English Language and Literature Commons^™

From Pack Horse Librarians To Large Language Models: Grounding Ai Literacy In Appalachian Place And Community, Amanda Biviano, Anna Marie Rayne, Paige Hubbard, Maya Alvarez, Brooke Stiles, Isabella Giocondo

Virginia English Journal

As artificial intelligence reshapes literacy education, teachers face the challenge of preparing students to engage critically with new technologies while honoring the cultural and community knowledge they bring to the classroom. This article proposes a critical, place-based pedagogical framework rooted in rural Appalachian literacy traditions as a means of guiding students toward reflective engagement with AI — particularly large language models (LLMs). Drawing on the theoretical foundations of Freire's critical pedagogy, Giroux's cultural literacy framework, and place-based education, we examine historical Appalachian literacy practices as models for resisting the standardizing and dehumanizing tendencies of AI-generated writing. We then outline a …

A Media Literacy Approach To Ai In Secondary Ela, Matthew Korona

Virginia English Journal

The rapid integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) into academic, civic, and personal contexts requires students to develop the skills and dispositions necessary for ethical and critical engagement with AI‑mediated texts. While AI literacy is often framed as a technical competency associated with computer science, this paper argues that secondary English language arts (ELA) classrooms are uniquely positioned to support AI literacy through media literacy practices. Drawing on constructivist pedagogy, existing research on media literacy and AI literacy, and the Virginia English Standards of Learning, the article presents a framework that aligns core media literacy competencies with human–AI interaction. To …

Letter From The Editor's Desk, Cinde Wollenberg

Virginia English Journal

No abstract provided.

Vocation, Grace, And Redemption In J. R. R. Tolkien’S Legendarium, Yoshie Shimai

Journal of Tolkien Research

Abstract

This essay reads Frodo's trajectory of vocation, sacrifice, and salvation in The Lord of the Rings through Aquinas's account of the cooperation of grace and free will (Summa Theologica I-II, qq. 109–114), and reads Gollum and Gríma as two unwitting mediators of grace. It does not argue that Tolkien consciously adopted this doctrine, but that his characters enact it. Frodo freely accepts two vocations, the destruction of the Ring and the protection of the Shire, yet cannot complete either by his own strength. Their completion comes through the two fallen figures: Gollum at the Crack of Doom, and …

On Black Speculative Feminisms: Memory And Liberated Futures In Black Women’S Fiction, Aisha Matthews

Criticism

Black Speculative Feminisms: Memory and Liberated Futures in Black Women’s Fiction by Cassandra L. Jones. Ohio State University Press, 2024. $29.95 paperback

On Monstrous Work & Radical Satisfaction: Black Women Writing Under Segregation, Courtney Thorsson

Criticism

Review of Monstrous Work & Radical Satisfaction: Black Women Writing Under Segregation by Eve Dunbar.

Engl 426: Editing And Production Workshop (Syllabus), Lytton Smith Ph.D.

School of Arts & Sciences

This syllabus was developed by SUNY Geneseo Professor Lytton Smith for the fall 2026 semester.

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of editing practices, including manuscript review and selection, and correspondence with contributors.
2. Students will show proficiency at a variety of practical aspects of publishing such as copyediting, proofreading, layout, creating advertising, and soliciting work from SUNY writers and artists.
3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of contemporary literary journals.
4. Students will show ability to work collaboratively.

Barrel-Rides And She-Elves: Audience And Anticipation In Peter Jackson’S Hobbit Trilogy [Note], Janet Croft

Faculty Publications

Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, to the audience that loved the Lord of the Rings films, is an exciting opportunity to revisit Tolkien’s fantastic world and see favorite characters acting out their earlier adventures. The reader of the books, though, is often likely to find the difference in tone between the children’s book and the vastly expanded films jarring. This essay will explore audience expectations, the difficulties of filming a “prequel” after a “sequel,” and issues of “anticipation” in relation to character development.

Forest Ecology And Fantasy Fiction: Morris, Tolkien, Le Guin (2026), By Dion Dobrzynski, Martin Simonson

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Martin Simonson, of Forest Ecology and Fantasy Fiction: Morris, Tolkien, Le Guin (2026), by Dion Dobrzynski

Featured Archivist: Phillip Fitzsimmons, University Archivist And Special Collections Librarian, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Scene Savers, Phillip Fitzsimmons

Faculty Articles & Research

"In 2007, as a newly minted librarian fresh from completing his Master of Library and Information Studies at the University of Oklahoma, taking every archiving class that was available at the time, Phillip was given a straightforward assignment: scan or photograph everything in a conference room and make it available online."

The N-Word As A Comma, Deshawn Vega

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Deshawn Vega is a Biology major from Boston, Massachusetts. Drawing on his experiences as a mixed-race Black man, his essay examines racism, cultural appropriation, and the ways prejudice can operate both inside and outside the home. Because part of his family is not Black, Deshawn has experienced racism in complex and sometimes unexpected ways. He describes the essay as “an opportunity for me to tell my story and exemplify the ways in which racism has impacted not only myself, but many others just like me.” The project’s creative freedom allowed him to combine personal narrative with a broader analysis of …

Soup Joumou Before Sunrise, Castra Raphael

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Castra Raphael is an English major from Haiti. Her essay explores the ability of food to bring people together and preserve important memories of family, culture, and community. As Castra explains, she wanted to show that “some of life’s best memories are made around the table.” Writing the essay encouraged her to consider how ordinary shared meals can become meaningful markers of relationships and personal history. It also reminded her “how quickly time flies” and deepened her gratitude for the experiences and memories she has gathered over the years. Castra sees the essay as a reflection of both her cultural …

A^2 + B^2 ≠ Good Writing, Malachi Randolph-Benson

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Malachi Randolph-Benson is a Computer Science and Chemistry dual major from Dorchester, Massachusetts. After graduating from high school in 2023, he spent two years working as an Information Technology intern at Harvard Business School while also holding a position in guest services. Returning to the classroom, Malachi became interested in challenging conventional distinctions between mathematical and creative thinking. His essay explores the similarities between mathematics and writing, arguing that both are dynamic processes that respond to changing conditions and generate distinctive results. As he explains, that “this essay was a conscious step of rebellion against the rigidity of writing that …

The Sad Beige Trap: Why Bold Aesthetics Stay Online, Kauthar Maruf

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Kauthar Maruf is a Biology major from Boston, Massachusetts. Her essay began with an effort to find colorful inspiration for her family’s living room and developed into an investigation of the internet’s neutral “Sad Beige” aesthetic and the contrasting popularity of “Brat Green.” As she encountered increasingly similar homes, products, and social-media posts, Kauthar began asking whether personal preferences are genuinely individual or are shaped by algorithms, corporations, economics, and online culture. Conducting her own survey allowed her to compare her initial assumptions with the perspectives of others. She explains that the project encouraged her to begin “looking beyond the …

Combing Out The Kinks Of Identity: Why Black Hair Is More Than A Personal Choice, Christina Jouthe

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Christina Jouthe is a Public Health major from Boston, Massachusetts. As a Black woman, she is drawn to subjects that allow her to examine Black culture, identity, representation, and femininity. Her essay gave her an opportunity to enter a discourse grounded in her own experiences while also expanding her understanding through research. Christina explains that “this semester allowed me to realize that writing can be fun and personable.” Previously, she had often been required to write about subjects that did not interest her or to follow formats that left little room for personal perspective. This particular project encouraged her to …

When The People You Love Are No Longer Down The Hall, Diego Hernández Hernández

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Diego Hernández Hernández is a Computer Science major and prospective Mathematics minor. Originally from El Salvador, he grew up primarily in Revere and Holbrook, Massachusetts. A first-generation immigrant and nontraditional student, Diego returned to school seven years after graduating from high school. His essay examines how communication between emerging adults and their families changes after they leave home, drawing particularly on his relationship with his mother. To make that relationship visible to readers, he incorporated a series of their text messages into the project. Diego explains that this essay “was special to me because it revolved around my family and …

Trans Joy And The Lesson Of Authentic Living, Emma Victra Danvers

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Emma Victra Danvers is a Psychology major from North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Her essay investigates trans joy and the research demonstrating the positive effects of gender transition. As a trans woman writing during a particularly difficult period for the transgender community, Emma wanted to examine joy not as an escape from political realities but as a meaningful source of strength and resilience. She explains, “The more I started writing it, the more I realized how much I have to be happy about. I found that trans joy again that I lost for a little bit.” The project also helped Emma …

The Impacts Of Glp-1 Medication Use, Physically And Culturally, Jack Daley

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Jack Daley is a Computer Science major from Williston, Vermont. Inspired by his family’s experience with GLP-1 medications, including his mother’s experience as a Type 1 diabetic, his essay examines the medical applications of these drugs beyond their increasingly popular association with weight loss. Because public conversations about GLP-1 medications were changing rapidly while he was writing, Jack found it especially rewarding to investigate “a topic that was developing in real time” and that he regularly encountered outside an academic setting. The project allowed him to move beyond personal experience and popular discussion to develop a more informed perspective on …

Hamburgers: Great For Dinner, Bad For Writing, Jameison Wirta

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Jameison Wirta is from Somerset, MA, and is a Psychology major with a Chemistry minor in the Pre-Medical Program. For Jameison, this essay was especially important because it completely transformed the way he thinks about writing. “I used to hate writing,” he explains, “but what I really hated was the cookie-cutter, check-the-box process I was always confined to. Learning to set myself a bit freer in my writing was an absolute blessing, and now I love it.” He hopes to share that same sense of freedom with others through his work. This semester was Jameison’s first time back in a …

Fuck The Academic Filter, Ana Swanson

Undercurrents: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Composition

Ana Swanson is an Anthropology major from Warwick, RI. Ana explains that writing papers has always been challenging for her, not because of ability, but because of boredom. “I just don’t enjoy writing in a strict, buttoned-up tone—or the academic filter, as I call it in this essay,” she shares. Discovering that she didn’t have to conform to that filter felt revolutionary and opened up a new way of approaching her work. Returning to college after leaving her studies twice, Ana came back with a renewed sense of purpose and a focus on anthropology, a subject she genuinely loves. Writing …