The Words, October 2014
A Welcome from Your Newsletter Editors
By Molly Sowash ‘16
The coffee’s brewing, the treats are baking, and the English Department is buzzing with the start of a new year. Before the weeks start flying by, it’s my honor to introduce this semester’s editors for The Words. Allison Dobscha, Zoya Haroon, Sarah Richman, contributing editor Allison Goldfarb, and I are stoked about providing all you English folk with the stories, news, poetry, and happenings of the department. We look forward to interviewing professors about their scholarly work, capturing students’ candid thoughts on video, reviewing events, and giving you a picture of the brilliant, creative people we get to experience on the second floor of Old Main.
Allison Dobscha ’15, this year’s senior editor, grew up in Portland, Oregon and is an English Literature major with minors in Biology and Hispanic Studies. Allison spent her summer in Houston, interning for the Student Conservation Association. This semester, she’s excited about taking Intro to Statistical Modeling, as this course challenges her to think in a completely different way than she’s asked to in her other classes. Allison hopes to continue perfecting and expanding The Words. “Each issues is another opportunity to learn about the amazing individuals and events in our department,” she remarks, “and I’m grateful for the chance to work on my own writing, editing, and design skills in the process.”
Zoya Haroon ’15, an English Lit and WGSS double major, hails from Los Angeles. This summer she worked in downtown Minneapolis as an intern for The Advocates for Human Rights, a non-profit committed to protecting and promoting human rights for marginalized communities. To de-stress from academics this summer, Zoya rapidly consumed all five novels in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. “Honestly, much better than you would think,” she says.
Sarah Richman ’16, from Bethesda, Maryland, is double majoring in Creative Writing and International Studies. She spent her summer in Ghana working on clean water issues through a fellowship with Saha Global, an NGO that trains women to run locally owned water treatment and solar power centers. She worked in the village of Wovogu, training entrepreneurs and helping to launch their water treatment business. The women now provide safe drinking water for their entire community.
Allison Goldfarb ’15, a contributing editor to The Words, will showcase the great poets and creative writers at Macalester through the newsletter’s Word Play column. Allison is from St. Louis, Missouri and is majoring in English with a concentration in Critical Theory. This summer she interned at the Walker Arts Center and traveled to Chicago and London. The last book she read for pleasure was How Music Works by David Byrne, a “really great piece about the power of music and performance,” she says.
Lastly, I am Molly Sowash ’16, a Creative Writing major and Religious Studies minor from Columbus, OH. This summer I interned on a cattle farm in western Minnesota where I learned about water and soil conservation, land stewardship, and the amazing ability that cows have to restore damaged environments. This semester I’m most excited about my Creative Writing Poetry class because it has already challenged me to stretch my writing style in new and unexpected ways.
After reflecting on her past experience with The Words, Allison Dobscha writes, “I love how each issue produced feels unique. I’m looking forward to seeing what kinds of new stories we can uncover this year.” As this semester’s editors, we’re eager to share the accomplishments and stories about the people that surround us in the English department. We encourage everyone to come by often so that we can get to know one another outside of class. Keep your eye out for our monthly publications and we’ll see you around!