvatore will be the first in this speaker series, and will present on Feb. 14^th at noon, via zoom.

Family Study Room
For students who are parents or caregivers, there is a space for them in the Main Library! Students can bring their kids with them to the Library, and can also check out Family Kits, a playpen, or children tablets for their children to play with while they study.

Introduction to Library Resources for Literary Studies

Are you new to UIUC? Do you need some help figuring out how to do research? Do you find it difficult to access library resources that can help you to succeed in courses? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, please consider attending “Introduction to Library Resources for Literary Studies.” This one-hour session will teach you to use a variety of library services and features (e.g. Inter-library loan, requesting books, accessing articles, and scheduling a research consultation). To participate, visit https://uiuc.libcal.com/calendar/savvy?cid=15337&t=m&d=2023-02&cal=15337&inc=0 and select a session that works for you. Can’t find one? Let Matt Roberts in the Literatures and Languages Library know, and he will reach out to you with more information to receive the instruction that you need.

Matt will continue to offer office hours for students. You can also schedule a consultation with him, but he will be free each Monday from 12-2 to talk with you.

Summer Student Employment Opportunity – DGS Peer Advisor

Summer 2023! Peer Advisors are an integral part of New Student Registration and will work closely with DGS advisors, staff, and campus partners to facilitate group meetings, presentations, and course registration for approximately 1,100 new students.

Qualifications include being a current Illinois student in good academic standing, being willing to work as a part of a team, excellent presentation skills, and knowledge of the course explorer website. 

For application information, scan the QR code or visit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BdUzntW2e-DjO4mEy1CncH8AwfY18IiP/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106698173489989988776&rtpof=true&sd=true Application materials are due by March 19, 2023 at 5:00pm. Materials or questions about the application should be sent to Sierra Hollenbeck, Coordinator for Recruitment and Admissions, at sholl14@illinois.edu.

NSP is hiring Orientation Leaders!

New Student Programs is looking for undergraduate students to serve as Orientation Leaders to help them welcome the Fall 2023 new students!  For position description and link to apply, see below:

USM Graduate English Programs

The Department of English at the University of Southern Mississippi invite you to apply to their graduate programs in English. They offer both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees, with emphasis in literature or creative writing. They offer competitive assistantships of up to $17,000 for Ph.D. students (normally renewable for four years in creative writing and five years or more in literature) and $13,000 for M.A. students (normally renewable for two years in both literature and creative writing). The department is also home to Mississippi Review and Southern Quarterly, two leading journals on which students regularly collaborate, the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, one of North America’s leading research centers in the field of children’s literature, and the nationally renowned Center for Writers. Underrepresented, minority, and nontraditional applicants are encouraged to apply. 

The priority deadline for Fall 2023 admission is February 10, 2023, though applications after that will still be considered. If you’d like to know more about the programs, feel free to be in touch with Professor Joshua Bernstein directly (joshua.bernstein@usm.edu), and, in the case of creative writing, Prof. Adam Clay (adam.clay@usm.edu). Interested applicants are encouraged to visit the department’s website for additional information  (https://www.usm.edu/graduate-programs/english.php) and a comprehensive FAQ page (https://www.usm.edu/humanities/apply-graduate-english.php).

Find peer mentoring at the Lisnek LAS Hub

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays, First Floor of Lincoln Hall, Behind the marble staircase
Peer mentors help LAS students access opportunities to gain hands-on experience. Drop-in for a casual conversation about exploring student organizations, undergraduate research, volunteer opportunities, study abroad, internships, and more. Learn how to access resources and apply to opportunities. 

Our old friends at the Humanities Professional Resource Center (now LAS Career Services) are still in Greg Hall 105 and available to meet with students to talk about professional development opportunities, career planning, and general life stuff of the “what am I doing here?” variety. See their website for contact info and event announcements.

Confidential Advisors at BNAACC, La Casa and WRC

The Women’s Resources Center (WRC) is the designated confidential campus resource related to sexual assault/rape, sexual harassment, stalking and abuse within a relationship (sometimes called dating or domestic violence). That means when we talk with students, staff, and faculty who have experienced harm, we make sure you get what you need and on your terms! There are several Confidential Advisors at the WRC who can provide you – or someone looking to support you – with support and advocacy services. We also have two Confidential Advisors embedded at BNAACC and La Casa two days/week.

Embedded Advocate Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 10am – 4pm @ BNAACC
Wednesday 1pm – 5pm and Thursday 10am – 4pm @ La Casa

Advising available by appointment | Monday – Friday @ the WRC. Hours may vary. Walk-in appointments offered as available. Learn more about Advocacy & Support Services, here.

COLLISION CALL FOR SUBMISSION:

Collision, an annual undergraduate publication at the University of Pittsburgh, is currently open for submissions of undergraduate fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art. By submitting to the magazine, you will be considered for its writing and cover art contests. Submissions for the annual magazine close Friday, February 24, but submissions are read on a rolling basis. You can find more information about the magazine and our submission guidelines at https://www.collision.pitt.edu. If you have any questions, please contact collisionlitmag@gmail.com.