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Fairmont State to host 29th Annual WV Undergraduate Literary Symposium Impact
Fairmont State News

Fairmont State to host 29th Annual WV Undergraduate Literary Symposium

Feb 25, 2021

Fairmont State University’s Department of Humanities will host the 29th Annual West Virginia Undergraduate Literary Symposium on Saturday, February 27. In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event will be held virtually via Zoom.   

“Undergraduate research is vital to a comprehensive liberal arts education,” said Mirta M. Martin, Fairmont State University President. “Not just research that involves labs and equipment, but also humanities research, like the kind we’re fortunate enough to experience during the Undergraduate Literary Symposium. We’re thrilled to host this virtual symposium, and to give young scholars from the region a chance to showcase their hard work and share their keen insights.” 

Throughout the event, students from Fairmont State, Davis and Elkins College, West Virginia University, Shepherd University and Concord University will present papers they have written for their literature classes. The papers have been arranged into panels on close reading, the poet Emily Dickinson and literary theories and movements.  

“Students from all over our state continue to undertake exciting research projects, and we are proud that Fairmont State can once again offer them a venue to present their work,” said Fairmont State Associate Professor of English, Nathan Myers. 

Fairmont State students Ally Quigley and Candela Sevilla are among the symposium’s presenters. Quigley, who is mentored by faculty member Professor J. Robert Baker, will read her paper “Realism Throughout Willa Cather’s ‘Paul’s Case,’” while Sevilla, who is mentored by faculty member Professor Laura Guglani, will present her paper “El Modernismo y Rubén Darío.” 

“The Symposium allows the best and brightest students of our region to come together to share their literary and cultural analysis through the time-honored tradition of a scholarly conference,” said Dr. Angela Schwer, Humanities Department Chair. “We are pleased to be able to keep the West Virginia Undergraduate Literary Symposium alive during this time of COVID and thank all of our colleagues at universities across the state who have recommended their students’ best work.” 

The West Virginia Undergraduate Literary Symposium began at West Virginia University in 1992. Fairmont State first hosted the symposium in 2012. This year’s virtual event is free and open to the public via Zoom. To receive the link, email Dr. Justin Hastings at Justin.Hastings@fairmontstate.edu

Fairmont State University Department of Humanities29th Annual West Virginia Undergraduate Literary SymposiumNathan MyersAlly QuigleyCandela SevillaRobert BakerLaura GuglaniAngela SchwerMirta Martin