Department Resources

The Writing Center
Located in Sinclair Library, the Writing Center assists writers in planning, drafting, writing, and revising their work. The Workshop provides any student, staff, or faculty member of the Manoa campus with sessions of 30 minutes or one hour, during which a highly qualified graduate or undergraduate student in English responds to the visitor's written text or assignment. These sessions are scheduled by phoning the Department (956.7619). Tutoring guidelines are posted on the Writing Center's web site (http://www.english.hawaii.edu/writingcenter/FAQ.html).

This service enables writers to receive informed opinions and responses to their work--which can include papers in progress, business letters, creative writing, reports, applications, or other written work common to the University--in a supportive and encouraging atmosphere.

The Citizens’ Chair
Established by the Hawai‘i State Legislature, the Citizens’ Chair provides a prestigious endowed position for exemplary scholars and writers who are interested in teaching undergraduates as well as graduate students. Since 1968, when the Chair was first assigned to the Department, we have appointed distinguished visitors in various fields for one-year terms. These have included such nationally-known figures as Ian Watt, Galway Kinnell, Daniel Schwarz, Peter Elbow, and Alix Kates Shulman; there have been several appointments of outstanding scholars who stayed in Hawai‘i for a period of years. The first of these was the late Leon Edel, the theorist of life writing and biographer of Henry James.

Citizens’ Chair professors teach two courses each term and also deliver a major lecture open to the entire community. Most lead Departmental colloquia and further enrich the Department’s intellectual life by engaging in informal meetings with students and colleagues. They bring a wide range of expertise and knowledge in the humanities to the entire community.

Colloquia and Lectures
On most Thursday afternoons during the Fall and Spring semesters, the English Department presents informal colloquia on a variety of literary, cultural, and community subjects. For single speakers, the format generally involves a 40 minute talk and then a lively question and answer period. For panel discussions the speakers decide on an appropriate format.

Speakers have included faculty, graduate students, visiting scholars, and members of the local writing community. The series aims at promoting exchange between members of the English Department and the community. Faculty and graduate/undergraduate students are encouraged to participate. The talks are advertised in the Ku Lama and Ka Leo and via flyers around Kuykendall.

The Guest Lecture Series brings visitors from other universities and the community at large to speak in the Department on a wide variety of topics. The lecture series is run by a committee made up of graduate students and faculty, and they invite everyone to attend these events.

The Joseph Keene Chadwick Endowment Fund commemorates the life and intellectual interests of Prof. Joe Chadwick, faculty member in the English Department from 1983 to 1992. These annual public lectures deal with gay studies, multiculturalism, and Irish literature.

Celebrated authors in the Marjorie Edel Putnam Series will read from their works and engage students, faculty, and the community in discussions about their writing—with a focus on poetry, Hawai‘i, and Hawaiian culture, three of Marjorie Putnam Sinclair Edel’s life-long interests.

Conferences
The Department hosts or co-sponsors various professional conferences. These have included international meetings on biographical research, multi-ethnic literature of the U.S. (MELUS), creative writing, teen reading, graduate student research, and the bi-ennial conference on Literature and Hawai‘i’s Children. Students are encouraged to attend these events.

Bulletin Boards
As you leave the Kuykendall elevator on the fourth floor and turn right, you will discover the Undergraduate English bulletin board. This site is reserved for notices about academic events, career opportunities, and other items of interest to English students. If you’d like to post a flyer on the bulletin board, or if you have an idea for the board’s more effective use, please see the Director of Undergraduate Studies in KUY 429. To the left of the elevator you will find the Creative Writing bulletin board, where calls for manuscripts, competitions, awards, etc. are posted. There is also a departmental display case/bulletin board opposite the main office, KUY 402.

Publications
The Department supports a variety of academic and creative journals. From time to time, student editorships, internships, and work-study positions become available with the journals; see the current editors for information.

Biography, a quarterly journal devoted to biographical research; 956.3774; <biograph@hawaii.edu>.

Fresh ReView, an annual collection of prize-winning student essays from the previous year’s ENG 100 sections. KUY 402; 956.7619.

Hawai‘i Review, the student-edited, twice-yearly literary journal of UHM, containing student and professional creative writing, essays, and art. Almost thirty years old, HR has an excellent reputation and the staff welcomes manuscripts and volunteers. KUY 228; 956.3030.

Manoa, a Pacific Journal of International Writing, a twice-yearly literary publication that brings new writing from the Asia-Pacific region to American audiences and American authors to audiences throughout the region. <http://www.hawaii.edu/mjournal>. KUY 626; 956.3070.

Tinfish, an Internet-based journal of experimental poetry with an emphasis on work from the Pacific region, archived at the Electronic Poetry Center: <http://wings.buffalo.edu/epc/ezines/tinfish>. KUY 214; 956.3015.