Composition Faculty Publications: Recent Creative and Scholarly Works by Allen, Johnston, Goldenthal, and Paul

by Emily R C Staudt

As a program, we want to highlight the writing work Composition instructors do outside the classroom, in order to showcase the creative work and labors of faculty.  Read on to learn more about Composition instructors Elizabeth Paul, Ariel Goldenthal, Joyce Johnston, and Elizabeth Allen’s recent publications.

Paul headshot Goldenthal headshot Johnston headshot Allen headshot
Elizabeth Paul Ariel Goldenthal Joyce Johnston Elizabeth "Betsy" Allen

Elizabeth Paul is the author of Reading Girl (Finishing Line Press), a chapbook of ekphrastic prose poems based on the paintings of Henry Matisse. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee and finalist for the Gournay Prize. Paul teaches ENGH 101 and 302; she has also taught courses for INTO Mason’s international graduate pathway program.  

Paul’s collaborative work with Rebecca Hart Olander has been published in multiple venues online and in They Said: A Multi-Genre Anthology of Contemporary Collaborative Writing (Black Lawrence Press). These and more of her works can be found at her website, elizabethsgpaul.com

Of her current projects, Paul shares:

I’m currently working on a full-length manuscript of essays about Kyrgyzstan. The summer is always an important time for my creative work, which is hard to fit in while teaching—a different kind of creative work. This summer, I spent time drawing and painting as well as writing, and I’m excited to explore how these might converge in my manuscript.

Paul in Kyrgyzstan
Paul in Kyrgyzstan

Ariel Goldenthal recently published two pieces of fiction, each under 400 words.  Stories this short are called “flash” or “micro” fiction, and the goal is the same: a condensed work of fiction that cuts to the core of the story in as few words as possible. In the spring, her piece, "Things We Pull from the Cove" was published in Fiction Southeast, and in September, Goldenthal’s piece, “Remember the Sea” was published in MoonPark Review.  

As Paul described, Goldenthal explains,

Teaching full-time makes it challenging for me to produce new creative writing during the academic year. While I edit, revise, and submit my writing from August to May, I write brand new pieces much more fluidly during the summer.  

The exception to this is reviewing books for Hippocampus Magazine...I jumped at the opportunity to review creative nonfiction books with a focus on craft elements. Hippocampus Magazine publishes only creative nonfiction, so reviewing for them also allows me to practice genre awareness and flexibility, which is something that I teach my Composition students. 

"Remember the Sea" image by Lesley C. Weston
"Remember the Sea" image by Lesley C. Weston

A current ENGH 302 instructor with an extensive research background in computers, library science, and Composition, Joyce Johnston presented at the Internet Librarian Annual conference in Monterey, California in Fall 2019. This led to an invitation to publish an article based on that presentation titled "Can Facebook Steal myStuff? Your Intellectual Property Rights on Social Media," which appeared in the magazine Computers in Libraries in April of 2020 and was featured in The Informed Librarian in May of 2020.  It will also appear at the Innovate Learning Summit 2020 on Nov. 3, sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. As the conference blurb details,

Europe’s new General Data Protection Regulation has produced a flood of privacy notices on social media, but does it really protect your rights to your personal information?  What about Pinterest pins or images on YouTube or Instagram?  How about the things you said to voice services like Alexa, Bixby or Cortana?  Remarks posted to Twitter or Facebook?  Learn what U.S.  copyright law can and can’t do to protect your personal privacy and intellectual property on top social media sites. 

Johnston’s article warns social media users--including instructors, students, librarians--that the content they share on those platforms is automatically subject to widespread publicity, despite privacy restrictions in some countries and minor restrictions from some platforms.

Cover page "Can Facebook Steal myStuff? Your Intellectual Property Rights on Social Media"

Elizabeth (Betsy) Allen's play, "Beehives of the Dead," is featured as the premier episode of a new audio theatre podcast, Between Acts.  Every two weeks, Between Acts releases a new episode, offering listeners immersive performances of one-act plays that feature engaging stories, seasoned actors, and evocative sound effects and music.  You can find Between Acts on Spotify, Apple, or anywhere you download your podcasts. 

At GMU, Allen teaches a variety of ENGH 302 sections. She is an alum of the Teaching Writing and Literature and Creative Writing (Fiction) master’s programs.

Screenshot of "Beehives of the Death" webpage

If you have published or edited a work recently, please send us a note—we’d love to feature you.