October 8th, 2009

   In this issue:


•  Classical and Celtic Music at Faculty/Guest Artists Recital
•  Register for the KSC Writers Conference
•  Long Receives Faculty Distinction in Research and Scholarship Award
•  Faculty Recital Features New Works, Instrumental and Vocal Classics
•  The KSC Faculty and Staff Campaign – You can make the difference!
•  Faculty Composers Recital with Percussion Ensemble, Chamber Singers
•  In Memoriam: Prof. Cornelius “Bud” Lyle M’61
•  A Musical Journey Through Latin America
•  Great Decisions Discussion Series: Iraq End Game
•  Lecture: How Cognition Transforms Land into Landscape
•  Professional Activities
•  Upcoming CELT-sponsored Events
•  Third Tuesdays Series Returns
•  First Adjunct Reading At Keene State College

Classical and Celtic Music at Faculty/Guest Artists Recital

From Connie Lester, Redfern: Celtic music and original works for piano will be featured in the Keene State faculty and guest artists recital on Wednesday, October 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall of the Redfern Arts Center.

Lessons, a set of five songs for mezzo soprano and piano composed by KSC music faculty member Heather Gilligan with words by well-known children’s book author Shel Silverstein, will be performed by guest singer Sara Bielanski and Gilligan on piano. KSC music faculty members Craig Sylvern and Gilligan will perform Musica para Saxofone e Piano, originally composed by Gilligan for clarinet and piano, and transcribed for tenor saxophone and piano. Sylvern will also perform works for tenor saxophone by Paquito D’Rivera, accompanied by KSC’s Maura Glennon on piano.

A trio will perform traditional Celtic music from the U.S., Cape Breton, and Scotland. Members include KSC’s Flynn Cohen on guitar and guest artists Brendan Carey Block of Antrim, N.H., on fiddle and Dan Houghton of Edinburgh, Scotland, on bagpipes.

For more information, visit the website or call 8-2168.

Register for the KSC Writers Conference

From Dori Almann, Continuing Education: Registration is now open for the KSC Writers Conference, which takes place from July 26 to August 1.

Conference attendees will work one-on-one with eight published, award-winning, nationally recognized writers in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They’ll also meet visiting writers, attend craft talks and readings, and spend time writing. The conference closes with a group reading by all conference participants.

The 2009 faculty bring a breadth of writing experience:

Laurie Alberts is the author of novels, a story collection, and memoirs. She received the Michener Award for the Novel, the Katherine Anne Porter Prize, the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society Prize for short story, and an American Fiction award. Alberts teaches fiction and creative nonfiction in the Vermont College MFA in Writing Program.

• Poet Celia Bland is the author of Captions for Cartoons Not Yet Drawn and Soft Box. Her poems have appeared in Shenandoah, Natural Bridge, Heliotrope, Entelechy, Prima Matera, and Sui Generis. Dean of studies at Bard College, Bland teaches poetry and first-year seminar at Bard.

William Doreski has written 17 books of poetry, criticism, and memoir. An English professor, he has taught creative writing at Keene State College since 1982.

Jeff Friedman has published four collections of poetry. His work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Poetry, and The New Republic. He is a core faculty member in the MFA program in poetry writing at New England College.

Joseph Monninger has written eight novels and three nonfiction books. His work has appeared in American Heritage, Scientific American, Sports Illustrated, and Ellery Queen. He has twice received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and a fellowship from the New Hampshire Council for the Arts.

• Christopher Noel, author of the novel Hazard and the Five Delights, the memoir In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landing: A Geography of Grief, and the collection of short stories A Frail House, and has taught in the Vermont College Fine Arts in Writing Program since 1989. Noel also runs an editing service. He lives in East Calais, Vermont, where he runs Tall Rock Retreat, each summer and fall.

Dzvinia Orlowsky is founding editor of Four Way Books and author of four poetry collections, including Convertible Night, Flurry of Stones. She translated Alexander Dovzhenko’s novella, The Enchanted Desna. Orlowsky received a 2006 Pushcart Prize and received a Massachusetts Cultural Council poetry grant. She is a faculty member of the Low-Residency Solstice MFA Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College.

• Roy Nathanson is an internationally acclaimed jazz composer and saxophonist. He is the bandleader of The Jazz Passengers. The Passengers recorded eight CDs, touring extensively in the United States and Europe over their 20-year career. Recently, Nathanson has concentrated on combining text and music in various ways: writing songs for performers such as Elvis Costello, Jeff Buckley, and Deborah Harry; writing a radio play for NPR, and recording with his singing, talking, playing band Sotto Voce. His second CD with this group, Subway Moon, will be released in May, as will his first collection of poems. Nathanson also performs regularly with the poet Anne Waldman and has collaborated with Jeff Friedman, Gerald Stern, and other poets.

The conference base cost is $990. Undergraduate or graduate level and conference housing is available for an additional fee. Full payment is due by July 10, 2009.

Contact Steven Kessler (800-KSC-1909 or 603-358-2290; skessler@keene.edu; Keene State College Writers Conference, Continuing Education Office, 229 Main Street, Keene, NH 03435-2605), or check out the online brochure and registration form.

Long Receives Faculty Distinction in Research and Scholarship Award

Dr. Mark Long, associate professor of English and American Studies, is the 2009 recipient of the Faculty Distinction in Research and Scholarship Award. This award recognizes contributions to research and scholarship at Keene State College.

Dr. Long joined the faculty in 1998 after two years as a post-doctoral teaching associate at the University of Washington. He teaches American literature, with an emphasis in poetry and poetics; American studies, with a special interest in literature and the environment; and expository writing, with a focus on the teaching of first-year writers. He has also taught in Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English and, for the past six years, has co-facilitated a faculty institute on the teaching of writing at Keene State College.

Dr. Long’s scholarly work is concerned with 20th-century American poetry, environmental writing, and the teaching of reading and writing. He also writes about the profession of English studies, with a continuing interest in making visible faculty work in small college departments. Dr. Long’s most recent publications include an essay on bioregionalism in the Indian Journal of Ecocriticism, a collection of essays, Teaching North American Environmental Literature, and a forthcoming special issue of the journal Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture dedicated to teaching in the small college department. In addition to his scholarly writing, Dr. Long has delivered over one hundred presentations – from international and national conferences to book discussions at public libraries throughout New Hampshire. He serves as associate editor for the English studies journal, Pedagogy, and the coordinator of the Mentoring Program for the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment (ASLE-US). More information about Dr. Long’s professional activities is available on his web page.

Photo by Mark Corliss; <strong>Dr. Mark Long</strong>

Photo by Mark Corliss; Dr. Mark Long

Faculty Recital Features New Works, Instrumental and Vocal Classics

From Connie Lester, Redfern: The Department of Music faculty will present a spring recital featuring a variety of vocal and instrumental works on Friday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall.

Bach’s Wir eilen mit schwachen from Cantata Number 78, Selections from Gloria by Antonio Vivaldi, Sound the Trumpet by Henry Purcell, and Pie Jesu by Andrew Lloyd Webber will be performed, featuring Diane Cushing (soprano) and Pamela Stevens (mezzo soprano), accompanied by Maura Glennon. Scott White will play Felix Mendelssohn’s Organ Sonata Number 1. A newer work by Keene State Professor Emeritus William Pardus, Four Songs of the Coast, will feature Diane Cushing (soprano) and George Loring (piano). This will be the New Hampshire premiere of this work.

Pierre Sancan’s Sonatine, featuring Maura Glennon (piano) and Robin Matathias (flute), also will be performed. Josè Lezcano will perform Wainscott Pond by Toru Takemitsu, Num Pagode em Planaltina by Marco Pereira, and Sevilla by Isaac Albeniz. For tickets, please call the box office, 8-2168.

The KSC Faculty and Staff Campaign – You can make the difference!

From Genny Alexander, Development: Thank you to everyone who has made a gift to the KSC Faculty and Staff Campaign! It is wonderful to see such an enthusiastic response to this year’s appeal – especially since KSC employees already give so much of their time and talent to the students on the campus. There is still time to make a gift to the campaign. You may fill out a payroll deduction form or make your gift online.

On Wednesday, April 29, from 7:30-9 a.m. at the Student Center, there will be a thank-you breakfast to celebrate the success of the Faculty and Staff Campaign. All employees who have made a gift to Keene State College this fiscal year are invited to attend – those who have not yet made a gift may do so at this event. If you have any questions, please contact Genny Alexander at 8-2304 or galexander@keene.edu.

Faculty Composers Recital with Percussion Ensemble, Chamber Singers

From Connie Lester, Redfern: The KSC Faculty Composers Recital is becoming a popular and anticipated spring event. This year’s recital, on Thursday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall, will feature works by Flynn Cohen, Elaine Broad Ginsberg, José Lezcano, Christopher Swist, and Craig Sylvern. The program will also feature the KSC Percussion Ensemble and the KSC Chamber Singers, as well as faculty and guest artists. Read more here. For tickets, call the box office at 8-2168.

In Memoriam: Prof. Cornelius “Bud” Lyle M’61

From Mark Reynolds, College and Media Relations: The College is saddened to announce that Cornelius Railey (Bud) Lyle II M’61 died on January 25. Dr. Lyle, who worked for several newspapers around the country after his discharge from the U.S. Army in 1946, taught English and journalism at the College from 1961–1986.

He was awarded the KSC Alumni Association’s Distinguished Teacher Award in 1978, and served as the advisor to the KSC college newspaper (originally the Monadnock and later the Equinox). He took great pride in the achievements of his student “advisees” as they went on to follow careers in journalism. One of those “advisees,” Michael Nadeau, now Vice President of Publications at Wellesley Information Services, offered the following memory of his early training under Dr. Lyle:

“I graduated from KSC in 1979 with a BA in public affairs/journalism. At the time, the program was run by Dr. Cornelius R. ‘Bud’ Lyle, but those of us who worked on the Equinox called him ‘Coach.’ A former long-time newspaperman, Dr. Lyle tried to simulate what we might experience in a real newsroom, right down to the often not-so-kind ‘editor’s comments’ on our graded papers. Between his classroom teachings and daily advice I received while editor of the Equinox, I learned a great deal about all aspects of publishing. This became much clearer as I started my career, first in newspapers and then on magazines.”

Dr. Lyle’s family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, gifts be made in memory of Bud Lyle to the Department of Journalism at Keene State College, 229 Main Street, Keene, N.H. 03435-2701. A memorial service will take place on Saturday, January 31, at 11 a.m. at the First Church in Jaffrey, UCC, 14 Laban Ainsworth Way, Jaffrey Center (on the common).

Railey (Bud) Lyle II M’61

Cornelius Railey (Bud) Lyle II M’61

A Musical Journey Through Latin America

From Connie Lester, Redfern: On Monday, October 13, the Music Department will welcome guest soprano Patricia Caicedo, who joins KSC faculty, José Lezcano (guitar), and George Loring (piano) in a recital at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall.

The “Musical Journey Through Latin America” program will feature works by composers from Argentina, Spain, Cuba, Brazil, Columbia, and Venezuela, to include De Falla, Ovalle, Villa-Lobos, Dominguez, Carlos Guastavino, Braga, Lezcano, and more. For tickets, call the box office at 8-2168.

Great Decisions Discussion Series: Iraq End Game

From Heather Jasmin, Continuing Education: As we prepare for the 2008 election, the Office of Continuing Education invites the entire community to join in four free discussions of global issues. A 45-minute lecture is followed by moderated discussion.

Schedule:

10/2 Iraq End Game
Moderator: Wes Martin, KSC Assistant Professor of Political Science

10/16 Latin America: Shift to the Left?
Moderator: Chuck Weed, KSC Professor of Political Science

10/30 Russia
Moderator: Patrick Dolenc, KSC Professor of Economics

All discussions are free and open to the public. Discussions will be held on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Rhodes N120. Attendees are encouraged to purchase Great Decisions 2008, which provides a synopsis of the issues to be discussed ($18, available at the KSC Bookstore), prior to the first night’s meeting. For more information contact hjasmin@keene.edu.

Lecture: How Cognition Transforms Land into Landscape

From Mark Long, English: On Wednesday, October 8, writer, independent scholar, and poet William Fox will present “Terra Antarctica: The Art History of a Continent, or How Cognition Transforms Land into Landscape.” This slide presentation and talk will start at 7 p.m. in 110 Morrison Hall and will examine how human cognition transforms space into place in the world’s most otherworldly environment.

William Fox conducts fieldwork with artists and scientists in extreme environments. His nonfiction books include Terra Antarctica: Looking into the Emptiest Continent; In the Desert of Desire: Las Vegas and the Culture of Spectacle; and View Finder: Mark Klett, Photography, & the Reinvention of Landscape.

Professional Activities

Craig Sylvern attended the 2008 Cardinal Saxophone Workshop at the University of Louisville this past July. The workshop attracts professional and student musicians from across the country and includes performances by individuals, chamber groups, and a large ensemble made up of all the participants. This year’s large ensemble included saxophones from the tiny sopranino to the monstrous contrabasso. Craig participated in several performances, one of which included the world premiere of Dance for Two Tenor Saxophones and Piano, a piece written for him by Walter S. Hartley.

Upcoming CELT-sponsored Events
  • Tuesday, October 14: Dr. Paul Vincent, this year’s Distinguished Teacher, will be the inaugural speaker in our new Faculty Seminar Series. This event will take place in the Mountain View Room from 4 to 5 p.m.
  • Friday, October 17: Kate Beverage from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., will give a presentation about the use of student response systems (“clickers”) at noon. More information including the room location will be sent out once the details are confirmed. This event will be followed by a workshop on the “clickers” used at KSC on Tuesday, October 21, from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Rhodes CE lab.

To register: http://www.keene.edu/it/helpdesk/training/default.cfm

Third Tuesdays Series Returns

From William Stroup, English: The English Department’s Third Tuesday speaker series returns on September 16 at noon in the Appian Way Conference Room in the Mason Library.

Our speaker is Professor Anna Schur, who will address the question, “Does Reading Literature Make Us More Compassionate?” Free and open to all, with refreshments, and in itself refreshing. For more information e-mail wstroup@keene.edu.

First Adjunct Reading At Keene State College

Six adjunct faculty members who teach writing at KSC – Rodger Martin, Mimi Morton, Ali Lichtenstein, Ellen Moynihan, Jack Hitchner, and Jeff Friedman – will read their poems and stories on Thursday, September 25, at 4 p.m. in the Mountain View Room of the L.P. Young Student Center:

Ellen Moynihan has taught at Keene State for more than twenty years. This semester she is teaching the ITW course, “The Great Hunger,” and Public Speaking. Her writings have appeared in Ireland’s Eye, an Irish literary magazine, and she has read her essays on New Hampshire Public Radio.

Ali Lichtenstein teaches English and women’s studies at KSC. She is the founder of Empty Bowl Writers™ and leads creative writing workshops in Vermont and New Hampshire. Ali’s pro bono work includes long-term projects with English faculty at the rural Bapagrama School near Bangalore, India. In addition to her scholarly work, Ali writes poetry, creative nonfiction, and short stories.

Rodger Martin is editor of The Worcester Review and teaches journalism at Keene State. His latest collection of poetry, The Blue Moon Series, was chosen by Small Press Review as one of its 2008 summer picks-of-the-month. He has won an Appalachia award for poetry, three Pushcart nominations, and a N.H. State Council on the Arts Fellowship in fiction.

John T. “Jack” Hitchner has been an adjunct instructor in English at Keene State College since 1989 and teaches the Thinking and Writing elective “Coming of Age in War and Peace.” He has published more than fifty poems in a variety of print and online journals, including Chantarelle’s Notebook, Clark Street Review, Common Ground Review, Paper Street, and Poet’s West.

Mimi Morton has taught at KSC since 2000. She lived for many years in Montreal where she taught at Dawson College and worked as a freelance journalist. She had a column in the Montreal Daily News and contributed freelance articles to Canadian and U.S. publications, including the Village Voice, Montreal Gazette, and the Montreal Mirror.

Jeff Friedman’s fourth collection of poetry, Black Threads, was published by Carnegie Mellon University Press in 2007. His poems and translations have appeared in many literary magazines, including American Poetry Review, Poetry, 5 AM, Margie, Agni Online, North American Review, and The New Republic. He has won two fellowships from the New Hampshire State Arts Council, the Carnegie Mellon Open Competition in 1998, and the Editor’s Prize from the Missouri Review among other prizes.

The reading is free and open to the public. For more information contact Jeff Friedman, jfriedman1@keene.edu or Joan Norcross at 8-2688.