Weekly Round-Up

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If you are a recently-published undergraduate or graduate student in the English department, DM @illinoisenglish on Instagram with the details so our social media team can create a kudos post to celebrate your accomplishment!

Democracy and the Novel Conference 4/8-9

TODAY Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, starting at 9:15AM in Illini Union Room 209. Check out the Democracy and the American Novel Conference. It focuses on topics like race, borders, statehood, and more, in relation to the US novel.  Admission is free and open to the public, with in-person and Zoom options available. Refreshments will be served.

The list of speakers includes Lisa Siraganian, Paul J. Edwards, Chiyuma Elliott, Habiba Ibrahim, Justin L. Mann, Aida Levy-Hussen, Mary Esteve, Sean McCann, Melani McAlister, Caren Irr, and Sophia Azeb. More information, both about the speakers and their talks, as well as a schedule, can be found in the attached materials and at the following link: https://trowbridge.initiative.illinois.edu/2022/03/21/democracy-and-the-american-novel/.

To tune in via Zoom, for both days of the symposium, please register at the following link: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElde2rqjsiHNe6bQXS-MgC0KgvgKn2H342.

Kaplan Family Writer-in-Residence Series

The Creative Writing Program and the Department of English welcome award-winning fiction writer Dan Chaon, who comes to campus as the inaugural author in our new Kaplan Family Writer-in-Residence Series. Dan is the author of seven books of fiction, including the bestselling novel Ill Will, the story collection Among the Missing, and the forthcoming Sleepwalk.  Join us for one or both of the following events:

Craft Talk: “Hallucination: Description, Detail and the Uncanny”
April 13, 4:30-6:00pm in EB 259

Public Reading
April 14, 4:30-6:00pm in Illini Union 314B

VOICE reading

This Month’s VOICE reading, a regular event at which creative writing MFAs (and occasional special guests) read their poetry and fiction, will feature Claire Christoff, Maddy Furlong, and John Dudek.

April 14, 7:00-8:30pm
The Literary Bookstore (122 N Neil Street, Champaign)

ATLAS Social Media Intern Weekly Meetings

Come join social media interns from the ATLAS Internship Program to discuss things all social media! We meet every Friday at 4 pm on Zoom. Some potential topics include Canva, Airtable, data analytics, and even hearing from speakers!

Topic: Social Media & Digital Content  Weekly Meeting

https://illinois.zoom.us/j/81716506306?pwd=YmxnYkRJUFpEQ1BXaXBITitGRkphUT09

Meeting ID: 817 1650 6306
Password: 710945

Graduating This May?!
If you’re graduating this May or August and missed the deadline to register for convocation, we need to know ASAP if you’re planning to participate. Please email englishadvising@illinois.edu to let us know!  Plus, don’t forget to order your cap and gown by April 12 for the best price!
in case you missed the registration email
Time tickets (which tell you when you can register for Summer and/or Fall 2022 classes) should be visible to you now in Self-ServiceRegistration started April 4.  If you would like to schedule an appointment to discuss your plans with an advisor call 217-333-4346 during the hours 8:30-noon or 1:00-4:30. As always, you may request a particular advisor or ask for the first person available. For students who feel comfortable with the registration process and would prefer to do advising via email, you may contact an advisor with your questions and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. Remember that we are very busy during the registration period so please don’t wait until your time ticket opens up and then send an email demanding an immediate reply. Plan ahead!

Here are some things you can do ahead of time to make your registration appointment more productive:

  • Run your degree audit and see what you can make of it. Even if you find it a little confusing, try to get a sense of what requirements you have left to fulfill, and then when we do your registration appointment we can confirm (or correct) your interpretation of the audit and help explain anything that’s confusing.
  • Think about what you want to accomplish in the fall. What major/minor/Gen Ed requirements would you like to complete, and what other areas would you like to explore?
  • If you are thinking of adding a major or a minor, do you know what you need to do to get started? If you’ve already begun, can you figure out the next step?  You can explore major and minor requirements listed here: http://catalog.illinois.edu/undergraduate/
  • Consult Course Explorer and be sure to read the course descriptions in full.  Remember that if a course is called “Topics in X” then you must click through to see the individual sections and find out what topics are available. It’s also worth clicking through on any 199 (usually called Undergraduate Open Seminar) because there you may find some interesting and unusual topics being piloted, and they’re usually unrestricted.
  • Consult the resources available on the Planning Coursework section of the advising site.  You’ll find checklists of major requirements, plus the “cheat sheet” that tells you which variable topics courses satisfy which requirements this fall.
paid internship opportunity–apply now!


For the 22-23 academic year, the Department of English is looking to hire a Social Media Management Intern from any major in the English Department (must have at least sophomore standing for AY22-23). This is a great opportunity for students to apply their love of writing and literature while gaining valuable media-writing experience.

Position Responsibilities:
• Develop creative thematic post series for Facebook and Instagram
• Promote, attend, and create social media posts about department events when safety allows
• Design flyers, memes, and other posts for informing and entertaining students
• Develop creative semester-long multimodal projects
• Attend weekly meetings for brainstorming, task assignments, and collaboration
• Edit videos and design flyers or posts
• Collaborate with Advising Office in creating content
• Conduct and publish interviews with faculty, alumni, students, and visiting speakers

Average hours worked per week: 5 (about 75 hours over a semester)
Position Wage: $11/hour.
Position Starts: August 22

Recommended Skills and Experience:
• Concise and catchy writing
• Writing for social media
• Develop and follow-through on creative ideas
• Tailor message and style to genre and audience
• Visual design
• Work independently
• Interpersonal communication
• Collaboration
• Reliability
• Word, Publisher, Adobe, photo & video editing
• Photography, video, and editing skills a plus

To Apply: Submit a resume and cover letter. Application materials can be addressed to Kay Emmert, Interim Co-Director for the Program in Professional Writing, and sent as email attachments to akemmert@illinois.edu by no later than 9 am on Friday, April 22.

 

mark your calendars!
The 6th Annual Grantathon is coming up in a few weeks! Grant-writing is a crucial skill for many career paths: nonprofit work, research, performing arts, healthcare, education. At this day-long workshop, you will get instruction in identifying grant opportunities and crafting successful grant applications, along with hands-on practice using those skills with local agencies that are currently applying for grants. Lunch and supplies are included in this free event.

Friday, April 15, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
School of Social Work, Room 2027
Register here.

make your voice heard!

The Smart and Healthy Communities Initiative is seeking current UIUC students for focused feedback sessions around potential new Illinois App features. Participants will receive a $10 Amazon gift card.Sessions will be one hour in length and conducted over Zoom. If you are interested in participating, simply fill out this brief (~5 minute) sign-up form, and the research team will reach out to you directly to schedule a session.

Student Feedback Sign-Up Form

The Life + Career Design Scholarship
Apply today for up to $5,000 to support an unpaid internship, research experience, or volunteer work this summer. You must be a full-time LAS student who is not getting course credit for the experience. Check out the website for eligibility and FAQs to apply!  Priority deadline: May 1.
learn about careers in human resources

ExpLERing HR: A Career Exploration & Networking Event
Wednesday, April 20th
6:00 to 8:00 pm
School of Labor & Employment Relations Building
504 East Armory Avenue
**Dinner provided**

Join current LER students to learn what life is like as a Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations degree student. This informal event will have you meeting in small groups to hear about current student experiences and get answers to your questions from a student’s perspective.

Pre-registration is required via Handshake or email bneig2@illinois.edu.

HPRC advising

Ready to connect with our humanities professional development experts?  Come by Greg Hall 105 any Thursday morning between 9:30 and 11:30 to meet with Julie Higgs and start a conversation about careers.  Anna hangs out there Thursday mornings as well so if you want some academic advising you can schedule an in-person appointment with her during that time.  It’s one-stop shopping!

 

FULBRIGHT INFORMATION SESSIONS

april events at the writers workshop

The Writers Workshop provides feedback on all kinds of writing including essays, job application materials, and personal statements.  Appointments and drop-in hours are available in person at the Undergraduate Library and online.  Upcoming April events can be found here. 

And don’t forget . . .

Creative writing cluB

Do you know about Creative Writing Club?  Open to students in all majors, this group meets weekly on Tuesdays from 6:30pm-7:45pm in room 259 of the English Building.  If you would like to be kept apprised of upcoming meetings and other activities, send a message to creativewritingclubatuiuc@gmail.com  and ask to be added to the mailing list.  You can also follow CWC on Facebook/Instagram, both @creativewritingclubuiuc.

text anxiety workshops

Could you benefit from a workshop that provides strategies for managing anxiety around taking tests? The Counseling Center hosts drop-in workshops throughout the semester with tips on:

  • Remaining calm during tests and exams
  • Getting the most from your study time
  • Preparing effectively for tests and exams

To find out more about individual workshops and to register, please visit counselingcenter.illinois.edu/TestAnxiety. There are simple, effective ways that can help you perform well on tests and not let anxiety get the best of you! These workshops are free for students. If you have any questions about this group, please contact Dr. Kathy Wierzchowski at wierzch1@illinois.edu.

LAS Success Academic Workshops

Check out the Spring LAS Success Academic Workshop Schedule here:

  • All workshops are open to all students
  • All are offered in-person in Lincoln Hall
  • Our website lists events by month so you can’t access anything past February yet, but those events will become visible as the earlier events pass
Workshops – Tuesday @ 7 Starts

The Career Center – Spring 2022 Workshop Calendar

selected Dates and deadlines
  • April 4: Priority registration for Summer and Fall 2022 begins

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