English Connect: Students & Virtual Communities
By Hannah Kang
The English department has responded to the challenge of fostering community across different time zones, states, and countries, posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the English Connect network. English Connect is a cross-campus, interclass, and holistic website for students, faculty, professors, and alumni to encourage virtual engagement within the English community, as well as enhance the experience of those who are struggling to maintain personal connections and sociability.
Led by professors and faculty committee Mary Bly, Sarah Gambito, and Glenn Hendler, English Connect has grown over the course of six months with now over 650 active members and fourteen special-interest groups giving vitality and warmth to the space. When asked about their experience with English Connect, many undergraduates and student leaders expressed that the site offered an opportunity to connect with other members of the Fordham English community in ways that were not possible before.
English major and Creative Writing concentrator Bea Mendoza, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’22, said, “I appreciate that English Connect is a centralised hub for absolutely everything related to the English department. I've found out about so many great events and opportunities, from poetry readings to internships. Over the summer especially it's been an amazing resource to keep in touch with the Fordham English community.” When asked what three words she would use to describe English Connect, Mendoza replied with, “informative, friendly, and open.”
Several student leaders similarly attest that this large network has allowed for more access to events and speakers, as well as a curated experience for those with niche interests within English. The group “Young Adult Books in Every Genre”, formerly hosted by Fordham College Rose Hill (FCRH) ‘20 alumni Jessica Cozzi and current host Peyton Skoczylas, FCLC ‘22, has been very productive in their initiative to gather admirers of Young Adult (Y.A.) fiction and create events revolving around the Y.A. book industry and creative process. Much of their inspiration for the group derives from a common stigma around the genre that denotes Y.A. fiction as being childish. Cozzi clarified that the genre is, “actually really robust, incredible, and INCREDIBLY progressive, much faster than adult publishing,” and as such the necessity to destigmatize Y.A. fiction through these active conversations has been elemental to the group. Skoczylas recalled guest speakers—including young adult authors Fran Wilde, Kelly Coon, and Phil Stamper—have made memorable events that encourage her to consistently post and engage with the English Connect site.
Howard Poon, FCLC ‘20, has also successfully led student creativity and engagement through his weekly “LitSprints” (Writing Salons). The intent behind “LitSprints” is to collectively motivate writers to work on essays or stories they have been putting off or procrastinating on as a form of accountability. Together, they follow the routine of 12pm-2pm on Thursdays, allowing them to be in accordance with a proper schedule and to dedicate themselves to their writing pieces. Acknowledging the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has affected creatives and their writing, Poon admits, “The meetings are attended not only by current students of Fordham, but also alumni (myself included).”
“The sense of schedule and community it brings, in a time of such weird limbo during this whole pandemic and move toward online classes, has been noted by attendants. I hope that it can fill the void that has been left by the strange times we live in.”
English Connect can be requested and accessed through the Fordham English website, as well as a calendar of Fall events