SFSU Department of English

'Disheveled,' 'Disgruntled': Why Are Some Words Only Used in Negative Form? No one ever says "heveled" or "gruntled." Do these words even exist? Not every word needs an opposite to prop it up. Here's why.

“‘Disheveled,' 'Disgruntled': Why Are Some Words Only Used in Negative Form?” Dr. Jenny Lederer, Associate Professor in our Linguistics Program, weighs in on the “lonely negative.”

'Disheveled,' 'Disgruntled': Why Are Some Words Only Used in Negative Form? No one ever says "heveled" or "gruntled." Do these words even exist? Not every word needs an opposite to prop it up. Here's why.

The Classroom as Monument - The Rambling Reflecting on the Black Lives Matter uprising of 2020 in Richmond, Virginia, Will Clark considers how recent anti-racist activism can guide instruction in the university classroom. Comparing Confederate monuments to the racist history of campus spaces and disciplines, he revisits Cheryl Harris, Said...

Professor Will Clark writes about his experiences teaching in Richmond, Virginia, as he and his students watched the monuments fall in 2019.

The Classroom as Monument - The Rambling Reflecting on the Black Lives Matter uprising of 2020 in Richmond, Virginia, Will Clark considers how recent anti-racist activism can guide instruction in the university classroom. Comparing Confederate monuments to the racist history of campus spaces and disciplines, he revisits Cheryl Harris, Said...

Delete Profile: Online Abuse of Kosovo Women Costing Democracy | Balkan Insight Online abuse of Kosovo women is taking a toll on their readiness to engage in political and public life.

Public health expert James Colgrove, a graduate of the SFSU Department of English, says compulsory vaccine laws are essential to safety. Read our Q&A with him: https://lca.sfsu.edu/lcanews/2021/09/13/821016-alum-public-health-expert-james-colgrove-compulsory-vaccine-laws-essential

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the College of Liberal & Creative Arts’ fourth annual faculty and staff excellence awards! 👏🏽

📷: Top row: Joan Wong, SFSU Department of English; Brad Hogarth, SF State School of Music; and Emily Beitiks, Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University. Bottom row: Andrew Speight, SF State School of Music; Christina Abadilla Fogarty, Global Museum; and Felicia Angeja Viator, History Department.

Happy Sunday! It’s Brianna here for the last book before the summer ends and we’re gonna end off with an iconic Bay Area author. Most probably know Amy Tan for her novel “The Joy Luck Club”, but the next novel choice today is another one of her novels titled, “The Kitchen God’s Wife”.

Immerse yourself into a detailed world that Tan creates that highlights the relationships between women as well as secrets among mothers and their children. This novel not only dives into complex relationships but self determination and the process of dealing with grief. Good luck next semester Gators!

The name Ruth Asawa might be familiar to some of us here at SF State, and in the book “Everything She Touched: The Life of Ruth Asawa” by Marilyn Chase it goes in depth on the amazing life that Asawa lived.
From surviving Japanese-American internment camps during World War II to developing her signature style with twisted wire, Asawa forged her own path in everything she did. Her art can be admired at museums such as the de Young, MoMA, Getty, and many more. Asawa even designed the Garden of Remembrance here at SF State in honor of the 19 former Japanese American SF State students who were forced to withdraw from classes and taken to internment camps during World War II.

Hey everyone! It’s Brianna here again to share some amazing books written by local Bay Area authors before the semester begins 📖. Our first book is “Solito, Solita: Crossing Borders with Youth Refugees from Central America” by Steven Mayers and Jonathan Freedman!

Read fifteen narratives about why the narrators fled their homes, the dangers of doing so, and more. Open your eyes to stories of real life bravery that will leave you with lessons on resilience when all seems hopeless. Listen to the voices of migrant youths as they tell their stories and their experience risking it all.

Happy Friday! I saved one of my favorite biographies for the last non-fiction post: “Cleopatra” by Stacy Schiff aligns all the myths and tales you have heard about one of Egypt’s most famous rulers. Why was Cleopatra such an effective leader & who were the contemporaries active during her reign? And what were the causal agents that defeated her formidable foundation? Witness Cleopatra reawaken during this brief, but captivating read! 🐍
Shiff’s enchanting narrative was such a pleasure to read that I went out and purchased all of her other books! 📚
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Spotlight on our new iteration of ENG 526: Age of American Renaissance.

This course aims to re-examine the literary contributions of the American Renaissance by reading canonical authors alongside contemporaneous activist writing of women and people of color who were explicitly critical of the U.S. democratic project. In this, we will recover social justice discourses from a critical moment in U.S. literature and history. Finally, we will use our readings to connect the particularities of the American Renaissance to social justice issues that shape our world today.

Spotlight on our new iteration of ENG 526: Age of American Renaissance!

This course aims to re-examine the literary contributions of the American Renaissance by reading canonical authors alongside contemporaneous activist writing of women and people of color who were explicitly critical of the U.S. democratic project. In this, we will recover social justice discourses from a critical moment in U.S. literature and history. Finally, we will use our readings to connect the particularities of the American Renaissance to social justice issues that shape our world today.

Hello! René here with my next non-fiction selection. • Trigger Warning: R**e culture cited. Some readers may find this post difficult. Resources for support are listed below. •
Summertime is primetime to crack open those self-education books that get pushed aside during the school semester. Feminist author and blogger Kate Harding shares insight about the difficult topic of r**e culture and the social culture & legal system that supports it.
“Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of R**e Culture and What We Can Do about It” explores how we, as responsible and empathetic people, can recognize red flags, toxic people & perceptions, and participate in effecting a meaningful difference in our communities. Take good care of yourselves and one another 💙
📞 SFSU also offers resources for r**e violence education and prevention: https://wellness.sfsu.edu/s*xual-violence-prevention
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There is so much discourse about confronting and dismantling the structures that perpetuate racism that many proposals to reimagine a healthier foundation is sure to prompt diverse discourse.
Ibram X. Kendi‘s “How To Be Anti-Racist” focuses on taking personal steps toward recognizing perceptions that, consciously or not, support inequity and oppression. - Whether you support all or parts of Kendi’s ideology, he prompts the conversations of inner reflection that contribute to both personal and collective social health.
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Hello, fellow bibliophiles! René back to introduce you to some non-fiction selections starting with Valeria Luiselli’s essay collection titled, “Tell Me How It Ends.”
Luiselli worked as a translator in the NY court system for unaccompanied child asylum seekers in 2016. Her firsthand experience interacting with these brave children is certain to educate your senses and enlighten the plight of young people who, as a last resort, are sent off alone to live a hopefully better life in the US. 🙏🏽

The last fiction book recommendation! For the last book in this category, we have chosen “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz. A Pulitzer Prize Winner for fiction in 2008 🏆

An amazing novel that immerses the reader in the Dominican-American experience along with the use of magical realism, nerd culture, and more. Read all about the complex characters who bring this novel to life!

I’m gonna hand it over to Valerie who will recommend some amazing books as well! I’ll be back later with some books from Bay Area authors 📚

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Hello everyone! it’s Brianna here again with the next book being Abi Daré’s debut novel, “The Girl with the Louding Voice” 📣

Follow along a powerful and emotional story of a young Nigerian woman who fights for her voice and education, and for the voices of other girls as well. Get ready for an inspiring novel that will pull at your heart strings!

Hey! It’s Brianna and I’ll be sharing some amazing fiction books with you all 😊

For our first book we have “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng 🔥. You may have seen the series on HBO based on her book, but either way it’s an amazing read! Dive into a world of secrets and mystery that pushes the boundaries of a seemingly quiet community and the idea of perfection.

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Hello, Bibliophiles! Closing out our Black Joy genre summer reading suggestions is, “Pride: A Pride & Prejudice Remix” by Ibi Zoboi.
Imagine Jane Austen’s classic (you know the one) in contemporary times with characters of color who navigate modern realities. 🏄🏽‍♀️ Gentrification, class polarities, and cultural identity are explored in this new classic that sounds intriguing enough to buy in hardback!
Thank you all for tuning in! I’ll be back later this month with some excellent non-fiction selections. For now, I’d like to pass the mic to 🤗
Author:
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René here to share another summer reading book suggestion!
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I would like to introduce bestselling author, activist, and s*x columnist Adrienne Maree Brown. Her recent book, “Pleasure Activism” is a collection of conversations, poems, and artwork conceived to enhance the pleasure and joy in our lives that can too often be clouded by shame or guilt. Boo, we want joy! 🤩
Are you ready to renew the conversations that you have with yourself and refresh your views? Sometimes a book comes along that changes how you see yourself in the world. What will Brown’s themes ignite within you? ❤️📚
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René here! For my first guest post, I would like to share books that celebrate Black Joy! and positive images of Black folks thriving.
Today, let’s check out British-Nigerian author Bolu Babalola’s debut novel, “Love in Colour.” Step outside the status quo in this modern retelling of ancient myths and folktales from all over the world where Black women are empowered in scenes that “demonstrate consent and love without suffering.” 🙌🏽
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Hello! My name is René Becker and I will be guest posting this week to share summer reading lists specially curated by your fellow English Literature majors & English Dept Student Leadership Council members: Valerie F., Brianna Tsai, and me! 😀 We can’t wait to share our work with you! 📚☀️bookshelf | |

English major from the Class of 2021, Courtney Sadowski, speaks about the spirit of perseverance that drives students at San Francisco State, sharing her own inspiring journey after a leukemia diagnosis and a bone marrow transplant.

“As students, all of us persevere in some way through our hard work, whether it be taking on two jobs, raising children, returning to college after a prolonged absence, or remotely learning through a global pandemic. We persevere through our hard work and dedication, but we also don’t do this alone,” Courtney says, thanking her family, her professors, and her bone marrow donor.



https://youtu.be/g_fhLn3srKw

English department chair, Professor Gitanjali Shahani, pays a tribute to our students’ fortitude and resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, with a 5000-year-old story of Eklavya, a character from the ancient Indian epics. “You as students of San Francisco State, you know versions of this story well,” she says. “You too have traveled a long journey to be here. You too have given up too much on the way. You too have fought hard for a just educational system that believes in you, that educates you to speak out against the injustices that you have endured, and that empowers you to do the same for others in your communities.”

Graduation Intro - Gitanjali Shahani

English professor fights to keep truth alive in post-truth age | SF State News A professor of English Language and Literature, Tara Lockhart is co-editor of “Literacy and Pedagogy in an Age of Misinformation and Disinformation” (Parlor Press), a new guide for educators.

ICYMI, you can now watch our graduation video. Congratulations to our graduates and thanks to all our speakers! 🎓🎊👏🏼



https://youtu.be/Sjwb-5AH-VQ

Celebrating Graduates of the English Department Help us celebrate the tenacity and resilience of our 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 graduating students in the English Department at San Francisco State University.

In alumni news, Katie Brandt (MA Literature, 2017) is named Assistant Editor of the Charles Dickens Letters Project. Congratulations Katie!