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Joy Harjo, an author published by Wesleyan University Press and W.W. Norton has been named the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States, as announced by the U.S. Library of Congress. Harjo is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation. She is the first Native American to serve as U.S. Poet Laureate. Harjo’s American Book Award–winning In Mad Love and War was published by Wesleyan in 1990. Other books include the pedagogical work Soul Talk, Song Language: Conversations with Joy Harjo, edited by Tanaya Winder; and theater work Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light: A Play by Joy…

In celebration of Pride Month, more than 50 members of the Wesleyan community showed their support for LGBTQ communities by participating in Middletown's inaugural Pride Parade on June 15. The parade was jointly coordinated and sponsored by the City of Middletown, the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, and Wesleyan University. In 2018, the City of Middletown formed an LGBTQ advisory committee to work on the inclusion of Middletown’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning residents. The parade stepped off at 2 p.m. at St. John’s Square and proceeded down Main Street to Union Street. A festival on the South Green followed…

In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Wesleyan in the News 1. The Morning Call: "Allen Student Wins 'Hamilton' Scholarship, Congrats from Lin-Manuel Miranda" Anna Tjeltveit of Allentown, Penn., winner of the 2019 Wesleyan University Hamilton Prize for Creativity, is profiled. She shares how her winning submission, a one-act play titled, "Five Steps," came together at the last minute, and discusses her early career in theater as well as her plans for her time at Wesleyan. 2. WJLA: "Arlington Teen Wins ‘Hamilton’ Prize Gets a Shout Out from Lin-Manuel Miranda" Cole…

In recognition of their career achievements, the following faculty members are being appointed to endowed professorships, effective July 1, 2019: Frederick Cohan, professor of biology, is receiving the Huffington Foundation Professorship in the College of the Environment, established in 2010. Susanne Fusso, professor of Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies, is receiving the Marcus L. Taft Professorship of Modern Languages, established in 1880. William Johnston, professor of history, is receiving a John E. Andrus Professorship of History, established in 1981. Ethan Kleinberg, professor of history and professor of letters, is receiving the Class of 1958 Distinguished Professorship, established in 2008. Tsampikos…

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Norman Shapiro, Distinguished Professor of Literary Translation and Poet in Residence, is the translator of Pierre Coran's book, RhymAmusings, published by Black Widow Press in 2019. "These 78 amusing rhyme-vignettes by preeminent Belgian children's poet and novelist Pierre Coran speak with an adult sophistication and endearing grace to the ‘child in all of us,’" Shapiro wrote about the book. Among the poems are "Six Hundred Six Sour Cherries," "The Little Goldfish," "Why Do Potatoes Have Eyes," "Scat, Cats," "The Whale in My Hat," and "The Flea and the Elephant." Publication of the book was aided by a grant from the…

Wesleyan's Campus Community Emergency Response Team (C-CERT), Public Safety, Physical Plant, and other staff participated in a joint exercise on June 11 to test the area’s ability to respond to a real-life emergency. Wesleyan partnered with health and public safety departments from Mass Dispensing Area (MDA) 36—which includes Cromwell, Durham, Middlefield, and Middletown, Conn.—and the Middletown and Portland CERT teams on the drill. The full-scale six-hour exercise took take place at the University’s Freeman Athletic Center and Coles Road Fire Station in Cromwell. Many local senior citizens and members of the Wesleyan community volunteered to play the role of patients. Emergency responders…

Wesleyan faculty frequently publish articles based on their scholarship in The Conversation US, a nonprofit news organization with the tagline, “Academic rigor, journalistic flair.” In a new article, Professor of Religion Peter Gottschalk writes about the history of anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim movements in the U.S., and the confluence of the two. Hate crimes associated with both Islamophobia and anti-Semitism have a long history in America's past Congresswoman Ilhan Omar tweeted recently that “Islamophobia and anti-Semitism are two sides of the same bigoted coin.” Her comments came in response to media reports that the suspect behind the shooting at a San Diego synagogue…

Wesleyan faculty frequently publish articles based on their scholarship in The Conversation US, a nonprofit news organization with the tagline, “Academic rigor, journalistic flair.” In a new article, Professor and Chair of Economics Richard Grossman analyzes the latest jobs report. May jobs report suggests a slowing economy – and possibly an imminent interest rate cut The latest jobs data suggests an interest rate cut may be imminent. The Labor Department reported on June 7 that U.S. nonfarm payroll employment increased by 75,000 in May, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.6%. This level of job creation was well below economists’ forecasts…

University Chaplain Rev. Tracy Mehr-Muska is the author of a new book titled "Weathering the Storm: Simple Strategies for Being Peaceful and Prepared," published by Wipf and Stock on April 19. The book offers simple and proven strategies to develop resilience that will be of benefit to anyone who is yearning to feel more peaceful and prepared. Mehr-Muska draws upon wisdom from different spiritual and religious traditions and from secular scholarship. "With enthusiasm and passion generated from personal experience, I present the reality that resilience is not inborn, but is instead a simple set of characteristics that can be cultivated," Mehr-Muska…

Michelle Personick, assistant professor of chemistry, has been selected by the Leadership Council of the Interactive Online Network of Inorganic Chemists (IONiC) to participate in a National Science Foundation–funded study to develop, test, and refine a flexible, foundation-level inorganic chemistry course. As a Virtual Inorganic Pedagogical Electronic Resource (VIPEr) Fellow, Personick joins 17 other inorganic chemists from across the country in a community of practice dedicated to improving student learning. The 2018 VIPEr Fellows are the first faculty who have been selected for this groundbreaking project. The study, titled “Improving Inorganic Chemistry Education,” is being conducted with support from the National…

Wesleyan's Center for the Arts recently received a $15,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the presentation and residency activities of dance artist Netta Yerushalmy, who will perform the work "Paramodernities" in October. The Center for the Arts is one of 977 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an Art Works grant. "Support from the National Endowment for the Arts is central to our ability to fulfill our mission to be a vibrant center for dance in the state, and to bring contemporary dance to audiences who might not otherwise be able to access it," said Sarah…

Wesleyan University Press Author Harjo Named U.S. Poet Laureate

Wesleyan Community Walks in Middletown’s Inaugural Pride Parade

Wesleyan in the News

6 Faculty Receive Endowed Professorships

Black Student Life Showcased at Multiple AFAM Exhibits Campus-Wide

Shapiro Translates Coran’s RhymAmusings

Wesleyan Employees Participate in Regional Emergency Preparedness Drill

Gottschalk in The Conversation: Hate Crimes Associated with Both Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism Have a Long History in America’s Past

Grossman in The Conversation: May Jobs Report Suggests a Slowing Economy—and Possibly an Imminent Interest Rate Cut

Chaplain Mehr-Muska Offers Strategies for Living with Peace and Preparedness

Personick Selected to Participate in an NSF-Funded Project

NEA Supports Dance Artist Yerushalmy’s Residency at Wesleyan