December 4, 2019

MMU English students participate in scholarship conference

Scholars Present Views

Six Mount Mercy English students participated in the 12th Annual Streamlines: Undergraduate Literature & Writing Conference on Saturday, November 16 at the University of Dubuque.

Maraleen Ruiz-Diaz, junior; Madelyn Orton, senior; Orlando Clark, junior; Jessica Purgett, senior; Haley Weideman, senior; and Ally Killean, junior, all participated in different categories within the conference. Ruiz-Diaz, Orton, Purgett, Heideman, and Killean all presented in the literary analysis category. Clark, along with Purgett and Killean, presented under the creative writing category.

It was illuminating to be able to share my own academic and creative work and to listen to other undergraduates share theirs.

Ally Killean '21
English & Secondary Education

english-undergrad-conference.jpg“It was illuminating to be able to share my own academic and creative work and to listen to other undergraduates share theirs,” said Killean. “It was also really rewarding to present pieces of writing that I spent a lot of time and effort on and have the chance to share my writing process with others. I'd recommend this conference to anyone who gets the opportunity to go.”

Over 30 students presented throughout the conference and the keynote speaker was Lyle Muller, who works with “IowaWatch” on their educational programming. Before retiring from the position in Aug. 2019, Muller served as executive director-editor for “IowaWatch.” He also has served as editor of both the “Iowa City Gazette” and “The Gazette.”

The conference featured varied topics, from toxic masculinity in literature to film and genre studies. Each session of the conference consisted of least three students presenting their work and one moderator.

“The conference allowed me to get an idea of what grad school is like. It gave me a chance to hear works my peers have done and how I could make my work better,” said Clark. “The conference was good because it gave me another platform on which I could not only share my work, but also get feedback.”

The conference was good because it gave me another platform on which I could not only share my work, but also get feedback.

Orlando Clark '21
English

Next year’s 13th annual Streamline conference will be held on Nov. 14, 2020 at Clarke University. Information on how to submit a proposal can be found at clarke.edu/academics/english/streamlines/.