The Literary Way
a newsletter for the English Department of Xavier University of Louisiana
May 2016
this issue
English Dept. Party P.1
Dr. Violet Bryan, Emeritus P.2
Tennessee Williams Fest P.3
Divisional Picnic P.4
Graduate of the Year
English Department End-of-Year Celebration
In accordance with English Department custom as established in the
post-Katrina year (2006), a highlight of the party was the
announcement of English Graduate
of the Year, based on voting by
faculty and students. The deserving
winner for 2016: Simone Graham.
On Tuesday, April 26, 2016, English Department faculty and students gathered for a party
to celebrate the end of academic year 2015-16, and to bid farewell to our graduating seniors, such as the three pictured above: Kaylen Sanchez, Kirsten Sanchez, and Myra Forkner.
Other attendees, shown below from left to right, included graduating seniors Melanie
Jones and Lester Rainey, and Dr. Biljana Obradović, who profusely thanked and acknowledged the hard work of New Voices editor, Gloria Parker. New Voices is Xavier University of
Louisiana’s long-standing and acclaimed undergraduate literary journal.
Mr. James Shade
and Simone Graham
Dr. Violet Bryan Named Professor Emeritus
On April 19, 2016, at a University Academic Assembly, Acting Provost
Marguerite Giguette made the happy announcement.
The English faculty were pleased but not
surprised. As Dr. Giguette noted, the
recommendation letter for Dr. Violet
Bryan’s emeritus status was signed by
English Dept. Scholarships
every fulltime faculty member of the
department. Dr. Bryan will join Dr. Thomas
Bonner, Jr., as our second professor emeritus—and will share an office with him
whenever her ongoing research brings her
back to campus.
Dr. Bryan’s 13-page curriculum vitae
English Department are very, very proud of
attests to a highly dedicated scholar and
her.
At the English Department party
on April 26th Dr. David Lanoue
announced the recipients of the
2016-17 departmental scholarships. These awards of $1,500 to
$2,500 will help the following
English majors in good academic
standing pay their tuition.
excellent classroom teacher who devoted
over thirty years of exemplary service to
[ABOVE:] Dr. Thomas Bonner, Jr., and his
her students at Xavier and, earlier, Dillard
wife Judith pose with Dr. Bryan at a dinner
University. After publishing her significant
celebration at Landry’s Seafood Restaurant.
book, The Myth of New Orleans in Litera-
[BELOW:] Dept. Head Dr. David Lanoue
ture (1993), Dr. Bryan didn’t rest on her
thanks Dr. Bryan for her years of service,
laurels but instead continued publishing
presenting her a gift for which all English
essays in journals and giving presentations
faculty chipped in: a print of Every Day a
at scholarly conferences. She is a highly
Miracle, signed by the artist, Xavier alumnus
respected and often cited expert in her
Terrance Osborne. President C. Reynold Ver-
field. The students and faculty of the
ret and Dr. Giguette look on.

Serena Newberry, a sophomore from Southfield, Michigan

Tyler Despenza, a senior
from New Orleans, Louisiana

David Whitfield, a senior
from Helena, Arkansas

Zoe Burnside, a sophomore
from Saint Paul, Minnesota

Lindsey Speights, a senior
from Hawthorne, California
The English Department Scholarship Committee selected these
students on the basis of their
academic achievement and financial need. All majors were invited
to apply by submitting a letter
describing their coursework, career
goals, and financial challenges. The
Scholarship Committee consisted
of Dr. Oliver Hennessey (chair),
Mr. Ralph Adamo, Ms. Katheryn
Laborde, Dr. Bonnie Noonan, and
Dr. Lanoue.
The Glass Menagerie
Le Petit Theatre, 4/3/16
-a student’s view-
Tennessee Williams Festival 2016
On Sunday, April 3rd, several of Xavier’s
Bonnie Noonan —in a stellar role as the
faculty members and students participated
mean-spirited landlady. Ralph Adamo
on the Tennessee Williams Festival panel,
(pictured above) concluded the session
“Becoming Tennessee,” organized and
with a fascinating speculative essay on
chaired by Ms. Katheryn Krotzer Laborde
what the young Tennessee Williams would
of the English Department. After Ms.
encounter in the literary and cultural
Laborde’s talk on the influence of New
scene, were he to arrive at the city in
Orleans on Tennessee William’s early
2016.
fiction, Dr. Lisa Flanagan and the Xavier
University Performance Studies Laboratory
presented a dramatic reading of Williams’s
story, “In Memory of an Aristocrat.” Mr.
James Shade of the English Department
then presented a reading of his original
one-act play based on “An Angel in the
Alcove,” performed by student members
of the Nubian X-pressions drama group
joined by English faculty member Dr.
On the previous Saturday, Kristina Kay
Robinson of the English Department moderated a panel, “Terror and Survival in Life
and Literature,” in which three novelists
discussed how they have drawn upon histories—personal, familial, and political—in
their works. Kristina, an English Department alumna who is the newest addition
to the fulltime faculty, is a writer, editor,
and visual artist.
What makes The Glass Menagerie
timeless is undoubtedly its universal themes. People still read the
play, study it, act it and watch it
because it touches and deals with
human experience. One of the
major themes of this play is the
escape of reality. Indeed, Tom goes
to the movies to escape the dullness of his life in the warehouse.
He says “Adventure is something I
don’t have much of at work, so I go
to the movies.” Similarly, Laura
finds refuge in her glass menagerie.
She creates a whole world of illusion in which she is so deeply
drowned that she forgets how to
interact with people in the real
world. As for Amanda, she lives in
the past of her bygone youth, at a
time where she received seventeen
gentlemen callers in one Sunday
afternoon. She also refuses to
accept the fact that her daughter
Laura—not receiving any gentleman callers—is not as popular as
she was.
The final scene, particularly, moved the whole audience. Notwithstanding the fact
that Tom finally went after what he has always been yearning for, adventure; he
does not seem to be able to live in peace, for the memory of his vulnerable broken
sister is haunting his mind. Everything seems to remind him of her and her fragility.
While Tom is on stage addressing the audience describing his overwhelming feelings
of guilt, Amanda is consoling Laura in the fourth wall after the tragedy of the gentleman caller. At last he bids her farewell with the most nostalgic and elegiac tone.
“Blow out your candles, Laura—and so goodbye.” She blows the candles out and
the deep silence breaks into a thunder of applause.
—an excerpt from a review by Amani Rawand Ben Brahim, English Honors Student
[Amani Rawand, on the right, poses with cast members after the performance.]
Professors Jammin’
[LEFT:] Director of Freshman
Writing Mr. Jeremy Tuman and
resident Shakespeare scholar Dr.
Oliver Hennessey performed a few
musical numbers.
[BELOW:] Serena Newbury won the
door prize, a $200 Barnes & Noble
Bookstore gift card.
THE LAMP Picnic
Division of Fine Arts & Humanities’ Annual Celebration
Theology, History, English, Languages, Art, Music, Philosophy: students and faculty from all
seven departments of THE LAMP gathered on a fine, sunny Friday afternoon (April 8) in the Art
Village. Each department presented an award to a student. The English Department’s award
was an announcement of the Graduate of the Year—Simone Graham, who would later be
honored again at the English Department’s End-of-Year Party (see page 1).
Crawfish: soon to be devoured by the hungry masses. Administrative Specialist Treschere Washington and Sister Mary Ann Stachow
(Theology) proudly form a Xavier X, joined by President Verret and College of Arts & Sciences Executive Assistant, Michelle Balan. Dr.
Mark Gstohl, Theology Department Head, served as grill-master.
The Literary Way: a newsletter for Xavier University
of Louisiana’s English Department
Dr. David Lanoue, Editor
dlanoue@xula.edu
504.520.7477
Administration 317G
www.xula.edu/english/