Miscellany

Congratulations to Will Banks on  the birth of his son, Jackson Justice (aka "JJ" and sometimes, perhaps, "Jack Attack") on November 1 (All Saints Day).  Jackson weighed 7.5 lbs at birth and was 19 inches long.  Jackson and moms are happy and healthy.

Poet Phil Terman read from his poetry on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Bate 1015.  Philip Terman's collections of poems include The House of Sages (Mammoth books 1998; second edition 2005), Book of the Unbroken Days (Mammoth Books 2005), Greatest Hits (Pudding House Press 2005), and the forthcoming Rabbis of the Air (Autumn House Press 2007).  His poems and essays have appeared in The Georgia Review, Poetry, The Kenyon Review, The New England Review, The Gettysburg Review,Tikkun, and other journals.  He teaches at Clarion University and co-directs the Chautauqua Writers Festival at the Chautauqua Institute.  His visit was sponsored by the University Writing Program.

Congratulations to Don Palumbo on his marriage to Ms. Caroline Patterson Kittrell on July 6.  The University of Chicago alumni magazine reads: "Donald Palumbo (AB '70) married Caroline Patterson Kittrell on July 6, 2007, in Lewes, Delaware.  It was Don's fourth marriage and the bride's first; both reside in Greenville, NC.  The ceremony was a wonderfully spontaneous, hippie-like event arranged on 25-hours notice, attended by immediate family in Lewes for the July 4th holiday (as were the bride and groom) and some neighbors who dropped by out of curiosity.  The groom's two sons served as witnesses, and the wedding party sang 'Fly Me to the Moon' and 'That's Amore,' enthusiastically, to live violin and guitar accompaniment.  The bride wore something borrowed, blue, and new (a rainbow blouse and coincidently matching lei donated by her sisters-in-law), and everyone considered the groom to be something old.  The bride also forgot to wear shoes, but noticed this omission a few hours later.  The couple is still married, and it's already been three [five] months!"

Joe Horst's two-act play "Enemies" will be performed in Hendrix Theater at Mendenhall Student Center on February 16-19, with an additional afternoon matinee performance on Sunday, February 17.  Proceeds from the production will be donated to the family of Greenville policeman Jason Campbell who was killed in the line of duty.  In the play, a police officer finds his work and personal life caught in a web of lies, adultery, and death only to discover that his sense of identity and sanity are under a bigger threat.  Individual tickets are tentatively priced at $8 in advance and $10 at the door and will be handled by the Central Ticket Office in the Student Center. Some language and subject matter are adult in nature, so the play is not suitable for young children.  Auditions will be held at ECU and PCC in late November, and rehearsals will begin in mid-January at Mendenhall.

Seodial Frank Deena coordinated the initial operation of the Gay Wilentz'sMemorial Library at the University of Belize Library, Belmopan, Belize, July 2006-07, and directed the ECU Summer Study Abroad Program in Cultural Studies, Belize, June 23-July 17, 2007.  Deena also organized and led a medical team of 16 for Guyana during the summer of 2007.  The team conducted a week of free medical clinics in some of the needy areas of Guyana and distributed $75,000 worth of medical supplies, medical equipment, and medications.  All remaining medical equipment, supplies, and medications were donated to the hospitals.  The team of doctors and nurses saw and treated approximately 700 patients.

The deadline for proposals for the 5th TALGS Conference to be held in February 2008 is December 9.  "TALGS is not a theme-based conference. We encourage submissions from a variety of fields that can make a contribution to an understanding of language use, language teaching or language learning. This year, we're especially interested in cross-disciplinary proposal submissions.  For instance, proposals with relevance to language learning from the fields of sociolinguistics, sociology, education, foreign languages, and psychology will be considered.  Proposals grounded in action research, works in progress, and pilot research are also welcome.  Presentations requiring computer facilities can be accommodated. Multiple proposals will be considered. Proposals must be submitted electronically. You can register here." http://core.ecu.edu/engl/talgs/conference/conference.htm

The Medieval and Renaissance Studies Film Series organized by Marianne Montgomery presented Twelfth Night, starring Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Kingsley, Nigel Hawthorne, and Imogen Stubbs, and directed by Trevor Nunn on November 1 in Bate 1031.

The Tillery Resettlement Farms documentary film We Shall Not Be Moved: A History of the Tillery Resettlement Farm was selected as one of "just over 200 films to be shown during the 13th Cucalorus Film Festival" in Wilmington, NC.  The film was shown in the Black Box at Thalian Hall, on Friday, November 9, 2007 at 2:00 pm.  Catherine Smith and Joyce Irene Middleton organized the one-day film trip from Greenville to Wilmington for graduate students and faculty.