University hosts award-winning writer
Courtesy of The NMU Department of English and Passages North, respected essayist and fiction writer Mary Clearman Blew will visit the Women’s Federated Clubhouse at 104 W. Ridge St. at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 16 to read and display pieces of her work. “She is a very esteemed writer,” said professor Paul Lehmberg, director of the MFA program. Blew, a teacher of creative writing at the University of Idaho, grew up on a small cattle ranch on her grandfather’s 1882 homestead in Montana, which greatly influenced her writing. Blew’s essays and stories have recorded the ways of ranch life. Through her works, Blew has received two Montana Awards in the Humanities, and the H. G. Merriam Award for Distinguished Contribution to Montana Literature. One of Blew’s more noteworthy works is her memoir “All But the Waltz: Essays on a Montana Family,” which won a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award. She was also presented with the Western Literature Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1997, she received a honorary doctorate from Carroll College in Helena, Mont. One of her latest works, “Jackalope Dreams,” was published in 2008. Books written by Blew will be available for purchase and signing after her presentation.
– Jay Tomlinson
Summer job fair returns to Northern
NMU’s Career Services will host its sixth annual summer job fair this Tuesday, Feb. 17 from 1-3:30 p.m. Originally, the job fair was intended to help students who wished to stay in Marquette for the summer find local jobs, however, in past years, the fair has expanded to include business from across and outside the U.P., said John Frick, director of Career Services. Some of those businesses include Sea World from Florida, Six Flags from Gurney, Ill. and Mackinac State Historic Parks. And while many businesses will be offering actual employment, others will be there to provide internships as well. Frick said students should bring a copy of their resumes, and dress nicely for the event. “This is a great way to get connected to companies that might be hiring full time when (students) graduate,” he added. The event will take place in the Great Lakes Rooms and is free of charge.
– Jackie Stark
Diversity workshop to inform students
The Student Leader Fellowship Program is continuing its Skill Builder! series on Tuesday, Feb. 17 with a workshop highlighting diversity recognition and acceptance. The event, titled “Diversity Inclusion – Making it Personal,” is taking place from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Back Room of the University Center, and all are encouraged to attend. Students who participate in the workshop can look forward to gaining a new perspective on the diversity around them and, according to event coordinator and Psychology Graduate Prep major Nicole Stumpf. The Skill Builder! is based on a workshop from the 2008 National Conference for College Women Student Leaders that explored how to recognize and embrace differences. Stumpf said she has taken what she learned at that conference and personalized it so that it relates to NMU student life. By organizing next week’s workshop, Stumpf said she hopes to bring to campus a new understanding of what diversity inclusion means. “Diversity isn’t just about race, gender, or religion. We are all different,” said Stumpf. Attending students can count this event toward their “Diversity Edge” hours in the Superior Edge program. To register for this workshop call 227-1771 or e-mail [email protected].
– Lauren Tarr