1. The Chair’s Compass 1
Highlighted Scholarships. 2-3
Faculty Spotlight 4
How to be an Intern 5
Visiting Writers Series 6
Inside this issue:
The Narrow Road to the
Deep North—a late 17th
century poetic diary by
the great Japanese haiku
poet, Matsuo Bashō, re-
counts his journey
through Japan as a
means of restoring and
renewing his art: "every
day is a journey, and the
journey itself home." The
title and the sentiment
are echoed in Richard
Flanagan’s 2014 novel,
which received the Man
Booker Prize that year.
It is a gripping, harrow-
ing account of another
journey in a later centu-
ry, the WWII enslave-
ment of Allied troops—
mainly Australian,
Dutch, British, and
American soldiers—and
forced labor to build a
supply line—the infa-
mous Death Railway—
between Thailand and
Burma for Japanese war
efforts in Southeast Asia.
There is much that is epic
in the design of the novel,
tragic in its ultimate con-
clusions. The novel,
which I incorporated this
fall into my Critical Prac-
tice course, is not festive
reading, definitely not a
work fitting for Yuletide
celebration, the time I sit
here writing this
“compass.”
And yet it is. A
story of cruelty and brav-
ery, it also reflects on the
love, sacrifice, and small
kindnesses that sustained
the soldiers in the bleak-
est, most appalling time
of their lives. Christmas,
in the deep grip of winter,
is equally a story of love,
sacrifice, and acts of kind-
ness that allow us to give
thanks for what we have
and who we are capable
of becoming in our best
moments. Perhaps the
novel is essential reading
at Christmas, a grim re-
minder of the worst and
best elements of life’s
journey and of how in-
domitable we can be
when confronted with
challenges that test our
faith. Please keep in
touch with this depart-
ment and let us know
about your own jour-
neys, the roads that
you trod. We would be
delighted to hear from
you.
H.
The Chair’s Compass
College of Arts and Sciences — Department of English and Linguistics
Editor/ Writer:
*Chris Ashton*
Supervisor:
Dr. Kate White
Fall 2015Indiana University — Purdue University Fort Wayne
“Behind this door
Now buried in deep
grass
A different generation
will celebrate
The Festival of Dolls.”
-Matsuo Bashō

2. PAGE 2 FALL 2015
Highlighted Scholarships for 2016
Story by Chris Ashton
College of Arts and Sciences - Department of English and Linguistics
IPFW Students: most of
you (and I include myself among
your number) know how difficult
it can be to pay for college. Some
of us are working a couple of full-
time jobs, an internship, going to
school full time, and (I cannot
fathom how) raising a family in
the time between. Since time is a
finite resource, and many of us
are finding it in short supply, I
thought it best to highlight some
of the scholarships available to us
for the upcoming school year. In
addition to cutting down the fi-
nancial burden on students, a
scholarship might give a student
the opportunity to take some time
and focus on what’s really im-
portant: themselves. After all,
what is college if not a tool for bet-
tering one’s self? And, even if you
disagree, who couldn’t do with a
bit more free time? Anyway, with-
out further ado, here are some
scholarships that I think are
worth highlighting:
The Department of Eng-
lish & Linguistics Award
for Ethics in Linguistics
Who it’s for: Undergraduate or
Graduate Students
How much: $500
What it’s about: The focus of this
award is to reward students who
can effectively utilize linguistics to
promote nonviolence and under-
standing.
How to get it:
Complete at least one course
in linguistics and/or the lan-
guage study concentration
above the introductory level,
and
Submit one of the following:
* A piece of linguistic
coursework,
* A presentation on the
topic (in any media),
* A documentation study,
* A course course-related
conference presentation, or
* Something along these
lines that demonstrates a poten-
tial for promoting nonviolence and
understanding.
Why I chose it: I like this award
because it is accessible. Grad stu-
dents and undergrads alike can
get amongst it, and the prize is
pretty considerable. It seems to
me that, if you have even a pass-
ing interest in linguistics, you owe
it to yourself to try. In all likeli-
hood, you have already created
the winning apparatus (for a lin-
guistics course, presumably) any-
way; just submit that thing and
see what happens!
The Sylvia E. Bowman
Award
Who it’s for: Undergraduate Stu-
dents
How much: $400 and your name
is added to a plaque and memori-
alized for eternity.
What it’s about: This award fo-
cuses on students who can show-
case effective writing or teaching
skills in the field of literature.
How to get it: All you have to do
for this one is submit an essay on
either the writing or teaching of
literature. That’s it.
Why I chose it: This award stuck
out to me because it’s relative sim-
plicity (in terms of assignment)
and the multifaceted reward. Hon-
estly, I can’t imagine many of us
don’t want to have our names
etched into a plaque and displayed
for those who come after us. It’s a
symbol of the winner’s achieve-
ment. I back it.
The Psi Iota Award for
Writing
Who it’s for: Undergraduate Stu-
dents
How much: Monetary amount is
TBD, but the winning story may
also be published in Confluence.
What it’s about: This one is all
about exemplary writing. Show off
your writing chops, win a prize
(just like at the county fair).
How to get it: To be considered
for this award, you must:

3. Hey,Alumni! WeWant to Hear fromYou!
PAGE 3 FALL 2015
Highlighted Scholarships for 2016
Mail your responses back to:
Kate White
English Department Newsletter
Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
We’d love to hear from our alumni about where your lives have taken you. You may clip this portion of
the newsletter and mail it with your responses, or you may email us at newsletter-engl@ipfw.edu. Here
are a few things we’d like to know:
Is there something you’d like to see in this newsletter?
What direction did your English degree from IPFW take you?
Have you continued to write creatively? Would you be interested in having your work in our news-
letter?
Are there updates to your career or life you’d like us to know about?
What is your fondest memory of your time in the English Department here at IPFW?
What advice would you give current students?
College of Arts and Sciences - Department of English and Linguistics
OR
Find us on Facebook and
tell us your story!
Email your response to:
whitek@ipfw.edu OR
* Hold a GPA of at least
3.0 in English courses, and
* Submit your best short
story.
Why I chose it: While the previ-
ous two awards were centered on
research or things of academic
nature, I wanted to highlight one
that targeted the creative writer,
also.
Additionally, if you win, your
work could be published in Fort
Wayne’s Confluence magazine.
Again, you win money, too, but
who wouldn’t want to pad their
portfolio just a bit? Finally, since I
mentioned previously how little
time we are all finding ourselves
with these days, I thought it pru-
dent to choose an award that re-
quires less of that precious time to
Submission Instructions
The deadline for the awards and
scholarships mentioned is Febru-
ary 19th, 2016. In order to enter,
students should provide appropri-
ate submission materials based on
award criteria as well as a faculty
member’s name who will support
the nomination. Please attach
electronic submission with cover
letter: name, faculty member’s
name, and your IPFW e-mail
address.
Send submissions to Dr. Sand-
man: sandmans@ipfw.edu.
be spent.
These are but a few of the
scholarships and awards that are
available to us as IPFW students
with English majors or minors.
For more information, contact the
department office at 260-481-
6841, or visit the office, which is
located in the Liberal Arts Build-
ing, room 145 during regular of-
fice hours.
Submission instructions
have been provided to the right. If
you have any further questions
regarding those, I encourage you
to e-mail Dr. Sandman at the ad-
dress listed (sandmans@ipfw.edu).

4. Faculty Spotlight:
Dr. George Kalamaras
PAGE 4 FALL 2015
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Rachel E. Hile
EDITORS: Clark Butler, Bernd Fischer
REVIEW EDITORS: Frank Palmeri, Mihoko Suzuki
MANAGING EDITOR: Cathleen M. Carosella
A Journal of
Literature, History,
and the Philosophy of
History
Clio: A Journal of Literature History, and the Philosophy of Histo-
ry, an international triennial journal, publishes scholarly
essays on three interrelated topics: literature as informed
by historical understandings, historical writings considered
as literature, and philosophy of history, with a special in-
terest in Hegel.
Clio seeks essays that are interdisciplinary in their argu-
ments. We publish researched essays at the intersections
of our three disciplines of emphasis. Our focus is histori-
ography, in reference to any time period and literatures,
especially those that reflect contemporary theoretical ap-
proaches to our traditional focus.
Email: clio@ipfw.edu
Website: http://www.ipfw.edu/engl/clio.html
College of Arts and Sciences - Department of English and Linguistics
since 1990, and has published 14 vol-
umes of poetry (seven of which are full
-length, and seven of which are small-
er collections), nearly 900 poems in
magazines and anthologies, a book of
scholarly criticism, and numerous
scholarly articles, in addition to teach-
ing and other things. I found it a bit
unsettling that IPFW could have
someone with so much work under
their belt, yet I knew almost nothing
about him. So I decided to ask him a
few questions, and bullet some inter-
esting points about the good doctor.
He is Indiana’s current Poet
Laureate. Dr. Kalamaras has
held the post since 2014, taking
over after his predecessor, Karen
Kovacik, and he will conclude his
two-year term at the end of 2015. I
asked Dr. Kalamaras about the
highlight of his position: “I can’t
narrow it to one highlight…
However, several of my initiatives,
working together toward this goal,
stand out: The state-wide collabo-
rative poem (‘Project 411’), my
poetry video blog ‘A Gray Barn Ris-
ing’ (of which I broadcasted 75 epi-
sodes), and the ‘Five Corners’ poetry
readings I organized throughout the
state (in which I brought groups of
poets from one part of the state to
another and through which I got to
meet so many wonderful people).”
He was awarded an Indo-U.S.
Advanced Research Fellowship
to conduct research in India. In
his own words: “My research grant
was an Indo-U.S. Advanced Re-
search Fellowship (from the Ful-
bright Foundation and the Indo-U.S.
Subcommission on Education and
Culture). As a long-time practitioner
of Hindu-yogic meditation, I have
conducted research for decades on
silence, the topic of my critical book
from State University of New York
Press. I went to India in 1994 to
continue that research, where I
studied primary texts in libraries
and conducted multiple interviews
with yogis in various ashrams.”
He is responsible for IPFW’s Vis-
iting Writer’s Series. The series,
started in 1992, was handed to
him when his predecessor, Wen-
dell Mayo, left IPFW in 1994. It
brings writers of poetry, fiction,
and nonfiction to Fort Wayne,
where they have an opportunity
to read to a community-wide
audience and meet with stu-
dents. Over the last 23 years,
the series has played host to all
manner of writers (most recent-
ly, I checked out Joe Amato and
Kass Fleisher’s visit— more on
that on page 6). When asked if
he had a favorite visiting writer,
Dr. Kalamaras replied: “No, I
don’t have a favorite. Every one
has been wonderful, each in his
or her own way, bringing fresh
insight to the series.”
When he’s not writing, teaching,
hosting events, recording broad-
casts, or holding positions of great
import, you can find Dr. Kalamaras
in his office (Liberal Arts Building,
Room 119).
To me, IPFW exists as a microcosm in our fair
city, Fort Wayne. As such, students (and maybe Faculty/
Staff alike) see faces that they will never get to put a
name next to. Dr. George Kalamaras has been at IPFW

5. In my time here at
IPFW, I’ve met a myriad variety
of students; people from all
walks of life end up in college, so
I’ve learned. College is an excel-
lent time for trying new things
(or so I’m told), and the experi-
ence afforded to us as interns can
be incredibly preparatory for
those of us looking to break in to
our prospective job markets. One
interesting thing I’ve found
about this populace, however, is
that a lot of them have taken on
some form of internship. Ironical-
ly, even I have found myself in a
couple- which explains why I
have a platform for writing this
article- but it left me wondering:
what is our responsibility, as
interns, to people who might like
to/totally need to find an intern-
ship? I’ve decided to type this
“helpful” how-to in order to as-
suage my guilt.
FINDING AN INTERNSHIP
The first step on the road to suc-
cessfully becoming an intern is
finding an internship. I utilized
the internet, bulletin boards at
school, and even word of mouth
to little avail. It was genuinely
surprising how many companies
didn’t want me to come and in-
tern with them: I quickly discov-
ered that, if I was going to in-
tern, it was probably going to be
for free. Finally, I decided to just
ask my internship coordinator
(the ever-knowledgeable Dr.
Kate White), and that did the
trick. The irony of this situation,
however, was that, upon receiv-
ing my very first internship, on
my first day, I was
given this advice from my super-
visor: “Never take an unpaid in-
ternship.” It was incredible. That
same man continued on to say
that, as far as practicality is con-
cerned, giving away your time is
foolish. I disagree- it might have
been nice to get paid, but it also
severely limits the options availa-
ble to you. Plus, my experience
there was invaluable, so I like to
think that I had the right idea.
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR
INTERNSHIP
So, after taking my advice
(or not- there’s more than one way
up the mountain, after all), you’ve
landed an internship. This, alone,
does not make you an intern. No-
instead, being an intern means
being knocked down a peg. I don’t
mean to insinuate that you will be
berated or belittled- most human
resources departments have rules
in place to try and prevent such
practices- but you should (and
likely will) be working beneath
someone. First, this provides an
opportunity to learn a strong
sense of empathy- how can we feel
anything for anyone without expe-
riencing their plight? There’s no
need to whine- you’ll likely only be
doing this temporarily. Empathy
makes you a better candidate and
increases your ability to land fu-
ture jobs, anyway.
Second, unless you are
planning on staying at the compa-
ny you intern with, I strongly rec-
ommend having some fun with it.
It’s important to remember that
you are representative as IPFW
as an intern, but it’s equally im-
portant to remember that you are
(maybe?) an English major/free
spirit/beatnik/hedonist. Have fun
with this- a lot of people work and
work and work, then forget to en-
How to be an Intern
PAGE 5FALL 2015
joy any of this at all. One day you’ll be
super old (or already dead), and you’ll
look back on your time as an intern- but
you won’t remember anything. That’s
because you took it too seriously: con-
grats. Soon you’ll be dead, and without
even a single comforting memory of your
time as goofy intern. You don’t want that
(probably).
Finally (and this may seem con-
trary to some of my other points), the last
thing you should do with your internship
is actually show up. As a college student,
I am more than familiar with the tempta-
tion we face to blow off our classes and
do, quite literally, anything else; howev-
er, with an internship, you are doing an
egregious disservice to yourself by failing
to attend. Unlike class, you are not miss-
ing a lecture or a PowerPoint- you are
simultaneously blowing it for your school
and the company that took a huge risk
and hired you (even though you wrote
“sandwich artist” on your resumé, which
is probably a bad idea). Don’t be that per-
son. Instead, I offer a compromise: get
weird there and stay weird, but show up.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Well, this is a bit redundant, isn’t it? I
already told you what I think you should
do. Do that. Quit reading. Wait, no- in-
stead, read it again, and listen to my ad-
vice. That’s my final answer.
College of Arts and Sciences - Department of English and Linguistics

6. Roger Ebert. Her readings were tem-
porally schizophrenic, jumping from
the 20th century back to the 18th cen-
tury, and many times in between.
One particularly endearing element
of Dr. Fleisher’s reading came in the
form of her flubbing a line: “I’m just
going to do this again,” she said with
a laugh. She also admonished that
this sort of thing (along with her
writing) is about “cleaning up as you
go.”
Joe Amato, on the other
hand, kept his reading a bit tidier.
His reading focused on the day-to-
day life and thoughts of Dr. Amato-
each line a situation in which he
“pretends” something. For example:
“This is where I pretend that there
are still things you can do with
words that you can’t do with any
other medium.” This reading had a
lot of juxtaposition, pitting opposing
feelings against each other in back-
to-back lines. Some were robotic,
For the month of October,
2015, IPFW hosted two visiting writ-
ers: Kass Fleisher and Joe Amato.
Initially, I thought it would be ad-
vantageous to talk about these au-
thors in terms of their accomplish-
ments and backgrounds, but I real-
ized that there wasn’t a great way to
do that without ripping information
straight from their websites infor-
mation that can be found at kass-
flesiher.com and joeamato.net, re-
spectively. Instead, since they were
there for a reading, it stands to rea-
son that I would talk about those
readings, rather than their accom-
plishments (which are great; check
those websites for proof).
Kass Fleisher is a well-
educated author whose works for
this setting were concerned with a
myriad of topics, including feminism
(Dr. Kalamaras, who hosted the
event, introduced her writing as
“fiercely feminist”), identity, and
some humorous, and still others felt
revelatory (e.g. “This is where I pre-
tend that nobody knows anything”).
Dr. Amato’s reading gave audiences
a real look into the thoughts and
feelings of his speaker, and the ef-
fect was humanizing and, simulta-
neously, entertaining.
This reading was wrapped
up by a Q & A, in which both au-
thors were asked about their inspi-
rations and writing habits. “I bitch
about everything,” said Amato, jok-
ing about how his organized ap-
proach tends to create little annoy-
ances with his writing. Fleisher, on
the other hand, is a bit more care-
free: “I’m not worried about it,” she
says, adding: “I just know it’s going
to be there.”
IPFWVisiting Writers Series: Joe Amato & Kass Fleisher