Dr. Holly M. Wendt, associate professor of English, presented original fiction at the 2021 Sport Literature Association Conference and published “The Bolton Strid” in Shenandoah 70.2.

The College’s P.R.I.D.E. (Pursuing Respect, Inclusion, and Diversity for Everyone) Network celebrated their recent efforts to improve the College’s Campus Pride Index score. The group, which began as a social group for LGBTQ+ and allied faculty and staff, worked over the past year to evaluate and improve components of campus related to LGBTQ+ and ally programs. LVC’s Campus Pride Index score increased from a 3-star to a 4-star rating. Members of the network are Dr. Laura Eldred, interim associate provost of undergraduate education; Dr. Barbara Prince, assistant professor of sociology; Dr. Holly Wendt, interim chair of humanities, associate professor of English, and director of creative writing; Dr. Tonya Miller, assistant professor of physical therapy; and Tyler Cox, associate director of intercultural affairs and inclusion and deputy Title IX coordinator.

Dr. Holly M. Wendt, director of creative writing and assistant professor of English, was published in Bodies Built for Game, The Prairie Schooner Anthology of Contemporary Sports Writing. The anthology, edited by MacArthur Fellow Natalie Diaz and Hannah Ensor, “brings together poems, essays, and stories that challenge our traditional ideas of sport and question the power structures that athletics enforce.” Wendt’s essay, “The Sum of Our Doing,” brings together their experiences on the Camino de Santiago, the nature of competition and pilgrimage, and issues of community and identity.

Director of Creative Writing and Assistant Professor of English Holly M. Wendt presented “One Pilgrim’s Progress on the Camino de Santiago” at the 2019 Casper College Humanities Festival in Wyoming in February. The Camino de Santiago, the Way of Saint James, is an ancient pilgrimage route leading to Santiago de Compostela. Popularized in the Middle Ages, the Camino still attracts pilgrims for reasons both sacred and secular from all over the world. In their presentation, Wendt described the rich tapestry of history, art, and cultural exchange that underpins the Camino de Santiago and reflected on their personal experiences as pilgrim, scholar, and writer.

On Oct. 20, at the Conversations & Connections Conference at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Dr. Holly M. Wendt, assistant professor of English and director of creative writing, facilitated an interactive workshop for conference attendees. In “What Do You Make of It?: History & Short Forms,” participants generated poems, micro-essays, or flash fictions through engaging with historical artifacts ranging from daguerreotypes to advertisements. A tutorial for the workshop is available here.

Dr. Holly Wendt, assistant professor of English, was recently interviewed by The Triangle regarding the College’s newest major, creative writing, which she helped launch. Curtis Smith, who adjuncts occasionally at LVC, conducted the interview.

Dr. Holly M. Wendt, assistant professor of English, presented at the annual Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) Conference in Austin, Texas, as part of the panel “Faculty Development: Bringing it Back to Campus” on Nov. 11. Dr. Wendt highlighted the ways in which they’ve used their experience as a participant in a CIEE International Faculty Development Seminar focused on the Camino de Santiago, a medieval pilgrimage route in Spain, to enrich their First Year Experience course, “Get Medieval On It.” The seminar, titled “Modern Debates Along an Ancient Way,” considered the role of the Camino de Santiago in medieval and modern literature, economics, faith, and visual culture.