Given the University of Missouri – Rolla’s strong reputation as an engineering school, you might be surprised to discover how many students write fiction, poetry, and personal essays. (They also write reports for technical classes, papers for history, literature, philosophy and other disciplines, and other academic and professional writing.) UMR students have many talents worth exploring.
I was surprised early in my career here to find that students in scientific and technological fields had interests and abilities in the arts and humanities. UMR has long had courses and events in music, art, and theater, in addition to writing and literature courses offered in English and Technical Communication. The student newspaper, The Miner, has been around for a long time. So has UMR’s student literary and arts magazine, Southwinds, which is over 35 years old. If one were to tabulate the majors of all the students who’ve contributed writing and graphic art to Southwinds over the years, one would find a surprising number of engineering and other technical majors represented.
The current issue of Southwinds was published in the spring of 2007. It is one of the best-looking issues, with a full-color cover and a number of b&w photographs. The contributors include current undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, and alumni. Mzx Tohline (English 2007) was editor in chief, and Anne Cotterill (Assoc. Prof. in Englsh) the faculty advisor.
Southwinds 2007 costs $3.00 and is available in the English and Technical Communication office and in the UMR Bookstore. It’s well worth the price. Get one and discover a whole different side of UMR.
What, Me Write?
July 8, 2007 by