MTSU’s English Department hosts annual Celebration of Student Writing April 19

Around 300 undergraduate students are expected to participate in the Middle Tennessee State University English Department’s seventh annual Celebration of Student Writing set for Friday, April 19, in the Student Union Ballroom on MTSU’s campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo submitted)

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — For a seventh year, Middle Tennessee State University’s English Department will showcase undergraduate campus scribes by hosting its annual Celebration of Student Writing.

This year’s event will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, April 19, in the Student Union Ballroom, 1768 MTSU Blvd. This year, around 300 students will have their work featured.

Dr. Christopher Weedman, assistant professor of English — Dr. Christopher Weedman

“The Celebration of Student Writing provides students with a marvelous opportunity to showcase their impressive undergraduate English writing projects to the wide campus community,” said assistant professor Christopher Weedman.

Student work ranges from projects developed in first-year writing and sophomore literature classes to academic and creative compositions completed by advanced English students. Students also create interactive visual presentations to go along with their work.

“By participating in these types of events, students can meet and talk to their peers and faculty about their work,” explained Weedman. “More importantly, it helps them recognize that writing and research are not simply classroom endeavors but ways to exchange new and innovative ideas with larger social communities.”

Dr. Kate Pantelides, Department of English — Dr. Kate Pantelides

Dr. Julie Myatt, director, MT Engage — Dr. Julie Myatt

Similar student writing and research showcases are held at other institutions like Eastern Michigan University, Case Western Reserve University and more. MTSU held its first Celebration of Student Writing in April 2017 in the Miller Education Center on Bell Street. The inaugural event was organized by Kate Pantelides and Julie Myatt, who previously co-directed the General Education English program.

“The Celebration of Student Writing is a fun and inviting experience, which students thoroughly enjoy,” Weedman said. “My undergraduate students have told me on multiple occasions that it was very gratifying to share their writing with others.”

About the English Department

MTSU’s English Department engages students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in critical inquiry by fostering connections among writers and readers of texts, ancient and modern, global and local.

Part of the department’s mission statement says, “Because we believe in the power of language, we study it, shape it and use it to improve our world.”

The department offers undergraduate programs in English and Public Writing and Rhetoric, as well as a Master of Arts in English and a Ph.D. in English.

The English Department is part of MTSU’s College of Liberal Arts. For more information on the English Department, visit https://www.mtsu.edu/english.

— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)