v   Bob Moore (Red Hawk) has a poem, “Dreaming With the Stone,” in the current issue of Vallum (5:2), a poetry journal from Montreal, Canada. Also featured in this issue are poets Paul Muldoon (Pulitzer Prize winner, current poetry editor of The New Yorker) and Les Murray (poet Laureate of Australia).

v   Kate Stewart and five UAM students attended the Region I/Region II Alpha Chi convention in Seguin, Texas held March 6-8.  The following students presented papers:

Stephen Cagle—“A Survey of Mammals in Southeast Arkansas”

Nicole Coffel—“Imploding Binaries:  Braddon’s Appeal to Moderation in Lady Audley’s Secret”

Martin Maxwell—“Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia:  Its Causes, Current Trends, and Remedies”

Heather Raley—“The Palestinian Diaspora”

Janelle Martin, Vice-President of the Zeta Chapter, represented the chapter as UAM’s voting delegate; she also served on a regional committee.  Region II elected Jean Hendrix, Associate Professor of CIS, as Vice-President; she will serve as President in 2010.  Kate attended the meeting of the Erskine College and Seminary Board of Trustees February 14-15.  She had her essay “Recreation Meets Vocation” published in the Alpha Chi Recorder’s alumni issue.   Kate, designated as “Featured Faculty,” delivered her after dinner talk entitled “…but They Look So Good on Paper” at the Who’s Who banquet on April 28.

v   Mark Spencer has new short stories in Contrary, The Chariton Review, and Clapboard House.

v   Scott Lykens, Tom Richard and art students introduced the Monticello Community to its first ever Empty Bowls event held April 11^th from 11 am - 1:30 pm at the Trotter House.  Students and artists donated bowls while local restaurants donated soup.  The money raised was donated to a local food bank. 

v   Diane Payne’s new creative nonfiction works include:  “Genius” in Arkansas Literary Forum,
“It’s Never Really Over” in The Day After Tomorrow: Personal Stories About Abortion, and a
diary excerpt included in the Water Cooler Diaries, Women Across America Share Their Day at Work to be published in Perseus Books.  Her new fiction works include:  “Being Thirty”  in The Externalist, “Neighbors” in Muscadine Lines, and “Girls’ Night Out” in Chick Lit Review.

v   Scott Lykens was in several scholarly juried and invitational exhibitions, published over a dozen audio articles in conjunction with NCECA, his national professional conference.  He produced UAM’s 3^rd Annual National Juried Cup Show and secured a Juror for the 4^th Annual National Juried Cup Show.  Scott also introduced the Southeast Arkansas Community to the Empty Bowls event at the Trotter House.  The event was widely received and an outstanding success.  He was accepted to a book,  “ 500 Plates and Platters ” which makes the 4^th book that includes Scott’s work.

v   Tom Richard attended the College Art Association in Dallas in February 2008.  He also has the following exhibits:  “ 50/50” and “Cereal Inquiries”  at the Arkansas Arts Center  from May 23 – July 20: Gallery Talk Friday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m.; and “Toys and Stuff” at the Laredo Center for the Arts from May 6 – June 1.

v   As faculty advisor for the Theatre Club, Kay Walter helped host the Shakespeare Festival where faculty, students, and visitors from the community watched films about Shakespeare, gave readings of his works, discussed interesting aspects of his genius, ate blueberry scones, and drank hot tea in honor of the 444^th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth.  Kay’s article about visiting public school classrooms was published in the February issue of the Southeast ERZ News.  She accompanied two students abroad for Spring Break and guided their tour of southern England where they made a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral, walked on the white cliffs of Dover; drove around the Isle of Wight; toured the abbey built to commemorate the Battle of Hastings; visited the homes of Ellen Terry, Rudyard Kipling, and Jane Austen; played on the beach in Cornwall; photographed one another at Stonehenge; and worshipped at Wells Cathedral.  Kay read an original poem entitled “How Water Feels” at Mocha Madness.  With Dr. Kate Stewart, she travelled to Lyon College in Batesville to meet with the current editorial staff of Philological Review and collect information and archives to facilitate the journal’s move to UAM.

v   The Debate Team concluded the most successful year in its 38 year history.  The team won the IPDA Founders Award (top program over the course of the season) and the IPDA Championship Tournament (Top Program are the Championship Tournament).  The team received 254 awards on the year including 9 team tournament championships.  The debate team would like to thank everyone who has supported us this year.  With the support of the faculty and staff we would not have been able to accomplish what we did this year.  Thank you!

v   Scott Kuttenkuler has been named IPDA Coach of the Year.  Jim Evans was runner-up.

v   As faculty advisor for Sigma Tau Delta Sarah Bloom  helped host a “Night of Fun and Games”  where  SAH faculty, members of Sigma Tau Delta, and other students majoring and minoring in English feasted on a Tex-Mex buffet and participated in games such as Jeopardy and Charades (with a literary focus).  Sigma Tau Delta held its annual book and (new this year) bake sale raising close to $200.  This semester Sarah has been working closely with the Education Renewal Zone (ERZ).  She tutored 11^th graders in Dermott in an attempt to prepare them for the End of Course Literacy test.  Additionally, a class from Dermott came to UAM to visit her Comp I class.  She also attended the ERZ Mid-Winter Conference in Little Rock and the UAM School of Education Stakeholders meeting at UAM.  Sarah read two original poems – “Reverie” and “Apparition” – at Mocha Madness. 

v   Ronald Sitton provided publicity for the Arts and Humanities Documentary Film Festival; wrote two articles for the Arkansas Free Press, "American Democracy Project Encourages Civic Participation" and "Amateur Winemakers Unite in Altus;" and performed at Mocha Madness.  As an adviser, Sitton took three students to the Arkansas College Media Association's spring awards ceremony in Jonesboro, where The Voice won second place in Best Web Edition to Fayetteville's Arkansas Traveler; in addition, former Sports Editor Kevin Sims won third in the state for Sports Feature and both Douglas Boultinghouse and Latoya Shelton received Honorable Mentions. In February, Sitton took seven students to Little Rock for the Associated Press Managing Editors NewsTrain/Mid-America Press Institute Seminar held at the Clinton Library after acquiring funding for the students through an MPI Scholarship Program. Over Spring Break, he took five students to New York City for the College Media Advisers spring conference, preceded by Media Pro Workshops with professionals from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post and Associated Press. He is currently working on an article about the New York City trip for the UAM Alumni Magazine.