Coffee and Games and Books, Oh My!: English Week Fall 2018

Meredith College’s Department of English hosted English Week, a semi-annual tradition where the English faculty put together a week of exciting activities for the students to enjoy.

Department Head Laura Fine said, “The goals for English Week are to celebrate our current community of English majors and minors while building relationships with potential majors and minors and with the rest of the College community.”

The English department kicked off the week with a game night held in the Lux Lounge, where furniture was rearranged to include a buffet table full of food and two sections for games. With Jane Austen’s Emma running in the background, students and faculty alike were able to enjoy pizza and warm cookies as they played literature themed games such as Bards Dispense Profanity, a Shakespeare version of Cards Against Humanity.

A poetry workshop was hosted on Tuesday by the P.O.E.T.S. club in the Herald Room. Students were encouraged to bring an original piece of poetry to share with the group and receive feedback to improve their work. Being a student-led event, the environment was relaxed, allowing students to open up and share personal pieces with their peers.

A recurring favorite of English Week is the alumna panel which was held on Wednesday in Harris; A panel of past English majors answered questions about their careers and how their time at Meredith College influenced their lives. This year’s panel featured alumnae with a wide variety of career paths, including Amber Krawczyk, ’08, a manager at Red Hat; Kiran Subramanian, ’11, a showrunner assistant for Warner Horizon Television skyped in from Los Angeles; and Meredith’s own Amanda Sullivan, ’98, who is currently working as a librarian on campus.

English major Emma Hogan, ’19, said, “I look forward to the alumnae panel every year because it is your chance to learn from real Meredith graduates and ask them your burning questions about their experiences graduating with that major. As a senior, it was nice to see all that an English major can achieve in the real world.”

On Thursday, English Week moved off campus and across the street to Lucky Tree for an afternoon of coffee and lit readings. Students were invited to bring a piece of literature to read to the group or just listen and enjoy the atmosphere while they sipped on their complimentary coffee.

English Week wrapped up with a day entirely dedicated to new majors or minors who felt drawn to declare by the end of the English-filled week. Fine made herself available in her office all day to welcome the declaring majors and minors with goodie bags as she signed on five new English majors and minors for Declare Your Major Day.