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Layers of Narrative: Lambda Literary award-winning author K-Ming Chang visits the University of Detroit Mercy

As part of the University of Detroit Mercy’s Triptych virtual visiting author series, I had the privilege of attending K-Ming Chang’s reading—an electrifying journey through her surreal, poetic storytelling. Hosted by Dr. Stacy Gnall, Detroit Mercy’s poet-in-residence, the event immersed the audience in Chang’s world, where identity, family, and the uncanny intertwine in haunting and…
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Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet Brandon Som Visits Detroit Mercy as part of Triptych Visiting Author Series

On Thursday, January 16th, Pulitzer Prize winner Brandon Som spoke with UDM students via Zoom after reading from his book Tripas, a collection of poems largely dedicated to Som’s maternal grandmother. In Tripas, Som uses images of circuitry to describe the long hours his grandmother spent on the factory line. The cover of the book…
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“We don’t separate kids by zip code” — A Grant Writing Experience with Arts & Scraps

During the Fall 2024 semester, students in Dr. Sigrid Streit’s ENL 4070: Grant Writing class collaborated with Arts & Scraps, a local Detroit non-profit, on a Community Engaged Learning (CEL) project. The students learned from Arts & Scraps about their work in the community. They then researched and wrote grant proposals the non-profit will use…
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Summer Reading Recommendations, 2024 Edition

Each summer, members of the English Department offer reading recommendations for the Detroit Mercy community. This year’s recommendations include books folks have loved and books they plan to read themselves this summer. Leave your own recommendation in the comments!
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Artist’s Statement: “The Girl I Used to Be”

Read the winner of this year’s Dudley Randall Poetry Prize, “The Girl I Used to Be,” and an artist statement by poet Sam Gillmore.
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What I Saw

Inspired by John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, students in Writing About Literature visited the DIA and wrote about one work of art they had never seen before–or taken the time to look at closely.
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Duality in Being: A Review of Farnaz Fatemi’s Triptych Reading
by Olivia Vitale (‘24) As both the school year and my time here at the university come to a close, I am grateful to have been able to attend the final event in the 2024 Triptych virtual author series. I found myself captivated by the work that Fatemi shared with those in attendance at the…
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Great Reads by Native American Authors
Pulitzer Prize-winning and Native American novelist, N. Scott Momaday’s recent passing (on January 24, 2024), inspired us to compile a list of our favorite books composed by Native American authors. We hope you’ll enjoy exploring our recommendations and maybe you’ll even find a new favorite read. Leave your own recommendations in the comments!
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Inspired by Myth: A Review of Donika Kelly’s Triptych Virtual Visiting Author Series Event
by Kristin Murphy (’23) I am beyond grateful to know that a space exists where my mind can be captivated and relaxed at the same time. This space is Triptych, the University of Detroit Mercy’s virtual visiting author series. The Triptych series began when I was a senior at Detroit Mercy, but it has remained…
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Painted into the Picture: A Review of Tracy K. Smith’s Wade in the Water
by Deja Spruill (‘24) Slavery is not only extremely relevant to the foundations of American history, but it is also extremely relevant to the social and political structures we see today. The treatment of enslaved African Americans has left so much blood on America’s hands, that it’s dripped into future generations. In Wade in the…