Hope M. Defazio
Contributing Writer
ESU attended the English Association of Pennsylvania State Universities (EAPSU) conference on Oct. 18-19, 2024, hosted by Millersville University. Four representatives from ESU: Dr. Leenerts, ESU EAPSU Representative; Dr. Fu, a visiting Chinese professor from Changsha University of Science and Technology; Professor Selving; and the current Outstanding English Major (OEM), Hope De Fazio.
Upon arrival, we were greeted with merch and our schedule. The first workshop I went to was hosted by graphic novelists Ari Plunchinsky and Sam Bowen. We learned the ins and outs of graphic novels and then were tasked to create a sketch of our own.
After a brief snack break, it was time to sit down and listen to our Keynote speaker, which was American writer and poet, Katie Baer.
She answered questions that one of the Millersville professors came up with and then was kind enough to read some of her poetry out loud and explain the reason it was created. At the end, there was a Q&A, where some students and professors joined in.
After the event, Baer returned to sign some of her books for the participants. I had the honor of having two signatures.
The following day is when the conference truly kicked off. Back to back, multiple rooms held different conversations, where I presented on ‘The Life of Virginia Woolf in the Panel Exploring Facets of Identity.
It was an honor to have been awarded as the OEM and present at the conference for ESU. My biggest fear when I first came to ESU was that I was going to be so behind since I went right into the Military after high school, but with hard work and passion, I am so proud of my achievements.
Professor Selving presented her prose poetry “The Very Brief Spiritual Narrative: A Collection of Prose Poems’ in the Panel Creative Searches for Connection and Identity.”
Dr. Fu presented “Renderings of the Painted Bird on the Chinese Literature Market: Comparison and Contrast with Renderings of the Involved Culture.”
Dr. Leeerts presented “Pope Francis as Theorist: Postcoloniality in ‘Letter on Formation’; Ecocriticism in ‘Laudato Si’ and ‘Laudate Deum’ ” in the Panel Exploring Facets of Identity.
I asked Dr. Lennerts some questions about EAPSU to gain a better understanding of the program and the passion behind it.
1. How long have you been involved with the EAPSU conference, and what keeps you coming back?
“I’ve been involved since 2006, when I volunteered to be ESU’s EAPSU representative (relieving Dr. Smith, who had served as such for a long time). I later served EAPSU as vice president from 2007-09, and as president from 2009-13.
“What keeps me coming back? Besides my responsibility as ESU’s EAPSU rep, I enjoy the collegiality and the chance to see many now-friends from all over the state. We used to have conferences twice a year: in fall for professors and graduate students; in spring for undergraduate students.
“For the last few years (pretty much post-pandemic), we have consolidated to one conference in October for everyone!
“Another thing I enjoy is the opportunity to travel with our Outstanding English Major of the year so they can present a paper or performance and receive an award from EAPSU. It’s a chance to professionally relax and have some great conversations. It’s also a chance for the OEM to meet other OEMs from around the state and enjoy each other’s work. And what keeps me coming back more than ever now is the streamlined conference, where professors, grad students and undergrads can all be on the same panel. It’s more egalitarian that way, and even more fun.”
2. In your opinion, what is the utmost importance of the EAPSU conference for students and faculty?
“It provides a venue to present some work (a paper, a presentation, a collection of poems, a short story, you name it) and get feedback on it. Professionally, it’s another line on the vita (to show one’s academic activity), but if it weren’t enjoyable at the same time, it would feel like duty. EAPSU doesn’t feel like a duty. For students, it provides practice in going to conferences and presenting, along with giving and receiving feedback.”
3. How was your time at this year’s conference?
“I had a blast this year, and I hope our ESU contingent did as well. Prof. Selving presented ‘The Very Brief Spiritual Narrative: A Collection of Prose Poems’; our visiting scholar Fu Zhen (from Changsha University of Science and Technology) presented ‘Renderings of The Painted Bird on the Chinese Literature Market: Comparison and Contrast with Renderings of the Involved Culture’; our OEM, Hope DeFazio, presented ‘The Life of Virginia Woolf’; and I presented ‘Pope Francis as Theorist: Postcoloniality in ‘Letter on Formation’; Ecocriticism in ‘Laudato Si’ and ‘Laudate Deum.’ So we covered new poetry, translation theory, Virginia Woolf, and Pope Francis.
“As well as listening to a wide variety of presentations by others, we participated in graphic novel and poetry workshops and we had tacos and cookies. Fu Zhen’s middle-school daughter Wendy accompanied us, and we enjoyed fascinating conversations, both at the conference and in the car. Inspired by a colleague who used Pope Francis’ ecocritical encyclicals in his teaching, I want to dig further into these works, which I only touched on, in a paper to be presented next March at the College English Association. For hard-core conference-goers, the conference is a way to get great feedback on a work in process to possibly take it into new directions, which I trust we all did.”
I then asked Professor Selving the same questions.
1. How long have you been involved with the EAPSU conference, and what keeps you coming back?
“My first EAPSU conference was in Fall 2012. ESU hosted it, and Dr. Cynthia Leenerts and I were the coordinators. Now, I enjoy gathering with my colleagues across the PASSHE system, visiting the various campuses, and seeing the same faces every year. The conference has a vital, warm, welcoming vibe.”
2. In your opinion, what is of the utmost importance of the EAPSU conference for students and faculty?
“Conferences are a testing ground for ideas and often lead to larger projects. It is important to remain connected to the community of English studies, and learn about current scholarship or pedagogy, for example.
“Conferences are great networking opportunities as well. (I also get a lot of office supplies as bling.) Students benefit from attending conferences.
“Sure, they can list a conference presentation on their vita, but they also get professional experience. They get feedback and questions from the audience and learn to think on their feet. And conferences give them exposure to things they might not have considered in their field of study.”
3. How was your time at this year’s conference?
“I had a wonderful time. I got to hang out with our EAPSU honoree, colleagues, and friends and our visiting Chinese scholar and her daughter. The presenter this year was New York Times bestselling poet Kate Baer who is best known for her erasure poems. She receives hundreds of hate, and just plain stupid, DMs, and by stripping away language, she transforms them into cutting social commentary or life-affirming messages. I was lucky enough to speak to her and ended up teaching some of her poems in Women in Literature class. And, of course, it was a pleasure seeing our ESU English major Hope De Fazio deliver her presentation on Virginia Woolf.”
4. What originally inspired you to participate in or organize the EAPSU conference?
“I was drawn to the theme of my first conference. And I wanted to organize one for the bling. We had great bling–I designed mugs and tote bags. But seriously, I wanted the experience of shaping a theme, putting together panels, which is challenging, and bringing in a reader I admired–Meghan O’Rourke, author of The Long Goodbye.”
5. What advice would you give to first-time attendees or presenters at the conference?
“Present on something you love–that energy is palpable. Consider the conference a chance to get feedback; you might even want to expand on something in the future. Have visuals. Get feedback on your presentation before the conference. Practice your presentation; most of the conferences I’ve attended have a fifteen-minute time limit. It is tough speaking in front of a room full of people, especially for the first time, but know that the audience is more often than not supportive. And, finally, visit as many panels as you can.”