Digital Commons Network^™

Avoiding The Dreaded Packet: The Impact Of Guided Notes On Student Confidence And Quality Of Poetic Annotations In An 11th Grade Ap Language And Composition Classroom., Kaleigh D. Phelps

Virginia English Journal

This article presents findings from an action research study conducted in a 11th Grade AP Language and Composition classroom on the impact of guided notes on confidence and quality of student work. The data indicates a substantial need for transfer skills in the English classroom.

Volume 73: Issue 1 - Letter From The Editor's Desk, Cinde Wollenberg

Virginia English Journal

No abstract provided.

Literacy Warriors: Engaging Our Community In The Fight For Literacy, Monica Rene Manns, Diane Saunders

Virginia English Journal

The Literacy Warriors initiative is designed to address the pervasive issue of illiteracy in underserved communities through innovative, community-driven strategies. Rooted in the evidence-based methodologies of Marva Collins and Orton-Gillingham, the program equips community members—referred to as Literacy Warriors—with the skills to teach foundational literacy, including phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Recognizing literacy as a tool for equity, empowerment, and social justice, this initiative emphasizes culturally affirming practices that resonate with the lived experiences of Black and marginalized students. The program also addresses a critical gap: many Literacy Warriors themselves were not taught phonics due to past whole-language initiatives, which …

Unlocking Ela For All Students With Drama Activities, Natalie Tasillo

Virginia English Journal

Introducing drama activities into ELA classes can spark creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration for all students. They offer inclusive alternatives to traditional ELA activities and support successful learning experiences for all students. Several drama activities that are accessible to many students experiencing challenges are provided with suggestions for how they can benefit ELA classrooms.

Reading The Players: Developing Critical Consumers Of Sports Media, Katie Dredger, Katherin Garland, Crystal L. Beach

Virginia English Journal

Sports media is ubiquitous, and English Language Arts (ELA) teachers can use topics around current sporting activities and events in the classroom to engage readers and to teach skills of critical media literacy. Serving as a primer on critical media literacy, this article, grounded in educational theory, gives practical and easily accessible texts and creative lesson ideas to spark engagement, build community, encourage collaboration and foster achievement in secondary ELA classrooms.

The Badge He Wore, Kaya L. Klein

Virginia English Journal

"The Badge He Wore" is a poignant reflection on sacrifice, duty, and love. Through vivid imagery, the poem portrays the badge as more than metal—a symbol of a protector’s unyielding promise to serve others. It explores the weight of responsibility, the courage to face fear, and the ultimate act of laying down one’s life for another. The badge becomes a testament to a life of selflessness, a bond with the people it protects, and a legacy of a hero who gave all. This piece honors the humanity behind the badge, reminding us of the cost of true bravery.

Poem: "Meditation On Glass (Or, The Necessity Of English Teachers)", Joseph M. Jablonski

Virginia English Journal

A poem about English Teachers from a street poet.

Finding “Heart, Hope, And Humanity” At The 2024 Ncte Annual Convention, Hermione Dewitt, Ellie Fisher, Zoe Mcdowell, Kaleigh D. Phelps, Liz Shanks, Haley Smiley, Mark A. Lewis, Melanie Shoffner

Virginia English Journal

Six teacher candidates from James Madison University’s secondary ELA teacher education program reflect on their take-aways from the 2024 NCTE Annual Convention through the lens of the convention theme: Heart, Hope, and Humanity.

Call For Submissions: Volume 73: Issue 2

Virginia English Journal

No abstract provided.

Volume 6, Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Volume 6, Issue 2 (Fall 1987), continues its dedication to showcasing a diverse array of literary voices through poetry, fiction, and critical reviews. Although this issue is labeled as Volume 6, Issue 1 within the journal itself, it is officially recognized as Volume 6, Issue 2 in the Nebo archive. Featuring contributions from writers such as John Gery, H.L. Hix, and Katharyn Machan Aal, this issue explores themes of war, memory, identity, and the craft of storytelling. Highlights include poetic reflections on personal and historical trauma, introspective explorations of human relationships, and critical essays on contemporary literary works. …

Volume 6, Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Volume 6, Issue 1 (Spring 1987), continues its tradition of showcasing a rich array of literary voices through poetry, fiction, and critical reviews. This issue presents a mix of evocative storytelling and thought-provoking verse, featuring works by authors such as Grace Cash, Jim Finley, and Paul Lake. The selections engage with themes of history, place, love, and existential reflection, capturing both the personal and the universal. With its roots in Arkansas Tech University, Nebo remains a vibrant platform for emerging and established writers, offering a compelling collection of creative expression.

Volume 5, Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Volume 5, Issue 1 (Spring 1986), showcases a diverse range of literary works, including poetry, fiction, and critical reviews. This issue features compelling short stories that explore themes of identity, memory, and transformation, while the poetry selections capture moments of personal and collective experience. Highlights include works by Jack Butler, Marian Motley-Carcache, and other contributors, as well as critical reviews of contemporary literary works. Published by Arkansas Tech University, Nebo continues its tradition of providing a platform for emerging and established writers.

Volume 4, Issues 1 & 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Volume 4, Issues 1 & 2 (Spring 1985), represents another milestone in Arkansas Tech University’s biannual literary journal, continuing its tradition of publishing exceptional poetry, fiction, and literary reviews. This double issue brings together a wide array of voices, styles, and themes, reflecting both the emerging and established literary talents that Nebo seeks to amplify.

This edition features works from a diverse lineup of writers, including Barbara Eckstein, Jack Butler, Janet McCann, Vernon Frazer, Marvin Schwartz, and Daniel Mark-Epstein, among many others. Their works explore human relationships, memory, place, and transformation, offering readers a compelling mix of …

Volume 2, Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Volume 2, Issue 2 (Fall 1984), continues Arkansas Tech University’s tradition of publishing exceptional poetry and fiction through its biannual literary journal. Edited by students with faculty guidance, this issue features a compelling selection of works that explore themes of memory, transformation, identity, and the intricacies of human experience.

This issue includes poetry and fiction from a diverse group of writers, including John Gery, Wyatt Prunty, Laura McLaughlin, David Mason, and many more. Their works range from deeply personal reflections to broader cultural commentaries, showcasing a wide variety of literary styles.

Additionally, Nebo proudly celebrates the achievements of …

Nebo: Volume 2, Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo, Arkansas Tech University’s literary journal, continues its tradition of showcasing innovative and thought-provoking creative writing in its Spring 1984 issue. This volume brings together poetry, fiction, and essays from a diverse range of voices, reflecting the evolving landscape of contemporary literature. Featuring work from both emerging and established writers, this issue delves into themes of memory, transformation, and the human condition. Readers will discover a collection rich with narrative depth, poetic experimentation, and critical literary discourse. As Nebo enters its second volume, it reaffirms its role as a space for artistic expression and literary excellence.

Nebo: Volume 1, Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

The Fall 1983 edition of Nebo (Volume 1, Issue 2) continues the journal’s commitment to showcasing compelling poetry and fiction that push the boundaries of literary expression. This issue brings together a diverse collection of works, exploring themes of human experience, memory, relationships, and artistic interpretation. With contributors ranging from emerging to established voices, the selections in this issue offer a wide spectrum of poetic lyricism and narrative depth. Featuring works from Lawrence Millman, Warren Hope, Turner Cassity, and many others, this volume engages with the complexities of storytelling and the power of the written word.

As Nebo maintains its …

Nebo: Volume 1, Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

Nebo Literary Journal is a dynamic collection of contemporary fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction that highlights emerging voices in literature. Curated by Arkansas Tech University, this issue features a diverse range of storytelling, lyrical expression, and thought-provoking essays that explore themes of identity, human connection, and the power of narrative. With contributions from talented writers across genres, Nebo serves as a creative space for literary exploration and artistic expression. Whether through evocative poetry or compelling short stories, this issue invites readers to immerse themselves in the richness of modern literature.

The Metaphysics Of Frank Herbert's Dune And God Emperor Of Dune: On Time And Language, Garrett J. Busshart

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation studies the metaphysics of time and rhetoric in the science fiction novels Dune (1963) and God Emperor of Dune (1981) by Frank Herbert. The first chapter critiques the protagonist’s sense of temporality, an ideology in which the future consists of multiple possible choices while each decision of one forecloses a still larger set. Jean-Pierre Dupuy calls this a “supermarket” model of temporality, as if the future were a contingent-free menu of possibilities a subject is free to pick between. My assertion is that this sense of temporality—the Western norm—matches the protagonist’s, Paul Atreides’s, rhetoric. In disclosing Paul’s sense …

Wizard, Demon, Cat; Reformer, Satanist, Bureaucrat: A Diachronic Analysis Of Three Modes Of Sauron In The Legendarium In Light Of The Book Of Lost Tales, Cameron Bourquein

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper argues that Sauron is a metatextual shape-shifter. Through diachronic analysis it identifies and charts three distinct “modes” of Sauron coexisting in Tolkien’s legendarium. While Sauron’s most robust First Age appearance (in the tale of Beren and Lúthien) remained relatively unchanged from his introduction in the 1920s until Tolkien’s death, Sauron’s role in the Legendarium expanded significantly across Tolkien’s lifetime as Sauron became the primary antagonist of two additional Ages of Middle-earth. Some of the evolutions that accompanied this expansion are not retroactively reflected in the tales already written, hence these “modes” of Sauron could be said to remain …

“Time Is Our Only Ally!”: Indigenous Heroism And Native Slipstream In Turok, Son Of Stone, Justin Wigard

Heroism Science

In this article, I draw on Frederick Luis Aldama’s framework of Graphic Indigeneity to revisit the long history of an Indigenous hero figure in comics: Turok, a pre-Columbian Mandan warrior lost in a prehistoric space known as the Lost Valley. First appearing in Dell’s Four Color Comics #596 (1954), Turok has appeared throughout comics history for nearly 70 years, primarily written and drawn by white creative teams, yet a visually, narratively prominent Indigenous hero in the comics page, one who has periodically been a top-selling popular character in the comics industry. To this end, I argue that Turok is a …

“Walk No More In The Shadows, But Awake!”: Faramir’S Journey From Family Dysfunction And Grief To The Intimate Space In J.R.R. Tolkien’S The Lord Of The Rings, Rachel Crane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Examines Faramir's relationships--namely with Denethor, Boromir, and Éowyn--and role in Gondor via Yi-Fu Tuan's intimate space lens.

Negotiating Home In The Long Poem: Amatoritsero Ede’S Transpatiality, Mathias Iroro Orhero

Faculty Publications

In this paper, I argue that Amatoritsero Ede uses the long poem to negotiate the idea of home in an African diasporic context. As a form that carries the implications of length, time, and space, the long poem has been used by poets to interrogate the way we structure the world and to deconstruct grand narratives. The figure of the Black immigrant is one that destabilizes grand narratives of nationalism. This makes the form important in its capacity to ask important questions about nation and tradition even as it transgresses them. As a writer from the Niger Delta, a marginal …

Marking Their Sacrifice: Headstones And History For Usct Veterans In Jacksonville, Florida, Christian Merkley

Dean's Leadership Council Library Research Prize

The project’s aim is to consolidate military and pension records to identify and honor United States Colored Troops (USCT) by providing them headstones for their unmarked graves.

These soldiers fought for the Union in the Civil War in 1863 and 1864. They were almost always denied pensions during their lifetimes. One notable case is William Johnson, who was denied five times, only for his family to receive the pension posthumously.

We are working to establish a memorial site on the Jacksonville University campus. Currently, our main goal is to secure military headstones for these soldiers, many of whom were buried …

Hester Lynch Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale) (1741-1821) An Annotated Bibliography Of Her Published Works Together With Biography, Criticism, And Appearances In Fiction (Third Edition), Lisa Berglund Ph.D.

English Department Faculty Publications

There is no such field as “Piozzi Studies”—at least, not yet. For 250 years, scholarship on Hester Lynch Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale) has been desultory at best and at worst non-existent. Scholars who first undertook to analyze her life or edit her works were generally interested only in her relations with Samuel Johnson and James Boswell. Once feminist scholars began to champion the Bluestocking Circle, of which Mrs. Thrale was a peripheral member, Piozzi’s life and writings came to be taken more seriously. A significant milestone was reached in 2021 with the conference Celebrating Hester Thrale Piozzi (1741–1821). Still, while …

The Monday Manure, Zachary David Berston

Journalism

For my senior project, I wanted to create a new section of Mustang News that includes satire and cartoons. The section is called the Monday Manure to fit with the horse themed titles of other sections. This idea began as a project in the Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship class. While I initially had the idea to have a section that included games, I realized that it was a bit too ambitious after discussing that with the team at Mustang news. Over the course of this project, I have created several satire articles and cartoons, as well as organizing a team …

Monstrous Feminine, Deviant Mother: Tolkien’S Shelob And The Grotesque Maternal, Sara Brown

Journal of Tolkien Research

J.R.R. Tolkien’s menacing character of Shelob embodies the ultimate danger that faces Frodo on his journey to destroy the Ring of Power. Her actions, in combination with the language that Tolkien uses to describe her, invite the reader to view Shelob with revulsion and horror, designating her as Other. However, Shelob is also undeniably a mother, a term laden with social and cultural expectation. This paper explores Shelob as a representation of what Barbara Creed, in her article “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection”, has termed the ‘monstrous-feminine’, examining Shelob’s presentation within the text as not only identified as …

Celebrating Tolkien’S Legacy: Essays (2024), By Nancy Bunting, Seamus Hamill-Keays, And Toby Widdicombe, Douglas Charles Kane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Douglas Charles Kane, of Celebrating Tolkien’s Legacy: Essays (2024), by Nancy Bunting, Seamus Hamill-Keays, and Toby Widdicombe

He Is The Master Of Wood, Water, And Hill: Is Tom Bombadil The True Key Keeper Of The Old Forest?, Noelia Ramos

Journal of Tolkien Research

Tom Bombadil, with his iconic singing―”Hey! Come merry doll! Derry doll and merry-o!―has captivated scholars worldwide, due to the enigmatic nature Tolkien intentionally left unexplained. This deliberate mystery has fuelled extensive debate, leading many to explore possible mythological and cultural frameworks that might decode Bombadil’s origins. Among these hypotheses, a Celtic interpretation has often been dismissed despite its potential relevance. This paper, thereby, seeks to analyse Bombadil’s function within the Old Forest and his interactions with the hobbits during their forest episode, presenting fresh insights into his role as a Celtic-inspired guide and druidic figure.

To support this analysis, primary …

The English Apocalypse: A Fourteenth-Century Translation Of The Book Of Revelation From Columbia University, Ms Plimpton Add. 03, Ethan Campbell

TEAMS Middle English Texts

Before the Wycliffite Bible in the 1380s, one of the only complete books of the Bible to be translated into Middle English was the Book of Revelation. The English Apocalypse, translated from the French sometime in the early 14th century, must have been well known to the later translators, since it appears in 18 extant manuscripts, sometimes alongside Wycliffite material. This edition reproduces, for the first time, a copy of the English Apocalypse, which actually replaced the Book of Revelation at the end of a Wycliffite New Testament. Whether the manuscript compiler simply preferred this version or meant it to …

Reading The Rainbow: Exploring Themes And Identities In Lgbtqia+ Picture Books, Amanda Melilli, Alicia G. Vaandering, James W. Rosenzweig

Library Faculty Presentations

This presentation shares an analysis of over 275 picture books featuring LGBTQIA+ identities, providing evidence that the depiction of queerness in children’s literature is complex and varied. Tools for defining narrative themes and LGBTQIA+ identities will be shared as well as data on queer characters with intersecting identities. By exploring the nuances of LGBTQIA+ representation in picture books, attendees will gain a better understanding of novel research inquiries into representation.