by Michaella Sheridan 

This semester, the English department flew from their cozy nest in Fenton and nestled into the not-so-cozy eighth floor of 73 Tremont. The move from their home on Beacon Hill to the corporate downtown office presented all members of the department with the task of adjusting.

In an interview, professor and Chair of the English department Quentin Miller admitted that Fenton “had charm” but 73 Tremont is “where that action is.” By climbing up the hill, the english department now inhabits a centralized space, just an elevator ride away from Suffolk’s main library and several other departments.

Professor Miller also recalled that the English faculty was previously scattered throughout four floors of Fenton. By compressing the department to one floor, the faculty once connected mostly by email, are now able to easily meet face-to-face which allows them to get more done and knit a stronger community.

Likewise, Gabrielle Wynat, an English major, feels that the expansive space offered at 73 Tremont “allows students room to hang out and do work, something that wasn’t an option in Fenton.” The eighth floor offers both faculty and student communities the space to form a cohesive network of peers.

Perched high on the eighth floor of 73 Tremont, the english department has realized the potential advantages of their new home, but the walls still fail to reflect this group of individuals who share a common passion for beautiful literature. A series of inspiring literary posters by New York based graphic designer, Evan Robertson, will hopefully bridge the gap between this community and their environment.

Robertson’s posters create a beautiful interaction between words from well-known authors and original images. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Robertson compares “a little jewel of a sentence” to a “hyperlink that redirects to your own thoughts, and like a hyperlink, it can leave the rest of the story behind and open up a new window of ideas, insights, musings.” The designs not only convey the jewel-like gifts that reading can offer, but also, the branching of ideas that reading spawns within the imagination.

Associate Professor Peter Jeffreys, who has played a crucial role in the aesthetic development of the English department’s new home, said, “Evan Robertson’s stunning literary prints are a visual reminder of why we study and teach literature and hopefully will encourage students who visit the English department to consider majoring in English.  The power of the word juxtaposed with the beauty of the image are an irresistible combination.”

Robertson’s prints convey an intimate relationship between word and image, a fusion that the English Department hopes to form with their new home at 73 Tremont. Thankfully, stark walls and expansive space are nothing but blank page to be written on.

On Thursday, Oct. 30, the english department will be holding an open house event. The event will kick off on the 8th floor of 73 Tremont. Attendees will have the chance to meet with faculty and learn about upper-level courses to be offered in the spring. There will also be games, prizes, candy, and food, and friendly people.