Chowdahfest!

Yes, the Chowdahfest was a week ago, and I seem to be slipping into the habit of posting about an event a week after it occurs. Ech! some of my students might say I'm breaking my own records by letting as little as a week slip by; witness how "fast" I get papers back! In any case, this is a festive celebration that has become an English Department tradition for some years now: inviting English Major alums, in conjunction with Clark's Alumni-In-Residence event, to come by and talk to the current undergrads and grad students about "life after the English Major"; or, "How Lit-ter-chure Prepared Me for Life." For me, it's wonderfully satisfying, since usually at least one of them is an old advisee, and I get to keep in touch.

Our guests on Friday were (from left to right below) Heidi Gitelman '80, Betsy Hopkins '97, and Jennifer C. Smith '95. Betsy was my advisee this time, and she reminded me that I had cobbled together a double major for her in English and Theater Arts; the aging synapses controlling memory being what they are, my response was, "I did? I must have known then what I don't know now."


They all mentioned in various ways how the emphases on research, analysis and writing connected with the English major had given them invaluable experience in managing and assessing all kinds of diverse data--interactive television documentaries for Heidi; IT for Betsy; Education Programs Manager at Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island for Jennifer (and these are only the most recent manifestations of many career moves for each of them)--but in the question-and-answer session afterwards I suggested that they had foregrounded yet another facet of English study that I hadn't realized in previous Chowdahfests. Threaded through all their employment sagas was a celebration of a deep acquaintance and proven ability to work with narrative: the familiarity with narrative essential to an English major was common to each; their work was successful because they could tell stories and listen to them as well. Wildly various stories, true--from documentaries to IT programmatic narratives to organizational stories to qualify for grant funding--but stories nonetheless. Honest stories, with character and plot; not little fibs or grand confabulations (which seem to be the narratives du jour of our current national political scene), but narratives shaped by and shaping the parameters and direction of their work. Hey, I thought, that's a recommendation for the major I'll gladly support!


So the chowdah was good, the conversation was better, and I hope everyone who attended found something to take away--besides leftover cookies, that is.

--Jay