bing pixel

Augsburg creative writing mentor Neal Karlen describes connection to Prince in Star Tribune column

Minneapolis Star Tribune - logoNeal Karlen, a mentor in Augsburg College’s Master of Arts in Creative Writing program, described the unlikely friendship he developed with music icon Prince in a recent Star Tribune column. Karlen is among an elite group of writers granted in-depth interviews with Prince in the mid-1980s. Over time, discussions between the print writer and the songwriter developed into something akin to friendship, according Karlen.

“I always told Prince I knew he really didn’t consider me a friend, but as one of the few people in Minneapolis who was probably awake, like he always was, in the middle of the night, and was ‘Willing and Able,’ as my favorite song of his is titled, to talk about loneliness and death,” Karlen wrote.

“I even rubbed it in, in the opening of my second Rolling Stone cover story on Prince, published in 1990.

‘The phone rings at 4:48 in the morning,'”

Doug Green lends expertise to Star Tribune article on “Pericles”

Minneapolis Star Tribune - logoThe Star Tribune recently sought input from Doug Green, professor of English at Augsburg College, on the disputed authorship of the stage drama “Pericles, Prince of Tyre,” which is being performed at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

Many believe that the first two acts of the play were written by an unknown playwright, but that the final three acts were written by William Shakespeare. Others believe that Shakespeare started the work early in his career and finished it after he had gained more experience. One piece of evidence in support of dual authorship is the play’s absence from the “first folio,” the first collection of plays Shakespeare published.

“If it’s not in the First Folio, people are skeptical,” said Green. “Almost from the get-go, the first two acts don’t look like Shakespeare. We know it was played by the King’s Men and it sounds like Shakespeare but it is pretty clear that Shakespeare had a major hand in the last three acts.”

Read: Act One for Joe Haj: ‘Pericles’ gives Guthrie audiences a look at his work on the Star Tribune site.

Colin Irvine named Carroll College’s next VP of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College

Colin Irvine, associate professor of English, will be leaving Augsburg College at the end of the 2014-15 academic year to join Carroll College in Helena, Mont., as its next vice president of academic affairs and dean of the college. Irvine’s new role was announced by KTVH-TV in a story that discussed his work at Augsburg College and areas of expertise.

Star Tribune list of books includes Stephan Clark’s Sweetness No. 9

Minneapolis Star TribuneA recent listing of upcoming books to be published appeared in the Star Tribune. Augsburg College’s Stephan Eirik Clark’s book, Sweetness No. 9, was included in the column. Clark, assistant professor for the Master of Fine Arts program and for English, was a finalist for a Minnesota Book Award for his collection of stories titled “Vladimir’s Mustache.” See the full list of upcoming books in “Chris Monroe picture book to be published in fall.”

Augsburg launches MFA in creative writing

mfaAugsburg College celebrated its new Master of Fine Arts in creative writing with a reading by Stephan Clark from his newly published book Vladimir’s Mustache and Other Stories. Clark is an assistant professor of English and a member of the MFA faculty.

In 2013, the MFA will offer four genres: fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and screenwriting. A fifth genre, playwriting, will be added in 2014.  A national book prize and concentrations in publishing, teaching and translation will also begin that year.

“An Augsburg MFA leverages our distinguished faculty and the strength of our undergraduate programs while delivering things no other program in Minnesota or the surrounding states offers, including a book prize, a screenwriting track, and low-residency programming for all four of our genres,” said Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow. “The program and its format show the ability of our school to meet marketplace demand and to use technology to increase accessibility and contain costs.” Continue reading “Augsburg launches MFA in creative writing”

Reading Ulysses all around the town

ulysses_readingYou can’t be sure what senior English majors would do when given the choice between writing a paper or reading James Joyce’s 265,000-word novel Ulysses at the end of one the last classes of their academic career. English majors presumably love reading, but they are also the people who say they’d rather write a paper than take a test.

And while they weren’t really given a choice—their professor assigned the reading as their final major project—the students in Bob Cowgill’s senior keystone course took on a bit of a challenge in reading Ulysses. They’re doing it aloud, in a marathon reading over the course of three weeks, and in several locations around the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Continue reading “Reading Ulysses all around the town”

Professor Hao takes home lessons in Western education

prof_haoProfessor Tugen Hao heads back to China next week after spending four months at Augsburg as a visiting professor and researcher. During these four months he observed three classes, pursued his own research, and taught Chinese. He found time to travel coast-to-coast, visiting Los Angeles, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C.—and he discovered where to find Chinese food in the Twin Cities. Continue reading “Professor Hao takes home lessons in Western education”

It's never too late to learn something new

rich_osbornRich Osborn had accomplished a lot by the time he retired in 1999.

He served his country during the Vietnam War. He and his wife raised three kids. He flew as a pilot for Northwest Airlines for 33 years, retiring as a 747 pilot.

But he never earned a college degree. That, however, will change on Sunday.

While each of the 167 undergraduate students eligible to go through commencement on Sunday has their own story, the 69-year-old Osborn will certainly be among the oldest Augsburg for Adults students to ever graduate. Continue reading “It's never too late to learn something new”

John Engman Writing Prize deadline Monday, Dec. 17

engmanThe submission deadline for the John Engman Writing Prize is Monday, Dec. 17.  The Engman Prize is a student literary competition sponsored by Murphy Square and the Augsburg English Department and is open to all undergraduate students.

Writers may enter the contest by submitting fiction, creative non-fiction, or poetry, but may win in only one category. Fiction and creative non-fiction submissions must be no longer than 15 pages. To enter the poetry competition, writers must submit at least three poems. (Poetry entries with fewer than three poems will not be considered.) Continue reading “John Engman Writing Prize deadline Monday, Dec. 17”