Profiles of our Cool Masters of Arts in English and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Graduate Students

Natalie Aikens Graduate Student: M.A. English (American Literature) English BA: Whitman College Natalie is from the Seattle area, though she grew up in the Bay Area.   She received her B.A. from Whitman College, a liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington, in English and Music (piano) and began her graduate work at the University of Washington, then transferring to San Diego State to try out the sun for a while.  Natalie has played the piano since age 5.  At age 16, she won a competition and performed a concerto (a solo piece) with the Port Gardner Bay Chamber Orchestra.  She went to Walla Walla to study her life long love of music, but also found a new love in literature.  Natalie loves to travel.  She studied abroad in Madrid, and toured Europe for two summers.  From 2004-5 Natalie taught 4th grade at a bilingual school in Honduras.  From there she traveled to every mainland Central American country except Panama (more to see another day).  Her favorite country is Spain, but believes Nicaragua is gorgeous too (Natalie is ½ Nicaraguan).  In San Diego, in addition to being a graduate student, Natalie teaches piano, plays on a flag football team, and volunteers for the Democratic Party.  She is obsessed with watching tennis and recently attended the U.S. Open in August 2007.  Natalie is a T.A. for the RWS department and will be a T.A. for the English department in the Spring of 2008.  Her M.A. thesis is on spaces in The Awakening and The House of Mirth.

Marco Alvarez Graduate Student: M.A. English (American Literature) English B.A. UC Irvine ...and an inconspicuous minor in Management He claims his roots to have been in grade school spelling bee contests where he discovered a visualization for words.  His turning point he says was in his 8th grade at St. Rose of Lima where he took first place in the English exam at an Academic Decathlon for private schools in the diocese of San Diego.  It is rumored that he used to indulge in Goosebumps and Choose Your Own Adventure Stories before studying works of any literary canon.  In his senior year at St. Augustine High School, he received the award for excellence in A.P. English Literature.  Having been a regular among honors English students and academic junkies, he believes the school system is at times more of a breeding ground for those who need to make the grade rather than find a voice.  His Mexican heritage and Spanish-speaking background urge him to want to read and write more in a second language.  He is strongly drawn toward Beat literature and spontaneous prose/poetry.  Kerouac, Calvino, and Bukowski's treatments of the story particularly fascinate him, and he insists that he would have otherwise been an MFA.  He hopes to teach his own class and dedicate himself to his own experimental writing and research.

Tria Andrews writes stories and takes photographs.  Her work has been published in red. and her short story “Jaundiced Baby” is forthcoming in Fiction International this fall.  Truman Capote’s “Children on Their Birthdays” is the best story she’s ever read, rivaled only by Carlos Fuentes’s “The Doll Queen.”  She’s had fantasies of meeting Salinger ever since the seventh grade. Her interests include puns and psychological disorders.  She enjoys yoga, rejection letters, flea markets, and compulsive lying.  Her work is read widely by her two sisters.

Josue Arredondo graduated from SDSU (2005) and returns for graduate-sized seconds. Specifically, he returns because he left SDSU with more English questions than he entered with, and he credits the school's accessible professors and friendly atmosphere for that. Josue grew up in San Ysidro, CA just a stone's throw from the U.S./Mexico International Border. He still lives there and proudly speaks and writes in his first-language—Spanish. (And yes, he can make just about anything into a taco.) On a more serious note, his research interests include 20th and 21st century American Literature and Poststructuralism.  In particular, he loves reading  Mark Z. Danielewski, Michel Foucault, and Cornel West. He also occasionally fires up his iPod to Public Enemy and Bruce Springsteen. While at graduate school, he seems drawn to more transgressive topics (like bodily noises, and BDSM) and keeps an outrageous dream journal. He hopes to make a living in the publish-or-perish academic world soon.  As a primer, in 2007 he presented an essay on "Chaucer and Farting" at Cal State Northridge's graduate conference.  And soon, he hopes to present an essay on "XicanOsmosis and Madness" for the 2008 Crisis Carnival. He dreams of one day playing theoretical hardball with exegetical rigor. When he's not studying or tutoring RWS students at Club Starbucks, you'll find him running at local parks or Silver Strand State Beach like a "mad fool."

Dan Barlow MA American Literature Hailing from California’s southern coast, Dan Barlow pursues interests in literature that tend to run far and wide and deep. At UC Santa Barbara he completed an English degree focused upon issues of American literature and global contexts, delving into studies of American religious movements and works of Southern writers. An aspiring but unpublished writer of fiction and cultural criticism, he portends to amplify his dabbling into daunting with forthcoming works of great philosophical worth. In the meantime, he is tickled to work as a Teaching Associate and graduate student for SDSU’s English Department while relentlessly brainstorming thesis ideas. Outside of university life he enjoys the outdoors and ponders happiness. He looks forward to a long career teaching English and philosophy.

Tina Cabrera MFA Fiction Tina is a second-year MFA in fiction, working on a creative nonfiction/fiction novel for her thesis, but she also has a short story collection underway.  Besides thinking, reading and writing she enjoys watching Netflix movies, theater movies, moving pictures; antagonizing her cat Cleo, and devouring sushi.  She also bikes to campus as much as she can which involves vigorous energy up a semi-steep hill.  She's had work published in red., a journal of arts, Insolent Rudder, Anderbo.com, and collaborative fiction forthcoming in the 'Freak' issue of Fiction International.  The opening chapter of her novel-in-progress was nominated by the department for the Iron Horse Literary Review's 'Discovered Voices' Award.  You can visit her 'Canny/Uncanny' page at Facebook.

Kacie Flowers was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California. She is currently a marathon SDSU student as she graduated with a BA in English from San Diego State University in 2006 and will graduate in spring 2008 with her MA in English from SDSU.  In the spring of 2005 she studied abroad in Florence, Italy and traveled throughout Europe. Although her first loves involve volcanoes and ascots, she focuses her literary studies on Gender and Feminist aspects of literature.  She is primarily interested in the way we identify gender through traditional terms such as male and female in a time where these words have transcended the binary they signify.   Before pursuing a PhD in Women’s Studies, Kacie plans to travel and teach in both Malaysia and Italy. She is currently awaiting the M.A. exam and the release of Sex and the City—The Movie.

Kimberly Hart, MA American Literature Kimberly Hart was born in the not so far away Thousand Oaks (45 minutes north of LA) where she lived until she went to the University of California, Santa Barbara.  Notorious for being a party school, UCSB allowed Kimberly to find the fine balance between academics and fun.  She also took advantage of EAP where she studied Shakespeare and children’s literature at the University of Sussex in England for a summer.  After graduating with degrees in English and Anthropology, she packed her bags once again and headed for sunny San Diego where she now resides with her boyfriend and three cats.  She is a TA for RWS 296 and is struggling to get started with her thesis (as is probably every other second year grad student as well).

Andrea Knab American Literature, MA Andrea Knab's love of Southern California encouraged her to attend both undergrad and graduate school here in San Diego.  Specializing in American literature, Andrea also enjoys African Lit and Children's Lit.  A member of the prestigious Sigma Tau Delta honors society since undergrad, Andrea is hardworking and dedicated to expanding her ventures into the multitudinousness world of literature.  Spring 2008 provides Andrea the opportunity to work as not only a T.A. for the R.W.S. department, teaching the art and benefit of rhetoric, but also a T.A. for the English department.  Working along side Professor Quentin Bailey, Andrea will both enlighten and encourage undergraduates in their first foray into literature.  Eventually, Andrea hopes to teach literature and composition at a community college.  When school permits, Andres also enjoys the company of her friends and a good glass of wine.

Nathan Leaman American Literature, MA Nathan is proud to be a native Michigander and argues that the Midwest is where good manners come from. He has been to 25 National Parks here in the United States and hopes to visit the other 23 before he turns forty. His academic interests focus on American literature from the most recent century with forays into the works of Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco. This concentration has not stopped Nathan from traveling abroad to as much as possible, most recently on an SDSU endorsed research project at the Natural History Museum in London, England. Students often point out that his taste in reading assignments veer dramatically toward the creepy side of human nature, though Nathan vehemently swears that he's actually very nice (just one of many fine qualities he claims to possess). He is honored to share a webpage with such remarkable colleagues.

Fiona Lewis MFA, Creative Writing Fiction Fiona Lewis moved to the United States from Jamaica as a sweet, yet misunderstood, preteen. After spending a few years in Tampa and getting her undergraduate degree in Gender Studies and British and American Literature at New College of Florida, she moved to Atlanta then to San Diego for graduate school. At the moment, she is, to quote a pithy bumper sticker, "the artist currently known as starving" but she someday hopes to eat regular meals at the Ritz. Writing as "Fiona Zedde," she has been published in various anthologies including Wicked: Sexy Tales of Legendary Lovers, Best Lesbian Erotica 2004 & 2007, and Iridescence: Sensuous Shades of Lesbian Erotica. Her first novel, Bliss, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in 2005 and her other books A Taste of Sin, Every Dark Desire, and Hungry for It are available in bookstores now.

Gary Malanga M.A., Comparative Literature (Foreign language – Latin) On his ten-year anniversary as a high school English and Latin teacher, Gary Malanga quit his tenure and moved to Venice Beach to write screenplays.  Somehow he ended up working as George Clooney’s stand-in on Ocean’s Twelve, becoming an actor known as Tony Malanga, and handcuffing Bo Derek one day in a steamy scene on a soap opera (but was insulted afterwards when, instead of smoking a cigarette, she scarfed down a bag of Cheetos). He devotedly reads Virgil, Hemingway, Hardy, and Booth Tarkington.  Recently, however, stumbling onto fourteenth-century papal influences on medieval literature has co-opted his pleasure reading and attention, and he can now be found reinterpreting the rebellious works of Dante, Boccaccio, and Chaucer. ¶In May, after passing the M.A. Exam, Tony will dust off his SAG card, return to L.A. to audition like crazy for that next role, and work on a novel about the Orpheus myth.  Its argument:  the goal of the human being is to adapt successfully in an unpredictable, always-evolving, generous world.  Transit mundus. P.S.  He supports the Canon.

David Martinez MFA, Creative Writing When not being subjected to the extreme humiliation of bunny ears or speaking in the third person, David Tomas Martinez (only poets and successful presidential assassins use three names) counsels Coco puff milk with identity crisis, televisions with problems of projection, magnifying glasses with delusions of grandeur, and socks with penis envy. When not working eighty hours a week he disproves evolution and validates carbon dating in bars. He never dreamed he would be a writer but since answering the call nothing has felt righter. Calaveras is the working title of his book of poems, amalgamating themes espoused by Ice Cube such as "Back off genius, I don't need you to correct my broken English" and Ezra Pound"Don't be 'viewy'-- leave that to the writers of pretty philosophic essays. Don't be descriptive; remember that the painter can describe a landscape much better than you can, and that he has to know a deal more about it. When Shakespeare talks of the 'Dawn in russet mantle clad' he presents something which  which the painter does not present. There is in this line of his nothing that one call description; he presents." David credits the South East San Diego as his greatest teacher, but is eternally indebted to every person he ever spoke to about books, especially, those original doctors, professors.

Jenny Minnitti-Shippey MFA, Creative Writing Jenny Minniti-Shippey grew up in Eugene, OR, where she was raised by retired hippies, evergreen trees, and wolves, in no particular order.  One of the final graduates of Randolph-Macon Woman's College, she received her BA in English and a minor in Spanish in 2003. She has lived in Brevard, NC; Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Charlottesville, VA; and Galway, Ireland--a "top-five" best month of her life, made possible by the MFA program here at SDSU.  Currently she divides her time teaching horseback riding at Hidden Fox Farm in San Diego, working on her collection of poems, performing the duties of Editor-in-Chief of pacificREVIEW, and having just too much fun teaching an Introduction to Creative Writing class at SDSU.  On Sundays she watches the Steelers.  Her work has appeared in Tar River Poetry, and on the Web Del Sol Review of Books, and she recently edited a chapbook series, "New Writers of America," which is published through pacificREVIEW.

Emily Moore MA, Children's Literature Emily Moore has been combining her interests in literature and the arts since childhood. At age 10 she won a “Young Author” award for a work of children’s fantasy (which she also illustrated) entitled The Lost Unicorn. She spent her youth playing guitar, bass, and piano, writing songs, painting, sculpting, drawing, and reading. She has been the “frontwoman” in several bands, with performances ranging in venues from various local coffee shops, to Brick by Brick, to The Blob in Florence, Italy, where she studied Fine Art at Lorenzo de’Medici Art Institute. Emily – a “non-traditional” student with a full-time day job – has relentlessly strived to balance her rigorous academic studies and her work in web design, graphic design, writing, and editing at Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD). During her five years of community college, she majored in Fine Art, Web Design, and finally Liberal Arts, attending community colleges throughout San Diego before finally receiving her A.A. (with Honors) from San Diego City College in 2004. Emily began focusing her interests toward literature at National University, where she could take challenging evening classes while continuing to work at GUHSD. She completed her B.A. in English with an Emphasis in Media and Communication Studies (Magna Cum Laude) in 2006. She is currently specializing in Children’s Literature, which allows her to combine her interests in literature, the arts, and the worlds of fantasy/science fiction. In addition to working full-time at GUHSD and completing her M.A. coursework, Emily also teaches RWS 100 and writes reviews for the SDSU Children's Literature Program's Book Review Service. She spends her spare time (?!) contemplating Thesis topics and reviewing Ph.D. programs as she continues to traverse the interweaving roads of her interdisciplinary educational journey.

Tyrone Nagai MFA, Creative Writing Tyrone Nagai faces an epic struggle each morning when he awakens his two-year-old daughter and attempts to change her diaper. He knows he'll have a good day if he can get to work on time, after taking his daughter to grandma's house. Two nights a week he cruises to SDSU to share his thoughts on creative writing and contribute to Fiction International. Reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X in high school inspired him to become a MC, DJ, and writer who focuses on political change and social justice. A self-described Japanese-Filipino American, his published work includes "Homeland Security" and "Terrorism: Security and Ambiguity." The best part of his day is coming home, kissing his wife, and reading a bedtime story to his daughter.

Julie Nares, born and bred in San Diego County, is a product of San Diego State's English undergraduate program. She fell in love with the classes and teachers and couldn't find it in her to go anywhere else for her graduate degree. Her studies have taken her from cross-cultural studies to children's lit. Her favorite authors to study and also for the pure pleasure of reading are Garcia Marquez and Toni Morrison. Currently, she specializes in American Lit and plans to take the MA exam this May. During her graduate program, she has had the opportunity to T.A. for the RWS Department and intern for SDICCCA where she works very closely with her mentor, Adelle, at Grossmont College. When she finds time for fun, she enjoys going karaoke (but never sings) with her friends from the program and traveling any where and every where. Oh, and she claims that a good glass of wine a night helped her through the program!

Ellen K. Nef English Lit MA Specialization: Children's Literature Though being born with a hodge podge of welsh Celt, Italian fire, and whatever mongrel nationality could wheedle its way in through the bloodline, this diminutive wee "hobbit" (an endearment ascribed according to the aforementioned diminutive-ness, British-ness, and a peculiar fancy for remaining shoe-less) ended up a far cry from the cobbled streets of ye olde Europe, and discovered, in San Diego, a curious phenomenon called "sunshine." Originally specializing in Comparative Lit, she was quickly converted to the enchanting lure of Children's Literature due to the fact that a) most characters did not get raped, maimed, or horrifically screwed up in a thousand different depressing ways, b) the foreign language requirement was not quite so scary, and c) she is entirely intrigued and mystified by that elusive entity: Magic. Though her brain often dictates that she is somewhat of a structuralist, she can sometimes be convinced of more fanciful approaches, and has, on times, been known to harbour secret crushes on many a controversial theorist. When not delving into the whimsy of fantasy, she has an ongoing affair with late 19th British lit (Wilde, Wells, & Stevenson typically), is a sucker for Shakespeare (Macbeth being the favourite), and has an obsession with the tale of the Pied Piper thanks to a creative experiment with it leading to her first writing award at the tender age of 7. She likes to explore and, like Alice, is far too curious for her own good. Secretly--when no one is looking--she writes the stories that formulate and prevent her from ever really being able to concentrate on real life, and, has earned a pretty penny tutoring undergrads, and reviewing children's books for the National Children's Lit Center at SDSU. She is often seen walking across campus staring off into space, and though in that state you may be fooled into thinking she's tackling profound absolutisms, it's more likely that she is planning an escape route should a goblin army suddenly burst out of the woodwork.

Melissa Posa MA, American Literature Melissa Posa was born and raised in Long Island, NY. She obtained a B.S. in English Education at Boston University. While at BU, she spent a semester studying abroad in Sydney, Australia. Melissa loved Australia's warm weather, and after enduring the snowy winters of Boston, she decided to head out west.  She decided to move to sunny Southern California to pursue a MA in English Literature at SDSU.  Melissa hoped California's warm weather and laid-back lifestyle would remind her of her much loved life in Australia.  While studying at SDSU, she has worked as a writing tutor and a GA.  In her free time, she loves to cook and host dinner parties.  In the future, Melissa hopes to open her own restaurant.

Alycia Raby is a first year student in the MFA Creative Writing program.  She considers herself bi-genre in Fiction and Poetry, but is declared on the Fiction track.  She grew up in Redding, CA and did her undergraduate work at UC Davis, earning B.A.s in English and Classics.  She has a current interest in incorporating Greek and Roman myth into her work and stories about sisters.  She loves her thesaurus passionately, believes Latin should be required in schools again, is addicted to chocolate, and can't help touching the spines of books in bookstores, but rather dislikes palm trees.  In the future, Alycia would like to avoid becoming a starving artist, fine-tune her appreciation of chocolate, and own the Oxford English Dictionary.

Chrissy Rikkers MFA, Creative Writing Chrissy Rikkers is in her second year as a poet in the MFA program.  Although born in Indianapolis, she grew up in Boston, MA.  She successfully avoided picking up the Boston accent, and went on to get her B.A. in English from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  After a four-year stint working in publishing in New York City, she lived in Los Angeles, France, and China (where she taught English for two years), before finally landing in San Diego.  She loves avocados, movies and long morning walks through the desert garden of Balboa Park.  Also included in this list would be her cat Jacob, the lovely Bug Mac Cormack, her three beautiful sisters, and her parents.  Chrissy has worked for Poetry International, designing and producing chapbooks, and is currently the president of the Translation Club at San Diego State.  She hopes one day to open a small press, in addition to teaching literature & creative writing.  In the meantime, she'll be continuing her work at SDSU, which so far has proved a productive and joyful task.

Ranmali Rodrigo MA, American Literature Ranmali Rodrigo graduated with a BA in English from the University of California, Davis.  She is currently working on her thesis which explores Ethnic American Literature and how it functions in a media driven generation.   She will be graduating in the Spring 2008 and she hopes to teach at a local community college while applying to PhD programs which have an emphasis in cultural studies or a program that allows an interdisciplinary approach to literature.  Ranmali is also attempting to give up her obsession with hot wings and appetizers of all sorts.

Alan Silva MA, American Literature Alan Silva was born in Ridgecrest, California in 1983. At a young age, he was interested in super-heroes and comic books such as Wolverine and the X-Men. Then, in middle school, he started reading William S. Burroughs, but didn’t get serious about books until high school. By the time he enrolled at UC Santa Barbara in 2001, he had read all the major and minor works of Aldous Huxley, Ernest Hemingway, and the Beats. Intellectually, he was a genius. Socially, he was a loner (and still is, really). During his undergraduate years, Alan went to open mics and became a kind of poet—more specifically, a bohemian troubadour. He recorded two of his fourteen music albums at the Kerr Hall recording studio in Santa Barbara, claiming it was required for his Portuguese class. Alan is also a self-professed expert on all aspects of Luso-Brazilian history, literature, and culture.     After Alan graduated in 2005 with a B.A. in English and a minor in anthropology, he worked as a legal assistant and a full-time high school English teacher. During this time, he lived with his parents and saved money. Alan loves his family and friends very much. Today, he is finishing up his M.A. at San Diego State, and working on a thesis about “Representations of Bret Harte’s California.” “Why study Bret Harte?” some have asked Alan. His response is that “Bret Harte tells me about California. He’s the guy. He’s the original California author. And he is always correct.”     Other strong influences in Alan’s literary and philosophical perspectives are Christianity, Existentialism, Zoroastrianism, representations of the outsider in literature, and Bob Dylan. He is an independent learner in every sense of the word. Alan is currently the 2007-2008 Associated Students Graduate Student Association President, the founder and editor-in-chief of SDSU’s new art and scholastic journal, Pandemonium, and a faculty intern at Grossmont College. What are Alan’s plans for the future? Mr. Silva wants to earn his reading certificate at UCSD while teaching at the community colleges in San Diego county. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon. You can also find his music spackled on the Internet.

Sarah Smorol Interdisciplinary Studies, MA Sarah Smorol is an Interdisciplinary Studies grad student who is combining her passions for literature and art into a single degree under the umbrella of a cultural studies. She designed her own degree program in 2006 and is now working on her thesis. Born in New york state she has also spent time in Tampa, Fl., Philadelphia, Portland, OR, and Barcelona(third year undergraduate exchange student), as well as Australia and the South Pacific. Most culture shock?- Morocco and Warsaw, Poland. Outside of academia she enjoys travel and surfing. Her thesis will deal with the phenomenon of cross-dressing among women artists during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Featured points of discussion will include the ways that writers such as George Sand and painters such as Romaine Brooks used male attire to rebel against the restrictive clothing codes expected  of women in their respective eras, but also, and more prominently in this study, as a way of redefining social codes that would have excluded them from the artistic and literary dialogues of their times. She is currently keeping her fingers crossed pending admittance to the American Studies PhD program at the University of Hawaii. She has proposed a dissertation study on the topic of Pacific Islanders and Cinema,  particularly deconstructing the creation of a collective American perception of this culture and people through Hollywood misrepresentations. The far-reaching power of American visual culture is also if interest to this study.

Anne Reynolds MFA, Creative Writing Anne Reynolds is a voracious writer, activist, performance poet, and teacher. She received her BA in poetry at Naropa University's School of Disembodied Poetics in 2006. In addition to producing numerous chapbooks, she has been published in Bombay Gin, Tendril: Journal of Diversity, Transmissions, and the anthology Two in Twenty. She has featured in coffeehouses in every city she has lived in since the age 16, from Boston to Denver and back again. Her most gratifying teaching experience was working with inmates at the Denver Women's Correctional Facility. Anne is one of those annoying queer feminist anti-racist liberal monsters who keeps Pat Robertson awake at night. A wholly antisocial person, she is both honored and bemused to have shared the stage with beat poet Anne Waldman and spoken word/hip-hop artist Saul Williams. She writes to defy death; she will let you know how this works out.

Jim Ricker Pursuing an MA in English, American Literature Focus since 2003. After a lifetime in the Service Focus of San Diego's Tourist Plantation, Jim decided to do some real work at college after publishing a poem in CityWorks, San Diego City College's literary journal in 1998. He picked up a BA in English, Single-Subject Teaching Specialization, at SDSU and quickly decided to do more work in literature, specializing in American literature of the Southwest deserts.  Jim was a founding member of SDSU Students Against Sweatshops and is presently a member of the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club, San Diego Chapter.  He has presented at the Edith Wharton Society conference and at the Feminism(s) and Rhetoric(s) Conference, along with three appearances at our own SDSU Graduate Student conferences. He is passionate about Jacques Derrida, Flat-tailed Horned lizards, Manuel DeLanda, Warty-stemmed Ceanothus, Critical Theory, the San Diego Canyon Campaign, Feminism, desert ecosystems, John Van Dyke, Edward Abbey, Luis Alberto Urrea, all Opuntia species, and the book he's reading right now.  He has been a cook, a butcher, a construction worker, an X-rated bookstore clerk, a waiter, and a produce clerk.  He hugs trees. He blogs, sometimes.  He writes anti-war poetry. He takes his own sweet time.

Natalie Susi MA, American Literature Natalie Susi was born and raised in Wilmington, DE. She attended University of DE for English Education and then taught high school English at her alma-mater. After her first year of teaching, she spent a month abroad touring twelve different countries in Europe. Natalie then enrolled in the MA program for English Literature with a specialization in American Literature so she could eventually teach at the community college level.  She always wanted to live in California and thinks that moving to San Diego was the best decision she has ever made. While attending SDSU, she has worked as a writing tutor and a T.A. for the Rhetoric and Writing Dept. Natalie has also started a new business (Claudio's Italian Ice) selling Italian Water Ice, an East Coast favorite that is hard to find on the West Coast. She plans on spending Spring 2008 preparing for the MA Exam and promoting her new business.

Emily Thomas English Literature MA Specialization: Children’s Literature Emily regards food and books as the greatest of all things.  She’s never lived anywhere but San Diego but hopes to go far away someday, at least for a little while.  Likewise, she’s never worked anywhere but in restaurants, which suits her well for the moment.  Her literary heroes are Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath and she kind of wishes Eric Carle would let her take up residence with him in a cottage filled with paintings of seahorses and mermaids.  Emily will take advantage of even the most moderately appropriate opportunity to bring a bottle of wine to class.  Bats are, unequivocally, her fourth favorite animals.  Thomas graduated from SDSU in May 2007 with a B.A. in English Literature and minored in Religious Studies.  She is particularly interested in Children’s picture books and Young Adult narrative poetry.  In her research, Emily is concerned with looking at religious constructs, figures and doctrines and the ways in which they influence the characters within literature, particularly adolescent, narrative subjects.  Emily is extraordinarily grateful to Dr. Allison for ushering her into the enchanting world of children’s literature study in undergrad.  Emily absolutely never watches television but is an avid fan of “The Office” (on DVD, naturally).  She also biweekly and dutifully attends a hotel bar wherein she and her twin brother are modestly celebrated karaoke singers.  She considers SDSU a happy home and has nothing but ardent admiration for the professors that have contributed to her growth and progress.

Name: Siobhan White Hometown: St. Petersburg, FL, with temporary lives in Washington DC, Nashville TN, and Okinawa Japan. BA from University of South Florida, Tampa campus in English/American literature. At USF I developed a taste for 20th century American lit (counterculture and occult, specifically) culminating in a special study on Jack Kerouac and the treatment of women in his writing.  That paper got me to my first conference in ABQ New Mexico where I presented at the Beat and Countercultural Literature panel at the Southwestern/American Culture Association's yearly conference.  I was hooked.  Applied to grad programs up and down the West coast and chose sunny San Diego.  Currently in my 3rd year of the MA program, working on a thesis on Jack Kerouac (kind of), TAing RWS 296 and tutoring for Michael Underwood.  I enjoy beach living, traveling, and considering thinking about writing a thesis.  Hope to never join the real world by working in academia.