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!
āMaybe I just have love-goggles on for English,ā 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 pilipiliĀž», despite not always taking to reading as a kid in the same way she was drawn to writing.
āEnglish 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.ā
She began her undergraduate degree at pilipiliĀž» 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 Dalhousie English Society, Larkin Conway also spent time in Dalhousieās 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 departmentās website. āI loved working in a university because there is this sense of a greater project,ā she says. āWeāre all here to learn something.ā
Mary Beth MacIsaac, head of undergraduate enquiries in the Department of English, says that Larkin Conwayās communication skills and sense of humour made her a pleasure to work with.
āWhat strikes me about Kelly is her enthusiasm when she talks about Dalās English program and, particularly, the creative writing program,ā says MacIsaac. āWhenever 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.ā Ā
āI love going to academic fairs,ā says Larkin Conway, who made her academic focus modern and contemporary poetry. āI love chatting to prospective students because theyāre so excited and I want to make sure they do everything that theyāre at all interested in.ā
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.
āFor me, doing yoga is really hard,ā she admits, ābecause it forces me to pay attention. And, often when I pay attention I notice things that I donāt like, or things that make me feel uncomfortableā¦ The same is true of writing, for me. I love writing, but itās never been easy. I struggle with it. Itās uncomfortable. Itās challenging.ā
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.
āI feel a bit like I won the lottery,ā she says. āQuebec City is beautiful and romantic and Iām excited to improve my French.ā
This past spring, Larkin Conway attended a three-week writersā 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.
āI know a lot of people that just think itās about jumping through hoops. They say āyou just get a degree to say you have a degree,ā but I donāt feel that way at all. Iāve learned so much,ā she says. āItās not just about a piece of paper; itās also about self-improvement, or challenging yourself.ā