Welcome to our new English majors!
from Department Chair, Prof. Michelle Allen-Emerson
I am delighted to welcome 54 new majors to the English Department. To the class of 2026: You have made an impeccable choice — one of the most significant decisions of your academic career. As your plebe year draws to a close, you have so much to look forward to. Your first course in the major. . . bonding with your new peers over semiotics and Freudian theory. . . grabbing coffee at the William III coffee bar (conveniently located next to the English faculty offices!). Over the succeeding years, you will have the chance to read deeply and to write with passion and purpose. You will probably also manage to locate the coziest reading nooks on the Yard. But the best part of the major is really the people: committed professors and amazing students—fun, smart, empathetic. That's why I think ours is the best department at the Academy (no bias here!). So take the summer to relax and to embark on your early adventures in leadership and when you return to USNA in the fall, you'll be ready to begin this exciting new chapter of your academic career.
Faculty Spotlight: LCDR Phil Garrow
What he's teaching in the fall: HE111 (Rhetoric and Introduction to Literature I)
If you've ever found yourself perusing 2021's The Little Seagull Handbook (4th edition), you may have discovered LCDR Garrow listed in the Acknowledgements section — he sent in so much feedback via email on the 3rd edition that they added him to their review team, incorporating some of his suggestions! Before so widely sharing his citation expertise, Garrow was a Tulane University NROTC grad, serving on a variety of sea tours (a Guided Missile Cruiser, a Littoral Combat Ship, a Guided Missile Frigate and a Destroyer Squadron tour). It was teaching shiphandling at Surface Warfare Officer school that confirmed teaching was a perfect fit for him; he comes to USNA via the permanent military instructor program. His favorite assignment for mids is his "Producer" paper in HE307 (Topics in Film and Literature), where he asks students to reboot a novel or film from the course by changing the setting, diversifying the cast, and justifying how they would end the story. "I've seen some phenomenal creativity on this projects," Garrow says. "Some that stand out where a version of Fantastic Mr. Fox where the fur of the animals engaged in relationships was always a different color (to suggest interracial marriage) to an all-female version of First Blood, in which Rambo was a veteran of Afghanistan instead of Vietnam and it was sexual tension — rather than generational conflict — that caused the rift between Rambo and Sherrif Teasle. Midshipmen always bring their 'A game' to this assignment."
Faculty Spotlight: Prof. Jane Wessel
What she's teaching in the fall: HE111 (Rhetoric and Introduction to Literature I), HE463 (Jane Austen's World)
Whether they’re learning how to marble paper, enjoying an afternoon tea, or touring the historic Hammond-Harwood House, students in Professor Wessel’s Jane Austen class don’t just read about the 18th century—they experience it. These adventures add context to the era’s literature, bringing students closer to the world as Austen and her contemporaries knew it. In her Enlightenment After Dark course (one of her favorites to teach), Professor Wessel shows students the “other side” of this historical era. As the course subverts preconceived notions of the period, it also helps her students discuss difficult subjects—gender fluidity and sexuality among them. To get the most of these conversations, Dr. Wessel implores students to bring enthusiasm—not just physical presence—when engaging with their classmates.
Masqueraders: Macbeth
On April 22 and 23, the Colonel's Court presented Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. Enjoy the photos below!
Farewell to Prof. Charlie Nolan
After 46 years of teaching at USNA, Prof. Charlie Nolan will be retiring this summer. Prof. Nolan's career began with the Air Force. He attended Saint Louis University, where he did Air Force ROTC, and served in the Air Force for nine years. He taught at the Air Force Academy and came to USNA in 1977. Nolan arrived at USNA one year after the integration of the Academy's first class of women, a "long overdue” change he describes as the most impactful of those he's seen in his time here. Though he describes cadets and midshipmen as like minded, Nolan emphasizes that the Navy has its own culture. The culture, from the mids and colleagues in the English Department alike, creates a special kind of engagement he says he'll miss upon retiring. Nolan has served as department chair and held numerous other leadership positions across the Yard. In the classroom, he has shared his passion literature, teaching courses ranging from 17th to 20th century, and including genres as diverse as poetry and fiction.
Departmental Recognitions and Farewells
Congratulations to Prof. Jason Shaffer and Prof. Christy Stanlake on their recent career service awards. Both were recognized for 20 years of service!
We also say farewell to LT Tony Marchilena and LT Nichella Nal who leave the English department and return to the fleet. Fair winds and following seas. We will miss you!
Don't Miss These Events
English Department Awards Ceremony: May 22 at 1400, English Dept. Library
HUMSS Prizes and Awards Ceremony: May 24 at 1000, Memorial Hall
What I'm Reading
Prof. Noah Comet
I feel like this is a flex opportunity, and I should mention Proust or a biography of someone who died doing something really good that we all forgot about. For what it’s worth, I am sporadically making my way through Richard Powers’ Bewilderment, which is gorgeous, and Kazuo Ishiguro’s latest novel has been sitting next to my bed for months now, promising to be read.
But if I’m honest about what I’m actually reading when I have time to read outside of class-prep: Keith Richards’ autobiography.
He’s more forthcoming about the origins of rock & roll than many of the leather-pantsed egomaniacal dinosaurs of his ilk, crediting Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Buddy Holly, et al, for inventing the sound he and Mick Jagger got rich on. And he had front row seats to history, meeting everyone, seeing everything, sometimes being the history worth seeing, and often what a spectacle he was. There are run-ins with the law, all manner of irresponsible and desperate backstage antics, loves and deaths and plenty of insights into the music of a usually ok band. Lots of shade thrown at Jagger, pulled back with grudging admiration. It’s a reliably funny read, especially if you have Richards’ desultory Camel-carton-a-day voice in your mind’s ear. He comes across as a small boat on a big wave, which isn't to say he's humble—just not in control. But there's something reassuring about that sort of story.
Ok. This is the literary equivalent of pie for dinner, and I should be ashamed. But seriously, you’ve got to read this thing.
Summer Send-Off
We wish you all a safe, relaxing summer break! Enjoy the much-needed, well deserved time off. We look forward to hearing about all of your adventures in the fall. To our graduating firsties: Fair winds and following seas! Don't forget to email LCDR Caitlin Foster (cjfoster@usna.edu) or LT Marissa Cruz Lemar (cruzlema@usna.edu) your personal email address if you'd like to continue to receive The HElm. We'd love to keep you updated and feature you in future issues!
At the HElm, we love finding ways to incorporate our students' thoughts and experiences — whether in pieces about summers or semesters abroad, film critiques, or independent studies, we've featured several MIDN from the department and we'd love to hear from more of you! Are you reading a compelling murder mystery? Have you been enthralled by a historical fiction? Are you a sci-fi fan reading works that feature AI and flying cars? Send us a blurb about your latest literary delights — we'd love to host your work for "What I'm Reading" in our next issue of the HElm!
Is there something else you'd like to see in The HElm? Reach out to LCDR Caitlin Foster (cjfoster@usna.edu) or LT Marissa Cruz Lemar (cruzlema@usna.edu) with suggestions!