Professor of English Onno Oerlemans presented a paper titled “Poetry as Field-Guide: Can you Capture a Ptarmigan in a Poem?” at a conference of the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment (ASLE) on June 24 at the University of Indiana.

Janet Simons and Angel Nieves, co-directors of the Digital Humanities Initiative at Hamilton, and Hena Ahmad and Patricia O'Neill, professors of English at Truman University and Hamilton College respectively, attended the 10th annual Summer Institute in Digital Humanities at the University of Victoria in British Columbia June 4-11. More than 100 librarians, faculty and graduate students attended this year's institute representing an impressive array of scholarly work in digital humanities.

The subject of medieval times frequently conjures up images of knights, chivalry and the iconic and mysterious King Arthur. Most historians agree that King Arthur is probably only a legend, yet his image pervaded medieval history and politics. Meghan Woolley ’13, a recipient of a 2011 Emerson Summer Grant, will spend the summer exploring the role of Arthurian legend in English monarchies of the 12th to 16th centuries.

Margaret Thickstun, the Elizabeth J. McCormack Professor of English, was featured in a USA Today article (5/12/11) about her Milton Marathon. The article was reprinted from Inside Higher Ed. Alumnus John C. Ulreich, ’63 a Milton scholar at the University of Arizona, was also featured in the article for holding the 13th annual Milton Marathon at the University of Arizona.

Visiting Assistant Professor of English Jane Springer has won a Pushcart Prize for her poem "Murder Ballad" which originally appeared in the winter 2010 edition of Cincinnati Review.  Springer’s poem will be reprinted in The Pushcart Prize XXXVI: Best of the Small Presses.

Hamilton’s highest awards for teaching were presented at Class & Charter Day on May 6 to  Professor of Economics Elizabeth Jensen, Professor of English and Creative Writing Doran Larson, Associate Professor of Women’s Studies Anne Lacsamana and Assistant Professor of Philosophy Russell Marcus. Frank Anechiarico '71, the Maynard-Knox Professor of Government and Law, was presented with the Sidney Wertimer Award by the Student Assembly.

Four members of the Hamilton faculty were recognized for their research and creative successes through the Dean's Scholarly Achievement Awards at Class & Charter Day on Friday, May 6. The awards were established in three categories by former Dean of Faculty Joe Urgo in 2008.

Visiting Assistant Professor of English Jane Springer has been selected as the 2011 winner of the Beatrice Hawley Award for her book of poetry, Murder Ballad.  The award is given by Alice James Books, a nonprofit cooperative poetry press founded in 1973. Springer will receive $2,000 and her book will be published with Alice James Books in May 2012.

Three award-winning Hamilton poets will read in “Winning Words” on Saturday, April 16, at the Kirkland Art Center. Readings by William Billiter, Naomi Guttman and Jane Springer will follow a reception at 7:30 p.m. The event marks National Poetry Month and is free and open to the public.

Visiting Assistant Professor of English Jane Springer has six new poems published in this spring’s issue of The Southern Review. The poems are titled “Looks Like the Hound That Caught the Car”; “Nocturne: So Mixed Up She Don’t Know Daylight from Dark”; “In a Coon’s Age”;   “Don’t Know a Stranger”; “I’ll Wear the Hound out of That”; and “Pretty As You Please.” The Southern Review is published by Louisiana State University.