Poems to Get You Out of Your Midterm Slump by Caitlyn Ladd
A collection of poems we have dubbed ‘hope-core’ to bring you out of the trenches!
October Poem of the Month: Green by Hope Yang
Hope Yang is a sophomore at Hanszen College majoring in English and exploring Cognitive Sciences. In her free time, she enjoys making art, listening to–and occasionally playing–music, and admiring fish.
Books To Procrastinate With: Easy Reads From the Editors
As September approaches its end, the semester is in full swing. With midterms around the corner, it is peak procrastination time at Rice University. Rather than encouraging you to do your work, The Wild Grain wants to help you procrastinate in the best way: with a fresh book. Here are the best books to procrastinate with, from the editors! The Idiot – Elif Batuman Calling The Idiot an easy read…
April Poem of the Month: for the impending season by Alina Zhong
for the impending season after Pat Scheider and Richard Scott an open window is generous it lets in rain the heart of change is apricitic inevitable eye contact singes sleep like smoke suspends in intimacy I say wake up darling …
Prose of the Month: How to Grapple with the Fact That You Will Never Be Extraordinary by Caitlyn Ladd
How to Grapple with the Fact That You Will Never Be Extraordinary First, you must know that one day you will be asked a question you cannot answer. It does not matter how prepared you may be, or how many times you rehearse your reply to the unknown query: it is not a response to be spoken aloud. The next few steps will be critical to your understanding of what…
Day in the Life of an English Major: Julia Li, EUA Co-President
“A Day in the Life of an English Major” is pretty much what it says in the title: a look at how a Rice English major spends their time each day. However, we’re doing things a little differently now so instead of asking our amazing English majors to track their day with paragraphs and pictures, we’ve asked them to do a vlog! Do they really spend six hours a day…
Poem of the Month: Come to the Sea by Lana Nguyen
Come to The Sea i want to be beautiful like the ocean the kind of beauty that reminds you of your own a mirror, a glimpse like staring into yourself like scooping from within let grains of sand slip through to drag you towards me i want to be beautiful the kind of beauty that brings clarity and alertness as you dive right in salty air and salty tongue take…
English Department (and adjacent) February Events and Opportunities
Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of all the events and opportunities coming up. That’s why we’ve consolidated some of the most exciting events of February that you should attend! Attend the Clint Smith & Patricia Smith Reading on February 12th! Houston’s own inprint is hosting a reading featuring Clint Smith, discussing his poetry collection Above Ground, and Patricia Smith, discussing her poetry collection Unshuttered, at Zilkha Hall in the Hobby…
Alumni Interview: Playwright Grad Student Caleb Dukes shares their experience in the MFA program
Caleb Dukes (‘22) is a playwright who writes grand tales about small people, examining the powerful stories that live inside even the most unsuspecting characters. They discovered this passion whilst grieving the loss of their great-grandmother, which inspired Virginia, a Texas Educational Theatre Association award-winning play chronicling her life as a mother, friend, teacher, and activist. Through this experience, they were able to turn pain into art, which is all…
Outside Reading: Book Recommendations from the EUA Board
The Wild Grain welcomes you back to our publication! This month we’re starting off with favorite book recommendations from none other than our own English Undergraduate Association’s (EUA) executive board! Julia Li, Co-President: Bliss Montage by Ling Ma I recommend that everyone reads my favorite book, Bliss Montage by Ling Ma! When I read this short story collection, I found it to be incredibly unique with notes of magical surrealism flowing through…