Posts tagged: writing

Highlights from the Lit Studies Alumni Panel

On February 18th, 2022, Professor Jennifer Firestone welcomed back five Lit Studies alums—Jaye Elizabeth Elijah, Hilina Da Costa Gomez, Shulokhana Khan, Colin Marston, and...   Read More

You never know where your Lit classes can lead you!

by Elaine Savory — Emeritus Professor of Literary Studies Two former Literary Studies students—Alexa Roccanova and Chrisila Maida—contributed to Wide Sargasso Sea at 50...   Read More

Watch Colette Brooks in Conversation with Jennifer Egan

On January 17, 2022, Greenlight Bookstore hosted a virtual book launch for Colette Brooks’ Trapped in the Present Tense: Meditations on American Memory. Jennifer...   Read More

Call for Submissions — The Paper Shell Review

The Paper Shell Review, the University of Maryland’s only undergraduate journal of essays on literary topics, is now accepting submissions. The introductions to our...   Read More

Fall 2021 Literary Studies Capstone Readings – Dec. 16

Thursday, December 16, 2021 6:00PM to 7:30PM (EST) The Literary Studies department is proud to present readings by graduating seniors hosted by Assistant Professor of Writing, Wendy Xu. Students will read from their final...   Read More

Watch the 2021 Literary Studies Book Party!

Missed the Literary Studies Book Party? It’s not too late to see what it was all about! Watch the reading below! On October 21st,...   Read More

Check out photos from the Eleven and a Half launch party!

Last Thursday, the student-led publication Eleven and a Half held its annual launch party, celebrating the latest edition of art, writing, poetry, and design...   Read More

Join us for the Fall 2021 Eleven and a Half Publication Party

Please join us for the publication party of the student-led magazine, Eleven and a Half, on October 14th, 5-7 PM. Stop by the Vera...   Read More

Please join us for the publication party of the student-led magazine, Eleven and a Half, on October 14th, 5-7 PM.


Stop by the Vera List courtyard and enjoy in-person student readings and presentations from Eleven and a Half’s talented cohort of undergraduate writers and editors. Engage in conversations with the editors, writers, and designers of the student-run magazine. Hosted by the current magazine staff.

For more information, check out Eleven and a Half’s instagram @elevenandahalfjournal.

Registration for this event is now closed.

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On February 18th, 2022, Professor Jennifer Firestone welcomed back five Lit Studies alums—Jaye Elizabeth Elijah, Hilina Da Costa Gomez, Shulokhana Khan, Colin Marston, and Jasveen Kaur S.—to share their thoughts on life after college and the creative ways that their Literary Studies degrees propelled them onto their current personal and professional paths. 

You can watch the entire video here or read the transcript here

Their paths have all differed greatly, ranging from publishing to journalism school, from an MFA in Poetry and to work in Film Production. They all agree that the breadth and interdisciplinary focus of classes offered by Lang’s Literary Studies department were incredibly formative. 

  • “There were all these opportunities I had to enhance my facilitation skills, my teaching skills, and think about how I would want to be more equitable when it comes to teaching.” —Jasveen Kaur S.

  • “No experience is ever wasted. Within all the classes that you take there is really always something to be mined… Anything that you’re doing is going to help you move on to the next thing.”—Shulokhana Khan

The panelists gave concrete, practical advice on what to look for when applying to jobs and internships, without sugar-coating the reality of the creative job market.

  • When applying to internships, “be clear-sighted about your objectives and also hold them accountable. They should pay interns. The system is exploitative and if it’s not for academic credit, get paid.”—Colin Marston

  • “Don’t be afraid to leave, as well, if you feel like you’re being mistreated… The right people will understand why you left.”—Hilina Da Costa Gomez

Overall, the panelists helped set clear, honest expectations of life after college: it’s hard and competitive. But the tools they acquired from their many experiences in Lit Studies and The New School at large have helped them remain flexible and creative in their pursuits.

  • “There’s a lot of possibility and I think there’s a real emphasis on having a book, or having the most beautiful idyllic publishing job, or going straight into a program right after graduation, and none of that is required… don’t get caught up in the myth of ‘prodigy’ and needing to have it all figured out. So I would say let yourself fail and fail hard and it’ll come together eventually.”  —Jaye Elizabeth Elijah

  • “The jobs that I got look pretty neat on paper, but there are a lot of rejections in between, a lot of ‘I don’t know what I’m doing!’ ‘I don’t know if I’m ever going to get anything!’”—Shulokhana Khan