Student Writers Gain New POV of Literature

Gaining writing experience outside of the classroom enhances a student’s learning.

The 22nd Annual Undergraduate Conference on English Language and Literature at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois, gave seven Trinity students the opportunity to share their work in a professional and scholarly setting. The conference challenged students to extend their audience beyond the classroom and to view their writing as part of a larger conversation.

English education major Brittany Rucin ’14 of Oak Lawn, Illinois, said of her participation: “It was a positive experience not only because I had the opportunity to read my paper, but because I was able to hear papers read by students from across the country. It was a great exchange of ideas.”

It was a great exchange of ideas.
Brittany Rucin ’14

While English majors apply most often, students from any major may submit their work. Trinity students invited to participate in the conference included:

Emily Bruinius ’14, Tinley Park, Illinois, “Wilfred Owen: The De-Romanticization of War”

Ethan Holmes ’16, Blue Island, Illinois, “Decapitulation in Hemingway’s Sun Also Rises”

Hannah Huisman ’16, Hudsonville, Michigan, “The Anime Cyborg: A Thing of the Present. A Conversation with Ghost in the Shell”

Ryan Lindemulder ’13, Monee, Illinois, “‘Song of Myself,’ The Anti-Slavery Poem”

Anna Phillips ’15, Tampico, Illinois, “George Herbert’s Vision of Grace”

Brittany Rucin ’14, Oak Lawn, Illinois, “Utopia Found in The Shoemaker’s Holiday”

Samantha Venhuizen ’14, Munster, Indiana, “Jane Eyre: An Unlikely Heroine”

Dr. Mark Jones, professor of English, has helped Trinity students prepare for the conference for the past eight years. He values the professional experience that this conference provides for students, and the fact that students present their work along with successful writers and poets.

Conference guest speakers were Susanna Childress, an award winning poet, and Alicia Erian, a writer known for her novel Towelhead and many short stories. Presenting work in the same venue as successful authors expands the students’ perspective on writing beyond college.