By Marcus Smith ’27, Student Correspondent
Every year, Sigma Tau Delta, the international English Honor Society, hosts a convention that gathers some of the most brilliant of the next generation of writers and literary scholars.
This year, 11 student members of Mu Omicron, The University of Scranton’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, attended the annual convention “Second Lines and New Beginnings” from March 29 to April 1, in New Orleans, where they presented papers ranging from short stories to poetic criticism.
Almost 200 different universities and colleges from across the globe attended the closing ceremonies on April 1, where awards were presented to around 70 presenters for outstanding works in their categories, ranging from original prose to LGBT literature to pop-culture analysis.
Out of those 68 recipients, two University of Scranton alumni and one current undergraduate won awards, putting Scranton in the upper tier of universities to be awarded, with three in total.
The following students presented their papers at the convention:
Emily Carey ʼ26, a public policy and philosophy double-major from Monroe Township, New Jersey, presented “Uttering Identity.”
Adelle Confer ʼ26, an English and Philosophy double-major from Canton, presented “Clifton and Madhubuti: Assassination, Hopelessness, and Dejection.”
Lauren DeSantis ʼ26, an English and Philosophy double-major from Copiague, New York, presented “The Emerald Standard: Limitations on Irish Women in Lady Gregory and W. B. Yeats’ “Cathleen Ni Houlihan” and James Joyce’s ‘Eveline.’”
Amanda Karpiak ʼ27, an English major from Scranton, presented “Death In Edinburgh.”
Jenna LaBarca ʼ26, an English and Criminal Justice major from Tuckahoe, New York, presented “Annis’ Departure from the World of Spirits and Passage to Freedom.”
Faith Montagnino ʼ26, an English major from Morganville, New Jersey, presented “Grief as Protest: Reimagining the Elegy in Danez Smith’s ‘not an elegy for Mike Brown.’”
Gabriella Palmer ʼ26, an English, Theatre and Philosophy triple-major from Phoenixville, presented “The Inheritance of Vivienne Dupree.”
Nya Rowe ’26, an English major from the Bronx, New York, presented “The Art of Dorian Gray: Victorian Aesthetics in Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray.'”
Marcus Smith ʼ27, an English and Theatre double-major from Schuylkill Haven, presented “The Scranton Anomaly.”
Lauren Spratt ʼ26, an English major from Philadelphia, presented “Women and Proto-Feminism in Victorian Literature.”
Benjamin Storman ʼ27, an English major from Scranton, presented “Journal of an American Janitor.”
The students were chaperoned by Billie Tadros, Ph.D., and Madeline Gangnes, Ph.D., both associate professors in the Department of English and Theatre who also serve as faculty moderators for Mu Omicron.