From Jill Salahub, English Department Communications Coordinator: “I am so happy to introduce the English Department’s Communications Interns for Fall 2014, Denise Jarrott and Timothy Mahoney. Just like the position description stated, these two are creative and enthusiastic CSU students with good communication and writing skills who are going to help us tell the story of the English Department.
I’m looking forward to facilitating their dynamic mix of undergraduate and graduate, creative nonfiction and poetry, interest in current events and an appreciation of history. Some of the projects they are currently working on: faculty profiles, a department history, articles about department readings and events, building an upcoming events page for the department’s blog that will include things happening on campus and beyond, and continuing our Humans of Eddy project (even as those Humans are temporarily out of Eddy).”
From intern Tim Mahoney: “I was born in Denver, Colorado and came to CSU in the fall of 2011. When I was applying for colleges, I felt eighteen years was not enough time to experience everything Colorado has to offer, so I decided Fort Collins would become my new home.
I originally came to CSU as a construction management major, but during my first semester I quickly learned my true passion was English. I had taken 20th Century Fiction as part of the core curriculum, and instantly fell in love with the intellectual, and emotional joyride, that is reading and writing. I started off reading classic fiction texts in my lower division survey courses, but soon found my passion in creative non-fiction. I began to write creative non-fiction, and read authors such as David Sedaris, Anne Lamott, and Mike Birbiglia who have the natural talent of extracting the profound from the ordinary.
This is my last semester at CSU, and while I am nervous to leave the place I consider my home, and the people I consider my family, I am excited to get out and finally answer the question: What do I want to do with an English degree? I have been asked this question many times, and my answers have certainly varied over the years. Despite me not having an exact idea of what I will use my degree for, I am sure that the communication, analysis, and critical thinking skills I have learned as an English major will serve me well in my career.
I have a firm belief that there are lessons to be learned every day, but sometimes it takes the close eye, and critical mind of an English major, to know exactly what that lesson is.”
Denise Jarrott is a transplant from Iowa and an MFA candidate in poetry. She grew up in a small resort town in Northwest Iowa and received her BA in English from the University of Iowa. She was an employee at Prairie Lights bookstore and an undergraduate research fellow for WritingUniversity.org, where she also wrote occasional book reviews. Her writing has appeared in Petri Press, Rescue Press, Dollfeeder, and is forthcoming in Dusie. Her thesis-in-progress, a collection of poems and lyric essays tentatively titled Red Dwell mediates on the intersections of eros and architectural space.
Aside from writing, Denise is a tireless flag-waver for libraries and independent bookstores. She plans to pursue a Master’s in Library Science following her MFA. She also occasionally paints watercolors of distinctive-looking people and ephemeral text.
Welcome, Tim and Denise!