NMU English Department

08/21/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Ben Wetherbee on his recent conference presentations! Conferences are not only essential for staying up-to-date in one's field, they also offer essential opportunities for mentorship and collaboration. At the 2025 Midwest Modern Language Association Conference, Dr. Wetherbee presented his paper, “Hoping against Sentiment: James Baldwin, Edward Said, and Rhetorical Impiety” alongside three NMU graduate students. Their panel was titled "Rhetoric and Hope." In February, Dr. Wetherbee also co-directed a workshop at the Midwest Winter Workshop, a regional conference for graduate students in rhetorical studies, hosted in Bloomington, IN.

Dr. Wetherbee's Recent Conference Presentations:

“Who We Aren’t: Constitutive Alienation in the Time of COVID-19.” Co-presenter with Matthew Dowell. Rhetoric Society of America, May 2026, Portland, OR.

“Hoping against Sentiment: James Baldwin, Edward Said, and Rhetorical Impiety.” Midwest Modern Language Association, Nov. 2025, Milwaukee, WI.

“Pathos, Propriety, and Man’s Best Friend: (Re)Introducing Rhetorical Appeals in First-Year Composition.” Michigan Writing Centers Association Ideas Exchange, Oct. 2025, Marquette, MI.

08/20/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Kia Richmond on two recent publications:

Richmond, K.J., and Olan, E.L. (2026). Digital media/social platforms and mental illness in young adult literature. In V. Malo-Juvera & C. Hill’s (Eds.) Oxford Handbook of Young Adult Literature. Oxford University Press.

Olan, E.L., & Richmond, K.J. (2026). Examining young adult literature through a Rogerian perspective: Self-actualization in I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. In Identity, Criticality, and Advocacy in Young Adult Literature: Training Teachers to Empower Students in the ELA Classroom. Routledge.

08/20/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Kel Sassi! On July 1, 2026, Dr. Sassi, Professor of English, became the President Elect of the Michigan Council of Teachers of English (MCTE).

She is facilitating the MCTE fall conference on October 16, 2026 in Lansing, Michigan. The theme of the conference is Writing/Righting Our Place: Grounding our Teaching Practices Where We Live. The keynote speakers are Rob and Amanda Montgomery, authors of A Place to Write. Lunch speaker is Dr. Kristin Arola. The registration link is here: https://mymcte.org/event/mcte-fall-conference-2026/

Early registration ends September 18th.

07/16/2026

An Excellent English Alum! Go, Amber!⭐️

NMU alumna Amber Kinonen is one of three faculty members to receive Bay College's 2026 Outstanding Educator Award for excellence in teaching, student support and service to the campus community. She joined the college in 2008 as a transitional reading instructor and now teaches a variety of English....

04/22/2026

Congratulations to our faculty members Professor Lynne Johnson and Dr. Kel Sassi on their NMU 2026 Excellence in Teaching Awards! We're so fortunate to have these two amazing instructors in our department! 🤩

Pictured: Prof. Lynne Johnson (Part Time Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient), Dr. Rob Winn - Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Kel Sassi (Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient)

04/14/2026

Congratulations to senior English Secondary Education major and Writing minor, Kailey Buettner! Her poster on The Winter's Tale at the Stratford Festival, a live theater trip several English students take each summer, is on display at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research! ⭐️