Michael Bryant (Ph.D. candidate; B.A. 2000 & M.A. 2015) gives us this update : "Gruß aus Kalamazoo, Michigan where I'm currently living and teaching (remotely) for the Department of Germanic Studies. I recently became certified as a Level 4 Qualified Bilingual Interpreter of German at Bronson Methodist Hospital. This level of qualification authorizes me to provide translation and interpretive services in all clinical conversations between providers and patients about their diagnoses and treatment plans. I have a background in medical sciences and professional experience doing medical reviews for a health insurance company, so this opportunity bridges the disciplinary gap between my two courses of study."
Nancy Chadburn (Ph.D., 1981) while still getting used to her relocation from Boston to Bloomington a couple of years ago – and what a year to do that –writes: "I've been spending the spring and summer loafing and bird-watching in Bryan Park, pestering Bloomington Transit to make bus travel safer during the pandemic, and reading down the backlog of books - English, German and Dutch - lying around my apartment."
And Maria Fink sends greetings from Berlin: "Hello from Berlin! I was able to extend my stay in Berlin for another year with the OVPIA Graduate Exchange Program. I am continuing my dissertation work mostly from home with the occasional trip to Staatsbibliothek am Potsdamer Platz. Fortunately, theatres in Berlin were able to re-open after the lockdown earlier this year and I am now able to attend performances again (from a safe distance to other audience members, of course).
In October, I participated in a bilingual reading panel at the annual ALTA (American Literary Translation Association) conference, which was held online this year. I presented my translation of Austrian writer Paula Köhlmeier's short story "Maramba" and read parts of the German original. My translation of Köhlmeier's story "Postcard Sea" was published in the spring 2020 issue of The Southern Review.
Stay healthy, everyone and we look forward to seeing you back in Indiana, once travelling is safe again. Best wishes from Maria with Mitch Raney and Oskar Fink-Raney"
Current grad Claire Woodward has been busy: "Here is something short from me:
"Before corona hit, I co-published an article, "Choosing and Enjoying Violence in Narratives," with Fritz Breithaupt and others in December 2019. Since then, I've been busy with many other projects as I start my fourth year at IU. I got married, adopted a dog, moved into a house, learned Hungarian in a virtual summer language workshop (four hours of online language instruction per day often left me a Zoom-bie), and studied for and took my qualifying exams. I have still really enjoyed teaching German, even without seeing my students in person.
Cheers, Claire"
Juliane Wuensch checks in and lets us know: "I successfully defended my dissertation with the title German-Jewish female identity and the dream of an egalitarian society - A comparative study of Rahel Varnhagen, Rosa Luxemburg, and Hannah Arendt in April 2020. I accepted a renewable position as Visiting Assistant Professor at Skidmore College, NY, where I am is now teaching German and enjoying the (much cooler) weather. In fall 2020, an article with the title "Is a Schtoan a Stein? - How and why to teach dialects and regional variations in the German language classroom," which I co-authored together with IU graduate student David Bolter, will be published in the GFL journal (gfl-journal.de). I am very thankful for the seven years that I spent in Bloomington and with the IU Germanic Studies Department and I promise to keep in touch."
The College of Arts