by Kira Schukar ’22
The five EHS officers—Dalton Greene ‘22, Shelby Kruger ‘22, Kira Schukar ‘22, Gabby Helf ‘23, and Ella Rehman ‘23—welcomed newly inducted members to the English Honor Society at the Fall Induction Dinner on November 11th.
Traditionally held in the Briggs House, the Induction Dinner moved into the Weyerhaeuser Boardroom this year, where English faculty and students enjoyed a catered dinner from Everest on Grand. The last EHS Induction Dinner was held in the fall of 2019, so this year’s dinner celebrated the inductees who have joined over the past two years.
After the attendees had settled at their tables, the senior EHS officers introduced the English Honor Society and Sigma Tau Delta, the international organization associated with EHS.
“In addition to the prestige of membership in an international honor society, there are many other benefits of affiliation,” Shelby said. “There are thousands of dollars in scholarship and award opportunities, regional and national conferences, and internship and publication possibilities.”
After the officers welcomed the EHS community to the dinner, they invited Professor Matt Burgess to the podium. Professor Burgess gave a heartwarming introduction for his colleague, Professor Emma Törzs, who read a section of her forthcoming short story, “Hard Mother.”
“Emma is like a cookie,” Professor Burgess said. He explained that whenever he mentions Prof. Törzs to a class, his students’ faces light up.
The full version of Professor Törzs’s short story, “Hard Mother,” will be published in the winter issue of American Short Fiction, available this coming December or January. The piece, Professor Törzs explained, started as an inside joke with herself—she challenged herself to write a story that science fiction writers thought was literary, and literary writers thought was science fiction.
After Professor Törzs’s reading, the new inductees picked up their EHS member packets, which included a pin, bookmark, and certificate from Sigma Tau Delta. Any new inductees who could not attend the dinner or did not receive a packet can pick it up during business hours in the English Department.
On December 9th, EHS will host a screening of The House of Tomorrow, the movie based on Professor Bognanni’s book of the same title. The screening will start at 8 p.m. in Old Main 111. All English majors, minors, and friends of the department are welcome to join.