Open Books, Fresh Pages, & New Possibilities
By Nylah Winchester, senior English major
October 13, 2025
Pictured above: Snapshots from Nylah’s summer
Hello students, faculty, and blog readers; welcome to the 2025-26 school year! I hope everyone had a lovely summer. During the break, I focused on crossing books off of my personal reading list. My favorite novels were Kay Chronister’s The Bog Wife and R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface. The Bog Wife is a gothic novel that follows the Haddesley family as they struggle to survive on a dying bog that once sustained them. Yellowface is a satirical novel that critiques racial diversity in the publishing world. It follows Juniper Song (a white woman), who steals a manuscript written by Athena Liu (an Asian-American woman) after Athena fatally chokes on a pancake. Although the content in these books differed, both of them invoked the type of suspense that had me on the edge of my Hello Kitty bean bag.
When I was not reading, I worked on writing samples for my graduate school applications. These samples must be thesis-driven papers that showcase my ability to use multiple sources, analyze literature, and defend claims; this involves a significant amount of revising and editing. Fortunately, our English program prepares us for this style of writing, so I used my final papers from two previous English courses: Western American Literature, taught by Dr. Merrilyne Lundahl and Transgender Literature, taught by Dr. Diana Maltz.
My mentor and advisor, Dr. Alma Rosa Alvarez, guided me through the editing process. Her expert feedback pushed me to revisit the texts, clarify ideas, and refine my prose: “The textual support should show aspects of masculinity, grief, and identity so that the last sentence of this paragraph makes sense.” I realized how important it was to have an outside reader provide critical feedback—whether I was rephrasing a sentence or deleting an unnecessary word, each draft became more polished. These experiences reminded me that the best writing definitely happens during the revision process.
“We are a small program, but we are small and mighty.”
– Dr. Alma Rosa Alvarez
I am currently a scholar in the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Scholars Program). This program serves students who are interested in going to graduate school by preparing them through workshops, research experiences, internships, and conferences. In July, my cohort and I traveled to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to present our research at the 2025 UCLA National McNair Conference. I turned the final paper from Western American Literature into a PowerPoint: “Literary Whiteness and The Oppositional Gaze: Magdalene’s Characterization in The Mountain Lion.” My presentation explored how Magdalene, a Black domestic worker, disrupts a seemingly white-centered narrative. By using critical race theory and bell hooks’ concept of the oppositional gaze, I argued that her “watchful” presence exposes and challenges the systemic erasure of Black agency in literature.
After presenting, some of the scholars on my panel asked me questions. The most thought-provoking came from an English major who is also a person of color. They asked, “How do you still enjoy our major/reading when we read a lot of books that dehumanize, objectify, and are just blatantly racist towards people like us?” I explained to her that, aside from reading and writing, being an unapologetic Black woman is also a passion of mine. So, when I encounter white supremacist ideology in literature, I have to call out what I see. Do I get angry? Yes! But I find comfort in knowing that my work creates space for everyone to engage in difficult but necessary conversations.
Pictured Above: Nylah Winchester presenting research at the 2025 UCLA National McNair Conference
My last hurrah before summer ended was a trip to Albany, New York. I toured the State University of New York at Albany’s graduate program and met with an English professor who expressed interest in working with me if I am accepted. We discussed the program’s structure and what my education at their institution would entail. I noted that the program is teaching-oriented; there are opportunities for me to create my own syllabus and instruct classes, which is wonderful, as I aspire to be a professor. I love the program, and I hope I get accepted.
“Although my summer consisted of many marvelous experiences, I missed being on campus, seeing my friends, and taking English classes, so I am thrilled to be back.”
– Nylah Winchester
This term, I am taking two creative writing courses with Dr. Kasey Mohammad: Intermediate Poetry and Non-Fiction Writing. These classes are guaranteed to strengthen my writing, and I aim to experiment with my creative voice. I also have ENG 447A: Irish Literature with Dr. Diana Maltz. This class examines Irish fiction, drama, and poetry. We will discuss topics like the Irish Literary Revival and historical events such as the Irish famine. Although I am not well-versed in this genre, the topics are engaging, so I am eager to learn more.
Pictured Above: Incoming English students, Nylah Winchester, Dr. Margaret Perrow, Dr. Merrilyne Lundahl, and Dr. Alma Rosa Alvarez at a Meet the Majors Event
I am not the only person thrilled about what this school year has to offer. The English program hosted a Meet the Majors event where incoming students met the professors and discussed the program. There, I met Emma Pearl Williams and Emily Jennings. Emma Pearl, a first-year transfer student, explained that she is “excited to learn more about English at a higher level.” She is eager to take upper-division courses and hopes to enroll in some classes that focus on Shakespeare studies—her favorite Shakespeare play is Twelfth Night. Emma Pearl also enjoys reading classic novels and translations of Beowulf.
Emily Jennings is also a first-year transfer student who believes that “being at a university is more exciting because [she is] in a space with people who share similar interests.” Emily is looking forward to Dr. Diana Maltz’s Introduction to Poetry course, given her background in poetry: “I’m a poet. I started writing them in middle school, and I love it.” Aside from poetry, Emily enjoys reading gothic novels and books that fit into the dark academia category, though she maintains that “genre doesn’t matter much if the writing is interesting.”
Pictured Above: Emily Jennings (left) and Emma Pearl Williams (right)
As for the English Program blog, some great posts are coming out this term! Before last year’s blogger graduated, we interviewed Dr. Margaret Perrow who is retiring after the fall term. To commemorate Dr. Perrow’s time at Southern Oregon University (SOU) and the substantial work she’s done in her field, I am writing a farewell blog post. In addition to this, I have reached out to some SOU English alums who are publishing, founding businesses, and ghostwriting memoirs! Their stories are inspirational and they encourage me to keep creating; I cannot wait to share their achievements with you all.
To the faculty, students, and blog readers: here’s to a year filled with discovery, creativity, and growth. And to my fellow English friends: happy reading and writing! Good luck, everyone.
You can stay up-to-date with all of the exciting things happening in our department by following the English Program on Instagram (souenglish) and Facebook and by subscribing to this blog!
Interested in being featured on the English Program blog? Or know someone who is interested? Contact English Program blogger Nylah Winchester-Robinson at winchesterrobinsonn@sou.edu.
Learn more about SOU’s English Programs:
English Home Page | English BA/BS | English Minor | TESOL Certificate Program
