Author: Jordan Moore

Jordan Moore is a double major in journalism and communication and double minors in English and social media.
November 16, 2023 English Corner Faculty Voices

Gayas Eapen: from reporter to critical researcher

The CCU Department of English welcomed Dr. Gayas Eapen as an assistant professor of digital culture and design. Dr. Eapen received his undergraduate degree in English Literature and his master’s degree in media journalism from universities in India, before moving to the United States to pursue a doctorate in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media at North Carolina State University.

Before moving to the states, however, Eapen tried his hand as a crime reporter at Times of India. His path of journalism led him to become a crime reporter for almost two years before moving to begin his doctorate.

When Dr. Eapen relocated to begin his studies, it was the first time he ever came to the United States, and it was during this period he noticed the difference between both cultures in real time. This was also the period when he picked up his passion for teaching. The research that guided Dr. Eapen through his studies continues to be the one that he studies and dissects to fully understand and learn. A part of his dissertation study was on “DJ Trucks,” which are vehicles that come by blaring music. When compiling the research for his study, he found that he used his reporting skills in terms of interviewing and digging deep, and he enjoyed being able to make all these connections as the researcher that the people in the community have already been making or knew about as their way of life. Currently, he teaches a course titled Global Media and Counter Cartography where he teaches students to engage in critical and alternative map-making techniques.

Dr. Eapen is just getting started in his career as a teacher, but in this short amount of time, he has found how much he loves doing it. Dr. Eapen is amazed by CCU students and their dedication. He has stated how impressed he is with the hard work and motivation CCU students possess, and how awesome it is to watch students invested in their future.

Thanks Dr. Eapen!

November 16, 2023 English Corner Faculty Voices

Dr. Erin Slaughter on the Writing Life

Dr. Erin Slaughter always knew writing would play a huge part in her life; however, she never could have imagined the scope of the role it would eventually have. Dr. Slaughter, originally from north Texas, joined CCU this year as Visiting Assistant Professor of Fiction and Creative Writing. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from Western Kentucky University and a Ph.D. in creative writing from Florida State, where she was awarded the Edward H. and Marie C. Kingsbury Fellowship, bestowed annually on the graduate student who completes the best original manuscript. She is managing editor of Autofocus and co-founder of The Hunger, both online literary journals.

Creative writing was not Dr. Slaughter’s original plan, however. She first went to school for neuroscience before discovering her passion for writing, which went hand-in-hand with the solace she found in books. Her writing is inspired by gender and feminist ideals, as she finds herself able to relate to these topics and learn how her own experiences are part of a larger story. Dr. Slaughter said, “every good and meaningful thing in my life has come from writing, one way or another.”

Dr. Slaughter has been shaped immensely by the writing community in which she became immersed through her M.F.A., Ph.D., and teaching. All these experiences guide her down an incredibly important path that allows her to share this part of herself with others and guide them as well. In speaking with Michael Wheaton on the podcast “The Lives of Writers” about her journey through writing, Dr. Slaughter explained how she started her career through “trial and error and taking little bits of information and insight along the way.”

When Dr. Slaughter first became a creative writing major, she quickly realized that if she applied the experiences, discoveries, and knowledge that she found along the way of her creative writing journey, she would eventually find something that stuck. This insight has remained with her and her teachings, as she puts an emphasis on just writing on what you think you know or don’t know, and seeing what story comes out of it.

In Dr. Slaughter’s Intro to Creative Writing classes, she also hopes to leave her students with the idea of sharing personal stories and “not being afraid if something is bad or not, and to just be willing to try.”

Dr. Slaughter has released poems that provide incredible insight into her life, The Sorrow Festival being a prominent example, so she has experienced the fulfillment of sharing personal works, and she knows the value of “being vulnerable and open to yourself, spiritually and emotionally and physically.” However, as she grows into her writing, she also wants to treat herself with more dignity and self-love and hopes to emphasize that through her future work.

Dr. Slaughter has used her skills and experiences to publish numerous works, including short story collection A Manual for How to Love Us (2023); poetry collections The Sorrow Festival (2022)and I Will Tell This Story to the Sun Until You Remember That You Are the Sun (2019); and poetry chapbooks GIRLFIRE (2018) and Elegy for the Body (2017). Dr. Slaughter completed a press tour for her short story collection earlier this year and highlights the story “We Were Wolves” as one of her favorites in the book.

 Dr. Slaughter is currently working on her first novel and credits the work she does for it as a “humbling experience in a necessary way.” She is extremely excited for the remainder of this semester and semesters to come.

November 16, 2023 English Corner Faculty Voices

Dr. Jess Hylton’s creative work-in-progress

Jess Hylton with eyes closed

Digital Writing and English Lecturer Dr. Jess Hylton, who joined CCU last year as writer-in-residence in 2022-23, is currently using her impressive skills to work on a very exciting project. Hylton studied professional writing and literature before graduating at 19. She earned her master’s degree from Radford University and her Ph.D. in poetry from University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She wrote her thesis in fiction, and her new project seems to be taking a windy path among different creative writing genres.

Dr. Hylton is using her PhD to create a collection of poetry that is centered around punctuation marks, all while following a romance that eventually dies, titled A Love Story – Punctuated. The uniqueness of this story mixed with Hylton’s creativity and talent make for an exciting proposition of the story to come.

Hylton is currently a Lecturer here at CCU who teaches Composition and Critical Reading and Film, New Media, and Culture, is teaching her students to follow their passion in life, and to not let anyone force them to deny it. Hylton is doing just that with her work-in-progress, and we all look forward to its release.

Congratulations Dr. Hylton!

need title still [JM1]

May 31, 2023 English Corner Student Voices

Jingle Wells wins poetry contest with “Epitaph”

When creative writing professor Dan Albergotti encouraged his poetry class to enter the Paul Rice Broadside Series Poetry Contest, one of his students’ winning was in the back of his mind. That is exactly what happened, however, when marine biology major Jingle Wells ’23 ended up winning the competition with her poem “Epitaph,” which she wrote after coming across an Instagram post from a close relative. We spoke with Wells to discover more information regarding her piece.

A photograph showed up Wells’ Instagram feed one day that showed a simple headstone in a graveyard.

“I had just noticed the fact that there was only one word on it,” said Wells, “like the only other thing on there, besides his name and his face with a heart, was the word ‘son.’

This barren headstone struck a chord in Wells, as she thought of all the things the person could have been.

“I thought about the fact, which is sort of covered in the poem, that most people’s gravestones say something like ‘father of three,’ ‘loving mother,’ ‘loving wife,’ something to assert like the mark they made in the world,” said Wells. “He only had the opportunity to be ‘son,’ and he still made a big impact because there are so many people who are still thinking about him and still caring about him.”

This analysis took Wells to new heights, as she was able to draw from this idea into a creative piece. Wells wasn’t new to the Paul Rice Broadside contest; she had entered before, but never won. Her accomplishment stemmed from an evolving style in her poetry and the use of differentiating formats to become one with the current times.

He only had the opportunity to be ‘son’…

Jingle Wells, from “Epitaph”

“I used to write things that did not have as much enjambment or as many line breaks,” said Wells. “They were more in the old antique style, I would say, of sonnets — not quite to the level of being Shakespearian, but very, very form rigid.”

Wells’ reconsideration of her writing techniques led her to find and hone her unique style, and this led to her drafting a poem she really wanted to share. She hopes it will affect the world in a positive way. As contest winner, Wells won $100 and several copies of the broadside, which is a poster printed with the poem and accompanying art.

Wells feels blessed and grateful to have won this contest for her own personal reflections and that she gets to showcase her progress to her teacher, Albergotti, who taught her poetry for the last two semesters. One of the biggest moments this poem has granted her is with Albergotti himself.

“I think the coolest thing that happened to me was Dr. Albergotti, who I really respect not only as a professor but also as a person and a poet, got me to sign a copy of the Broadside for him,” said Wells. This amazing moment truly touched Wells and encouraged her to want to dip her pen into even more poetry, and even other opportunities to come, such as becoming a published writer one day.

For now, though, this exciting news has edged Wells forward towards further education, as she has recently been accepted into the Master of Fine Arts in Writing program at Florida Atlantic University. The immense pride and thankfulness Wells has earned from participating in and winning this competition will aid her in feeling validated in her future creative works. Although Wells is a very recent graduate, her impact and vigor in the classroom will influence both current and future students for years, as she hopes this poem and its message will get out and be shared to everyone.

“I just hope that everyone enjoys it and takes to heart the message of treating every day like the gift that it is,” said Wells.

When you come back next semester, stop by the English department to grab a copy of the Broadside for yourself.

April 17, 2023 English Corner Student Voices

Outstanding English Student of the Year: Evelyn Scott

When Evelyn Scott arrived at Coastal Carolina’s campus for her first year, she never imagined she would make such an impact in her short time here. This year, as a senior, Evelyn Scott was named the Outstanding English Student of the Year. She feels truly grateful for the recognition.

“I feel honored, I feel proud, I feel grateful; I feel relieved, ultimately.” said Scott. “Just overall, I’m happy and I’m grateful for this opportunity to get this award.”

This honor did not come lightly, however, as she earned this accomplishment through hard work and talent. One of her professors, Dr. Steven Hamelman, provided insight into what kind of student Scott was through her time here.

“As a student, Scott was tremendous, all in, focused, fully prepared, and produced fabulous writing,” said Hamelman. “She had a real alertness, or mindfulness that makes you think ‘Woah, this is special. Where is her paper? I want to read it now. When that paper comes in, it’s going to be good.’”

Scott attributes her success to her ability to find a field that suited her, even when her original plan did not work out.

“At the beginning of my career here at Coastal, I thought, ‘I’m going to be a broadcaster in journalism,’” said Scott. “And then I found out my passion’s not there.” She declared a major in English instead, with a minor in journalism.

“I have a lot of passion for what I do,” said Scott. “I feel like if you don’t have passion in what you’re going to school for, you’re not going to have the energy to put that much into what you want to do. Passion is a big thing to reaching high in your career at Coastal.”

This passion she feels has taken her far, and she hopes to use it as she gets herself right into the field after graduation. Scott plans to get her hands dirty to use her freshly gained experience and work through her passion to see where it might take her.

Scott offered up her advice to future and current CCU students who hope to follow in her footsteps.

“You got to have your intentions there, and if you’re not passionate about it, you’re not going to push yourself. Be yourself in your writing; be yourself in class. It’s the little things also, like getting to know your professors, saying hi or good morning every morning, going to the office hours, talking to them if you see them at an event at Coastal. It’s really the small things I feel like that help you be recognized for your achievements.”

Scott and Hamelman both expressed the importance of having a known voice inside and outside of Moodle. This allows for the teacher to point you out in a crowd and be able to verbally express how much they loved having you in their class.

Scott also recommended that students who are aiming to achieve this honor not overwork themselves.

“It’s important to have a balance in your academic life, but also your personal life,” said Scott. “You need to get to know yourself as a person as well as an academic, and not just do one or the other. I feel like at Coastal it’s very important that you figure out who you are, especially when you’re becoming an adult. So, don’t break your back, take breaks when you need to, and take time for yourself when you need to.”

Scott’s reputation and impact will be remembered for a long time, and the people she met along the way will always recall and respect her amazing accomplishments.

February 13, 2023 English Corner Student Voices

What is a transcription jam?

Tomorrow, CCU students will join people around the country for a virtual transcription jam. “Transcription jam” is a disorienting word, though – what is it? A party? Does it involve music? Is it a gelatinous condiment? Will there be toast?

Let’s start with “transcription.” It means taking a document that exists in a .pdf form and retyping it so it’s in .html format. Once a document is in .html, then people around the world can search for it and find it with a database search. Researchers do transcriptions of historical documents, created originally in what is basically a snapshot, to make the documents accessible to more people. So, doing transcription essentially makes you a researcher, which is pretty cool.

Now, for the other word: “jam.” This word has been adopted as an alternative to the suffix “-athon.” We all know that suffix from words like “marathon,” “danceathon,” and “telethon” – it’s an event that brings a lot of people together for a specific purpose, usually with a fundraising component, in an event that lasts for an extended period of time, like several hours. Transcription-a-thon events might focus on documents related to a historic event, period, or person. The problem with the “a-thon” suffix, said transcription jam organizer Dr. Sarah Laiola, who is assistant professor of digital culture and design in the CCU Department of English, is that many events dubbed “-athon” suggests participants will be able to continue to do an action for a long period of time. For this event, all that is needed is your own laptop to be able to type on to transcribe the scanned documents. It doesn’t have to take very long, and there’s no physical stamina needed. The alternative name “jam” diminishes the ableist connotation to allow for anyone to join in and participate.

So that covers what the event is. Why do it, and why now? Douglass Day was founded by Mary Church Terrell, and the first transcription jam was hosted using her letters. In 2017 the Colored Conventions Project started reviving this specific Black history celebration by digitizing the archives used for the transcriptions. Each year, the Douglass Day Foundation selects one historic figure of focus. This year, we celebrate Mary Shadd Cary by transcribing documents from her archives. The original documents, and their scanned copies, are perceived as pictures, which preserved the words but denounced the emotional ties linked to the original, handwritten pieces. Holding the transcription jam allows for participants to become one with the words and the author and more attuned with the historical ties. Humanizing the living history into a more modern application creates the ability to properly preserve the evidence of that of Frederick Douglass, making these documents more real in the sense that once the transcription is finally complete, the digitized versions can remain intact forever.

So if the cupcakes and pizza aren’t enough to entice you to attend tomorrow’s event, head over to the transcription jam so you can be a maker of living Black American history.

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