October 19, 2011 Volume viii, Issue 2

Book Review of Triangle

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Halloween Reads

p. 3

“Must Haves

p. 4

JCB Lecture Series

p. 4

Tucker’s Take

p. 5

Spring Schedule

p.6

Banned!

Amy Snyder (2013)

If you walked across the Quad on September 29th, you might have seen a ta-

ble stacked with an assortment of books. Beneath the books hung a sign:

Banned Books: Fight for Your Right to Read. And you may have wondered

why in the world Sigma Tau Delta would bother sitting out in the sun (or ra-

ther shade) all day with a tableful of banned books. One passer-by asked if we

intended to burn them. Why no, as a matter of fact we intended to raise aware-

ness about them.

You’ve probably read a banned book in your time, perhaps in school or of

your own volition. You might be surprised to learn of the possibilities. In

school you might have read The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, or Ani-

mal Farm. You might have read The Lord of the Rings, Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind (yes, it was a book

first), The Giver, or Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Readers around the United States have read the Junie B. Jones se-

ries (a popular children’s series for those of you unfamiliar with children’s libraries), the Harry Potter series, or the Twi-

light Saga. Even Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle’s children’s classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was

once banned. All of these books, plus many others, have been banned at one time or another.

The reasons behind banishing books are as varied as which books are banned. Explanations, from the mouths of those

who ban, include obscene language, sexually explicit content, Satanism, racism, or simply being unsuitable to the target

age group. Brown Bear was banned because its author shares his name with an objectionable philosopher. Books have

been banned for many reasons by many groups of people. American school boards, the Nazis, and concerned parents are

all guilty. The issue boils down to a question: Does anyone have the right to restrict another person’s access to a book?

Which leads to a second question: Who does and on what grounds?

The American Library Association (the ALA) has an entire chunk of their website dedicated to banned books. For more

information, in the interest of your own knowledge and well-roundedness, please visit their website at http://

www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/index.cfm and explore.

Book Review: Triangle by Margaret Falcon

Liz Van Halsema (2013)

Imagine a small college located in the middle of the North Carolina mountains. The fall semester has just begun and

students are eager to be back at school to start classes, see friends, and just have fun. The weather is perfect and

many students are seen out walking and enjoying the cool breeze. The air is full of excitement and possibilities.

With roommates bonding and relationships budding, everything seems perfect, almost tranquil. Now imagine wak-

ing up one morning only to find out that your roommate’s date from last night has been killed in some sort of unfor-

tunate accident… or was it murder?

This is just a glimpse of what Margaret Falcon (the nom de plume of GWU’s very own Annette Spurling, secretary

of Communications Studies and Social Sciences) has to offer in her new book, Triangle. She tells the story of Kevin

and Karen, an ideal couple who attend the North Carolina college. He is tan, dark-haired, and muscular, and she is

beautiful, blonde, and thin. Together they are the prettiest couple on campus. But while they may seem perfect on

the outside, Karen is not satisfied with limiting herself to Kevin only. She becomes increasingly unfaithful as she

cheats on her boyfriend with more and more boys, all perfectly willing to go out with the beautiful Karen, all myste-

riously killed shortly after by a masked figure in black. It soon becomes clear that anyone who interferes with the

perfect relationship will be severely punished.

Tina, Karen’s roommate, disapproves of her friend’s promiscuity but is not exactly sure of what to do because of

her growing love for Kevin. Should she keep Karen’s secret or break the news to Kevin? As tension builds between

the two roommates, this question becomes more problematic. What will Tina decide to do? Will she be killed next

as the couple’s secret becomes revealed? And most importantly, who is the murderer under the mask? All of these

questions are answered as the novel reaches a suspenseful climax that will leave all of its readers on the edges of

their seats.

Full of murder, suspense, ardor, and unexpected plot twists, Triangle will definitely not disappoint those looking for

a fast, Halloween-appropriate read. With an equal mix of passion and mystery, this novel is perfect for everyone.

Falcon, teaches her readers that everything is not always as it seems. She makes us think twice about what might

actually be happening behind the scenes of our quiet university…

Prijedor Project

While visiting Gardner-Webb University, Amir Karadzic, founder of “Príjedor: Lives from the Bosnian Genocide” visited the class

of Dr. Matt Theado. The Prijedor Project is an exhibit raising awareness of and memorializing the lives of those who died in Bosnia

in the 1990s. His visit was a part of the Gardner-Webb “Life of the Scholar” program, and a display about the genocide and the Pri-

jedor Project is set up in the John R. Dover Memorial Library.

Photograph from the Gardner-Webb University homepage (http://www.gardner-webb.edu) on October 18, 2011

Words of the Week

1. bête noire (noun)- a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded

2. bedevil (verb)- 1. to torment or harass maliciously 2. to confound, cause confusion 3. to beset, hamper continuously

3. baneful (adjective)- 1. destructive, pernicious 2. deadly, poisonous

Halloween Reads You Can Sink Your Teeth Into

Rachel Howard (2012)

At this point in the semester you’ve probably had to face a couple of midterms, a project that was worth more of

your final grade than you thought necessary, and a truckload of assignments.

You’re looking to kick back in your coffin and enjoy what sparse freedom the post-midterm semester has left

you to scrape together. Perhaps you’re looking for something a little spooky. Perhaps your inner kid has been goading

you for weeks to indulge—just a bit—in the Halloween festivities: buy some candy, crush some leaves, seek out some

scares. Perhaps you just want to curl up with a hot cup of joe or hot chocolate and read something that hasn’t been as-

signed yet.

Here are a few suggestions. Whether it’s to appease your inner kid or to sensibly relax with some Halloween

swagger, hopefully something on this list will cure what ails ya:

The Exorcist [William Peter Blatty]— The popular story of Regan, a young girl, who becomes possessed by a demon

and becomes perfectly dreadful. Just like the movie, but doubly dreadful.

The Haunting of Hill House [Shirley Jackson]— Written by the author of “The Lottery,” Jackson’s style always delivers

a chilling read. A haunted house, crotchety caretakers, and an experiment on studying the preternatural. Sound fun? Add

a couple shots of insanity and you’ve got a winner.

Sleepy Hollow [Washington Irving]— It may not be scary at all, and Ichabod may not come anywhere close to being as

pathetically charming or attractive as Johnny Depp’s portrayal of him in the Tim Burton adaptation, but Irving’s story

still has a lot going for it. It’s a Halloween comedy, if you can believe that, and the atmosphere certainly is bewitching.

Pet Sematary [Stephen King]— If you know anything about horror, you probably know that what’s dead should proba-

bly stay dead. Too bad King’s characters don’t seem to remember that little detail when they use ancient Indian burial

grounds to bring back their cat.

The Crucible [Arthur Miller]— It’s not really horror, but it is a chilling glimpse of how a seemingly seamless communi-

ty can tear itself apart.

Frankenstein [Mary Shelley]— The classic story of the tragic man named Frankenstein who miraculously makes an

even more tragic monster out of a smorgasbord of dead body parts. It may prove to be a refreshing read, provided you

haven’t already taken Lit Crit with Dr. Land. If you have, though, you might want to read something that’s less likely to

remind you of all those theories.

Dracula [Bram Stoker]— While it may not seem terrifying in contrast with modern times, Stoker’s novel evoked a lot of

horror in the prim-and-proper, modesty-is-key Victorian society. It’s what jumpstarted the whole vampire craze, and sets

a pretty good standard for what a real vampire looks like.

Ring [Koji Suzuki]— The novel that the popular ‘Ring’ films were based off of. Part crime novel, part horror, two men

seek to solve the startling deaths surrounding a mysterious videotape. Too bad it’s Sadako’s way of solving things on her

own.

Joyce Compton Brown Lecture Series, October 13th Amy Snyder (2013)

Have you ever stopped to consider how important a single word can be? (You should have if you’ve taken Poetry with

Dr. Davis) Did you ever think it could be the root of a centuries-long schism? The difference between two Latin words,

pari (same) and simili (like) are at the root of Dr. Harmon’s lecture, “Baptists and Catholics on Scripture and Tradition:

Irreconcilable Differences or Differentiated Consensus?”.

The two words encapsulate the Catholic and Baptist differences on Scripture and tradition. As part of the Baptist delega-

tion to the 2006-2010 International Baptist-Roman Catholic Ecumenical Dialogue on The Word of God in the Life of the

Church, Dr. Harmon has an intimate knowledge of the issue. He discussed a document from the Second Vatican Council,

the Dei Verbum, laying out what it means and comparing it to the basic Baptist view, and considering it in light of an

earlier statement regarding Scripture at the Council of Trent. The Council of Trent and several other historical accounts

reveal an interesting idea: that Baptists are often in line with dissenting Catholics. After fielding questions, he concluded

with a suggestion that perhaps hearing from voices normally outside our “circle” may actually be a good thing.

English Major “Must Haves” Hannah Mayfield (2013)

Do you turn your nose up at the smell of a science lab? Is your idea of a relaxing weekend a trip to the used book

store? If you lose your daybook, do you literally freak out? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be

an English major.

I’m sure we’ve been seen across campus before. A pencil behind our ear, our head in a book perhaps, and on our

shoulder a bag the size of a boulder. Students probably wonder, What do they put in their book bags? Bricks? I’ll let

some of our current English majors answer that question. They may give some insight as to what kind of “stuff” they

carry with them or utilize on a consistent basis.

“Definitely my laptop and flash drive (as most students regardless of major will say); InterLibrary Loan (I think Dr.

Land's thesis students single-handedly keep ILL alive and well),” said Jody Herring, a senior. “I also use m-w.com to the

point of abuse; and, particularly for Creative Writing classes, my own library because I've realized that certain authors

(based on structure, diction, etc.) are huge inspirations to my creative process.”

Casey Coleman, a junior, considers her daybook a must have. “I may not be in a class with Dr. Hartman, but I still have

a day book for all of my English classes.”

Jane Savage, a senior, has with her at all times Pentel RSVP fine ballpoint pens, loose leaf notebook paper, and an

agenda. A quick search on thesaurus.com doesn’t hurt either.

“Accounts with Amazon, eBay, Borders, and Books-A-Million (to buy lots of books--and to know which supplier has

the best prices!),” said Amelia Bolick, a junior. “Location of the nearest used bookstore, highlighter and sticky tabs,

MLA style guide (online or hard copy), broad knowledge or interest base (so you never run out of writing material!),

library card, and most important… CREATIVITY!”

Whether you’re an English major or you just love to read and write, a sacred writing location is also a great

necessity. You may be struggling to find time to read and write for pleasure. I mean, you barely have enough time to

read and write for class. If that is the case, I encourage you to find your own sacred spot for reading and writing. The

Broad River Coffee Shop is a good place. You can also find some sacred spots in Dover Library, Fireside, Writing

Center, or in a year or so, a snazzy spot in the Tucker Student Center.

Now that you know what it is we English majors carry in those book bags of ours, you may want to make

some additions to yours. After all, some of what was listed is not only indispensable for English majors, but for stu-

dents in general regardless of major. Hopefully you have all of your “must haves” for the year, if not, take the advice

of our English majors. Grab a composition book, some sticky tabs, and a thesaurus, because you never know when an

academic emergency will arise.

Tucker’s Take Future Leader Dog Tucker (2012)

Whew, Mom has kept me busy this month! People say I’m “tuckered out,” and Mom says it’s a pun, but I just don’t get

it. I also didn’t understand what was going on when she took me to the mall a few weeks ago. No one was talking; they

were just moving their hands. I tried really hard to be good, but after a few hours I got bored with the silence and barked.

Mom gave me a pop with the leash and everyone stared at me. I heard her tell someone later that it echoed so loudly “the

deaf people felt it!”

Next, she took me to an honors conference at this place called Western, and told me I did a really good job! She said I

stole the show and was the best part of her presentation. The kids from Wilmington even asked to take a picture with

me!

Last weekend Mom kept me really busy. She let me help her give a tour for Dawg Days and then she let me come up to

the President’s Box at the football game. When we walked into the football center, I got really excited because I saw a

bulldog! I tried to get him to say hi, but he wouldn’t move. Mom laughed and explained to me that it wasn’t real… but it

sure looked real to me! I also met Dr. Bonner and Mrs. Bonner, but then I fell asleep… it had been a long day! Eventual-

ly, my friend Dr. Jones came and took me down to

the football game with him so I could play while

Mom finished working.

I think I like it better when she’s in class so I can

sleep!

T-Shirts and Kickball!

Amy Snyder (2013)

The GWU English honors society, Sigma Tau Delta, who kindly

hosted Banned Book day on the Quad, will soon be offering all

English majors the chance to show their pride to the world. Sig-

ma Tau Delta is in process of designing and producing an Eng-

lish major t-shirt. Be on the lookout for more information, which

will include a picture of the aforementioned shirt and the price.

Remember, at the end of the year, the English Department will

be facing the Science Department in an epic kickball game. Be

ready to show your spirit and start practicing your kickball.

And Our Winner:

Amy Snyder (2013)

The winner of the September 2011 Fridge Poetry Contest is Andy

Kirkpatrick. Andy is a senior English Major with a Creative

Writing Emphasis. He is also currently enrolled in Dr. Chris Da-

vis’s Poetry Writing class.

Our winning poem, by Andy Kirkpatrick

Spring 2012 Course Offerings

Jane Savage (2012)

For your convenience, a list of the Spring 2012 course schedule complete with descriptions from the professors who will

be teaching.

Comp I (Hartman): A study of composition that emphasizes learning to write in order to make one’s implicit thinking explicit.

Comp Workshop (Hartman): An exploration of the choices we make in our language and the rhetorical effects of those choices.

The Teaching of Writing (Hartman): An in-depth unpacking of the complex questions of how we write, how we learn to write,

and how to teach someone to write.

Comp II (Stuart): A study focusing on the sound of composition, emphasizing the audio essay, podcasts, and oral story telling.

World Lit I (Parker): A survey of world literature from the early Greeks and Romans to Renaissance Europe including non-

western literature.

Intro English Studies (Parker): The opening of an English Major toolbox; learning technique and vocabulary basics for the sur-

vival of English majors.

Shakespeare (Parker): General but incredibly brilliant survey of the works of Shakespeare.

Literary Mag Staff (Davis): A lesson in editing and publishing the 2012 edition of Broad River Review.

Creative Writing (Davis): An introduction to basic techniques in fiction & poetry in which the student will write original pieces.

Writing Portfolio (Davis): A process for graduating seniors of compiling and editing portfolios specific to each student’s post-

graduation purposes.

Feature Writing (Davis): A study of writing newspaper and magazine feature stories, with an emphasis on publication.

History of the British Novel (Stuart): A hybrid graduate/undergraduate class, alternately meeting in the class room and online,

examining the origins of the novel and how it rose to the dominate genre of literature.

Brit Lit I (Stuart): A survey of British literature from Beowulf to the eighteenth century.

Workshop 391 (Land): The first semester of a two-part capstone project for English majors, emphasizing research.

Workshop II (Land): The second semester of the capstone project in which students write a minimum of a 25 page paper based

on their research in 391, and prepare a 20 minute presentation.

Victorian Literature (Land): A study of British/American literature from the 1830s to the early 1900s, looking at texts comment-

ing on themes like religion, industrialization, gender roles, and science.

Topics in World Lit (Duffus): An exploration of Caribbean literature, looking at modern and contemporary work from around

the Caribbean including drama, epic poetry and novels.

World Lit II (Duffus): A survey of world literature from the eighteenth century to the twentieth century focusing on Africa, Chi-

na, Japan, and Europe. (Honors class, but accessible by permission).

Rhetoric (Hobbs): A practical exploration of learning to speak more persuasively through a study of the principles of classic

rhetoric from scholars like Aristotle.

Foundation of American Culture (Hobbs): A study of American Renaissance writers, emphasizing the philosophical and cultural

ideas that continue to influence us today.

Mythology (Bottoms): A study of myths, with an emphasis on classical myths, in which students will be expected to know the

myths and also examine the role of myth in the lives of humans and communities, past and present.

American Lit II (Theado): A ramble through the fiery fields of United States literature from the Civil War until now, including

an exploration of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

American Lit I: A survey of representative writers from the Colonial period to Walt Whitman.

Brit Lit II: A survey of representative writers from the late eighteenth century to the present.

Major: English Pre-Professional

Graduation: May 2012

Hometown: Cherryville, North Carolina (aka Churville)

Ideal Job: I'd really love to simply write. But if I must have a

job, I'd like to be a reporter or a teacher. And possibly a lawyer.

What's most important is that I'm helping people and that what I

do is meaningful in some way to others and to the world. :)

Current English Classes: English 391-Workshop, English 471-

Critical Literature, English 413-Shakespeare, English 339-Beat

Lit

Inanimate object: I would like to be… a backpack owned by

someone who travels all over the world. Or maybe a bandoneon

in Argentina owned by a very musical family who has concerts

every week.

Favorite Authors & Books: Favorite Works-The Bible, The

Age of Innocence, Catch-22, On the Road, Chicago Poems,

Waiting for Godot, The Awakening, Pride and Prejudice, and

soooo many more!

Major: English with a Minor in Education

Graduation: December 2012

Hometown: Rutherfordton, NC

Ideal Job: Tenured Professor of Creative Writing / Bestselling author of a

ridiculously popular and financially successful science fiction or fantasy series

Current English Classes: English 391 Workshop in English I, English 471

Critical Approaches to Literature, English 231 American Literature Survey I,

English 413 Shakespeare, English 363 Structure of the English Language

Inanimate Object: Light- Light reveals, illuminates, casts away both dark-

ness and shadow. Light travels, moves across time and space, is neither parti-

cle nor energy and yet both. Light brings life and renews through decay. Light

is the result of a greater process, and knows its place in the universe. It is eve-

rywhere, and through reflecting it, we reveal ourselves. Light is cool, like

bowties. As a second option, I would be a tasty McRib sandwich,which, of

course, is the embodiment of everything that is good in the universe,

an embodiment ground and pressed into a rib-like patty, smothered in

the sauce of kindness, and hidden in the breadish embrace of love.

Favorite authors/poet: Margaret Weiss, Tracy Hickman, Douglas Adams and Max Brooks of Dragonlance,

THHGTTG, and World War Z Respectively, Dylan Thomas- “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night .”

Billy Salyers

Molly Phipps Andy Kirkpatrick (2012)

Oct. 19 -

Quiz Bowl, 5pm in the Clubhouse

Oct. 24-25 -

Fall Break

Oct. 21 -

Exit Interview Must be scheduled by

this date

Oct. 27 -

Early Registration Begins

*Note: This is a correction from the

September issue.

Nov. 1 -

Broad River Review:

Deadline for Open Submissions and

Contest Entries

Nov. 28 -

May 2012 Graduation Application

Due

Dec. 1 -

Deadline for Spring Internships

The English Channel

Editor

Amy Snyder

Contributors

Advisor

Dr. Matt Theado

Thoughts? Ideas? Concerns? Desire to build your portfolio by

writing for The Channel?

Email asnyder@gardner-webb.edu

Rachel Howard

Andy Kirkpatrick

Hannah Mayfield

Jane Savage

Chelsea Usher

Liz Van Halsema

Poem of the Month

Song of the Witches, from Macbeth (4.1, 10-19, 35-38)

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the cauldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,

Lizard’s let and howlet’s wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Cool it with a baboon’s blood,

Then the charm is firm and good.

William Shakespeare