Mount Mercy University

National Coming Out Day at a Mercy University in the Red State of Iowa

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LGBTQ Mount Mercy

How should we celebrate National Coming Out Day in 2023 in the red state of Iowa? This was a key question at the most recent meeting of Mount Mercy University’s Faculty and Staff GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance). Let’s start with logistics: we’re marking National Coming Out Day after fall break because the actual day, … Read more

First Day of School Never Gets Old

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Mount Mercy University hill

This year marked my 29th first day of school as a professor at Mount Mercy, and my 37th as a teacher. If you count my student years, it was my 55th first day of school! That fresh fall start never gets old. Sure, there is sadness about leaving summer behind and having less time to … Read more

Poetry, The Bittersweet, and Literary Serendipity

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pen with variegated hosta

Serendipitous. Elated. Energized. That’s how I felt when I read the title poem of Andrea Cohen’s 2019 collection, Nightshade. On the surface, the short poem is about a plant:

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Queer Visibility at a Small Catholic University

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MMU faculty staff GSA at Lavender Commemoration

This Pride month, I want to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and its many allies at Mount Mercy, a small Catholic university in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I’ve taught English there my entire career. Twenty-seven years! As a Queer elder, I’ve enjoyed witnessing and contributing to the increased visibility of the LGBTQ+ community on campus. Queer Visibility … Read more

Teaching LGBTQ+ Literature During the Pandemic

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books taught in LGBTQ Lit

During the pandemic, students focused on queer trauma, but next time, I plan to ensure that they also explore queer joy.

Patient Urgency: Reading “The Immortalists” During the Pandemic

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The pandemic has amped up my sense of urgency, my desire to make good use of my time. One new action I took was to start a Zoom book club for Mount Mercy English students and faculty this summer. I figured the pandemic would leave many students at loose ends, unable to travel or work, … Read more

Teaching the Work of a Visiting Writer

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teaching Re Jane

How do you make the most an author’s campus visit? How do you lay the groundwork? I’ve pondered these questions since I started teaching at Mount Mercy 26 years ago, back when my friend and colleague, the poet and essayist Jim McKean, directed our Visiting Writers Series. The questions have become more important to me … Read more

The Time Between Writing and Teaching

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dividing your time between writing and teaching

We’re midway through summer: that bittersweet time when I need to shift (or at least think about shifting) the focus of my work-life from writing to teaching. This summer, the shift feels more disorienting, yet richer in possibility, because I’ve been on sabbatical. Thanks to Mount Mercy University, I’ve been away from the classroom since … Read more