Focus Spring 1996.tif 85 Contributors J OHN S. ANGERMEffiR was born in T exas in 1961 and has lived, stud­ ied , and taught Englis h in Germany for ap proximately 15 yea rs. He received his bOlh his SA (198-1) and his MA in German (1986) from Flo rida State University. Currently Steve is ABO at the University of Iowa and an ticipates graduat ing in the Fall . The tirle of his disse r­ tation is "The Spiritual ity of the Rebel: the Myth Underlying t he Rebellio n in H einrich von Kleist's 'Michael Kohlhaas,' Hennatlll­ schlacht and 'Die Verl obung in St. Domingo.'" He has also pub lished arricles o n interrelations between Thomas Mann, Goethe, and Kleist. In his free time he enjoys fishing and sha rk toot h hu nting. L AURA J ACKSON, a graduate o f Davidson College in Nonh Carolina, earned her Master's Degree at the Ohio State Un ivers ity in Colum­ bus, O hio. In 1995, she was awarded a DAAD D issertation Research Grant to co nduct research in Berlin. She is currently a docto ral cand i­ date in Germanics at th e University o f Washington in Seattle, Wash­ in gtOn. H er dissertation, emitled "Negotiat ing Ident ity: Mother­ D aughter Relationships in Novels by Juna Heinrich. Elfriede Jel inek. Waltraud Anna Mitgutsch and H elga Novak," now nea rs com ple­ tion. During rhe 1996·97 academic year, she w ill be teaching at Wash­ ingtOn University in St. Louis, Missouri. CHRISTOPH PRANG is a PhD candidate in the Department of German ic Languages at t he Un ive rsity of North Caroli na, Chapel Hil l. H e com­ pleted his Gnmdstudillm at the Unive rsitat H amburg with minors in Political Science and Business Administ ration, before coming to Nonh Ame rica in 1991 as an exchan ge student. H e earned an MA in Ger­ man Li te rature at the Uni versity of Cincinnati in 1993 wi th a th esis on Joseph Roth . After an interlude at McGill University in Momrea l, he returned to the US in 1994. He is currently writing his dissertation on the rheto ricilY of selected Modernist Gern1.ln novel s. Hi s ma in schola rly interests include speci fic authors sll ch as Franz Kafka and T homas Mann as well as deconstruction, reader-response theory , and rhetorical ana lysis. l 86 NICOLE Z6llNER is currenrly a doctoral candidate at the Universitat Hamburg. Her thesis, ent itl ed "Euphemismen im alhaglichen und politischen Sprachgebrauch des Englischen," nears completion. She graduated with a Magister from the Universirat Hamburg in ]993, with concentrations in English linguistics, German literature, and geography. 87 Announcements GRADUATE STUDENT CONFERENCES October 11·12, 1996 focus on Literatur Graduate Student Confer­ ence at the University of Cincinnati. Topic: 20th Century German, Austrian, and Swiss Literatu re. There is no registration fee for this conference. T hose interested in participating should contact Tonya Hampton at the following address: Department of Germa nic Languages and Literatures University of Cincinnlti Cinci nnati ,OH 45221-0372. CALL FOR REVIEWERS The purpose of the book review section is to introduce our reader­ ship to primary works of literaLUre published with in the bSl three years. Our aim is not ( 0 pass critical judgment on .\ particular work. Instead we seek to discuss the wo rk thematically and stylistically and, when possible, to comextualize the work within the author's oeuvre or its respective genre. We have the coope rat ion of major German, Austrian, and Swiss publishers, and can provide review copies . Although we will glad ly consider unsolicited book reviews, we prefer to operate from a pool of know n reviewers . If you are inter­ ested in reviewing books for Focus on Literatur, please send us the following information: Name and Address: institution: Field (s) of Expertise: Are you curreml y research ing or writing an MA T hesis or PhD Dis­ sertation? if so, what is your tOpic? Your projected date of degree completion: Do you know of a work that Focus on Lileralltr should review? l 88 SUBMISSIONS REQUESTED D ON'T UT YOUR SCIIOL.I,.RLY EFFORTS L .... NGUISII IN A DESK DRAWER! Dust off youI'" old seminar papers, condense your MA thesis, or re­ work lholl chapter that doesn't fit in your dissertation into a publica­ cion-quality manuscript and send it to Focus on Literatur. Submissions demonstrating original scholarshi p in any area of German-language literature-and from any scholarly approach-will be considered for publication. We also publish interviews with Ger­ man-speaking writers. Please submit pape rs in triplicate. Manuscripts should be ca. 10- 20 pages in length (interviews 4-8 pages), double spaced, and tbey should follow the MLA Style Manual guidelines. The manuscript should be prepared so that it can be read anonymously. Focus on Literalltr appears in Spring and Fall, but submissions are accepred at any time. Inquiries and submissions should be made to the following address: Focus on Literatltr, Depl. of Germanic bngs. & Lits. University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH 45221-0372. CALL FOR ESSAYS 1n addition to being a forum for graduate st udent research on literary topics, Focus on Literalltr also seeks to engage readers in cOllstructive dialogue on current issues in German studies, with panicular refer­ ence to the eHect recent trends have on the graduate students who represent the future of the profession. The average graduate slUdent spends four to seven years post-BA earning the doctoral degree, yet during this time issues facing these students are usually addressed on ly within their own universities or individual departments at best. As ide from selected sessions at the ~IILA Convention, there are essentially no avenues for intercollegiate discussion amongst students. T o help fill this communication gap, FoClls on Literalllr welcomes editorials that will encourage dialogue between students across North America and the German-speaking world. Essays addressing topics of conce rn should be well-argued, thought provoking, and of general interest to fellow students. Submissions should be no more than three pages in length, double spaced. 89 CONTEST The German·American Studies Program of the University of Cincin­ nati is sponsoring an annual competition for articles on any topic concerning Gennan-American literatlll-e_ Each yea r the author of the best article will receive a prize of $100, and the article will be published in the corresponding volume of FoolS on Lirerarur. Articles should co nform to regular submission guidelines. For further infor­ mation, comact the editors of FOCIIS on Lirem(ur, Department of Ger­ manic Languages and Lireratllres, University of Cincinnati , Cincin­ nati O t-! 45221-0372. L Focus on Literatur a joumal /01" German-language literalllre SUBSCRIPTIONS Two issues per year (Spring and Fa ll) C heck appropriate box : o $121ndividuals o $20 Inst itut ions o Subscr ibers outside North America add $5 for additional postage. o Send nex t single issue for $8. Tota l Enclosed: ______ _ Na me: _ _____________ _ Add ress: ______________ _ E-mai l: _______ _______ _ _ All orders should be made payable (in U.S. currency) l O: Focus on Lireratur Dept. of Germanic Languages & Literatures University of Cincinnari Cincinnati Or-14S22 1~0372 / USA Tel. (513) 556-2755 Fax. (513) 556-1991