Children are most welcome to attend, the organizers add!

Vi Dutcher, author of , and Esther Harder ’03, author of , will read from their newly released books. 

The readings will be followed by conversation with 

• Barbara Wheatley, professor of education at EMU; 
• her research collaborator Jennifer Whorrall Turner MA ’11 (education), an instructional coach with Staunton City Schools; 
• Charlotte Wenger Boudreau ‘11, literary agent; and 
• Maren Hange, illustrator of The Red Pop Beads. 

Members of the public can view the free livestream by or viewing on Facebook Live from (You do not need a Facebook account or page to access Facebook Live, nor does clicking on the link obligate you in any way to Facebook.) 

More on the panelists

is an agent for Prospect Agency. She represents authors and illustrators of children’s books, board books through young adult, but especially picture books, as well as select authors of adult nonfiction memoirs/biographies. 

Vi Dutcher is a professor of rhetoric and composition and is the director of the writing program and academic success center at EMU. She holds a PhD from Kent State University in English with a concentration Rhetoric & Composition. Prior to coming to EMU, she taught writing and women’s studies courses at Kent State University, Stark Campus. She has also taught at The University of Akron and Cuyahoga Community College. She enjoys linking her courses to community partnerships where students produce a deliverable product for a specified need in an organization. Her research interests are community literacy practices in general and Old Order Amish women’s literacy practices in particular.

is an illustrator, artist and pastor. 

is a 2003 graduate of EMU’s English Education program and holds an MFA from Chatham University’s Children’s Writing program. Esther has been a soccer coach, computer literacy specialist, assistant librarian for children’s programming, English department head, and currently serves as a managing editor for eDynamic Learning, an online curriculum development company. Her favorite responsibility at the moment is reading and exploring with her toddler son.

Jennifer Whorrall Turner completed her EdD in curriculum and instruction with a focus on reading education at the University of Virginia. She  is a middle school instructional coach, and has served as a literacy coach and reading specialist, English teacher, and Social Studies teacher over the past 16 years in various K-12 settings in Virginia.

Barbara Wheatley is an assistant professor in the teacher education program at EMU and a former elementary school teacher, reading specialist, and librarian with a passion for strengthening literacy in students. 

Landis died Sunday, May 17, 2020, at age 87 in Harrisonburg. 

University administrators past and present acknowledge Landis’s legendary influence. With more than 50 years of service, he likely taught more students than any other professor in institutional history, and befriended many others, including colleagues in faculty, staff and administration,who missed out on the opportunity to enjoy his gifts from a seat in the classroom.

Landis taught at EMU from 1956 to 2007. His wife, Peggy Heatwole Landis, also gave 16 years of service to the university, providing leadership to student life. The couple led several cross-cultural semesters to England and Ireland, and were a constant and beloved presence at university events after their respective retirements. 

Park View Mennonite Church will host a live-streamed memorial service on Friday, May 22, at 2:30 p.m. Pre-service organ music and a slideshow will begin at 2:20 p.m. Visit for a link and order of service. 

A memorial website, , will be available Friday, May 22. Peggy Landis and the Landis family invite visitors to sign a guest register, and to share remembrances and tributes. 

Portions of this article were taken from Memorial gifts may be made to ��ݮ����, Language and Literature Department, 1200 Park Road, Harrisonburg, VA, 22802 or online at /giving/.

A Lancaster, Pa., native, Landis graduated from then-Eastern Mennonite College with a degree in English in 1954. He joined the faculty of Eastern Mennonite High School in 1956 and taught while earning a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1958. At EMC and then EMU, he taught a range of undergraduate classes, including literature, writing, and public speaking. He also was a faculty advisor to English majors and to students who were undeclared. Many former students remain grateful for his attentiveness and insightful urgings toward discovering their true aptitudes and callings. [One is script and story writer Liz Hansen ’99.]

In 1976, he earned his DA from Idaho State University. During his studies there, encouraged by President Myron Augsburger, he took several courses in drama, and played an influential role as a faculty sympathizer and eventually formal advisor to budding student-produced dramatics. This eventually led to the hiring of a theater professor and the establishment of a major and minor program. Landis chaired the language and literature department for many years and held memberships in several professional organizations, including the Modern Language Association and the Virginia Association of Teachers of English.

His colleagues remember with affection Landis’s poetry recitations, from memory, at faculty gatherings, as well as his steadfast, equanimous presence. He served EMU through five presidents and immense intellectual and cultural change on campus.

Myron Augsburger, president from 1965-80, noted the “privilege of working with Jay for many years.” A “wonderful friend,” he was always “upbeat and a good spirit whether we agreed or not.”

“Always positive, affirming and accepting” is how Loren Swartzendruber, president from 2003-16, remembers his former colleague. As a young EMU staff member, he first knew Landis from the brown-bag lunches in the faculty-staff lounge on the second floor of the Campus Center that became quasi-seminars on a fascinating range of topics. Later, Landis would occasionally emerge from the audience after one of Swartendruber’s presidential communications to offer a compliment, “and reminding me with his characteristic twinkle in the eye that he was sharing his response as a teacher of public speaking.”

EMU’s current president Susan Schultz Huxman, who holds a doctorate in rhetoric and also spent many hours teaching public speaking, has enjoyed similar interactions. “As a fellow rhetoric scholar, I so appreciated his views on the power of rhetoric to move people,” she shared. “With a refreshing Anabaptist perspective, Professor Landis reminded us that aspiring to eloquence is not an obsequious display; rather it is an act of love to connect with audiences and readers. He set the bar high for why we must choose the right words in print or in public speaking–because words matter–they inspire and instruct and inculcate community.”

Joe Lapp, president from 1987-2003 and a personal friend who worshipped with Landis at Park View Mennonite Church, characterized him as an affirming presence, leaving “permanent impressions on others by knowing them, remembering their names, providing encouragement …all who sat in Jay’s classes went away with warm feelings for his teaching of literature, quoting and reading of poetry classics, and contributing his own words of warmth and love of others. It was always obvious that Jay loved EMU — his heart was in all he did as a professor at EMU.”

Colleagues in the EMU Language and Literature Department dreaded his retirement, even as they celebrated the “bittersweet privilege” of wishing him well into a new stage of life, with more time for writing, gardening, volunteering, and spending time with family, said Professor Marti Eads. On that occasion in 2007, she quoted a stanza from and nearly 13 years later, those same six lines are helping her to process his loss, to “yield with grace” and “to accept the end of a love or a season.”

(The couple did indeed spend time writing, and in 2013, shared a joint reading and celebration of their respective works at EMU: Jay’s poetry collection��“” and Peggy’s memoir “.”)

The profound gift of well-chosen words are what Professor Vi Dutcher also shares in this remembrance of how she came to join the faculty 14 years ago, a difficult decision that meant leaving behind small grandchildren, adult children and elderly parents:

Jay B sent me an email with these prophetic words, ‘All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well’ written by Julian of Norwich in the 14th century. I decided to believe him. I had the honor to work alongside him for one year before he retired. In the many years since then, Jay B supported our department in word and deed accompanied by his beautiful roses. His legacy endures in each of us.

Among the many former students mourning Landis, Regina Beidler ‘88 recalled taking an advanced writing class with Landis, as well as travels during a cross-cultural semester in England. She remembers the couple’s warmth and enthusiasm as they lived on the same floor of a youth hostel in London, “just the right amount of parental [influence] to their horde of young adults.”  

Beidler last visited with the couple two years ago at Homecoming and Family Weekend. “I was recognized immediately and was glad to introduce my daughter who was herself an EMU student,” she said. “If we are lucky we are remembered by those who knew us when we were young because we are appreciated, not for what we can do, but for who we are. I’m grateful to have known and to be known by Jay B. We’re holding his family and the whole community who loved him, close.”

A fitting end to this tribute are in celebration of his life: Throughout his life, he endeavored to live out EMU’s proclaimed mission to espouse justice, show mercy for all, and walk humbly with God.

We welcome your memories of Professor Jay B. Landis below as well as encourage you to visit to share tributes there. Memories and condolences posted here will be shared with the family.

As a small liberal arts university, EMU provides a myriad of ways for students to practice leadership – to learn, experiment, make mistakes and grow outside comfort zones ��– whether through athletics and academics, student government, residence life, campus ministries and more.

“Today we want to recognize a number of folks who have been engaged in this practice, using their time, gifts and abilities for the betterment of our community,” he said. “From my vantage point in student life, it has been inspiring to see up close and personal, the many leadership contributions, of so many on our campus. Today we celebrate with you, and thank you for these contributions.”

Academic Success Center

Senior tutors with the Academic Success Center were recognized: Johanna Burkholder (accounting); Emily Clatterbuck (writing and Spanish, three years), Phoebe Coffie (biology, 1.5 years), Aaron Dunmore (economics, two years), Liesl Graber (writing, three years), Corey Hostetler (history tutor, three years), Austin Huff (math and computer science, three years),��Sammy Kauffman (biology, two years), Maisie Kirkley (psychology, two years), Cerrie Mendoza (environmental science, one year), Susanna Sewall (nursing, two years), Rachel Shenk (core curriculum, two years), Stephanie Slabach Brubaker (nursing, one year), and��Lara Weaver (psychology, three years).

Janae Kauffman was awarded the Tutor of the Year Award for her three-year commitment to students “who often requested her, the ways in which she fulfilled the mission of the writing tutor, and her strong philosophy of tutoring overall,” said Professor Vi Dutcher, director of the university’s writing program.

Applied Social Science

Josh Good was inducted into Alpha Kappa Delta, the international sociology honor society. Professor Jenni Holsinger presented him with the cords.

Athletics

• Newcomer of the Year awards went to��Rachel Sauder, soccer,�����Ի� Brett Lindsay, baseball.
• Athletes of the Year are Michaela Mast, cross country and track and field,�����Ի� Connor Faint, track and field.
• Presidents Awards went to Emily Augsburger, field hockey, and Dan Lutz, volleyball.

Other award-winners from the spring semester were also recognized, and can be viewed at .

Bible and Religion

Michaela Mast won first place and $300 in the Haverim Writing Awards contest with her paper, “The Wilderness of the Bible in the Age of the Anthropocene,” which traces the theological and cultural constructions of wilderness from Genesis to her own cross-cultural in the Middle East.

Sarah Longenecker earned second place and $200 with “Art as Mediator.”

Luke Mullet won third place and $100 for “Toward Composition: Creatively Performing Scripture in a Dynamic World.”

The awards were made by Professor Peter Dula, who used his remaining time to encourage submissions for next year’s context with this line: “If you want to receive more money for an academic paper than you will ever get in your life, we invite you to participate next year.”

Campus Ministries

Undergraduate campus pastor Lana Miller recognized the following:

• Ministry assistants Lindsay Acker, Victoria Barnes, Sara Byler, Caitlin Campbell, Maya Dula, Larissa Graber, Val Hernandez, Emma Hoover, Yonas Ketsela, Anisa Leonard, Skylar List, Olivia Mbualungu, Bekah Mongold, Caleb Oakes, Meredith Stinnette, Christian Stutzman, Nik Tucker, Matthew Zimmerman.
• Pastoral assistants: Perry Blosser, Rachel Breidigan, Cela Hoefle, Grayson Mast, Austin Sachs, Elizabeth Resto, Amanda Williams, Brittany Williams.

  

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding

Graduate students Samira Abou Alfa, Talibah Aquil, Astur Tahlil��and Mikayla Waters-Crittenton��were recognized for sharing�� their concerns with CJP faculty and staff about prioritizing inclusion around race, gender, sexual orientation and religion as well as making classes and community more trauma-sensitive.

Biology and Chemistry

The following awards were presented by Professor Tara Kishbaugh:

• Outstanding first-year chemistry student: Austin Yoder
• Outstanding second-year biology student: Kevin Sungu
• Outstanding senior chemistry student: Marchelle Smucker
• Outstanding senior biology student: Katherine Lehman and Samantha Kauffman
• Award for Excellence in Biology/Chemistry Research: Braden Herman
• Biology/Chemistry Award for Exceptional Service: Melissa Kinkaid.

Additionally, the winners of the STEM Celebration poster contest were recognized. Click here for those results.

Education

Jasmine Miller, currently on cross cultural, was awarded the Courage to Teach Award.�� The award is modeled after principles in Parker Palmer’s book, a copy of which is given to the winner. Faculty select this student on several criteria.

The five annual Teachers of Promise from EMU are Emily Clatterbuck, Jessica Longenecker, Keyri Lopez-Godoy, Hannah Shultz�����Ի� Alexa Weeks. Read more here.

Language and Literature

• Emily Clatterbuck was awarded the Carroll Yoder Award for Teaching Excellence in honor of a senior or junior who has demonstrated academic excellence in both literary studies and education courses and demonstrates a clear call to the teaching profession.
• Laurie Serrell earned the Ervie L. Glick Award for Excellence in World Language Study, which honors a senior or junior who has exhibited academic excellence as a Spanish major and has show a clear sense of call to pursuing graduate work or using language skills in service to the church.
• Liesl Graber earns the Jay B. Landis Award for Excellence in Literary Studies, honoring a student majoring or minoring in the language and literature field of study who completes an essay, research paper or scholarly presentation for a literature course that exemplifies the components of good literary analysis.
• Liesl Graber also was awarded the Omar Eby Writing Award, honoring a senior majoring or minoring in Writing Studies who demonstrates excellence in the craft of creative writing and who provides insightful critique and support for other writers in creative workshops.
• Kevin Clark earned the Ray Elvin Horst Award for Excellence in Spanish.

  

At the end of her presentation, Professor Vi Dutcher noted that each award was named for an esteemed emeritus faculty member, and she recognized two emeritus professors Ervie L. Glick and Ray Horst present at the event.

Mathematical Sciences

Cameron Byer, Daniel Harder�����Ի� Ben Stutzman were recognized for their win in the international Kryptos crypto-analysis competition. Read more about that win here.

Cameron Byer won the EMU Math Competition, introduced by Professor Daniel Showalter as “a competition for people who go out of their way to take a math test when they don’t have to,” a description epitomized by the second-place-tie-winner Andrew Riemer-Berg, who took the test from Latin America where he is traveling on cross cultural. Ben Stutzman was the other second-place finisher.

Music Department

Andry Stultz and Hannah Schultz received the Excellence in Music Education Award.��Perry Blosser earned the Excellence in Music Composition.

Nursing

The following students were chosen by their peers and faculty.

Rachel Breidigan was awarded the Servant Leadership Award for her service to others. She is president of the Student Nurses Association and will be working on the progressive care unit at RMH. ��She chose nursing for many reasons, including “the desire to help others, the strong biblical parallels it has, and, of course, job security.”

Stephanie Slabach Brubaker is awarded the Sacred Covenant Award and the award for academic achievement. The first award reflects the high performance of the embodiment of the Sacred Covenant Model EMU nurses use to guide their practice. In the choice of nursing as her profession, Stephanie hopes to “combine my desire to help others with my fascination with how God orchestrated the human body. I find that through nursing, I can comfort others in their time of need.” Next year, she will join Mennonite Central Committee SALT program to work at a clinic in Bangladesh.

Residence Life

Carissa Luginbill and Scott Eyre recognized eight senior Community Advisors: Elizabeth Eutsler, Austin Huff, Ben Durren, Rediet Girma, Victoria Campbell, Keyri Lopez-Godoy and Robert Weaver.

Scott Eyre mentioned that a record number of CAs are returning next year, one way in which this particular group has left a legacy.

The five nominees for Residence Life’s Transformational Leadership Award, voted by their peers, are Bailey Hall, Capril Mirarchi, Keyri Lopez-Godoy, Jakya Jones and Phoebe Swe. The finalist will be announced later this week.

Psychology

Four students were recognized by Professor Gregory Koop.

Michael Austin and Michaela Mast jointly earned the Galen R. Lehman Outstanding Achievement in Research, judged on the criteria of initiative and ingenuity, public dissemination, and quality of writing.��Michaela’s research was titled ��“The brain on music: An inquiry of shared music-color associations.”��Austin’s research was on “Directed forgetting: Examining accounts through negative priming”

Hannah Cash was awarded the Theory to Praxis Internship Award, for her work with The Making Space, a local art therapy program. Along with other responsibilities, Hannah helped to improve social media presence and community outreach, and was asked to continue her involvement as the new secretary to the board of directors.

Lara Weaver earned Best Undergraduate Poster at the Virginia Association for Psychological Science conference earlier this month. Her project was entitled “Role of intrinsic and extrinsic religious motivation and empathy in predicting theological ideation.”

Student Programs

Jack Hummel and Da’Jahnea Robinson were recognized for their work on Campus Activities Council. Jack served for two years, doing “all things technical,” and Da’Jahnea was marketing director 2016-17 and vice president in 2017, among other roles.

From Common Grounds, the following leaders were recognized: Abe Hartzler, the events manager who hosted 70 campus events; Taylor Esau, who spent two years as a barista and this year as operations manager, a human resources specialist who works with 25-plus employees; Tim Callahan, finance manager; and Sammy Kauffman, who worked for one year as a barista and then two years as catering manager.

Tim Callahan was also recognized for his work with Recreational Sports.

Student Government Association

Caleb Schrock-Hurst and Adam Harnish, co-presidents of spring 2018, ceremonially passed the gavel to Mario Hernandez and Nicole Litwiller, recently elected co-presidents for the fall 2018 semester.

Spring 2018 leaders completing their service include:

• Emmanuel Kampanga, vice president
• Erik Peachey, treasurer
• Rachel Holderman, vice president for marketing
• Jeremy Brenneman, Secretary
• Senators Fred Flores, Hannah Nichols, Ruth Reimer-Berg, Susanna Sewall, Emma Yoder, Grant Amoateng, Joshua Curtis, Mario Hernandez, Paul Kayembe, Donaldo Lleshi, Ella Spitler, Austin Tomlin.

Recently elected fall 2018 officers are:

• Nicole Litwiller and Mario Hernandez, co-presidents;
• Paul Kayembe, vice president;
• Ben Zook, treasurer;
• Luke Mullet, secretary.

Visual and Communication Arts

Junior Missy Muterspaugh was awarded the Matthew Alan Styer Scholarship Grant, which honors “exceptional skill and dedication to photography and/or graphic design.”

Royals Cup

Andrew Troyer claimed his third consecutive individual Royals Cup title, for attendance at a wide variety of campus events throughout the year. Elmwood gathered the most points to take the Royals Cup.

Gundy will present his poetry and other works at a Writers Read event in ��ݮ����’s Common Grounds at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 15.

“Although he has described himself and other artists as existing on the fringes of Mennonite community,��Gundy “is widely embraced as a leading Mennonite poet, and he is well-recognized in the wider literary milieu,” says��, assistant professor and director of the EMU core curriculum.

Gundy’s books are many, among them three that garnered acclaim: Abandoned Homeland (Bottom Dog Press, 2016) was shortlisted for the Ohioana Book Award in Poetry, 2016; for Somewhere Near Defiance (Anhinga Press, 2014) he was named the ; and Spoken among the Trees (Akron University Press, 2007) earned the Society of Midland Authors Poetry Award. His poems have also appeared in , , and elsewhere.

A professor at Bluffton University, Gundy also plays guitar and writes songs and nonfiction essays – see in the Jan. 2018 issue of Brevity and his collection Songs from an Empty Cage.

At EMU, he said he will “look for a curve in the whole reading, a kind of rhythm perhaps” that will include tested favorites, a balance of lighter and more serious poems, and “a few new poems, just to see how they sound when read aloud to a real audience,” he said.

“Poetry is a tremendous personal and communal resource, a great storehouse of wisdom, beauty, consolation and joy,” Gundy said recently – and then quickly added, “This is not to make such grand claims for my poems.”

Others, however, make those claims for him. Fellow poet Philip Metres has said that “Gundy’s poetry reminds us, over and over, that paying attention to the delights and troubles of existence becomes a kind of psalm to this botched and beautiful creation.”

Gundy “turns a critical yet compassionate eye to the Mennonites and the broader culture,” Beachy said. “His poems tend to be lyrical and are frequently funny and/or political.”

In a 2010 Work and Hope post, Laura Lehman Amstutz wrote that Gundy’s “The Cookie Poem” from Rhapsody with Dark Matter (Bottom Dog Press, 2000) “is about remembering who we are. It points to Anabaptist history in imagery, and reminds me of a God who delights in us all, even in our failures, collective and individual…. The idea of God looking at me and saying, in Cookie Monster’s voice ‘ooohhhh cookie!’ makes me giggle.”

Gundy will sell and sign books at the Writers Read, and said he always hopes to meet new people, “especially students who very likely don’t know much about me or my work.”

Judging from past experience, said language and literature professor Vi Dutcher, those students will be glad to have met him. “Students enjoy being in his presence and discussing poetry with him,” she said.

Now at ��ݮ����, he recognizes a rooted affinity to Anabaptist teachings, “which I’ve come to realize I’ve followed for longer than I knew it existed.”

Thompson shared how his work and faith are deeply intertwined during a special chapel service last week jointly hosted by EMU’s STEM academic departments. Around campus, at the same time, other departments hosted special, unique chapel gatherings.

Just as his immersion in various “denominational streams has shaped my relationship with Christ and made it more full,” Thompson told the gathered, “likewise, the science and art of psychology has contributed to my understanding of what it means to be made in the image of God. My faith informs my work. My work informs my faith. I don’t know any other way to do it.”

Thompson’s words were encouraging to psychology major Lydia Musselman. “Hearing a professor’s personal story and reflection opens doors to conversation and deeper relationship, and gives hope to those struggling with our faith journey,” she said. “Connections and growth make sense in reflection. It was good to be reminded of that truth.”

EMU’s professors tend to be “down to earth and open people, but there’s a clear difference between a classroom and a chapel,” said junior English and writing major Josh Holsapple, who attended the Language and Literature Department gathering. “Having that extra layer of chapel is important.”

EMU’s annual departmental chapels offer students, faculty and staff the opportunity to talk about understanding, finding and living the work to which one is divinely called. While exploration and recognition of the Christian faith is part of the university’s core curriculum, these chapels are another time and place where faculty and students relate in deeply meaningful ways, said Undergraduate Dean Deirdre Longacher Smeltzer.

“The connection of faculty, staff and students around the idea of vocation is a piece of the faith mentoring and personal relationship-building that makes the EMU experience special,” she said. “The fact that we care about students as whole people is a value that students cite over and over again as something they really appreciate.”

Junior biology major Caroline Lehman agreed. “The professors at EMU, are, in my opinion, the school’s best asset. Being surrounded by people who not only do their jobs exceptionally well but also seem to love their work and grow in faith along the way has had a huge impact on what I hope to find in my future career. What that career will be, however, and how I will get there is still clouded with uncertainty, which can be really stressful at times. Hearing EMU’s professors, people who excel in their work and love their jobs, speak about their own experiences in finding their career paths and using faith as a guide through the uncertainty has been both comforting and inspiring.”

Poetry and stories for enlightenment and new energy

In the Roselawn gathering space on the second floor, Professor Vi Dutcher opened the Language and Literature Department chapel with the introduction of alumna and novelist Patricia Grace King, on campus for her Writers Read event later that week. Those present were invited to offer a single-word descriptor of their early childhood religious experience — and all but one person needed more words, with “nearly everyone offering a phrase or brief story,” said Professor Marti Eads, adding that everyone’s contributions were gladly heard and appreciated. The group then joined in a reading of Seamus Heaney’s “Station Island XI,” a translation of a 16th century poem by Spanish mystic San Juan de la Cruz.

The Student Education Association titled their time “Walking your faith…Teach like no other,” hosting a discussion around relationships and religion, and how to integrate faith and calling in a constantly changing world.

“What I find meaningful in the department chapel is the opportunity for faculty and students to collectively examine how faith and teaching intersect in the classroom,” said department chair Cathy Smeltzer Erb. “Each participant brings his/her own story to the conversation, and leaves with a reservoir of new stories to shape one’s faith journey.”

In other chapels…

The Business and Economics department hosted four students who attended the Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) convention in November 2017. MEDA works at the intersection of faith and business as an international economic development organization with the mission of creating business solutions to poverty. The students shared about how they were personally and professionally inspired by their participation in the conference. Speaking were Lucas Miller, junior economics major; Isaac Brenneman, a junior double major in business administration and recreation leadership and sports promotion; Ryan Faraci, senior double major in accounting and business administration; and Kyungho Yu, a junior economics major.

The Department of Applied Social Sciences based their time around an entry in “Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals,” focusing on the anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X and Hebrew 10:26-39.

The History and Bible and Religion departments joined for a time of reflective scripture reading, prayer and singing around the theme of Living Water, while the Nursing Department also spent the time in worship and reflection.

Academic Success Center

Linda Gnagey, director of the Academic Success Center, and Professor Vi Dutcher, with the Writing Program, recognized the following tutors concluding their service in December: Hannah Gross, Harrison Horst, Kat Lehman and David Nester.

Campus Ministries

Ministry assistants completing their service are: Kyra Lehman, Holly Mumaw, Laura Rittenhouse, Jenna Lile, Clara Weybright, Anali Martin, Seth Peters, Aaron Gusler, Sarah Kline, Kate Kauffman, Hannah Wheeler and Joseph Harder.

Pastoral assistants are Alexa Weeks and Nathaniel Nissley. Undergraduate Campus Pastor Lana Miller provided the recognition.

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding

Professor Roxy Allen Kioko recognized the following students:

• Hannah Kim for her��outstanding��work as a graduate research assistant;
• Kajungu Mturi and Brenna Case for their work with the Brazil delegation that spent five days on campus learning more about restorative justice [read more here];
• Trina Trotter Nussbaum for her commitment to community-building at CJP;
• Andrea Moya Urena and Renata Loberg for their leadership with the DACA Dialogue Planning Committee [read more here];

Department of Applied Social Sciences

Katrina Poplett and Jonatan Moser were recognized for their leadership over the past two years of Take Back the Night by Professor Deanna Durham, faculty advisor [read more here].

Sociology major Harrison Horst was recognized by Professor Jenni Holsinger for his academic work and service. Read about Harrison’s many

Theater Department

Professor Heidi Winters Vogel recognized the nomination of Emma Roth, Clara Bush and Renata Loberg — actors in the fall production of MacBETH — to the Irene Ryan Scholarship competition and Amber Hooper for the stage management competition at Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival.

Latino Student Alliance

Co-presidents Ariel Barbosa, Alejandra Rivera, Anna Messer and Mario Hernandez were recognized by M. Esther Showalter, faculty advisor. [Read about their fall activities here.]

Business and Economics Department

Ryan Faraci, Jacob Sloan and Erik Peachy were recognized for extraordinary academic performance by Professor Tammy Duxbury. Brittany Williams was recognized for her leadership, academic performance and service by Professor Joohyun Lee.

Multicultural Student Services

Director Celeste Thomas recognized the Alpha Omega Dancers for Christ: Hannah Shultz, Delight Tigoe, Qing Wang (Freya), and Kellie Serrell.

The Black Student Union Board of DeVantae Dews, Childra Nwankwo, Ivan Harris, Jess Washington, Precious Waddy, Jourdyn Friend and Clarrisa White were also recognized for their steadfast leadership.

Music Department

Luke Mullet was honored by Professor Ryan Keebaugh for achievement in composition and choral music (Professor James Richardson presenting). Read about Luke’s many talents.

Nursing Department

Professor Audrey Myers, advisor of the Nursing Student Association, presented the department’s biannual awards: Dylan May, academic achievement award; Kim Heatwole, servant leader award; and Annie Trinh, Sacred Covenant Award.

Student Life

Rachel Holderman and Nicole Litwiller, student leaders of the Royals Cup competition, named Elmwood Residence as the top points accumulator of the fall semester.

The “fall individual MVP” was Andrew Troyer, followed in second place by Andrew Reimer-Berg. Third place was a three-way tie with Cameron Byer, Sarah Ressler and Lucas Wenger. In fourth place was Aaron Horst, Skylar List, Adam Peachey and Kayla Sauder. Rounding out the top 10 MVPs is Lauren Hartzler.

Student Government Association

Outgoing members were recognized: from the executive council, Nicole Litwiller, vice president and Luke Mullet, secretary; and from the senate: Nathaniel Nissley, Abigail Shelly, Leah Wenger and Ben Zook.

Athletic Honors

Student-athletes receiving honors and awards during the fall semester were also recognized. For more coverage, visit .

The final blessing, offered by Undergraduate Campus Pastor , included a prayer for each attendee, the students from all faiths and backgrounds who would begin arriving on campus that day, and — in acknowledgement of — for courage to confront “systems of racism that destroy rather than build the Kingdom of God.”

This year’s theme��—��“Expanding the Legacy, Enlarging the Tent” — emphasized integrating EMU’s history and traditions with a vision for its second century; the conference also officially launched EMU’s celebrations.

Strong vision

President donned three different types of eyewear during her keynote address to illustrate the “special kind of seeing we do in Anabaptist Mennonite schools … more clearly, deeply and widely.” [Listen to the .]

EMU is well-poised with “strong vision and high purpose” for the future, she said.

Merging perspectives of hindsight and foresight with Anabaptist-inspired insight, she noted EMU’s strong and vibrant historic legacy; a robust, holistic and distinctive education that includes cross-cultural study and faith formation; and a cohesive, faith-filled community of faculty and staff.

“We have just begun to promote a vibrant future of counter-cultural Mennonite education, one that prepares our students for relevant and in-demand careers and meaningful spiritual lives shaped by the reconciling love of Jesus,” Huxman said.

While praising EMU’s entrepreneurial spirit, epitomized in pioneering professor emeritus and philanthropist Margaret “Speedy” Martin Gehman and Alumnus of the Year , Huxman noted new academic offerings: the program, offered collaboratively with Goshen (Indiana) College, as well as the new four-year and a neuroscience minor.

Approximately 380 new and returning employees participated. The fall semester begins Monday, Aug. 28.

��Many voices

A panel of respondents to Huxman’s speech included , , and . The final session of storytelling, a much-loved tradition, included , , , and .

Special guest Donald B. Kraybill provided a one-hour preview of his forthcoming Centennial history, ��ݮ����: One Hundred Years of Counter-Cultural Education (Penn State Press, 2017) to be released at the Oct. 13-15 .

Four breakout sessions highlighted influential programs, themes and concepts:

• — Professors and traced the history of racial-ethnic diversity at EMU, with special attention to current diversity trends and shifting paradigms. They asked, “How could and should paradigms and power structures shift? How can and should our new diversity help us more fully understand and realize the radical nature of our Anabaptist values?” Click here to .

• Drinking in Knowledge at the Source: EMU’s Cross Cultural Program — A panel of five experienced cross-cultural program leaders discussed one of EMU’s most unique academic programs and included , professor and interim cross-cultural program director; , program assistant; , emeritus professor; , cross-cultural leader and adjunct instructor; and professors and .
• Creating a Beloved Community at EMU: Organizational Culture as Blessing and Barrier — Professor discussed culture and sub-culture identities as both assets and liabilities. He invited the group to list both blessings and barriers to EMU’s culture (and multiple sub cultures), noting that you must first understand your own organizational culture before you can��interpret for��—�����Ի� thus fully integrate��—��newcomers.
• “Thy Word is Truth”: Old Song, New Tune — Professor , associate dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, and Professor discussed “word” and “truth” as the biblical writer imagined these words, and engaged with ways that the motto speaks to��EMU at 100 years.

Molly Kirby, who completed her nursing degree in 2.5 years instead of the standard four, was given the Academic Achievement Award. Presenting the honor was Professor Ann Schaeffer, who said Kirby has already accepted a position as a nurse in a cardio-surgical intensive care unit and plans to eventually pursue a doctorate as a nurse anesthetist.

Valerie Rodeffer earned the Servant Leadership Award. Schaeffer shared that Rodeffer’s greatest accomplishment “is being role model for her children, showing them you can do anything you put your mind to, no matter how old you are.” Rodeffer will work as a nurse in Winchester and plans to begin her master’s degree at EMU next fall.

The Sacred Covenant Award, honoring the nursing student who most exemplifies the values of nursing as exemplified in the program’s , was given to Juni Schirch-Sanchez. Schirch-Sanchez says she values the relationships she builds with patients and the intimacy, vulnerability and openness that the profession calls for.

Vice President of Student Life Ken L. Nafziger kicked off the chapel by urging participants to join wholeheartedly into the celebration of the semester’s achievements. “We often celebrate but in a muted fashion,” he said, “so let’s not be that way today.”

Nafziger was joined on stage by representatives of several departments for the traditional event, held at the conclusion of each fall and spring semester. Many of the honorees were being recognized before departing for their cross-cultural during spring semester.

Academic Success Center

Director Linda Gnagey and Professor Vi Dutcher recognized three Academic Success Center tutors as “great examples of dependable accessible support”: Lorraine Armstrong, political science tutor; Robert Propst, science; and Elisabeth Wilder, social work, sociology and writing.

Campus Ministries

Campus Undergraduate Pastor Lana Miller recognized ministry assistants who are departing on cross-culturals next semester: Shelby Alto, Taylor Martin, Elizabeth Witmer, Elizabeth Resto, Kieran O’Leary, Marina Baker, Esther Ghale, Lydia Musselman and Ethan Herman. Ministry assistants, known on campus as MAs, integrate faith into practice in their residence halls and volunteer their time to assist others. Miller thanked them for “joining us as campus pastors.”

Three pastoral assistants, known as PAs, were also recognized: Christina Hershey, Perry Blosser and Hannah Daley. PAs are students whose “desire to serve God is integrated into life, work and relationships.” Both Hershey and Blosser served on numerous committees. Hershey organized conversation groups, Election Day Communion and other communal events. Blosser “pulled together countless musicians and signing groups” for chapel events, and he also leads the monthly hymn sings. Daley, who concluded her field hockey career this fall, leads the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes Speak and Athletes’ Bible Study.

Student Programs

Thirteen students received the Leadership Effectiveness and Development (LEAD) Series Certificate: Sammy Kauffman, Maddie Gish, Gillian Zehr, Hannah Daley, Tae Dews, Rachel Holderman, Ale Hartzler, Brittany Williams, Oksana Kittrell, Liana Hershey, Felix Kioko, Alicia Ygarza and Carlos Garcia.

The series focuses on leadership issues chosen by participants, said Director of Student Programs Rachel Roth Sawatsky, with this semester’s topics being communication, leadership dynamics, conflict, women in leadership and team-building. Students can choose to attend single events; regular attendance results in a certificate of completion.

Additionally, Gillian Zehr was recognized for her work as Common Grounds Coffeehouse products and marketing manager for the last two semester. She was responsible for taking care of product sales, trends and tracking; ordering and vendor relationships; and advertising. This semester, she also negotiated a new contract with a local coffee roaster, as well as negotiating for local suppliers of foods.

Theater Department

Actors Emma Roth and Belen Yoder were nominated from the fall production of “Far Away” by an independent respondent to participate in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCATF) Irene Ryan Scholarship Audition. They will participate in the Region 2 festival Jan. 3-7 at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Professor Heidi Winters Vogel presented the award.

Student Life

Outgoing Student Government Association members include Elisabeth Wilder, Taylor Esau, Ella Spitler, Abigail Shumaker, Delight Tigoe, Maria Yoder, Jeremy Brenneman and Caleb Schrock-Hurst.

Co-presidents Elisabeth Wilder and Quinn Kathrineberg also recognized Ken L. Nafziger, who retires in December.

“Ken has been a valuable member of SGA through his thoughtful insights, care for students, and impeccable knowledge of the SGA Constitution,” Wilder said. “There are few people I know that love EMU and its people more than Ken L. Nafziger.”

“Ken is a deep listener, an energetic presence, and a steadfast leader,” said Kathrineberg. “Thank you for your devotion to SGA, and thank you for the the consideration and respect you have for this EMU community.

Athletics

James De Boer, sports information director, recognized the following athletes for their awards during the fall semester.

Men’s Cross Country: Abrham Amine: All-ODAC Second Team, ODAC Men’s Cross Country Rookie of the Year; Alec Thibodeaux: ODAC Runner of the Week, (Sept. 1-5), All-ODAC Second Team, Royals Athlete of the Week (Oct. 31-Nov. 6), All-South/Southeast Region Team.

Women’s Cross Country: Megan Good:�� All-ODAC Second Team, Royals Athlete of the Week (Oct. 24-30); Kat Lehman: ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Scholar-Athlete; Juni Schirch-Sanchez: Royals Athlete of the Week (Nov. 7-13)

Field Hockey: Emily Augsburger: All-ODAC First Team; Lorraine Armstrong: All-ODAC Second Team; Hannah Daley: Royals Athlete of the Week (Oct. 10-16), All-ODAC Third Team; Emily Price: Royals Athlete of the Week (Sept. 19-25), All-ODAC Third Team.

Men’s Soccer: Emmanuel Boamah: All-ODAC First Team; Parker Leap: Royals Athlete of the Week (Sept. 5-11); Juan Luna: ODAC Player of the Week (Sept. 12-18); Royals Athlete of the Week (Sept. 12-18); All-ODAC Second Team; Matthew Overacker: Royals Athlete of the Week (Oct. 3-9). Dylan Polley: All-ODAC Third Team; Ryan Thomas: CoSIDA Academic All-District.

Women’s Soccer: Laura Rittenhouse: All-ODAC Third Team; Hannah Walker: Royals Athlete of the Week (Oct. 17-23).

Women’s Volleyball: Becca Hardy: Royals Athlete of the Week (Sept. 1-5), CoSIDA Academic All-District; Maria Yoder: Royals Athlete of the Week (Sept. 26-Oct. 2).

Men’s Basketball: Maleke Jones: Royals Athlete of the Week (Nov. 14-20).

Women’s Basketball: Chloe Roach: Royals Athlete of the Week (Nov. 21-27).

“What shows up inside a book’s covers also results from creating sentences, following where they lead, pruning the dead stuff, and taming the mind’s excesses that want to escape their boundaries,” Yoder Miller says. “How successfully that occurs depends on many factors: the range and limits of my perception, the tastes and receptivity of readers. It’s an exciting adventure when words and ideas move beyond dreams and bring people together.”

Yoder Miller will be bringing people together in a literal sense Thursday, March 31, at ��ݮ����, when she makes a return trip to Harrisonburg to read from her works and culminate this year’s series. The event, sponsored by the , will be at 4 p.m. in the Common Grounds Coffee House in University Commons.

Originally from Kalona, Iowa, Yoder Miller has written two novels: Eyes at the Window (2005), set in a 19th-century Amish community, and Everyday Mercies (2015), a contemporary story that looks into several generations of women from Mennonite backgrounds.

EMU professor of English says she remembers Yoder Miller’s previous visit well.

“As a relative newcomer to EMU when Evie Yoder Miller last visited campus, I found her Eyes at the Window both engaging and informative,” Eads says. “A gripping mystery set in a pre-Civil War Amish community, Eyes gave me an enjoyable crash course in US Anabaptist church history. Evie was a delightful Writers Read speaker, as well, and I look forward to hearing her read from her more recent book.�� Reviews for Everyday Mercies suggest that it illuminates the life of a 21st-century Mennonite family in a way that evokes both sympathy and laughter.”

In a about her first book, Yoder Miller noted the detailed research that went into it, with several trips to Pennsylvania and Ohio and many conversations and hours in the archives. Her own life experiences also played a role.

“I’ve always enjoyed watching people,” Yoder Miller said in the interview. “I’ve lived in families, growing up as the youngest member of one and being married for (at that time) 26 years. During all of this time I attended or was a member of a Mennonite church, one with a very stern bishop in Iowa and another a house church with shared leadership in Appalachia.”

, professor of rhetoric and composition and director of EMU’s Writing Program, specializes in studying Amish women authors. She appreciates the depth that Yoder Miller brings to Everyday Mercies.

“Evie Yoder Miller probes deeply into Conservative Mennonite consciousness to give her characters their inner dialogues, their conversations with others in their minds,” Dutcher says. “Only someone who has lived through the 1950s and witnessed the private confessions of young women in the public sphere of the church congregation can get it so right years later.”

Mennonite Quarterly Review also heaped praise on the novel, saying it had “few weaknesses” and “is an important addition to US Mennonite fiction.”

Yoder Miller completed an undergraduate degree in English at Goshen College in Indiana, then returned to graduate school many years later to earn a master’s and PhD from Ohio University. She retired after a career in teaching, most recently at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She is currently working on a Civil War-era historical novel.

Copies of Yoder Miller’s works will be available for purchase and signing at the March 31 event, which is free and open to the public.

“Race,” said Kishbaugh, a chemistry professor who heads the Intellectual Life Committee. “Cross-cultural understanding. Racism. These topics appeared multiple times and in different suggested books in the months before we made the selection.”

In selecting the year’s Common Read – one book that the university community is encouraged to read, discuss and delve into throughout the coming months, Kishbaugh says: “We always try to choose a book that connects with EMU’s distinct mission and these are topics that link directly to peacebuilding, to cross-cultural engagement and serving and leading in a global context.”

Searching for Zion: the Quest for Home in the African Diaspora (Grove Press, 2013) by Emily Raboteau became this year’s Common Read selection after professor David Evans and then reached out to her.

“Once she said she could come to campus, it was an easy decision,” Kishbaugh said. “That creates a real sense of immediacy that is so valuable for our students.”

Raboteau will be on campus Oct. 21 to speak at 10 a.m. chapel in Lehman Auditorium, as well as in a 4 p.m. colloquium at Main Stage Theater in the University Commons. Both events are free and open to the public.

Around the world

The book chronicles Raboteau’s 10 years of travel in Jamaica, Ethiopia, Ghana, and the American South, as she encounters and engages with voices as diverse as Rastafarians and African Hebrew Israelites, Evangelicals, Ethiopian Jews and Katrina transplants from her own family.

Raboteau’s search for Zion leads her right back to where she started, the United States of America, where, Evans asks in his review, “one wonders if the search for Zion is a search for a promised land or a search for self?”

The book was named a best book of 2013 by The Huffington Post and The San Francisco Chronicle. Raboteau is a current finalist for the , grand prize winner of the New York Book Festival, and winner of a 2014 American Book Award. Her fiction and essays have been widely published and anthologized. Raboteau resides in New York City and teaches creative writing in Harlem at City College, once known as “the poor man’s Harvard.”

‘Read’ strategy varies

EMU’s strategy related to the Common Read has been different each of its three years, Kishbaugh said. The inaugural book selection for 2013-14 was The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. was Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, which Kishbaugh said was especially thought-provoking for faculty members thinking about how to teach this new generation of computer-savvy consumers.

This year, all students in Transitions courses – that is, students who are new to the EMU community – are reading “Searching for Zion” and exploring themes of selfhood, race, citizenship and displacement: “how you and your cultural background fit in” or don’t fit in within various contexts and encounters with people who are similar and different, says professor , director of the EMU Core curriculum.

“A common read is based on the premise that learning together through our joint comprehension of and engagement with the text invites conversation and valuable cultural connections,” says English professor . “Meeting the author of the book helps make the text come alive – in community.”

Students, faculty and staff are welcome at events throughout the school year, including faculty presentations and responses, that provide opportunities to learn from and discuss the book.

Both texts, widely used in first-year writing courses in American universities, are written by Andrea Lunsford, a Stanford University professor recognized as one of the founders of the modern discipline of composition studies.

A first-year student deep into her spring semester studies, Bell says she was “shocked” to learn that her essay had been selected for the next edition of the handbook. “I had almost forgotten that my paper was even given to the publisher and I didn’t think it would be selected,” the nursing major said. “I am honored that something I wrote and spent so much time on will be published.”

Bell’s accomplishment is “a huge recognition,” both for her personally and for the EMU writing program, says chair . “Martha’s paper shows how our writing program encourages first-year students to begin thinking about their vocation and engaging in research related to their college majors.”

The quality of the student paper also reflects the first-year writing program’s cohesive focus, developed by rhetoric and composition specialist , as well as the collaborative instructional efforts of faculty and reference librarian , Medley said. Small classes, capped at 16 students, also create opportunities for individual attention and feedback, he added.

“College Writing for Transitions” is a required course for all majors that develops critical skills in writing, reading, research and analysis. For their culminating research paper, students are encouraged to explore a topic related to their future career.

The pre-professional focus is one particularly appreciated by Carolyn Lengel, Bedford/St. Martin’s executive editor for English, who worked with Lunsford to select the essay.

The nursing field was not represented in previous editions of the book or in digital resources, Lengel said. “So many students planning to enter such professions aren’t aware of how important writing will continue to be in their lives and careers.”

Improvement to textbook suggested by EMU faculty

The impetus for this new student example came from EMU faculty concerns regarding the handbook’s current model for APA documentation, Lengel said. The current model is a literature review that summarizes, rather than quotes, sources. Following correct APA style for summarization, no page numbers are cited.

“The EMU faculty requested that a future student APA model in The Everyday Writer include quotations as well as summaries,” Lengel said. “When I told Vi Dutcher that I’d be interested in sample student writing that her faculty considered exemplary, the EMU faculty responded with a student writing contest.”

The contest was open to all 160 students enrolled in “College Writing for Transitions” last fall. Bell, a student of , won first place. Though the first- and second-place winners were forwarded to the publisher, there was no guarantee they would be selected to replace the current student model.

“Martha’s paper is an exemplary model of APA style and formatting,” Lengel said, adding that she was “surprised and delighted” by the contest and pleased with its positive results.

The current edition of The Everyday Writer includes 22 pieces of student writing “from social-media writing and PowerPoint slides to memos, cover letters, and researched writing in various disciplines and in four documentation styles,” Lengel said. “We don’t change the work in every edition, and I hope we’ll be able to use Martha Bell’s piece for some time to come!”

Bell is a 2013 graduate of in Harrisonburg, Va., which also emphasizes developing student writing skills.

The two met, fell in love and cultivated successful careers at EMU, whose campus they can see from their nearby home.

Thursday, April 11, 2013, the duo fittingly celebrated their latest milestone on campus — the release of their respective books.

It’s rare to have a husband and wife publish separate books at the same time, , the EMU professor who organized the event, said. And it’s a rarity that’s particularly special for EMU, given the couple’s longtime ties to the university, she added.

“They made wonderful contributions to our community [and] this is just another type of contribution,” Eads said of the couple’s books — his, a compilation of poetry, and hers, a memoir.

The hosted a reading and book-signing event for the Landises on Thursday, an event that drew a large crowd of alumni, friends, faculty and administrators to the Campus Center.

“We didn’t really anticipate that it would be that many people, so that was a nice surprise,” Peggy, 73, said.

On Saturday, the Landises will host another book signing similar to Thursday’s at from 2 until 4 p.m. in the fireplace room.

Peggy and Jay Landis, 80, met when Peggy was a senior at and Jay was a new teacher fresh from graduate school. The two forged a relationship after Peggy earned her high school diploma, and upon her graduation from Eastern Mennonite College — the precursor to EMU — four years later, the two were married.

Peggy worked 16 years in the at EMU and Jay, an educator for 51 years, is a professor emeritus of EMU’s Language and Literature Department. June will mark 52 years of marriage for the couple.

Writing the books was Peggy’s idea, Jay said.

A few years ago, at “about the time that one should be making New Year’s resolutions,” Peggy posed an idea:

“[She said], ‘I think that next year, we should just each publish a book; I’ll write my memoirs and you get your poetry together,’” Jay recounted.

The idea turned into a three-year process that culminated in the recent pressings of the books.

In her memoir, “,” Shenandoah Valley native Peggy Heatwole Landis shares stories of “friendship and forgiveness, heritage and hospitality, generosity and gratitude, loss and love and the people of the lifetime with whom she has broken bread.”

The book is organized alphabetically by each story’s title and her personal anecdotes are paired with recipes from her own cookbook or those of family and friends. “Kitchenary” is Landis’ self-coined term for her personal dictionary of recipes and the memories they summon.

“My theme for the book is that the flavors and aromas and food evoke memories and so I associated my chapters with a recipe,” she said.

In “” Jay B. Landis compiled the poems he’d written throughout his career about the classroom, family, community and faith.

“[The book] is an eclectic work marking, among other things, EMU achievements, milestones, and honoring persons who are an integral part of the very mortar that is EMU’s foundation,” , chair of the Language and Literature Department, told the crowd during Thursday’s event.

“Having had a vested interest in EMU for many years and being a relative newcomer here, I treasure this contribution to the EMU community,” she said.

The books were put out through , a self-publishing company.

More than anything, both books are records the Landises hope to preserve for future generations of their family, they say.

But they hold something for others, too.

“The books [are] a chronicle of a lifetime of real partnership, creative endeavors, faith and family,” Eads said. “It’s really beautiful.”

Courtesy Daily News Record, April 15, 2013

Renown poet and author, , will read from her works following the dinner at 5:30 p.m. in Martin Chapel. Several of the author’s books will be available for purchase, and a book signing and question and answer session will follow the dinner.

“The experience of listening to her poems, hearing her use��everyday language in such an extraordinary way��had a profound influence on me,”��said , professor and chair of the language and literature department.�� “Diane’s simple and clear prose will speak to you of complex relationships among people and the earth.”

Fisher is the author of several poetry collections, most recently, “Kettle Bottom,” (Perugia Press, June 2004) which earned her numerous honors, including a spot on the American Booksellers Association Book Sense 2005 Top Ten Poetry Books list, the 2008 Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing, and inclusion in The Pushcart Prize XXX anthology.

In her review of Kettle Bottom, Catherine MacDonald gives the book high praise, “Set in 1920–21, a period of violent unrest known as the West Virginia mine wars, the poems in Kettle Bottom combine compelling narratives with the charged, heightened language of lyric poetry.”

Fisher has had her poems published in literary journals and magazines including Wind Magazine, Appalachian Journal, Shenandoah, Ploughshares, and The Spoon River Poetry Review.

Tickets and reservations

Writers Read is sponsored by the language and literature department. Reserve tickets or by calling the language & literature department at 540-432-4168.

• General Admission $15
• EMU students with meal plan $5
• All other students $7

The language and literature department at ��ݮ���� is sponsoring a presentation on race relations by award-winning author .

Dr. Jordan-Lake will speak 7 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 17, in Martin Chapel of the seminary building at EMU, drawing from her award-winning book, “Blue Hole Back Home: A Novel.”

Jordan-Lake is a professor at Belmont University, Nashville, Tenn. Her book won the 2009 national Christy Award for first novel and was selected as the 2009 Common Book for Baylor University, Waco, Tex. Inspired by actual events from her own teenage years, Jordan-Lake explores the tensions and eventual violence that erupt in a small, all-white Appalachian town when a Sri Lankan family moves in.

Ultimately, “Blue Hole Back Home” is a story not only of the devastating effects of racial hatred and cowardice, but more centrally, a celebration of courage, confrontation and healing. The book is increasingly being chosen as classroom and summer reading at various public and private high school, middle schools, colleges and universities.

After earning a bachelors degree from Furman University and a masters from a theological seminary, Jordan-Lake earned a masters and a PhD in English Literature from Tufts University, specializing in the role of race and religion in 19th century American fiction.

Her other writings include “Grit and Grace: Portraits of a Woman’s Life,” “Whitewashing Uncle Tom’s Cabin: Nineteenth-Century Women Novelists Respond to Stowe” and “Why Jesus Makes Me Nervous: Ten Alarming Words of Faith.”

Admission to the presentation is free.�� For more information, contact Dr. Vi Dutcher, language and literature
department, at 540-432-4316.