Every spring and fall, we profile just a few of our amazing graduates in our Convocation keepsake. We proudly feature these stories here on Dal News. Congrats to all our new graduates!
鈥淢aybe I just have love-goggles on for English,鈥� says Bachelor of Arts graduate Kelly Larkin Conway, who just completed her combined honours in English and creative writing.
Originally from Greenvale, P.E.I., Larkin Conway has enthusiastically embraced English studies at Dalhousie, despite not always taking to reading as a kid in the same way she was drawn to writing.
鈥淓nglish not only gives you a broad understanding of literature, culture and people, but it teaches you how to understand, synthesize and analyze texts in a very disciplined, rigorous way.鈥�
She began her undergraduate degree at 黑料吃瓜网in 2009 after attending the University of Windsor for one semester. She left Dal for a year in the middle of her degree to work at a documentary film company in Toronto, but her desire to further her education prompted her return to Halifax in 2011. She is happy to have approached her degree at her own pace.
A former president of the 黑料吃瓜网English Society, Larkin Conway also spent time in Dalhousie鈥檚 English department as an administrative assistant. From May 2012 to August 2013, she helped students and professors with daily enquiries and also worked on developing the department鈥檚 website. 鈥淚 loved working in a university because there is this sense of a greater project,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all here to learn something.鈥�
Mary Beth MacIsaac, head of undergraduate enquiries in the Department of English, says that Larkin Conway鈥檚 communication skills and sense of humour made her a pleasure to work with.
鈥淲hat strikes me about Kelly is her enthusiasm when she talks about Dal鈥檚 English program and, particularly, the creative writing program,鈥� says MacIsaac. 鈥淲henever a student mentioned he or she was interested in creative writing or had a question about the program, Kelly would jump in to give advice, assurance and encouragement.鈥� 聽
鈥淚 love going to academic fairs,鈥� says Larkin Conway, who made her academic focus modern and contemporary poetry. 鈥淚 love chatting to prospective students because they鈥檙e so excited and I want to make sure they do everything that they鈥檙e at all interested in.鈥�
A passion for writing
She has also worked as an editorial assistant for both Shambhala Sun and Mindful magazines and has been a Kripalu yoga instructor for four years.
鈥淔or me, doing yoga is really hard,鈥� she admits, 鈥渂ecause it forces me to pay attention. And, often when I pay attention I notice things that I don鈥檛 like, or things that make me feel uncomfortable鈥� The same is true of writing, for me. I love writing, but it鈥檚 never been easy. I struggle with it. It鈥檚 uncomfortable. It鈥檚 challenging.鈥�
Most recently, she has moved to Quebec City to work as a language assistant for grades seven and eight as part of the Odyssey Program.
鈥淚 feel a bit like I won the lottery,鈥� she says. 鈥淨uebec City is beautiful and romantic and I鈥檓 excited to improve my French.鈥�
This past spring, Larkin Conway attended a three-week writers鈥� workshop at the University of Iowa where she worked with poet Jim Galvin. This fall she will be doing private workshops with poet David Hickey after being awarded a grant from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust.
After living in many different Canadian cities, she says she is considering doing a Master of Arts or a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at a university in Western Canada.
鈥淚 know a lot of people that just think it鈥檚 about jumping through hoops. They say 鈥榶ou just get a degree to say you have a degree,鈥� but I don鈥檛 feel that way at all. I鈥檝e learned so much,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about a piece of paper; it鈥檚 also about self-improvement, or challenging yourself.鈥�