- Announcements
Steinbeck Research Fund Honors John Ditsky
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Thanks to a generous donation from Mrs. C. Suzette Ditsky, emerging Steinbeck Scholars will be able to utilize the outstanding resources in the Ball State University Libraries. The Steinbeck Research Fund has been established in honor of Mrs. Ditsky’s late husband, John, who passed away on May 15, 2006. Dr. Tetsumaro Hayashi, a longtime friend, said, “He was first and foremost a passionate and dedicated scholar, teacher, and mentor.” Hayashi commented that the Research Fund was “established to honor Ditsky’s long-established legacy of extending a helping hand to emerging Steinbeck scholars.”
Guidelines
Recipients will spend a minimum of five days doing intensive research using the Steinbeck collections or other materials from the Ball State University Libraries. The results of this research must be submitted for publication in a professional, scholarly, Steinbeck-related journal, and/or presented at a Steinbeck conference, convention, or lecture at a university. [End Page 105]
Applications
Applicants should submit two copies of a one or two-page, double-spaced, Steinbeck-related research proposal, a curriculum vitae, and a completed application form, (available soon at http://www.bsu.edu/libraries/archives/). Send applications to John B. Straw, Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Bracken Library Room 210, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306.
For More Information: Contact Mr. Straw at jstraw@bsu.edu
Contributions to the Fund: Send to Ball State University Foundation (include Fund No. 5112 on the check) through Mr. Straw.
2014 Louis Owens Essay Prize Winner
Ashley Reis, University of North Texas
Essay Title: “From Self to World: The Holistic Ecology of John Steinbeck’s Early Fiction”
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Ashley Reis holds a B.A. and M.A. in English from the Universities of Kentucky and Oregon, respectively, and is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in English at the University of North Texas. Ashley specializes in twentieth-century American literature and ecocriticism, and is interested in American literature’s treatment [End Page 106] of land use, land ethics, and ecology. She is currently at work on her dissertation, “With the Earth in Mind: Materiality, Environmental Degradation, and Psychoterratic Illness in Contemporary American Fiction.” Ashley enjoys spending time at home in the mountains of Northwest Wyoming, where she likes to hike and climb, and ride horses and mountain bikes.
About the Louis Owens Prize
The Louis Owens Essay Prize is given annually by the Center for Steinbeck Studies at San José State University to the best student essay (graduate or undergraduate) on the work of John Steinbeck. Essays may focus on particular works or be inspired in some way by Steinbeck’s ecological, historical, or political vision. The winning essay is awarded a $250 prize and is considered for publication in Steinbeck Review.
The prize was established in memory of Louis Owens, scholar, teacher, and writer. It honors his fine work on Steinbeck and his commitment to his students.
Louis Owens Essay Prize
Call for Submission
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Deadline: Postmark of 31 January 2015
Results Announced: By 1 April 2015.
Length: Between 12 and 35 pages.
Include: Contact information and cover letter from advisor or professor. Professors are encouraged to nominate student work. [End Page 107]
Style: Modern Language Association
Submit to: Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies,
San José State University
San José, CA 95192-0202
If you are interested in contributing to the Louis Owens Essay Prize fund, please contact the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies by writing to the above address or email to: mhccfss@gmail.com [End Page 108]