Student Leadership News

Convention 2012 Top 10

2012-03-08T13:17:00.001-08:00

by Allie Reznik
Student Advisor, 2011-2013

10. Strolling the oil lamp lit streets of NOLA.

9. Enjoying Cafe du Monde twice a day, everyday.

8. Lauren informing us that one of the Twitter contestants asked @EnglishCon out on a date.

7. Seeing brilliant deltans struggle with those tricky smart elevators.

6. Learning at the board meeting that Sigma Tau Delta is now the second largest honor society in the nation!

5. "Feast!"

4. "Honing ones empathy from the personal to the collective" -Anthony Doerr on literature

3. Networking in all of the fantastic Student Leadership workshops!

2. "Poetry allows us to not only touch the intellect but also the heart." -Natasha Tretheway

1. Toss up between "Show me your wits," "I like big books," and Bil Johnson scandalously exposing his leg!

Things To Do In NOLA

2012-02-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

by MeKoi Scott
Southern Region Student Representative, 2011-2012
Auburn University, Montogomery

With all that New Orleans has to offer, convention attendees may appreciate a starter list of activities to enjoy while in the city. Granted, you could walk around the French Quarter and the immediate area beyond and discover spots and attractions, but given the limited free time attendees have at the convention, this list can help point you in the right direction. Or at the very least, it may help you form your own list.

Below, points of interest are divided into three categories: Food; Music; Tours, Trips, and Museums.

FOOD
Restaurants in this category have either been patronized by me personally, or New Orleans locals or a notable chef have recommended them to me. All are relatively inexpensive and none require dressy attire.

Cafe du Monde
800 Decatur St.
-Located in the French Quarter
-French-style doughnuts topped with powdered sugar
-Open 24-7
cafedumonde.com

Mother’s Restaurant
401 Podrays St.
-Located in the Central Business District
-Po-boys, ettouffee, jambalaya, gumbo, and more
-Expect a line, but it moves quickly
mothersrestaurant.net

Lüke
333 St Charles Ave.
-Located in the Central Business District
-Combines Franco-German cuisine
-A little pricey, but if you are in a mood to treat, you may want to consider Lüke’s
lukeneworleans.com

Port of Call
838 Esplanade Ave.
-Located in the French Quarter
-Steaks, hamburgers, baked potatoes, and salads; despite the lack of variety, if you enjoy a well-made burger, then you might want to give them a try.
portofcallnola.com

Coop’s Place
1109 Decatur St.
-Located in the French Quarter
-Cajun/Creole
coopsplace.net

Red Fish Grill
115 Bourbon St.
-Located in the French Quarter
-Seafood; decadent double chocolate bread pudding
-May be a little pricey
redfishgrill.com

MUSIC
All of these music venues are located on Frenchmen Street, which is just outside the French Quarter, past Esplanade Ave. Within the French Quarter live music can be found at various locations, but the venues on Frenchmen Street offer notable and renowned artists and bands. Not all admit persons from 18-20, but a few do.

The Spotted Cat
623 Frenchmen St.
-Music ranging from blues to jazz to Latin to various fusions
-Two bands nightly: first starts at 6pm, the second at 9:30pm
-Small area, mostly standing room only

Snug Harbor
626 Frenchmen St.
-Jazz music
-Two bands nightly: first starts at 9pm, the second at 11pm
-Restaurant also on premise
snugjazz.com

d.b.a
618 Frenchmen St.
-Jazz and Blues
-Sometimes a $5 cover
dbabars.com/dbano/

The Maison
508 Frenchmen St.
-Jazz, Blues, Electronic, Hip Hop, Rock
-Comedy Showcase Fridays 8-10:30pm; Latin Dance Party Fridays at 11pm; Dance Party Saturdays 10pm
-Restaurant on premises
maisonfrenchmen.com

The Apple Barrel
609 Frenchmen St.
-Jazz and Blues

Blue Nile
532 Frenchmen St.
-Jazz, Blues, Rock, Funk
-Sometimes a $10 cover
bluenilelive.com

The Three Muses
536 Frenchmen St.
-Jazz and Blues
-Gastro Pub, more of a restaurant with live music
thethreemuses.com

TOURS, TRIPS, AND MUSEUMS
These activities offer a taste of New Orleans’ charm and culture, past and present.

Spirit Tours New Orleans
601 Royal St.
-Starts every night at 8:15pm
-Two-hour walking tour to the “dark edges” of the historic French Quarter
-$16 per person
neworleanstours.net/ghost.htm

Steamboat Natchez
1 Toulouse St.
-Mississippi Riverboat with dinner and live jazz music
-Sails daily, three time a day: 11:30am, 2:30pm; 7pm; boarding begins 30min. prior
-Day Cruises: $25 w/o lunch, $36 w/ lunch; Evening Cruise: $41 w/o dinner, $68 with dinner
-Two-hour cruise
steamboatnatchez.com

St. Charles Streetcar
-Runs through the Central Business District to Uptown
-See antebellum mansions, historic monuments, the Audubon Zoological Garden
-One-way fares: $1.25 (exact change)

Voodoo Museum
724 Dumaine St.
-Experience the curios, relics, and artifacts of one of New Orleans’ religions
-Open 10am-6pm daily
-$7 General; $5.50 Students
voodoomuseum.com

The Presbytere
751 Chartes St., Jackson Square
-Houses a collection of Mardi Gras artifacts and memorabilia
-Open 9am-5pm Tuesday through Sunday
-$5 General, $4 Students
crt.state.la.us/museum

The Backstreet Cultural Museum
1116 St. Claude Ave.
-Houses an assortment of memorabilia indigenous to Mardi Gras, jazz funerals, and other New Orleans’ traditions
-Open 10am-5pm Tuesday through Saturday
-$5 admission
backstreetmuseum.org

Keeping it Short: Flash Fiction

2012-01-16T13:13:00.000-08:00

by Ashlyn Wells
Midwestern Region Student Representative, 2011-2012

I was first introduced to flash fiction while reading a local arts and entertainment magazine—the editors were accepting short story submissions of 500 words or less as part of a contest. At first I thought it would be easy to write something that short, but when I tried to whip something up, I realized it wasn’t so simple. As a creative writing major, I have gotten very comfortable with the short story, with having several pages I could use to flesh out my character arcs and plot; covering all that in 500 words was a real challenge for me. Having to boil the story down to its most essential elements and focus on each individual word was a great exercise, and one I found fun and useful.

Flash fiction, also known as the short short story, sudden fiction, microfiction, micro-story, or postcard fiction, is a type of short story that uses as few words as possible. Its word limits can range from as few as 55 words to as many as 1,000. Flash fiction pieces include all the traditional story elements such as character and plot, but the word limit often forces the author to imply some elements they would normally write out. One great example of implied elements can be seen in this short short penned by Ernest Hemingway: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

Flash fiction contests like the one I first encountered are becoming more and more popular, and one of the places members of the Midwestern region can submit flash fiction is to Sigma Tau Delta’s Midwestern Regional Journal, “Ex Medio.” In addition to flash fiction of up to 750 words, this online publication is accepting poetry and artwork (photography as well as original artwork). The deadline for submission is January 31. View the complete Call for Papers. As the current editor of the publication, I encourage you to submit or email me with your questions.

Whether you're a creative writer by trade or a casual writer looking for a new and interesting format, flash fiction is a fun twist on a genre we know and love.Try it out and see what the buzz is about!

Scream Slam

2012-01-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

Nick Miller
High Plains Associate Student Representative, 2011-2012

I would like to take the opportunity to inform everyone of a very successful and fun event that the Sigma Beta chapter managed to put together: a Halloween themed open mic that we dubbed “Scream Slam.” This is not the first year that we have put together this event, but over the last couple years it has not been as successful due to sudden blizzards and mix ups with room reservations and catering.

We started planning this event in September, deciding where and when we were going to host Scream Slam this semester. Deciding on a room was difficult because we wanted to ensure we would have enough space for everyone, but we also felt that it was important to ensure the event had an intimate feel to it. Once the room was decided, it was time to figure out how we were going to organize the categories for prizes. For last year's Scream Slam we had three different categories: poetry, prose, and original work, and we figured that we should also have a costume contest as well to encourage everyone to dress up for this event (something we did not do last year, unfortunately).

After we decided on the categories for the readings, we had to get our hands on some prizes. We usually give out books full of fun and spooky short-stories but decided that gift cards were a better idea so that the recipients could pick what they wanted. In addition, we also received two books and an Amazon Kindle from the CSC English and Humanities department, and we used those as prizes for the best overall reading and the costume contest. A week before the event itself, we picked up a few Halloween decorations and different snacks (chips, dip, cookies, brownies, etc.), and then we focused our attention on putting up fliers all over campus and spreading the word.

On the day of Scream Slam, I came to the student center decked out as Bob Dylan with my frazzled hair, dark sunglasses, and Beatle boots, and carried the various decorations and snacks into our room. A lot of people from the local chapter were there helping out, stringing up spider webs, lights, and other various spooky decorations. It was not very long before people began showing up, and the room rapidly filled. We even ran out of chairs, and some of those that were late coming in were forced to stand.

Once the lights went out, I headed towards the podium. Despite the reading light on the podium, the audience appeared to me as dark, shapeless figures because I still had my sunglasses on (it was part of my costume after all). There were a lot of readers on the list, and many people read more than one piece of literature. The readings themselves were entertaining, which made judging the winner hard, but the event wasn't called Scream Slam for nothing, and I felt like a huge weight was off my shoulders after the winners were determined.

Events such as this take a lot of planning and work to get off the ground, but spreading the joys of literature around campus is well worth it. Open mics are usually very popular at Chadron State College because they present people with a creative outlet for their work and an opportunity for constructive advice. Couple this with a Halloween theme, free food, and prizes, and it makes for a very successful event. I hope other chapters that want to implement this event have just as much luck as we did!

The NaNoWriMo Pulse-Check (or Lack Thereof)

2011-11-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

By Katherine Williams
Southwestern Region Associate Student Representative, 2011-2012

So far, the development of my novel for NaNoWriMo has gone as slowly as expected. A mere couple of weeks until graduation, all my professors have made an unwritten, unbeknownst agreement that a) English majors don’t have a life; b) all English majors have too much time on their hands; and c) students must not have jobs or something, so let’s assign them more work! Oh yeah, and they all came to this decision without the consent of their students. So here I am, three days late on keeping everyone up-to-date the next “great American novel” (actually the next great American dystopia, more on that), while my creative endeavor gathers dust.

However, I won’t make excuses (because I’m sure everyone has got one); I managed to add two new chapters so far, and I’m working on the tone that will guide the novel and the series of books I want to write after these. Here’s my story in a nutshell: it’s a dystopian/apocalyptic setting with more animal characters than human ones. Try to imagine Gulliver’s Travels, Oryx and Crake, and Watership Down in one room, and that would be my novel. I’m not usually a fan of apocalyptic literature, but I’m managing to incorporate several artistic and literary references to flesh out the story and the significance of setting for the characters. I’ve also decided to include images from World War I into the novel, although most of the novel takes place one hundred years in the future. In short, it has an epic scope, which means I need to brush up on my history; I’m currently taking a class called Literature of the World Wars, which has come to influence my writing quite a bit.

Since a good chunk of the story is in screenplay-form, I’ve got most of the dialogue already written down, which turns out to be very helpful because now I can focus more on setting and tone rather than trudging through what characters are saying to each other.
All in all, I have not made much more progress this November than I did last year, but the holidays are coming soon, so maybe I’ll get a chance to catch up?

Total word count: 6,414

Confessions of English Majors

2011-11-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

Joseph Asbury
Far Western Associate Student Representative, 2011-2012
Utah State University

Five confessions as an English Major

1. I still like math. It is your friend, but you might not realize it.
2. I get to explore the world and time travel through books.
3. As a future teacher, I will get to share what I enjoy with my students.
4. Movies can be (and should be) viewed as literature.
5. The environments in English (and other humanities) classes are so welcoming
to everyone.

Nick Miller
High Plains Associate Student Representative, 2011-2012
Chadron State College

The Utterly True Confessions of an English Major

1. I spend more nights trying to decipher Henry James' Portrait of a Lady than hanging out with my friends.
2. By my third year of college, I have effectively replaced my blood with black coffee.
3. Studying Shakespeare makes me chain smoke.
4. I devote more time to reading and writing than body-builders devote to lifting weights.
5. Every night, I wrestle with the temptation to consult the “cheat-codes” of literature: Sparknotes.
6. Alexander Pope puts me to sleep faster than any cold medicine.
7. Whenever I walk into my room I nearly trip on the piles of books and papers that litter the floor.
8. You cannot sit in the backseat of my car because, like my room, it has essentially become my locker.
9. Most of the people I look up to died 100 years ago.
10. Procrastination is my most active habit and worst enemy.

Allie Martin
Southern Region Associate Student Representative, 2011-2012
Freed-Hardeman University

I, like most of you I’m sure, feel that my decision to become an English major was a brilliant move. But, I must admit, sometimes we English majors are misunderstood. In an effort to amend some of the rift created between the world and us, I asked my fellow English majors what their “confessions” to other majors would be:

1. I judge people when they use poor grammar.
2. I don’t like Jane Austen.
3. Whenever I say "good" or "well," I have a moment of panic where I have to go back mentally and make sure I've used them correctly.
4. I refuse to text ungrammatically.
5. Instead of getting songs stuck in my head, I get words stuck in my head.
6. I use Sparknotes too; I just lie about it.
7. I'm closer to the characters in my favorite books than I am to "real" people.
8. I hear words the way they're spelled. In my head there's a big distinction between "your" and "you're."
9. When I hear or see a word I don't know, I have the uncontrollable need to find its definition. It will drive me nuts if I don't know.
10. I have a compulsive need to tell everyone that I am an English major so that they know I am smarter than they are.
11. If I make a mistake in a social networking post, I delete it, fix the error, and post again. Once, I reposted a tweet four times before I finally got it right.

Some of these may ring true to your heart—I know I can certainly relate. In addition though, I’d like to add a few of my own.

1. I wholeheartedly believe that the book is always better than the movie. Always.
2. I sometimes go into bookstores simply to smell the books. No reading required.
3. Although I try not to be a complete grammar snob, I do judge when people say “anyways” and “backwards.” What is our infatuation with making things sound plural?
4. I don’t just sit around waiting for people to send me their papers to edit… but I do get a sort of superiority complex when they do.
5. I’m okay with ending a sentence with a preposition.
6. I think an English major is the best there is.

There isn’t a single way you can define being an English major, but a comment by a non-English major student in my Women Writer’s class may come close: “I’m not an English major, but I wish I were. Y’all guys are cool!”
And really, doesn’t everybody feel that way?

NaNoWriMo Kickoff: Or, What Did I Just Get Myself Into?

2011-11-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

Katherine Williams

Southwestern Region Associate Student Representative, 2011-2012

Even through the glitter and fake wigs from a hung-over Halloween party, November rears its head. For many writers or writing enthusiasts, November is a significant month because it kicks off the annual National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. By the end of the month, writers across the country will have completed a 50,000-word manuscript. This year, I’ve decided to take part in the writing festivities, but before I’ve even started, I’m wondering—what have I just gotten myself into?

For one, November has got to be the most stressful time of year for college students, especially for English or Creative Writing majors (as the glutton of punishment that I am, I happen to be both). November is that deep gasp of air before a student dives into a plethora of projects, papers, and other various assignments that professors give out like cheap candy. Usually, there’s nothing due in the first three weeks of November, but this is the time of year when Interlibrary Loan books must get into our hands, paper outlines must be made (figuring out what to write a ten-plus-page paper on must subsequently be figured out), and projects have got to get started before Thanksgiving holiday.

And don’t even TELL me about Thanksgiving holiday! For many students, this is the ideal time to finish projects, because professors like to make them all due the week following Thanksgiving, right before finals week. However, I like to call Thanksgiving holiday Work-Forty-Plus-Hours-In-A-Week-Eat-Some-Food-And-Try-To-Hibernate-Break. Since I work at a movie theater, any length of time considered to be a holiday is the time when I have to work the most. And since movie companies know that students (other than I) are on break, they like to release hugely popular films the week prior to Thanksgiving break: this year, on the same day, will be the release of Twilight Breaking Dawn, Part 1 AND Happy Feet 2 in 3D. Let’s just say that the only thing I will be able to finish that weekend is a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke and a cabinet-full of stress food. But that’s just me.

In short, NaNoWriMo, in motion in November, occurs in the most inconvenient time to write a novel. And yet I’m going to do it anyway. Not because I happen to like stressing myself out, but because I’ve decided that I can no longer wait for the “perfect” time to write a novel. This year, the “perfect” time has moved from Spring Break to summer vacation to my days off, until once again I haven’t worked on the story at all. NaNoWriMo gives me a deadline, albeit a frighteningly unattainable one, that will force me to make time to write my novel.

On to the novel…

The story I want to work on this year is something I’ve wanted to write for years, but never felt like I was ready to write it: not enough characters, not enough knowledge of mythology or themes, not enough literary experience, etc. I got started on it last year, writing only three or four chapters, then submitted the draft as part of my Senior Project for Creative Writing. Later I found out that my professor thought the story idea was terrible, and he suggested that “perhaps it would make an okay movie.”

Funny he said that, because I did end up using the story for my screenwriting class this spring. My professor, who is himself a screenwriter, actually liked the story in its film version and strongly advised me to finish it (it’s still only two-thirds finished). So now I’ve got a novel idea that’s been fleshed out in its film version, with the novel format barely even started. At least I can go back to the screenplay and use the dialogue there; that way, the novel version will be faithful to the film, and I’ve already got some of the work done. The screenplay is about 65 pages, which equals a little over an hour (one page in a screenplay equals about a minute of screen time).

I can’t guarantee that I can make the 50,000-word requirement (although I do believe in miracles). I hope that my experience with writing the novel will give other writers an idea on what it takes to write a full-length book. Sometimes it seems as though the biggest problem is not writing the book, but making yourself write it. It is all the more difficult for a college student who has a job and other extracurricular activities to attend to; plus that thing called a life, which I haven’t seen since the summer. But in hindsight, I know that writers are also busy, with their children, other jobs, their spouses, and that life thing, too. And I’ll bet that many of you Sigma Tau Delta members are also busy and probably as overwhelmed as I am. I’m not quite at the hair-pulling stage yet, but I did have a minor rage-fit the other day, so a mini-meltdown may be imminent.
On that note, let’s write a novel! Happy NaNoWriMo everyone!

“Deadlines, I love deadlines. I love the sound they make as they go whoosh-ing past.”

–Julie and Julia

Total words written: 4,176 (?) of original draft; 68-69 screen-pages (about an hour)

A Weekend of History and Literature in Red Cloud, Nebraska

2011-10-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Nick Miller
High Plains Associate Student Representative, 2011-2012
Chadron State College

Wind sweeping through the prairie was always a very calming image to me, and I was utterly mesmerized by the “Willa Cather Memorial Prairie.” The vastly empty and calming stretch of land before me was a stark contrast to the town only a few miles away. This was a recurring feeling as I felt the town itself seemed to be straddling two different time periods. One foot was in 2011 and the other was in 1886, and while there was not a foreboding or melancholy sense in Red Cloud, definitely something declared its presence. The way these extremely old and historical buildings and the modern businesses were juxtaposed made this point clear as we wandered to Cather's actual childhood home.

We gathered in hushed voices as we walked through Cather's old home, and to the credit of the Willa Cather Foundation, the house was full of the furniture and dishes that the Cathers used. I found especially moving that Willa’s grandmother’s tiny shoes were sitting perfectly next to the bed as if waiting patiently to receive their mistress’ feet. A feeling of reverence washed over me as I took in that ancient air. While everyone was indeed respectful, there was also a tinge of excitement as we walked through multiple historic buildings, especially the Harling House which was full of old paintings and dishes from its original residents (the Miners).

We did not just simply sightsee, however, and we covered quite a lot of ground in just two days. The first night started out with a very insightful presentation by the keynote speaker Dr. Andrew Jewell (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) about a publication that he is working on which features many of Willa Cather's previously unreleased letters. These letters paint a fascinating picture that fleshes out Cather's mysterious character. Following the keynote address was a common reader discussion on Willa Cather's novella “Old Mrs. Harris.” Many people contributed very thoughtful details regarding this novella, and the discussion itself was almost bursting with its array of opinions.

The following day we had the choice either to volunteer help for the Willa Cather Foundation or watch a documentary on Willa Cather. I decided to go with the Willa Cather Foundation because we got to have a behind the scenes look into rooms and buildings that are not open to the general public at this moment. Aside from lifting the heaviest shelves on this side of the Missouri River, the experience was very rewarding, and I am glad that we had the opportunity to lend a hand.

Later that evening was a poetry reading by a fantastic Slam Poet from Omaha, Nebraska, Matt Mason. “Energetic” does not begin to describe the dynamic reading that this very vocal poet treated the audience with. There were moments in his poetry reading that he would raise his voice as if there were no microphone in front of him, and suddenly drop his voice to a near whisper.

This conference was my first regional Sigma Tau Delta experience, and it was refreshing being around so many people that have a passion for literature. Many great things are happening in the High Plains Region, and I cannot wait to see what everyone brings to the table in New Orleans.

Summer Fun- Alpha Nu's 10 Best Film Adaptations from Literature

2011-05-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

by Ellie Francis Douglass
Associate Student Representative for the Southwestern Region, 2010-2011

These are ten of the films that the Alpha Nu Lambda chapter deemed to be the best ever made. There order is random (it is too hard to pick between them).

1. Everything is Illuminated- “Although the movie only covers about one-third of the book, it really captures the spirit of it.” –Gloria Adams-Hanley

2. Pride and Prejudice- We are talking about the long BBC version with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy of course. If you haven’t seen it, it is far worth the five hours.

3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest- “This film approaches the story in a different way. It is more subtle than the book, but still great.” –Jake Ryan McCoy

4. Fight Club- “A really good adaptation of the events in the book.”-Nicole Wolt

5. A Streetcar Named Desire- Marlon Brando screaming “Stella!” from the bottom of the staircase was enough to make this a great film, but on top of that everyone else in the film does a knock-out performance.

6. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy- These films are not only well casted and beautifully shot, they have amazing special effects and keep you at the edge of your seat for hours on end.

7. Macbeth- Roman Polanski really took advantage of this amazing play when he directed his film. The characters, the danger, and the tension in this movie are amazing authentic.

8. The Glass Menagerie- “The performances are very strong.” –Gloria Adams-Hanley

9. Sense and Sensibility- Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson are rock star actresses; getting them together in this film was ingenious. Also, possibly the best romantic comedy that Hugh Grant has ever made.

10. Hamlet- Kenneth Branagh never fails in his Shakespeare films but he takes it to the next level in this full-length version of one of the world’s most beloved plays. He is amazingly convincing as young Hamlet, and Kate Winslet breaks your heart as Ophelia with one of the best mental breakdown scenes ever.

Well, what do you think? What films do you think should make this list?

Movie Night!

2011-03-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

Dave Eggers is many things: respected author, publisher of McSweeney’s, and editor of The Best American Non-Required Reading series. He’s also the final keynote speaker at this year’s annual convention in Pittsburgh. The Student Leadership Committee and Alumni Epsilon will be kicking off the convention with a screening of his film Away We Go which Eggers co-wrote with his wife, Vendela Vida. Join us Wednesday night and start your convention experience with a good film, discussion, and company!

Good Letters

2011-03-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

by Anna Morgan
Student Advisor, 2010-2012

For those who enjoy discussions of the relationship between faith (of many different kinds) and art, whether it be painting, music, film, or - a Sigma Tau Delta favorite - writing, Image Journal's blog Good Letters is an excellent resource. Both entertaining and thought-provoking, Good Letters is also an example of plain old good writing. Enjoy!

Sylvia Plath Reads "Lady Lazarus"

2011-03-08T12:59:00.000-08:00

Check out this recording of Sylvia Plath reading "Lady Lazarus." Associate Student Representative Ellie Douglass was surprised by how old Plath sounds. What were your reactions? Share them with us in the comments!

Sigma Literacy Cookbook

2011-03-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

The Alpha Delta Zeta chapter at California State University, Fullerton, is soliciting literary-themed recipes for a new Sigma Tau Delta cookbook. Contact Matthew Berger at mattman@csu.fullerton.edu for more information.

Online Author Chat

2011-03-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

The National English Honor Society chapter at Florida Virtual School is hosting a live online book discussion and chat with Sonia Nazario, the author of Enrique's Journey, this year's NEHS common reader. This chat is open to anyone who would like to attend.

The chat will be Thursday, March 10 at 11 am EST at https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=679&password=M.ABEA2C38563F7716991339A937EE4E They suggest logging in 15 minutes early in case any software updates are needed to support the Java-based chat.