WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., March 9, 2016 — West Liberty University’s College of Liberal Arts and the Department of Humanities will host the West Virginia Undergraduate English Symposium on Saturday, March 19. Keynote speaker is West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman.
Named Poet Laureate by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in 2012, Harshman will deliver a talk entitled, “The Words that Keep Us Close: Getting the News from Poetry.”
“I’ll present a reflection on the importance of poetry in terms of the quality of one’s life and the health of the nation and culture,” Harshman said, adding that he’ll read several poems that reflect that importance, including a few of his own.
Though this is the 24th annual meeting of this symposium, it is the first time that WLU has hosted the event. Most of the events will take place in the Campbell Hall of Health Sciences, other than the keynote address, which is planned for noon in Boyle Conference Center.
“We are pleased to host the annual symposium and welcome the students and faculty to our campus as we encourage and celebrate English scholarship,” said Assistant Professor of English Dr. Angela Rehbein and co-chairperson of the symposium.
Associate Professor of English Dr. Steve Criniti also is a co-chair.
WLU students participating in the competitive symposium include Paige Creamer of Steubenville, Ohio, Hannah Mason, of Pickerington, Ohio, and Rachel Wurster, of Berkeley Springs, W.Va.
A total of 22 students from eight institutions from around the state will be on the hilltop campus giving presentations of their research on literature, language, popular culture and other related topics.
Prizes will be awarded for the top two outstanding student essays and the top two outstanding student presentations.
Students participating in the symposium will be coming from the following state institutions: Bluefield State College, Concord University, Fairmont State University, Marshall University, Shepherd University, West Liberty University, West Virginia University, and the University of Charleston.
WLU’s College of Liberal Arts includes both the Department of Humanities and the Department of Social and Behavior Sciences. Majors include English Education, Graphic Narrative, Literature, Writing and Rhetoric, Criminal Justice, Geography and Planning, History, Interdisciplinary Pre-Law, International Studies, Psychology, Social Studies Education and Social Work. For more information on WLU, please call 1.866.WESTLIB or visit westliberty.edu.