Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor speaks on reconnecting people to place“We Black folks are a land-based people who must rediscover our relationship to land,” asserts artist and scholar Ashon T. Crawley. “I do not think it can be said that we Black people are ‘of’ the urban north. Even in the urban north, we are a southern land people.”Crawley is the 2024-25 Nannerl Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor at Duke and UNC Chapel Hill. “One of the things I’m trying to work through is that we’re all southern people,”… read more about Arts and the American South: Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor Speaks on Reconnecting People to Place »
“Don’t be afraid to be passionate about what you are passionate about!” - Elle Chavis, ‘27Elle Chavis, a native of Dallas, TX, is a second-year Duke English major and Robertson Scholar. Chavis has always loved reading and writing, which ties into her desire to pursue a career in sports journalism. Chavis is a sports reporter for the Duke Chronicle covering softball, women's basketball, and women's soccer.Chavis recently sat down with me to discuss her experience as a Robertson… read more about Meet English Major Elle Chavis »
On Saturday, February 22, 2025, Duke English will host the inaugural Triangle Undergraduate Literary Conference (TULC), a one-day conference for undergraduates attending Duke University, the University of North Carolina, North Carolina Central University, and North Carolina State University. It will allow undergrads from these universities to share their literature-related research. The conference will occur in the Holsti-Anderson Family Assembly Room of the Rubenstein Library from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm.The Triangle… read more about Triangle Undergraduate Literary Conference »
You’re reading an installment in The Alcove, an interview series with artists and scholars affiliated with Duke University, including students, faculty, and alums in the arts and humanities posted in the Duke Chronicle recently featured Duke English PhD alum Chandler Fry. The style and format of The Paris Review inspires this series. read more about Chandler Fry on the Job Market, Progress, Teaching, His Favorite Piece of Advice »
What’s it really like being a student in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences? As Duke welcomes its 100th class, we’re launching a four-year documentary series that chronicles the experiences of student life at Trinity — the good, the bad and the (hopefully read more about Trinity in Four Acts »
The Duke English Department is privileged to have Professor Victor Strandberg as part of its faculty. His dedication is evident in his 59-year tenure, during which he has educated and inspired thousands of individuals. His impact extends beyond the classroom, influencing students' implicit learning and shaping their contributions to the world.Through the decades, he has taught countless courses on poetry, American literature, and specific authors, including his favorite American author, William Faulkner. During sabbaticals… read more about 59 Years with the Duke English Department »
“Just as mindfulness, wonder, and awe can open the mind and heart to adopting better approaches to digitally infused wellbeing, technology can become a tool to enhance mindfulness, creativity, wonder, and wellbeing. "It’s reciprocal and cyclical.”The opening lines to Caitlin Krause’s most recent book, Digital Wellbeing: Empowering Connection with Wonder and Imagination in the Age of AI, best encapsulate her elevated understanding of what it means to be human in the ever-evolving face of digital innovation… read more about The Third Space of Digital Wellbeing — A Conversation with Duke Alumna Caitlin Krause »
Founded based on the research of former President Nannerl Keohane’s Women’s Initiative report, The Muse is a prominent force for female literary empowerment at Duke University. The report, which detailed the downward trends of female confidence in Duke women’s undergraduate circles, led two students to establish The Muse as a safe space for female-identifying students to express themselves through writing. In the years since its establishment, The Muse has become a prominent force… read more about The Muse Magazine: The Cross Section of Literature and Feminism at Duke University »
When Nitin Luthra received the 2023-24 Rhodes Doctoral Fellowship in the Computational Humanities, he decided to use the Rhodes at Duke University to design a unique interdisciplinary course. Merging the study of English literature with computational analysis, in what is commonly referred to as the Digital Humanities, this fall Luthra premiered “Enemy at the Gates: Reading Dystopian Literature” for Duke undergraduate students. The syllabus describes the course as a combination of humanistic close reading and coding analysis… read more about “Enemy at the Gates: Reading Dystopian Literature” — The Intersection between Computational and Humanistic Disciplines »
Are you still looking for a class for the Spring 2024 Semester? Why not consider English 208S: Novels in Translation, “Lost in Translation? Contemporary and Popular Novels in Translation,” taught by Eun-hae Kim? Kim shared what their students should expect from the course: Without translation, English speakers would be deprived of the pleasures of reading classics like The Odyssey and watching international shows like… read more about Spring '25 English Courses to Consider »
Toby Martinez, '23-24 Distinguished Blackburn Artist-in-Residence, thank you speech and reflection on his time with the Duke English Department and community over the last year and a half. read more about Farewell Speech: Toby Martinez, '23-24 Distinguished Blackburn Artist-in-Residence »
I spoke with Duke junior Lily Egol, an English major who is double-majoring in Music and minoring in French. Lily’s independent study, Galls, Grace, & Grief: Women in Shakespeare Revisited, delves into the feminist reconstruction of some of Shakespeare’s most prominent female figures. Composing a number of poetic monologues exploring individual Shakespearean women or groups of women, Lily’s collection retells these great plays from the perspective of their oft-forgotten female characters. She… read more about Framing Feminism through Shakespeare and Early Modern Art — An Interview with Duke English Major Lily Egol »
Struggling to find the last classes to add your schedule among the myriad of options listed on DukeHub? Your search ends here.Here is The Chronicle’s guide to five captivating courses being offered next semester. read more about 5 Interesting Classes to Consider During Drop/Add »
Julius Fleming delivered this year’s Tennenhouse-Armstrong Lecture. Fleming, an Associate Professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis, gave the audience a glimpse into his current project, “Empire After Civil Rights: Race, Outer Space, and the New Geographies of Colonialism.”Visiting Duke to deliver the Tennenhouse-Armstrong lecture was certainly the highlight of my semester. This was the first time I’ve shared work from my new book project. And what a treat to have done so with such an engaged and brilliant… read more about Julius Fleming - 2024 Tennenhouse-Armstrong Lecture »
I sat down for an interview with Dr. April Henry, Lecturer of German Studies and Director of the German Studies Language Program at the Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, and the most recent recipient of the Richard K. Lublin Award in the Humanities for outstanding achievement in undergraduate teaching. In addition to her scholarship in the field of German Studies, Dr. Henry has also created and taught a variety of courses in the study of literature, many of which have been cross listed as English… read more about An Interview with Dr. April Henry, Literary Scholar and Medievalist »
The 2024 Blackburn Literary Festival - “History and Its Alternatives” - featuring esteemed novelists Rachel Kushner, Claire Messud, and Paul Yoon - offered literature enthusiasts a unique and privileged experience. It allowed them to interact with writers they admire and gain insights into their craft that are often inaccessible to the public. This year’s festival began on Friday, October 18th, with a dozen or more Duke students joining Claire Messud and Paul Yoon for creative writing workshops. Each author provided the… read more about The 2024 Blackburn Literary Festival »
Duke English will host the second annual Tennenhouse-Armstrong Lecture on Tuesday, October 29th. This year’s featured guest will be Julius Fleming, Associate Professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis, who will present “Empire After Civil Rights: Race, Outer Space, and the New Geographies of Colonialism.” The lecture will be held at 3:30 PM in room 314 of the Allen Building. Empire After Civil Rights: Race, Outer Space, and the New Geographies of… read more about Tennenhouse-Armstrong Lecture Featuring Julius Fleming, Oct. 29th »
Acclaimed short-story writer Paul Yoon talked about his start as an author during a panel discussion on “History and Its Alternatives” at the Blackburn Literary Festival Oct. 19. Yoon shared the stage with authors Rachel Kushner, Claire Messud and Duke creative writing professor Ahkil Sharma for a discussion of “History and Its Alternatives.” read more about Said@Duke: Paul Yoon on the Love of Reading »
Claire Messud, author of several award-winning novels, including ”The Last Life” and ”This Strange, Eventful History,” spoke as part of a panel with other writers at the Blackburn Literary Festival Oct. 19. She shared the stage with authors Rachel Kushner, Paul Yoon and Duke creative writing professor Ahkil Sharma for a discussion of “History and Its Alternatives.” read more about Said@Duke: Claire Messud on the Goals and Challenges of Writing »
Booker 2024 shortlist and National Book Award longlist nominee Rachel Kushner, author of “Creation Lake” and other acclaimed novels, gave the keynote address at the annual Blackburn Literary Festival Oct. 19. In her address, Kushner paid tribute to the late Fredric Jameson, long-time Duke professor in the Program in Literature, noting how how Jameson’s ideas on history and literature were important to her writing. read more about Said@Duke: Rachel Kushner on the Magic of Writing »
This weekend, Duke English will be hosting the 2024 Blackburn Literary Festival. “History and Its Alternatives” is the theme of this year’s festival, which will explore the storyteller’s place in a world where the truth seems ever more contentious and elusive. The festival will feature three celebrated novelists: Rachel Kushner, Claire Messud, and Paul Yoon. Duke undergraduates have reserved seats to attend one of Claire Messud’s or Paul Yoon’s workshops on Friday, October 18, 2024, to kick off the festival. Both… read more about 2024 William Blackburn Literary Festival, Oct. 18-20th »
How do you turn a traditional academic department into one of the most exciting intellectual places in the country?For 90 minutes Friday, former and current Duke faculty, joined by dozens of staff and students sat entranced as they heard stories from a transformative moment at Duke, when the university made a significant and daring investment in the humanities during the 1980s.Leading the discussion were two of the key figures: Stanley Fish, who was hired to chair Duke’s Department of English in 1986, and his wife, Jane… read more about Looking Back at Duke English in the ’80s »
Enjoy nature, music and fascinating conversations on campus this month, including Duke English and Duke Art's Blackburn Literary Festival Keynote with Rachel Kushner. read more about 5 Free Things to do at Duke in October 2024 »
Black people’s severed relationship to land, water and air must be recovered for a thriving and joyful life, suggests artist and scholar Ashon T. Crawley. He asks, “Is there a wisdom, a thought practice, an approach to making things that lets us work against this severance, he asks, and prompt in us a way to move, think, and do otherwise?”“All my writing and my approach to art practices is about what I call otherwise possibility,” said Crawley, who has been appointed the Nannerl Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor at… read more about Visiting Keohane Professor to Explore A Severed Relationship to Land »
Duke University’s English Department and Charles E. Jordan High School (JHS) sponsor writing organizations that allow students interested in creative writing to collaborate with peers who have similar interest. During the 2023-24 academic year, Duke Writers Collective (DWC), advised by English Professor JP Gritton, began collaborating with Jordan High’s Writing Club, advised by English teacher Stuart Albright. The two groups were introduced to each other by Blackburn Artist in Residence Toby Martinez de las… read more about Creative Writing Collective Collaborates with Jordan High School Writing Club »
Caitlin Krause, ’00 alum, is an experience designer, public speaker and author whose expertise is in wellbeing, technology, AI, innovation, and imagination. She founded MindWise in 2015, a design studio for meaningful XR, and teaches about digital wellbeing, AI, and XR at Stanford University. Krause has published three books, and her newest, Digital Wellbeing: Empowering Connection With Wonder and Imagination in the Age of AI (Wiley Press), was released on September 24, 2024… read more about Congrats to Alum, Caitlin Krause On The Release of “Digital Wellbeing" »
Cultural Anthropology professor Christine Folch and student Andrew McCallum (T’24) discuss the value of friendship and camaraderie in research, how forgotten stories can be uncovered in archival records, and the cultural significance of South America’s most popular beverage, yerba mate — whose North American cousin hides in plain sight on Duke’s campus. read more about Duets Episode 3: Don’t Choose the Group, Choose the People »
The 28 new books by Duke authors provide a variety of reading materials and includes work by English faculty members Mesha Maren and Kevin Hart. read more about New Books by Duke Authors: Exploring Politics, Theology, AI and Basketball »
We sat down for an interview with Kevin Hart, the newly appointed Jo Rae Wright University Distinguished Professor at Duke Divinity School, who also has a secondary appointment in the Department of English. We asked him about the layers of his scholarly work, his involvement with Catholic initiatives at secular universities, and the themes from his latest book. read more about An Interview With Kevin Hart, Theologian and Poet »