Dr. Batkie Wins Major Prize from the Medieval Academy of America
Dr. Stephanie Batkie Won the Medieval Academy of America's Robert L. Kindrick–CARA Award for Outstanding Service to Medieval Studies.
English and Creative Writing at Sewanee
When you study English at Sewanee, you will be part of a truly storied program. Our vibrant range of courses and our generous and engaging faculty will guide your exploration of literature from Ancient Greek epic to the contemporary African novel.
Our Creative Writing program will develop your talents in a broad range of genres, including Fiction, Playwriting, Creative Non-Fiction, and Poetry. You will also be immersed in Sewanee's long literary tradition, including The Sewanee Review, the country's oldest continuously published literary quarterly, and the Sewanee Writers' Conference, a yearly gathering of writers that has included Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winners.
At the center of our practice is a concern with form – that is, what makes literature different from other kinds of writing and communication? Our faculty and students explore big questions that literature poses: Dr. Matthew Irvin asks, How does language create emotion, and does that emotion change with language? Claire Crow, C’ 21, asks, How has medieval literature given us the terms to understand modern ideas of race and gender? Playwright Elizabeth Wilder asks, How does writing produce rituals that bind communities? Dr. Maha Jafri asks, What can a narrative do?
Professors and students share in these explorations: they inspire classroom discussions, creative projects, and undergraduate research. But they are also part of the life of our community, in our hallways, at Stirlings, and also in places like the Writing House, the Sewanee Literary Society, and the Mountain Goat Literary Journal. We also bring others in to help us answer them: writers and academics, artists and entrepreneurs, journalists and philosophers. While Sewanee has a long and proud literary tradition, we also look outward, to new voices, new approaches, and new literatures.
So how can you get involved? See what classes we are offering this semester, upcoming events, our faculty, and check out the major in English, the minor in Shakespeare Studies, and the Major and certificate in Creative Writing!
A Sampling of Courses
The Novel in the Global Age
English
This course explores the contemporary Anglophone novel since 1989. Written largely from transnational perspectives that defy traditional national boundaries, the novels in this course share a concern with capturing global experience and analyzing the cultural and economic impact of globalization. Potential readings include works by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Teju Cole, Amitav Ghosh, Michael Ondaatje, and Ruth Ozeki.
ENGL 316
Taught by Derek Ettensohn
Beginning Fiction Workshop
Creative Writing
This workshop focuses on writing literary short fiction. After examining a diverse selection of exemplary forms of the craft and learning techniques for their own writing, students will generate and share their own stories with the workshop. Along the way, the course will help students develop a common language for discussing and critiquing the creative work of their peers. Beyond that, the workshop asks students to interrogate their own point of view and how it informs their artistic principles, while also seeking to understand and embrace the unique stories of their peers.
WRIT206
Taught by Kevin Wilson
Literary Criticism
English
This course examines literary and cultural theory, including Post-Structuralism, Post-Colonial Theory, Feminist Theory, and Queer Theory. Emphasis is placed on practical application of critical theory as well as on its history and development.
ENGL 401
Taught by Stephanie Batkie
Gothic Literature
English
By turns terrifying, melancholy, and bizarre, gothic literature channels real anxieties in monstrous forms. This course features literature of the mysterious, uncanny, supernatural, and grotesque. The specific focus of the class may vary from year to year (e.g., a special focus on American gothic fiction or literature of the sublime, or others).
ENGL 389
Taught by Maha Jafri
Modern Drama
English
An exploration of the development of modern drama from Ibsen's groundbreaking naturalism to contemporary drama's new variations. The course emphasizes the relationship between the theater and society and issues of performance, as well as close study of the plays themselves. Authors covered may include Wilde, Shaw, Beckett, Williams, Stoppard, and others.
ENGL 390
Taught by Lauryl Tucker
Border Fictions: Literature of the U.S.-Mexico Border
English
This course focuses on literary representations--in fiction, nonfiction and poetry--of the experience and meaning of the imaginary line that divides the United States and Mexico. Among the themes to be discussed are the experience of border-crossing (in both directions), the possibility or impossibility of assimilating to life across the border, and especially the desire that draws migrants toward el otro lado (the other side). Writers to be discussed may include Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton, Katherine Ann Porter, Americo Paredes, Sandra Cisneros, Cormac McCarthy, Oscar Casares, and Luis Alberto Urrea.
ENGL 338
Taught by John Grammer
English
Programs of Study & Related Programs
All our current courses are listed here.
Requirements for the Major in English
Requirements for the Minor in Shakespeare Studies | Website
Requirements for the Major in Creative Writing: Fiction Track, Playwriting Track, Poetry Track
Requirements for the Certificate in Creative Writing | Website
Meet some professors
Kevin Wilson
Kevin Wilson has been teaching at Sewanee since 2006. He is the author of two collections, Tunneling to the Center of the Earth (Ecco/Harper Perennial, 2009), which received an Alex Award from the American Library Association and the Shirley Jackson Award, and Baby You’re Gonna Be Mine (Ecco, 2018), and three novels, The Family Fang (Ecco, 2011), Perfect Little World (Ecco, 2017) and Nothing to See Here (Ecco, 2019), a New York Times bestseller and a Read with Jenna book club selection. His fiction has appeared in Ploughshares, Southern Review, One Story, A Public Space, and elsewhere, and has appeared in Best American Short Stories 2020 and 2021, as well as The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2012.
Associate Professor of English
William Engel
Professor Engel received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and specializes in medieval and Renaissance literature with an eye toward the history of ideas. He has published chapters in collections of essays on topics that include Chaucer’s use of Boethius, Shakespeare’s historical context, Milton’s use of Anglo-Saxon, and Poe’s cryptography.
Professor of English
Maha Jafri
Maha Jafri received a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University. She specializes in Victorian literature, with research and teaching interests in the history of the novel and narrative, psychology, ethics, and intellectual history.
Associate Professor of English
News & Events
Poetry Reading by Dr. Su Cho
Dr. Su Cho will be reading from her debut book of poems, The Symmetry of Fish, on April 9th at 4:30pm in the Torian Room.
Dr. Cho is an award-winning poet, having won the National Poetry Series for her first book and, recently, an Individual Artist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She is also a keen editor, working as editor-in-chief for Indiana Review and for several months as the guest editor for Poetry Magazine. Dr. Cho's poems are a delicate investigation of family, inheritance, and identity in the Korean-American diaspora. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Poetry at Clemson University, but will in the fall join the faculty of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Vanderbilt.
The Haines Lecture: Hortense Spillers
This year, our Haines Lecturer will be Black Studies and literary critic Hortense Spillers. She will deliver the 31st Haines Lecture, entitled, "Tales Told Out of School: Race, History, and Public Relations," on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. in Convocation Hall.
Lecture: Envisioning a Queer and Feminist South
Dr. Jaime Harker, Professor of English and Director of the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies at the University of Mississippi, will deliver a lecture, Envisioning a Queer and Feminist South, Thursday, February 6, 2025, 4:30 PM - Naylor Auditorium, Gailor Hall.
The lecture is free and open to the public; all are welcome.
Sponsored by The Department of English and Creative Writing, The Center for Southern Studies, Q and A House and the WIC, The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the University Lectures Committee.
Sewanee Alum Lectures on Old Southwestern Humor
Dr. D. Berton Emerson, Sewanee alum and Associate Professor of English at Whitworth
University, will deliver a public lecture titled American Literary Misfits: The Case of
Southwestern Humor, Its Common Men, and Present-Tense Democracy, on Monday 11/18 at
5pm in the Torian Room at the duPont Library.
Poet Jim Whiteside in The Adroit Journal
Visiting Assistant Professor of Poetry Jim Whiteside conducted an interview with poet Matthew Gelman for The Adroit Journal. Gellman's debut book, Beforelight, won the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize and was published by BOA Editions earlier this year. It's a tender exploration of the intersections of gender, sexuality, family, and place.
Fiction Professor Erica Hussey Sells Her Debut Novel
Visiting Assistant Professor of Fiction, Erica Hussey, has sold her debut novel, Hafa Adai! It will be coming out from Curbstone in 2027. Congratulations!
Taylor Tunstall Examines Medieval Manuscripts
This past summer, Taylor Tunstall C'25, an English and Latin major, learned about medieval Latin paleography (the handwriting of medieval Latin manuscripts), with Professor Matthew Irvin. Read about her research in Sewanee's Research Spotlight!
Sayantani Dasgupta Reading, with English Faculty Heidi Siegrist
Sayantani Dasgupta: Reading from her latest essay collection, Brown Women Have Everything: Essays on (Dis)comfort and Delight (UNC 2024), and in conversation with Heidi Siegrist, author of All Y'all: Queering Southernness in US Fiction 1980-2020 (UNC 2024). Sayantani Dasgupta is associate professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She is also the author of Women Who Misbehave and Fire Girl: Essays on India, America, & the In-Between.
Tuesday, October 29th, 4:30
Torian Room, DuPont Library
Caldecott-Winning Author and Illustrator Brian Selznick
Join us for a talk with Brian Selznick in Convocation Hall on Tuesday, October 8th at 5:00. He will discuss storytelling, the power of images, and adapting stories from one medium into another. All are welcome. The talk will be followed by a book signing.
Meet Ghostwriters!
The Friends of the Library is hosting an event on Tuesday, October 15 at 5:00 pm in the Torian Room featuring Dudley Delffs and Bessie Gantt, C'98. They are both ghostwriters and will share their experiences as behind-the-scenes collaborators for their many bestselling
clients.
Poetry & Music at the Ralston Listening Room
The Writing House and the Ralston Listening Room invite you to attend an evening of poetry and music on Tuesday, October 1 at 5:00PM. Events fill up quickly, so make your reservation today.
Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel Read from their Co-authored Novel
Authors Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel will read from their co-authored novel Dayswork at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept 19, in Naylor Auditorium.
Two New Works from Elyzabeth Wilder
Come see a studio production of Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder's new play Zelda in the Backyard
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024 at 7:00PM
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 at 7:00PM
Tennessee Williams Center Studio Theatre
Reserve your tickets
There will be a reading of The Untitled Measure for Measure Project
a new play-in-progress by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder
Saturday, Sept. 22 at 3:00PM
Tennessee Williams Center Studio Theatre
No reservations required
Carlos Zayas-Pons C'20 Lands Job at Viking Books in New York
After finishing his English major and Sewanee, and then working at the Paris Review and the Sewanee Review, Carlos moved to New York and began pursuing opportunities in publishing. He is now working as an editorial assistant at Viking Books at Penguin Random House. Congratulations, Carlos!
Creative Writing Majors Read from their Capstones
The First Annual Capstone Reading for Creative Writing graduating majors will take place on Monday, April 22, in Convocation Hall from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.
Poetry: Wyles Daniel and José Diaz
Fiction: Remy Donald, Rylee Higgins, Eleanor Knox, Sarah Crosby McKay, and Stormy Stewart
Please come and hear our talented majors!
Sewanee Poet-in-Residence Stephanie Choi Reads from Her New Collection
On April 17, at 7 PM in Naylor Auditorium in Gailor Hall, Sewanee Poet-in-Residence Stephanie Choi will read from her brand-new collection, The Lengest Neoi, which won the Iowa Poetry Prize. There will be a reception and book signing after the event. The event is free and open to the public, and copies of The Lengest Neoi will be available for purchase.
Lectures In Literature and the Environment: George Eliot in the Age of Climate Breakdown
On April 10, 2024 at 4:30 PM in the Torian Room in duPont Library, Dr. Nathan Hensley (Georgetown University) will offer a lecture, "George Eliot in the Age of Climate Breakdown." The talk draws on Hensley's book-in-progress, which explores "how the nineteenth century used aesthetic forms to think about massive, distributed systems and the failure of those systems." The lecture is free and open to the public.
CANCELLED: Lectures in the Environment: The 1878 Paris Exhibition and Solar Power
Due to illness, this event has been cancelled.
English and Creative Writing Win Teal Award
At the Annual Teal Awards Ceremony on March 5th at 5pm in Convocation Hall, the English and Creative Writing Department was honored with "The Idealist Department Award" for 2021-22. The "Teal Awards" were designed to recognize at least nine honorees on an annual basis. These honorees make and have made contributions to our campus in ways that encourage our collective values while working to prevent sexual harm. The English and Creative Writing Department is committed to working to prevent harm and create a welcoming environment for all students. We are honored, and much thanks to the Title IX Office for creating these awards!
Professor Bill Engel Publishes on Literary Anthologies and Canonicity
As part of his sabbatical activities, Professor Bill Engel has published an article based on his remarks at the 17th International Connotations Symposium in Ellwangen, Germany, sponsored by the University of Tübingen. Read the full essay.
Coffee and Conversation: Poet-in-Residence Stephanie Choi
The Writing House presents Coffee and Conversation with Sewanee Poet-in-Residence Stephanie Choi, Friday, February 23, at 3 PM, at Stirlings. Come, drink and eat, and chat about poetry, creative writing as a profession, and Stephanie's new project.
PROFESSOR BILL ENGEL to teach Master Classes and speak at UC-Irvine and UT-Knoxville
As part of his sabbatical activities, and in connection with visits to the Huntington Library and the Marco Institute to advance his research, Professor Engel has signed on to work with graduate students at UC-Irvine and UT-Knoxville using a program he has designed called "The Early Modern Paperworld: situating a research agenda." Learn about his lecture at UC-Irvine's School of Humanities on February 16, 2024, "Living with Death in Shakespeare's England," Find out more on Professor Engel's teaching and research.
Stephanie Choi's Debut Collection Chosen by Lithub
Poet-in-Residence Stephanie Choi's debut poetry collection, The Lengest Neoi, has not yet been published by University of Iowa Press (pub. date: May 6), but it is already gathering buzz. It recently made the list of poetry books to read in 2024 on LitHub, alongside poets such as Anne Carson, Diane Seuss, Reginald Shepherd, Li-Young Lee, and Jean Valentine.
Dr. Yuliya Ladygina Lectures on Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema
The Interdisciplinary Humanities program is delighted to welcome Professor Yuliya V. Ladygina back to Sewanee for a lecture on contemporary Ukrainian cinema. Please join us at 4:30 on Thursday, September 21st in Naylor Auditorium in Gailor Hall to hear Professor Ladygina present her work on Valentyn Vasyanovych’s internationally acclaimed film Atlantis (2019). Her lecture is part of a larger project on Ukrainian cinema entitled The Reel Story of Russia’s War Against Ukraine.
The film is available to stream from DuPont Library and we will be hosting a screening of Atlantis on Sunday 9/17 at 7:30PM in Naylor auditorium.
This lecture was made possible by the generous support of the University Lectures Committee; The Office of Global Citizenship; the English Department; Film Studies Program; International and Global Studies; the Russian Department; and the Politics Department.
2023 Aiken Taylor Award: Patricia Smith
Please join the Sewanee Review in celebrating Patricia Smith, recipient of the 2023 Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry. Events are scheduled for September 26 and 27.
The 2023 Haines Lecture: Scott Newstok
This year, our Haines Lecturer will be the professor and critic Scott Newstok. He will deliver the 30th Haines Lecture, entitled, "How to Think Like Shakespeare (and Other Humans)" on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 4:30 PM, in Convocation Hall.
Professor Elizabeth Wilder Wins Prestigious Award
Professor Elyzabeth Wilder has won the prestigious Tennessee Arts Commission Fellowship. The Tennessee Arts Commission awards the Individual Artist Fellowship annually to recognize and acknowledge outstanding professional Tennessee artists who add to the state’s cultural vitality. Wilder is one of just five artists named as this year’s fellows.
Flash Songwriting Event with University Choir
Come to the Social Lodge on Thursday, September 14 at 6:45PM for a flash songwriting session with members of the Writing House and the University Choir.
Professor Engel Publishes in "Affect and Invention in Shakespeare's Drama" with Cambridge University Press
Dr. Engel contributed Chapter 10 in Memory and Affect in Shakespeare's England, edited by Jonathan Baldo and Isabel Karremann (Cambridge University Press, 2023).
Dr. Michael's Article Links Sondheim's "Into the Woods" with William Blake
Dr. Jennifer Michael's article, The Children Will Listen: The Blakean World of 'Into the Woods,' was published on the literary site, The Millions in June of 2023. It views the popular Sondheim musical through the lens of William Blake's poetry. You may read the full article.
Death Arts Roundtable with Dr. Engel (Attend Online!)
Attend a virtual version of a roundtable on the Artes Moriendi (Death Arts), an important Medieval and Renaissance cultural practice, featuring Sewanee professor Dr. William Engel, June 22, 2023, 12:30pm-3:00pm CDT (5:30pm-8:00pm GMT).
Translation Roundtable: Translating Across Difference
Translating between languages is a complex process, but what is it to translate across drastically different cultures? Three Sewanee professors, Paul Holloway (Classics and Ancient Christianity), Juyoun Jang (English), and Stephanie McCarter (Classics), will discuss their translation projects in Naylor Auditorium at 7 PM, April 25.
Dr. Patrick Elliot Alexander Discusses Prison Education and Advocacy
Dr. Patrick Elliot Alexander, Associate Professor of English and African American Studies, University of Mississippi, and Co-founder and Director, University of Mississippi Prison-to-College Pipeline Program, will deliver a lecture on Tuesday, April 11, entitled, "From 'Genuine Solidarity' to Radical Togetherness: Student-Centered and Student-Led Learning Communities at Parchman and Beyond."
The lecture, in Naylor Auditorium in Gailor Hall, is at 7 PM. It is free and open to the public.
Students Travel to Playwriting Program, One Wins Critics Choice Award
Two Sewanee students in Professor Elyzabeth Wilder's playwriting course, Carson Mendheim ('25) and Sofia Tripoli ('26) attended the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's Young Southern Writers Program over Spring Break. Carson won the Critics Choice Award!
Annual Poetry Slam
Come to the Mary Sue Cushman Room in the Women's Center for the Annual Poetry Slam, Friday, February 10, at 6 PM. Food and drinks will be provided...Bring your creative expression!!! Sponsored by the Office of Inclusive Excellence.
Friends of the Library Presents: Robin Bates: The Significance of Card Playing in Jane Austen
Please join us on Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 7:00 pm in McGriff Alumni House to learn about the significance of card playing in Jane Austen. Dr. Robin Bates will discuss the topic and then teach all participants how to play Speculation.
Please RSVP to pcowan@sewanee.edu by Wednesday, February 8th.
Lectures in African-American Poetry
Please join Dr. Juyoun Jang's class for Lectures in African-American Poetry throughout the semester.
Open to All Students, Faculty, and Staff
These are guests lectures in Dr. Juyoun Jang's ENGL402, a course for students at Sewanee and Maury County Jail
Join on Monday or Wednesday, in person or on Zoom
Gailor 110, 3:30 p.m.-4:45 p.m.
Careers in Community Organizing for Social Justice
DART will hold a LIVE online info session on February 15th at 7pm EST to discuss careers in community organizing. All Sewanee students and alumni welcome, particularly those graduating before May 2023.
RSVP at www.thedartcenter.org/rsvp
DART trains professional organizers and community organizations how to work for social, economic and racial justice.
Dr. Ross Macdonald Lectures at the Frist
Dr. Ross Macdonald will explore the influences of English poet John Milton on Matthew Ritchie: A Garden in the Flood in a gallery talk at the Frist, Thursday, January 26, 7:00–7:30 p.m. Drawing from passages in Milton’s Paradise Lost, Dr. Macdonald will discuss Milton’s examination of order and chaos in the epic poem and its thematic relevance to Ritchie’s work.
Matthew Ritchie. Harbinger, 2022. Oil and ink on canvas; 58 x 72 in. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York. © Matthew Ritchie 2022. Image courtesy the artist and James Cohan, New York. Photo: Phoebe D’Heurle
Dr. Jafri Quoted in Time Magazine
In an article on 2022 being the "Year of Gossip," Dr. Jafri, an expert on the uses of gossip in Victorian literature, helped explain why Covid-19 intensified the desire for gossip last year: “I’m not surprised that years of social crisis—in a society that barely qualifies as such—have created an audience for low-stakes sensationalism with a human-interest angle.” So...tell your friends!
Debra Earling Reading, 11/16
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Debra Earling, author of Perma Red and the forthcoming novel The Lost Journals of Sacajewea, will give a reading in Convocation Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 4:30 p.m. In addition, she will be making classroom, workshop, and other program visits. She has received both a National Endowment for the Arts grant and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Dennis Kezar Lectures on Shakespeare
Dennis Kezar, who has taught Renaissance Literature at both Vanderbilt University and the University of Utah, will give a lecture entitled, Seeing Feelingly - The Alchemy of Shakespeare's Skeptical Empathy, at 4:30 PM, November 9, in Gailor Auditorium.
Dr. Foy Wins Grant to Study Enslaved Man Whose Case Ended Slavery in Scotland
Dr. Anna Foy has received a Sewanee Research Grant to travel to Scotland to examine the extant legal papers of a man named Joseph Knight, an important but mysterious figure from African and Scottish legal history who was granted freedom from enslavement from the Scottish high court in 1788. Born in Guinea, transported as a child to Jamaica, and sold into slavery to John Wedderburn (a Scotsman), Knight eventually met and fell in love with Ann Thompson, a white servant of Wedderburn with whom Knight had a child. After several rounds of appeal, the monumental Knight v. Wedderburn case effectively declared slavery illegal within Scottish borders, even as slavery remained legal in the British colonies. The central goal of Dr. Foy’s project is to examine and transcribe the 40-odd pages of Knight’s legal “memorial” (a kind of autobiographical petition) with an eye to eventual publication. Knight’s case deserves to be better known.
Kevin Wilson Interviewed in the New York Times
Read a new interview with Kevin Wilson in the New York Times Book Review section!
New Creative Work from English and Creative Writing Faculty
Isabel Duarte-Gray Reads from Her Poetry
Isabel Duarte-Gray, Visiting Assistant Professor of English, will read from her poetry, November 3 at 4:30 PM in Gailor Auditorium. Her reading will include new poetry from her forthcoming collection.
2022 Haines Lecturer: Natasha Trethewey
This year, our Haines Lecturer will be the poet Natasha Trethewey. She will deliver the 29th Haines Lecture on October 25, 2022 at 4:30 PM PM, in Convocation Hall. It will also be livestreamed on the Sewanee English and Creative Writing Department's YouTube Channel.
New Research Publications from the English Faculty
English faculty have been hard at work writing and editing criticism - here are some of our recent publications!
Aiken Taylor Award: Poet Garrett Hongo
The Sewanee Review presents the 2022 Aiken Taylor Award, October 12-13. Critic Christopher Spaide will lecture on the work of Garrett Hongo, the recipient of the 2022 Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, on October 11th at 4:30 PM in Guerry Auditorium; Hongo will receive his award and read from his work on Wednesday, October 12th at 5 PM, in Convocation Hall.
Dr. Jiwei Xiao Lectures on Chinese Literature
Dr. Jiwei Xiao, who formerly taught Chinese at Sewanee, will deliver a talk entitled "What is a detail?: Reading Chinese Fiction as World Literature." In addition to the lecture, Dr. Xiao will be at the Tower Room upstairs in McClurg at noon for a discussion over lunch.
Novelist Katie Kitamura Reading
Novelist Katie Kitamura, whose novel Intimacies was a favorite of best-book lists in 2021, will read at 4:30 PM on Tuesday, August 30th, in Gailor Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. Start the semester off with a reading from one of the nation's best novelists! The event will also be livestreamed - click to find out more.
Justin Taylor Reading
Memoirist and novelist Justin Taylor will read from his work on September 29th, at 4:30 PM in Gailor Auditorium. Mr. Taylor is also the Director of the Sewanee School of Letters, and, as a Brown Foundation Fellow, is currently teaching The Beginning Narrative Nonfiction Workshop for Sewanee's Creative Writing Program. The event is free and open to the public.
Come to a Talkback with the Director and Cast of Much Ado!
The English Department invites you, on Monday afternoon, at 4:30 p.m. in Gailor 224, to a "Talk Back" with Dakota Collins and the cast of his Much Ado About Nothing, whose final performance unfolds this (Thursday) evening at 6 p.m. in Angel Park.
Being in Shakespeare's Company: A Lecture/Workshop
On March 23, 2022, at 4:30 PM, the English Department presents a lecture-workshop with Ralph Cohen, the co-founder of the American Shakespeare Center, a Shakespeare-centered performance group based in Staunton, VA, in the world's only recreation of the Blackfriars Theatre, Shakespeare's indoor performance space. He and actors from ASC will lead students in discussion and performance workshops. No prior acting experience required!
Ciona Rouse Reads from her Poetry
Ciona Rouse, a Nashville poet teaching African-American Literary Societies this semester at Sewanee, will read from her poetry at 4:30 PM on Wednesday, April 6, at 4:30 PM in Gailor Auditorium. An award-winning poet, Rouse is also well-known for her electrifying readings.
Jos Charles Poetry Reading
As part of the Sewanee Medieval Colloquium, poet Jos Charles will read from her poetry, including from feeld, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. The reading will take place April 9, at 1 PM in Gailor Auditorium. Her poems, whose language blend together the ambiguity of Middle English and the punch of text-speak, reckon with youth, desire, and trans experience. In addition to the reading, she will be in conversation with medievalist and trans scholar Dr. Gabriel M.W. Bychowski. This event is co-sponsored by the English Department, the Sewanee Review, and the University Lectures Committee.
Mandy Tu (C'21) Publishes Poetry Chapbook
Mandy Moe Pwint Tu, a 2021 graduate of Sewanee (an English major with a Certificate in Creative Writing) just published her first chapbook, Monsoon Daughter from Thirty West Publishing. Mandy is currently a graduate student at University of Wisconsin - Madison, working towards her MFA in poetry. At Sewanee, Mandy was President of the Order of Gown and wrote for the Sewanee Purple, The Mountain Goat Journal, and won a Watson Fellowship. You can purchase the chapbook here.
Read an Interview with Kevin Wilson about his New Novel
Kevin Wilson's new novel, Now Is Not the Time to Panic, will be published on November 8, by Ecco. A coming-of-age story, the book focuses on two kids named Frankie and Zeke over the course of a summer.
Professor Michael Publishes New Poetry
Dr. Jennifer Michael (also C'89), in addition to teaching Romantic literature at Sewanee, has recently published some new poetry, including a new chapbook from Finishing Line Press.
Comprehensive Exam Date: March 26
The English Comprehensive Examination will be held Saturday, March 26 (Super Saturday), starting at 8 AM. There will be a review session scheduled for next semester before Spring Break. You can find a sample comprehensive exam on our website, and the best way to prepare is to review the texts you have read which appear on our reading list (but we will have lots of guidance and tips for you in our review session).
Gwen Kirby Reads from Her Story Collection
On February 17 at 4:30 in Gailor Auditorium, Dr. Gwen Kirby will be reading from her debut story collection Shit Cassandra Saw. It's been getting rave reviews, everywhere from Publishers Weekly to National Public Radio.
Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi Reading and Reception
On February 8 at 4:30 in Gailor Auditorium, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novelist Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi will read from her work. The reading will be followed by a reception and book-signing.
Yea! Sewanee Reads
The English Department and the University Bookstore are joining forces to feature our favorite titles, with reviews from Sewanee students! Come find new titles to read, February 11!
The Mountain Reading Series Continues
The Mountain Goat Journal, Sewanee’s oldest student-run literary journal, is excited to move from its traditional yearly print issue to a monthly online publication in the 2021-22 year. Our monthly issue will launch the first Thursday of every month beginning in September, and coincide with a public reading every first Tuesday. Our goal is that, by keeping with a regular publication schedule and a rolling submission period, the Journal will serve as a supportive outlet for Sewanee students to showcase and share their creative work, and that our regular public readings and events will help to foster more opportunities for Sewanee’s undergraduate creatives to form a community with and among one another.
Submit to the Mountain Goat here: https://www.themountaingoatjournal.com, and come to our next reading, 6 PM February 1, at the Social Lodge.
Dr. Lauryl Tucker's New Book, "Unexpected Pleasures"
In February, Clemson University Press will publish Dr. Lauryl Tucker's book, Unexpected Pleasures: Parody, Queerness, and Genre in 20th-Century British Fiction. The book dives into Dr. Tucker's interests in humor, especially the humor that queers conventions both social and literary. You can find the book here, and Dr. Tucker will discuss it at a Dean's Faculty Research Presentation on January 27, at McGriff Alumni Hall.
Radney Foster: "The Business of Creativity"
Mr. Radney Foster, C’82, Nashville singer, songwriter, author, and actor (and Sewanee English major) will be the Babson Center’s 2022 Humphreys Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Navigating the fluid nature of the music industry, Mr. Foster will share insights of his journey from West Texas to Sewanee to the Music City and will offer wisdom to his success. He will speak in Convocation Hall at 4:30 on January 20.
Nikki Giovanni Reads in Convocation
Celebrated poet and honorary degree recipient Nikki Giovanni will give a reading from her writings at 4 PM in Convocation Hall, January 13; she will receive her honorary degree the next day during Winter Convocation.
New Mountain Goat Issue, January 13!
The Mountain Goat Literary Journal welcomes everyone back from break with new writing, published January 13, on the website.
What Do You Do With an English Degree
If you've ever wondered (or been asked) what you can do with an English degree (besides being a teacher or a writer), we have answers for you from alumna and English major Caroline Morton Huffman (C'86), who has had a long career in business and is looking forward to helping answer your questions. Come chat at 7 PM, Wednesday, Nov 3 at the Social Lodge. This event is sponsored by the English Department and the Babson Center.
Film Screening: The Green Knight
Come watch David Lowery's stunning new film from A24 (starring Dev Patel) and hear about how it adapts the late 14th century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Publishing Roundtable
Wondering how publishing works in different ways for fiction, poetry, translations, or academic texts? Come to a roundtable on October 22 at 4 PM in Gailor Auditorium, featuring William Engel of the English Department, Stephanie McCarter of the Classics Department, Matthew Mitchell of the History Department, Gwen Kirby of the Sewanee Writers Conference, and Eric Smith of The Sewanee Review. They will discuss their publishing journeys, share tips and tricks they've learned along the way, and answer any questions you have in the Q&A session following the panel. This event is organized by the Writing House!
The Haines Lecture: Novelist Alice McDermott
On October 26th at 4:30 PM in Convocation Hall, Alice McDermott will give the 28th Haines Lecture, including reading from new fiction. McDermott is the author of eight novels, and won the National Book Award for Charming Billy. Sewanee's masking and social distancing policies will be in effect. (Photo credit: Beowulf Sheehan)
Kevin Wilson's Fiction Wins Big Honors
Professor Kevin Wilson's most recent novel, Nothing to See Here, was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of their Big Read program, where they select 15 books for the year and offer grants to communities to discuss the book that they choose. His short story, "Biology" was selected by Jesmyn Ward for this year's Best American Short Stories.
Aiken Taylor Award, Lecture, and Reading, Oct. 12-13
Poet and critic Phillip B. Williams will lecture on the work of Vievee Francis, the recipient of the 2021 Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry, on October 12th; Francis will receive her award and read from her work on Wednesday, October 13th.
Southern Festival of Books
The annual Southern Festival of Books will be all online October 9 and 10, and will feature a conversation with Dr. Destiny Birdsong, who teaches poetry at Sewanee. Many other authors are involved in conversations that can be seen on YouTube Live!
Congratulations to Claire Crow on Acceptance at Yale
Out of over 550 applicants, English major, Claire Crow, was offered (and accepted) one of 3 positions in the Ph.D. Program in English at Yale to continue her work on depictions of race in medieval romance. She was also accepted with full funding into the Ph.D. program in Medieval Studies at Cornell and into the English Ph.D. programs at Indiana University, The Ohio State University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Fordham University. In addition, she was offered positions in the M.A. program in English at NYU and at the University of Birmingham (UK), the M.A. program in Comparative Literature at Dartmouth, and the M.A. program in the Humanities at the University of Chicago.
Two English Majors Awarded Watson Fellowships
Bramwell Atkins and Mandy Tu have been awarded the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a one-year grant for purposeful, independent exploration outside the United States. Bramwell's study, How Can We Sing?: Music and Displacement will take him to Russia, Ukraine, Laos, Vietnam, Greece, and Germany to study how music helps displaced people to cope. Through her study, Voices in Verse: Perspectives on Postcolonial Women Writing, Mandy will travel to the Bahamas, Jamaica, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, Nigeria, and the U.K. to learn about women writing in the shadow of the British Empire.
Writing Center
Sharpen your pencils, sharpen your skills
Need help with a paper? The Writing Center provides you with objective peer support and instruction for writing projects. The student tutors represent a wide range of majors, and they can help you at any stage in the writing process—topic development, rough drafts, final drafts, revisions, etc. They’re basically your cheerleader from brainstorming to final draft.
Shakespeare Studies
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none
Shakespeare studies is a complementary minor for many programs. There’s a reason Shakespeare’s poems and plays have endured the test of time. His colorful characters give us a glimpse into specific and universal human experiences.
The Mountain Goat
Student Literary Magazine
The Mountain Goat, Sewanee's student-run literary magazine, is a periodical in which students can display their talent in creative writing. Featuring poetry, fiction, playwriting, and creative nonfiction, each issue of the magazine is available online. The final printed issue is the culmination of the year's submissions and immortalizes all of the pieces that were accepted.
Sewanee Review
Flip through the pages of our storied tradition
Founded in 1892, the Sewanee Review is America’s oldest continuously published literary quarterly. Many of the 20th-century’s great writers, including T.S. Eliot, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, and Ezra Pound, have appeared in the magazine. The Sewanee Review also has a long tradition of cultivating emerging talent—like publishing some of Flannery O’Connor’s first work.
