English Professor Receives Midwest Book Award for Short Story Collection

Michigan State University Assistant Professor Tim Conrad received a 2025 Midwest Book Award in the Fiction – Short Story/Anthology category for his debut short story collection, “The Machine We Trust,” published by Cornerstone Press in April 2024. Conrad teaches creative writing and literature at MSU through the Department of English. The Midwest Book Awards Contest, through the Midwest Independent Publishers…

Continue ReadingEnglish Professor Receives Midwest Book Award for Short Story Collection

MSU Film Studies Faculty Member Appears on ‘Jeopardy!’

Peter Johnston, Interim Director and faculty member in the Film Studies program at Michigan State University, relied on his high school quiz bowl experience and arts and humanities background to secure a spot on the iconic game show “Jeopardy!” Johnston’s appearance as a contestant aired July 15. He played a strong game solidly taking second place. “It was so surreal…

Continue ReadingMSU Film Studies Faculty Member Appears on ‘Jeopardy!’

Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College and College of Arts & Letters at MSU Launch Community Microgrant Program

A new community-centered initiative, the Diasporic Collage Community Microgrant Program, has been launched through a partnership between the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) at Hunter College, New York, New York, and the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University. This microgrant program was open to all community organizations, inviting them to propose the creation of locally rooted programs that…

Continue ReadingCenter for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College and College of Arts & Letters at MSU Launch Community Microgrant Program

Ask the Expert: How Pride Month Has Evolved and What That Means for LGBTQIA+ Representation

The first Pride march was held in New York City June 28, 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. The Stonewall Uprising started with a raid on the gay bar, the Stonewall Inn in New York City and resulted in six days of protests and fighting between police and the LGBTQIA+ community. In 1969, homosexuality was considered a…

Continue ReadingAsk the Expert: How Pride Month Has Evolved and What That Means for LGBTQIA+ Representation

Ask the Expert: How Detroit and Its People Are Integral to the Rise of Techno Music

The story of techno music often focuses on a global narrative without acknowledging that it began in Detroit, Michigan — a place where Black people for decades have harnessed sound and music to reflect their experiences. During the 1970s and 1980s, techno was explored and celebrated by Black and queer communities across radio waves and in warehouse spaces around the…

Continue ReadingAsk the Expert: How Detroit and Its People Are Integral to the Rise of Techno Music