Recent Faculty News

Bob Cowser, Jr.

Bob will spend his fall 2013 sabbatical teaching travel writing at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad and studying the Danish open prison system in Copenhagen.

Carmen Gimenez Smith

Carmen's fourth book of poems, Milk and Filth, was published by the University of Arizona Press in spring 2013.

Stephen Haven, Director

Steve was interviewed and featured reading his poem, “Walker Evans Photograph: Factory Street, Amsterdam, New York, 1930,” in the Dutch documentary film, Amsterdam Stories USA, East. Amsterdam Stories USA, East, directed by Rob Rombout and Rogier van Eck, was an official selection of the "International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam" and premiered in Amsterdam, Holland, from November 14-25. The film’s Brussels premier will take place at BOZAR (the Center for Fine Arts), from January 18-21, 2013. Amsterdam Stories USA, East is part of a 4 film sequence, six hours in length, that documents life in 16 American cities named after Amsterdam, Holland. Steve spent four days in his home town, Amsterdam, New York, in August 2010, filming with the directors. His poem was translated into French for the film’s subtitles. More information about the film is available at http://www.idfa.nl/industry/tags/project.aspx?id=277a1f25-98bc-4849-a8e8...

Daniel W. Lehman

Dan Lehman, resident faculty mentor in nonfiction, has recently published six essays and interviews about South African literature and film (Sindiwe Magona, Jonny Steinberg, Rayda Jacobs, Athol Fugard, Mark Behr, Michiel Heyns, as well as filmmakers Gavid Hood, Ralph Ziman, Ian Gabriel, and Mark J. Kaplan) in journals specializing in African or world literature. Dan returns to South Africa in May and June to co-direct an Ashland University/Ohio State student study tour and to continue his research and writing there. Other current projects include several essays in progress about the implications of character naming in nonfiction as well as his editorial work with River Teeth and with the River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Book Prize.

Joe Mackall

Joe Mackall received his fourth Ashland University Mentor Award in 2013.

Joe Mackall, Dan Lehman, and Sarah M. Wells are delighted that River Teeth placed more pieces in Best American Essays 2013 (thanks to our own Steven Harvey and Jon Kerstetter) than any other magazine or journal save The Paris Review.

Leila Philip

Leila has a new book coming out in 2012, Water Under the Bridge with Argian Press, a work of text and image with lyric essays counterpointed with artwork. Another piece, an essay "Geography of the Imagination" is being published by Philip Wilson Publisher, London in a volume of essays of writing about art titled Beneath the Skin. Pub date March 2013.

Ruth L. Schwartz

Ruth L. Schwartz published two essays and two poems in The Sun in 2013. In 2012, her sixth and seventh books were released: Miraculum (poems), and Soul on Earth: A Guide to Living & Loving Your Human Life (nonfiction).