Acadia students feel the Anne-tasy in transformative public humanities engagements

Acadia got its fill of raspberry cordial at a series of public humanities engagements celebrating the 150th birthday of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables.
Though she lived a century ago, Montgomery’s work continues to make an impact, from shows like Anne with an E to the recent addition of the Anne of Green Gables manuscript to the UNESCO Canada Memory of the World Register.
Students in Dr. Laura Robinson’s (English) “Adapting Anne of Green Gables” course landed themselves a world-class guide to all things Anne. Dr. Robinson is a renowned, and one-time controversial, Montgomery scholar. In addition to being cited in the press release about the Anne manuscript’s new home with UNESCO, she was recently interviewed by CBC (not once, but twice!) about the enduring legacy of Canada’s favourite Maritime author. She says she’s happy to see Montgomery “finally getting the accolades and the attention that she well deserves.”
Making humanities public
To mark Montgomery’s birthday, or #Maud150 on socials, the “Adapting Anne” students dove headfirst into the world of public humanities. They put on a two-day conference where they publicly shared their research, and even guest starred on Maudcast, the official podcast of L.M. Montgomery Institute.
Dr. Robinson’s approach to teaching allows her students to bring the work of an English major outside of an essay, and into the public eye. “This is active, engaged work we’re doing,” explains Dr. Robinson.
For Sophie Ashton (fourth year, English), taking literature from page to podcast made it feel more relevant. “Engaging with the public discourse around the book reminded me of how literature can be kept alive and present,” she explained. “In English, we spend a lot of time studying texts that are a lot older, so it was interesting to see how this novel has continued to influence the world.”
“Abject terror brings people together”

But stepping outside of an academic comfort zone can be scary, and boy, did the students feel it! “There was some trepidation going in,” explained Dr. Robinson, to a chorus of laughter from her students.
Emily Martell (master’s student, Education) says that because they had no idea what they were going to be asked on the podcast, she had to get to know the work on a much deeper level. “I found I was so engaged with the text in advance because of the low-level terror,” she said. “I thought about that story so much more than I would have if I’d just had to read it, come to class, and listened to a lecture.”
Through the initial discomfort, Dr. Robinson had her students’ backs. “There’s something about going into something with abject terror, then doing really well at it,” she says. “It was amazing seeing the students suddenly realize they can totally do something like this and it’s not such a big deal.”
Small, supportive classes like Dr. Robinson’s have given Angel Percentie (third year, English) the push she needed to come into her own as an academic. “I’m finally learning how to vocalize what I’m thinking and I feel like my opinions are getting stronger,” she says. “I’ve benefited a lot from it.”
“I think getting to present at a conference like this made me realize ‘Oh, I do deserve to be here. And I’m doing really well!’” says Genna Beed (fourth year, English). “It was a huge confidence boost.”
Feeling the Anne-tasy

At its heart, Anne is a story about friendship and the beauty of imagination. And that’s exactly what Dr. Robinson’s students got out of her class, too.
After they finished recording their episode of the Maudcast, Dr. Robinson recalls looking out into the hallway at her gathered, giddy students. “There was an ebullience, like some sort of happiness factor. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but there was laughter.”
“It was super active and community building for us as a group,” says Emily, reflecting on her experience working on the podcast. “It really brought us together.”
“One of the nice things about having a class that’s community-based like this is that it keeps you talking about the subject matter after class is over,” explained Sophie. “So, for Angel and me that manifested in us coming up with our own adaptation about Gregory, the boy that would have gone to Green Gables.”
If you run into Angel and Sophie in the halls of the BAC, be sure to ask them about Gregory of the asylum (don’t worry, orphanage, not hospital), and they’ll tell you all about the character they invented together.
“I feel like in a bigger class Gregory might have been an idea that we came up with and then never thought about again,” Sophie explained. “I never imagined that I would have brought it into class to share with everyone else and then proceed to share it on a podcast!”
On the road from Avonlea
Though the class is over, Dr. Robinson’s students are leaving with new friends, new confidence, new stories, and improved job prospects.
For Nick Lundrigan (third year, English and Gender Studies), the class was transformative for their understanding of the work of an English degree can do for them. “Sometimes,” they explained, “it feels kind of like you’re producing this work for no purpose and that it’s stuck in an academic bubble. So, to be given the opportunity to show that our work has an impact in the world was really special. It showed me doing this work is important today and will continue to be important.”
“Doing the podcast and conference opened more doors for me, seeing the possibilities of an English degree,” says Genna. “It showed me that there’s a professional world of English beyond undergrad and that makes me really excited for my future.”
Get the Acadia Experience with Dr. Laura Robinson

In Fall 2025, Dr. Robinson will be teaching English 3983 Children’s Literature 2, which is an introduction to folk and fairy tales. In Winter 2026, she will be teaching Women’s and Gender Studies 3123 Feminism and Popular Culture (spoiler alert: there may be some Taylor Swift analysis!)