The Patterson Post WestminsterCollegeEnglishDepartment NewWilmington,PA
DEPARTMENT EVENTHIGHLIGHTS BLEASBYCOLLOQUIA SERIES
Onthreeoccasionseach semester,thedepartment hostsacolloquiuminhonor ofDr.GeorgeBleasby, Chair ofWestminster’sEnglish departmentfrom1954-1975. InFall2025andSpring2026, colloquiafeaturedpastand presentstudentandfaculty accomplishments We supportedcurrentstudents’ creativeandanalytical work;wecelebratedthefine writingoflocalhighschool students;andwewelcomed fouralumnibacktocampus (seep.2).Dr.David Swerdlowreadfromhisnew poetrycollection(alsoonp 2),andDr TrishaCowen taughtusaboutthe researchandwriting processesunderpinningher currentnovelproject.
SENIORSREFLECTONTHEIREXPERIENCEASENGLISHMAJORS "I’vehadprofessorswhohavegoneaboveandbeyondwhatis expectedofthemtoensuremyownsuccess.Ihopetoonedaybe asdedicatedtothecraftastheyare,andIhopeIcanemulatethem asInavigate graduation and all that comes after,”commented OLIVIAPLUMMER.Asecondaryeducationminor,Oliviaplanson pursuinggraduatestudiesinEnglishandacareerinteaching
“MyfavoritepartoftheEnglishdepartmentwasbecomingclosewith facultyandmypeers.Iwenttoacommunitycollegebefore transferringtoWestminster,andeveryoneatWestminsterwasway moresupportivethananythingIhaveeverexperienced,”explained CASSIEEVANS.Cassie’sfutureplansaretobecomeabookeditor andanauthor
UNDERGRADUATERESEARCH ANDARTSCELEBRATION (URAC) Duringthiscollege-wide eventinApril,Englishmajors delivered15presentations andhostedtwosessions:the Scrawlreleaseparty,and theannualPoetrySlam.We areproudoftheirtalentand achievements!
“MyfavoritepartofbeinganEnglishmajorwasthepersonalized supportfromprofessorsandmyadvisorandoursmallclasssizes I knowthatthisindividualizedsupportimprovedmycriticalthinking, writing,andclosereadingskills,whichwillbeagreathelpinmylegal education,”saidCHLOESMITH.Alegalstudiesandpoliticalscience doubleminor,ChloehasbeenacceptedtoDuquesneUniversity’s lawschool,whereshewillcontinuehereducationthisfall
“Ilovedgettingtoexercisemycriticalthinkingskillsingroup discussions.Ofcourse,theprofessorsdidallthehiddenlegworkof makingeveryonecomfortableandaskingalltherightquestions.I reallyhopetoemulatethatfacilitatorroleformyownstudentsone day,”remarkedMAXSMITH.Asecondaryeducationminor,Max plansonteachinghighschoolEnglish
''TheEnglishprogramencouragedmetointerrogatewhogets representedinstoriesandhowthosestoriesaretold,which influencedmydesiretowritecomplex,unapologeticfemale characters,”saidMADYSONTREHARNE,doublemajorinEnglishand CreativeMediaProduction ”TheEnglishmajorgavemethe confidenceandcriticaltoolsIneedtowritefortelevision,"she added Madysonhassecuredajobasaproductionassistantand manageratSchoolyardStudio
Fondly,
FACULTYFOCUS Dr.SwerdlowPublishes FourthBookofPoems ByAvaKarpa‘27
Dr DavidSwerdlow,Englishprofessorof35yearsat WestminsterCollege,recentlypublishedhisfourth collectionofpoetry,titledEmptytheRiver
ReleasedbyBroadstoneBooksinDecember2025,the workrespondstothecoronaviruspandemicbysharing thetalesofsurvivorslivinginafictionalriversidecitythat hasbeenoverrunwithdiseaseanddeath Asitchallenges thenightmaresofpastandpresenttodreamofabetter future,Swerdlow’spoetrymakesapowerfulcontributionto contemporaryapocalypticliterature.
Dr.SwerdlowreadselectionsfromEmptytheRivertoa packedroomofalumni,faculty,students,andfamilyat thefirstBleasbyColloquiumofthespringsemesteron Thursday,February12th.Oneselection,“OurWoolCoats,” hasbeennominatedforthePushcartPrize,aprestigious awardrecognizingoutstandingworkfromsmallpresses. TolearnmoreaboutEmptytheRiverandpurchaseyour copy,clickhere.
"Poetryshouldn’tbepropagandistic. Poetryshouldnottrytomakeapoint. Rather,Iwantpoemstoembodythe experienceoflivingthroughaparticular momentorcircumstance.Poetryshould notservepolitics;itshouldservethe humancondition."
FacultyUpdates Dr.AndrewAdeenjoyedasabbaticalinSpring2026,during whichtimehewroteandrevisedseveralnewplays.
Dr.KristianneKalata’sessayonnovelistCharlotteBrontëwas publishedinStudiesintheNovelinMarch;clickheretocheckit out.Dr.TrishaCowenisattendingaWritingFellowshipatthe FineArtsCenterthissummerandwillattendaworkshopwith writerAsakoSerizawa,authorofTheInheritorsDr.BobCraven conductedfieldresearchinEastPalestineOH,beginningwork onabookofdocumentarypoemscoveringthetown’sresidents intheaftermathofthe2023trainderailment
TheEnglishDepartmenthostedaBleasby ColloquiumCareerPanelwithEnglishalumni onNovember20,2025.ValleyVoicesEditor BeckieErwin‘86,EnglishteacherKendall Straub‘21,andAttorneyMikeDisotell‘11 (picturedLtoRabove,withDr.KalataandDr. Craven)sharedtheircareertrajectoriesand answeredquestionsabouttheirjourneys.The eventwasmoderatedbyKamrynTaylor’27
Inadditiontothecareer-focusedBleasby,the departmentco-hostedapanelatthe College’sProfessionalNetworkingSymposium onSeptember26.KatSt.Pierre‘17returnedto campustoexplaintostudentshowherskills asanEnglishmajorassistedherinstarting herfamily’snewbusiness,RayofSunshine CampingandGlamping.Theeventwas moderatedbyAvaKarpa‘27.Manythanksto ouralumniforimpartingwisdomtostudents!
MARKYOURCALENDARS! 2026-2027BLEASBYCOLLOQUIASERIES Thursdayevenings@6pminBerlinLouge September10 -facultyspeaker th October15th–InvitedSpeaker November19th–CreativeWritingContest finalistsalongsideWCstudents February18th–facultyspeaker March18th–AlumniCareerPanel April1st–SeniorspresentCapstones ADDITIONALEVENTS
Sept 25:ProfessionalNetworkingSymposium October3:Homecoming November13-15:AsYouLIkeItinBeeghlyTheatre Formoreinformation, FOLLOWUSONSOCIALMEDIA Instagram:@wcpaenglish Facebook: WestminsterCollegeDepartmentofEnglish
Dr DavidSwerdlow
WhatitMeanstobean EnglishMajor ByAvaKarpa‘27and KamrynTaylor‘27
TheEnglishdepartmentatWestminster Collegepridesitselfonintegrity,creativity, andprogress Westrivetocreatewellrounded,liberallyeducatedstudentswho welcomediverseperspectives
Englishmajorsandminorstakeavariety ofcoursesthatfurthertheirknowledge aboutpersuasive,critical,andcreative writing,learningcrucialskillsthatcanbe usedincollegeandbeyond.
Thesupportfromfacultyandcloseties thatEnglishcohortsforgethroughout theirtimeatWestminsterCollegefosters anenvironmentwherestudentsarenot onlywell-educatedandsuccessful readers,writers,andthinkersbutalso empatheticproblem-solvers
JuniorAvaKarpapresentsEnglishcapstone researchatURACinApril2026
StudentsPresentat InternationalConvention KamrynTaylor‘27,LandreeNoviello’26,MadyGoodrich‘27, CassandraEvans’26,andOliviaPlummer‘26(picturedLto R,above)presentedoriginalliteraryresearchandcreative writingattheSigmaTauDeltaInternationalConventionin NewOrleans,LouisianainMarch
Thestudents’workwasselectedfromapoolof submissionsrepresentingEnglishhonorsocietychapters intheU.S.andoverseas.Twoofthisyear’sattendees,Mady Goodrich‘27andKamrynTaylor’27,wonConventionPaper Awardsfortheirpresentations.Allstudentshadaterrific timesharingtheirworkandexploringthisculturally enrichingcity THANKYOUtoouralumnidonors,whose generositymakessuchtripspossibleforstudents!
“Iwillbeforevergratefulfortheopportunitytohave metandpresentedinfrontofsomanytalentedand experiencedindividuals.”
StudentPublishesOriginalPoetry Congratulations to Olivia Plummer ‘26, pictured at right with English faculty, on the publication of her poem “Reasons with Examples” in the March 2026 issue of Northern Appalachia Review A member of Westminster’s All College Honors Program, Olivia studied poetry with Dr David Swerdlow and Dr Bob Craven and led a creative writing workshop on campus for high school students in November, 2025 When asked what poetry means to her, Olivia explained: “I think poetry allows you to say what’s otherwise untouchable, even if it’s fleeting Poetry, unlike other art forms, takes experiences that you can’t communicate and gives them a moment to breathe I can’t hold water, but I can feel it on the back of my hand My hand is poetry. The water is all the things we feel but cannot express.”
KamrynTaylor,‘27
