Short story writer, novelist, free-lance editor, and creative writing instructor Rosemary Nixon will kick off a term as writer-in-residence with a public reading online Thursday, Jan. 27 at 4 p.m.

Graduate student and fiction writer Chloe Burrows-Moore will also read from her work during the event.

The reading is free and open to the public; click here to join on Microsoft Teams.

Nixon’s first collection, Mostly Country, was shortlisted for the Howard O’Hagan Award; she won it with her second collection, The Cock’s Egg. Her most recent work of fiction, Are You Ready to be Lucky? was nominated for two international awards: the Frank O’Connor International Short Fiction Collection Award and the Forewords Indie Fab Award.

Her residency runs from Jan. 24 through Feb. 18. During this time, Nixon will be available to the campus and Windsor communities for one-on-one creative writing consultations. Initially, these consults will be conducted online via Teams. To arrange for a manuscript consultation, email the English department secretary, April Morris, at amorris@uwindsor.ca.

Retired aviator, engineer, and astronaut John Herrington will recount his educational and personal journey of leadership, persistence, and adversity in an online conversation Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 6 p.m.

A member of the Chickasaw Nation, Dr. Herrington became the first member of a federally recognized tribe to travel to space. In 2002, he set off in the space shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station.

“From lift-off to completing three space walks, mission STS-113 was more exciting and challenging than I could have imagined,” he says.

His appearance is presented by the Turtle Island Aboriginal Education Centre, the St. Clair Student Representative Council and Indigenous Student Services, the Lambton College Indigenous Student Centre, Fanshawe College’s Institute of Indigenous Learning, and Western University’s Indigenous Student Centre to honour the heritage, history, and diversity of Indigenous peoples. Admission is free; register here to attend.

UWindsor students who receive vaccination against COVID-19 at either of two on-campus clinics this week will receive $25 in UwinCASH.

The funds allow students to use their UwinCARDs to purchase products and services from campus food outlets, printers and photocopiers, and the Campus Bookstore.

The Windsor Essex County Health Unit will operate public pop-up clinics open to anyone 5 years or older:

• Wednesday, Jan. 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the St. Denis Centre
• Monday, Jan. 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at Windsor Hall

No appointment or health card is necessary to receive a first, second, or booster shot. Students who attend may fill out a form on their way out to claim their $25 reward.

Applications are now open for the Athena Scholarship, which rewards students for working to increase leadership opportunities for women, as well as academic excellence and community involvement.

The program will award four scholarships of $5,000 each:

• one to a University of Windsor student in any discipline,
• one to a University of Windsor law student,
• one to a St. Clair College student, and
• one to a student attending any college or university who has spent a significant period of time in Windsor-Essex County.

UWindsor chancellor Mary Jo Haddad will be the guest speaker at a celebratory luncheon on Friday, Nov. 23.

The submission deadline is Friday, April 29. Find more details, including criteria, eligibility, and an application form on the program website.

Lancer Gaming will square off against esports teams from Western, York, and Ontario Tech universities this week and fans can tune in to catch the action.

• Valorant vs. Western Mustangs, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 6 p.m.
  Live broadcast: Twitch.TV/WESTERNMUSTANGS
• League of Legends vs. York Esports, Thursday, Jan. 20, 8 p.m.
  Live broadcast: Twitch.TV/OPSESPORTS
• Rocket League vs. OTSU Esports, Friday, Jan. 21, 6 p.m.
  Live broadcast: Twitch.TV/OTSU_ESPORTS

Lancer Gaming is a member of Ontario Post-Secondary Esports (OPSE) and the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE).

While many of us consciously seek to improve our physical health, we don’t all put the same effort into strategies for mental health, notes the January 2022 edition of Workplace Wellness E-Digest.

Published by the Department of Human Resources’ Office of Employee Engagement and Development, the newsletter shares mental health resources and supports.

It offers suggestions for helping someone struggling with anxiety and previews the Lancers Care campaign focused on the needs of the campus community in relation to pandemic mental health and starting the conversation around coping and adjusting to the return to campus.

Read the entire issue of the Workplace Wellness E-Digest.