Monthly Archives: September 2014

Ben Grange

I’m a writer, an amateur composer, a husband and father, and I’m an English Major.

Ben Grange

Me and my wife on the Provo River trail.

I decided to be an English major to help my writing. I love to write young adult contemporary fiction and fantasy. As an English major, I’ve explored many other avenues of writing, and I’ve come across many inspirational texts that have generated thousands of ideas in my mind. As a creative person, completing a major which is highly analytic has molded my brain to be a critic of my own work. This analytical mind set has transferred to multiple facets of my life, some of which include my career path, my music composition, my writing, my artwork, and my family. It’s made me a rounder individual, more dimensional, and more intellectual.

I’ve been an English major for the last two years. My career path changed from “”I don’t know what I want to do,”” to “”I want to go into children’s and young adult book publishing”” in that time. Through opportunities opened to me through the school, I’ve done four internships in the publishing world, which has prepared me to go on after graduation and get a job in a competitive field. Becoming an English Major was the best thing I could have done, and I’m so glad I did it.

One of my favorite books is Harry Potter.

Links:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie-T7Ttchjs&list=UUXqN-BQSOQ_QBAlSnhGMP8w

Instagram: http://instagram.com/ben_l_grange

Carli Cramer

I’m a writer, a Cheesehead, a Hooiser, a bookworm, a swimmer, and a Disney lover. And I’m an English major.

Carli Cramer

Me in my natural habitat.

I remember the first author that enchanted me with her words: Gail Carson Levine. She wrote dashing tales of princesses and princes and magic and her words took me to new lands and times, all while I was sitting in my elementary school library. Ever since then, I have rarely gone a day without a book. I love them. Every day I am influenced by the power of what is literally just ink on pages. And that is amazing.

One of my favorite books is Pride and Prejudice.

Links:

Blog: http://www.confessionsofcarlisa.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/carlisajc

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/carlisajc

Hi, I’m Tesia Tsai

I’m a creative writer, a Tumblr addict, and a student editor. And I’m an English major.

Tesia Tsai

Me at Disneyland (where I always want to be)

I’m one of the lucky few who never reconsidered her major through college. Ever since my senior year of high school, I’ve known that English is the major for me. Some cliché reasons: I love to read and I love to write. Always have. Always will. Funny fact is that English isn’t even my first language. But I guess my English tutoring in kindergarten did the trick, because I’ve grown to love the language more than my first.

Some things about me that aren’t English related… I was born in California, but I’ve lived in Utah now for more than half my life. I love traveling, though I wish I could afford to so more often. (Alas, the cons of being a college student.) I’ve been lucky enough to visit London, New York, Paris, and Taiwan (which, contrary to popular misunderstanding, is not the same as Thailand). I speak Mandarin, English, and some French. When I’m not doing homework or studying for exams, I’m usually obsessing over my favorite things on Tumblr. (If you have a Tumblr account, you’ll understand.) I would love to become a published author someday, so I spend a lot of time daydreaming about stories and little time actually writing them down. I also love watching movies and visiting the theater whenever I can. 🙂

 

One of my favorite books is Marissa Meyer’s Cinder.

Conor Hilton

I’m a pop culture aficionado, an aspiring intellectual, politics junkie, and a liberal. And I’m an English major.

Conor Hilton

Me chillin’ with Brother Brigham in the Capitol

I love books (surprise!). I have grown to love analyzing anything that can be ‘read’ (using a liberal definition, of course, of ‘read’ to include films, music, works of art, scripture, Church lessons and talks) and can irritate my friends that prefer to read less closely with my analysis and critique. I read voraciously and enjoy finding connections between my various interests (politics, Mormonism, pop culture, literature, etc.).

I have a mass storage of pop culture trivia (what most would consider useless, although if I’m ever on a game show I’ll be a formidable opponent, or if you need to phone a friend when you’re on a game show, I could help you out). My spectrum of interests can be harmonized in English, particularly with adaptation studies (where I may focus for graduate studies). In addition to reading, I thoroughly enjoy writing. I dabble in poetry (I play bongos, so it tends to be beatnik or slam-esque), wrote a draft of a novel, have oodles of partially complete stories, some satire and journalism (for the Student Review, an independent student-run publication in Provo), and an almost weekly blog about Mormon theology/culture/speculation. To rework a phrase from Descartes, I read therefore I think therefore I write therefore I am.

One of my favorite books is Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

Links:
Blog: “Mini Manifestos

 

Hello, Lauren Redding

I am a Disney Fanatic, fairy tale scholar, ballet dancer, Ravenclaw, and general obsessive fangirl. And, an English Major.

Lauren Redding

Fairy tales and ballet! A winning combination!

I read like, well, like an English Major. As in A LOT. I’m frequently teased for my reading face, it’s “a signpost for all to read” (Shannon Hale’s Razo? Anybody?) I laugh, cry, snort, roll my eyes, and, more often than not, talk to the characters or the author while reading, telling them exactly what I think of their behavior. I then type it all up in very long Goodreads reviews. [I once went over the 20,000 character limit for a review and had to go back and cut unnecessary punctuation]

My love for grammar is the logical lovechild of my love of language and my love of the preciseness found in math. However, I am a huge proponent of incorrect grammar as a stylistic tool.

I am as much an expert on fairy tales as an eighteen year old person can be an expert on anything, and I love to argue about them, especially Disney versions and/or gender politics. I love the fantasy of the tales, the timelessness, the connection with ballet culture, the history, the diversity, the repetition, and the way that we can track written versions of stories to learn things about the societies in which they were written and crafted. I especially love how loosely written they are, leaving room for interpretation and imagination, which leads to such wonderful retellings from Robin McKinley, Gail Carson Levine, and Cameron Dokey.

My favorite author is L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables), and my obsessive reading of historical fiction when I was a little girl (as well as a lifetime of ballet classes) has embedded in me a curtsey impulse that nothing in 21st century society has succeeded in squelching.

Any writing I do is usually either unpublished rants I pretend are blog posts, or in my daily journal.

One of my favorite books is Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.

Hi, I’m Drew!

I’m a glitter fanatic, an East Coaster, a Nancy Drew devotee and an idealist. And I’m an English major.

Drew Rupard

WHOA!

I wasn’t named after Nancy Drew, but I wish I was. Her books — fine literature, in my opinion. As an English major, I love many books. I love most of all reading a new book and having to make a new little aesthetic space for each, whether it’s a Victorian rose garden for Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, or a room in a Saigon tea house for The Quiet American. I love languages and speak, to various extents, three: French, Japanese, and my personal favorite, ENGLISH! To me, words can be beautiful, miraculous, and above all, challenging. They are the code by which I know this world, and it is my lifelong pursuit to decipher them. Among my other opinions, I believe that green paintings are generally superior to non-green paintings, that the Dark Ages weren’t necessarily dark, and that everyone should carry a journal and write in it. Also in climbing on top of big stone structures.

One of my favorite books is The Quiet American by Graham Greene

Instagram: instagram.com/dreuth
Art blog: ithinkiwasherebefore.tumblr.com
Nancy Drew food blog: sleuthsoup.blogspot.com

BYU English Society Opening Social

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We had a very successful opening social this past week! More than a hundred English students showed up for a night of pizza, friends, and fun. We even got to see our department chair, Dr. Philip Snyder, dress up in toga and reenact a scene from Shakespeare as part of preview for the upcoming play this semester. Students also got to meet with senior members of ES to learn more about how they can get more involved with the English major, such as the editing minor or creative writing communities on campus. Finally, faculty members and alumni showed up to tell their stories about how studying English has influenced their lives in positive ways. In all, the opening social was a huge success. We’re grateful for everyone who showed up and helped out with this event. Let us know if you want to help out with future events or if you’d like to get more involved with our society.

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#englishmajorprobz

That’s right, we’re claiming a hashtag, one that allows us to express the angst of the literary life when tagging photos or posts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. But there’s more! #englishmajorprobz is the title of our comic strip, penned by English major Adam Burton, which will be appearing regularly on our blog.

#englishmajorprobz episode 1

Watch for more comics to come, and start using #englishmajorprobz!