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Headshot of Luoshu Zhang
Graduate Research in Queer Studies and the Many Expressions of Pride

Pride and the Posthuman Luoshu Zhang, Duke English PhD Candidate "While queer theory can offer non-normative ways to understand the human, Luoshu Zhang’s (she/her) research focuses on the posthuman—specifically, the idea of letting go of the human and what that might open up."     read more »

Headshot of Akhil Sharma
The Atlantic Magazine's The Great American Novels List Includes Professor Akhil Sharma's "Family Life"

Earlier this year, The Atlantic published its most recent list of "The Great American Novels." This list includes great American authors like James Baldwin, Judy Blume, and Ralph Ellison, well-known novels such as The Grapes of Wrath, The Catcher in the Rye, and Family Life written by Duke English's Akhil Sharma, Adele Schiff Professor of the Practice. The Atlantic's list places Sharma's Family Life in the company of literary giants like F… read more »

DUL Creative Writing Award Flyer -2024
DUL Creative Writing Awards - Deadlines June 15, 2024

Are you an undergraduate who enjoys creative writing?  You could win an award for your talents! The Rudolph William Rosati Creative Writing Award The Rosati Creative Writing Prize is awarded each spring in recognition of an outstanding work of creative writing.  All Duke first year or sophomore students are eligible to submit work for consideration.  Projects may be any genre and take any form (audio/video, digital media, etc.), but must include a substantial creative writing… read more »

Three Juniors Named Faculty Scholars
Three Juniors Named Faculty Scholars

Three undergraduate students whose research shows their deep expertise on number theory, 19th century American history and analysis of poetry were honored with Faculty Scholar Awards, the highest honor bestowed by university faculty on undergraduates. Presented through the Academic Council, the 2024 winners are Sarah Konrad, Arielle Stern and Marie-Hélène Tomé. The award was established to highlight students who are likely to pursue a scholarly career and already have established a record of research and independent study… read more »

Professor Faulkner Fox and her “Plays that Change the World Class"
Reuben-Cook Fellows Honor Legacy of Groundbreaking Alum

2022-23 Reuben-Cooke Fellows at Duke, Faulkner Fox, Lecturing Fellow of English, “Plays that Change the World” Fox led a project highlighting the work of Black playwrights and theater professionals across North Carolina. The grant allowed Fox to take her Spring 2023 students to plays featuring Black artists and playwrights across the state, and to bring theater professionals to her class for related discussions. She also hired theater studies major Anastacia Pogodina as a teaching assistant. read more »

Headshot of Effie Harrington
Effie Harrington, Ph.D. Candidate, Receives 2024 Stephen Horne Excellence in Teaching Award

We are pleased to announce that Effie Harrington is the 2024 recipient of the Stephen Horne Award for Excellence in Teaching. Harrington was nominated by five students in her Spring ’24 “Inventing Childhood” course.  One of the students stated in their nomination: "Effie Harrington is an outstanding teacher and inspiring mentor. I looked forward to her creative, engaging lectures and the detailed feedback she provided on writing assignments, which helped me refine my ideas and become a better writer. Her… read more »

Photo of Robert Goldstein BlackRock
The Rise of the English Major: BlackRock COO Wants to Recruit Liberal Arts Analysts That ‘Have Nothing to Do With Finance or Technology'

Quote from George Lee, Co-Head of Goldman Sachs’ Global Institute:  “Some of the skills that are really salient to cooperate with this new of intelligence in the world are critical thinking, understanding logic and rhetoric, the ability to be creative,” he continued. “It will allow non-technical people to accomplish a lot more — and, by the way, begin to perform what were formerly believed to be technical tasks.” read more »

’24 Photo fo Dr. Daniel Saurborn at HuMed Celebration
Said@Duke: Dr. Daniel Saurborn on Combining Studies In Biomedical Engineering, English and Medicine

Duke alumnus Dr. Daniel Saurborn recenctly spoke at a Duke Humanities in Medicine (HuMed) Celebration. Saurborn is a physician-entrepreneur, biomedical engineering and English double major graduate ('92), and the founder of numerous telehealth companies.  These include Radiology 24/7 (a leading provider of medical imaging services), PrayerSpark (a novel platform to send prayers and positive affirmations to anyone in the world regardless of religious affiliation), and Arete… read more »

Logo for Live Everything Podcast - Trivius Caldwell
Shaping Pan-African Imagination and Solidarity: A Conversation with Literary Critic and Professor Christopher Ouma

Embark on an intellectual odyssey with Professor Christopher Ouma, our distinguished guest, who delivers a masterclass on African literature's profound role in crafting Pan-African identity. As a newly minted associate professor at Duke University, Christopher traces his journey from the vibrant heart of Kenya to the halls of academia, offering us a window into the soul of a continent through its stories. Together, we reminisce about the transformative power of education and the written word in shaping identity,… read more »

Spring ’24 BAI Collage
Spring 2024 Black Archival Imagination Seminar Series

Professor Chris Ouma, who joined the Duke English faculty this academic year, and Professor Khwezi Mkhize, Duke African & African American Studies, collaborated in Spring ’24 to co-teach English 590S, cross-listed as AAAS 590S, “Black Archival Imagination.” The central theme of this course addressed two questions: What do we mean when we invoke the idea of a Black Archive? What are the conditions, genres, and modes of expression through which Black life, imagination, and desire become legible?  Professors Ouma and… read more »

Spring ’24 Poetry Classes Collage
Spring 2024 Poetry-Centric Duke English Courses

This Spring, "poetry" has been the central theme for Duke English and the featured genre for events and courses. The department's course offerings included poetry-centric classes ranging from the traditional "Milton" course taught by Professor David Aers to "Poetry Beyond the Pages" taught by Blackburn Distinguished Artist in Residence, poet Toby Martinez de las Rivas. Throughout the semester, I had the opportunity to observe poetry-centric classes taught in the department which allowed me to experience what students are… read more »

Trinity Students Head to the ACC Meeting of the Minds Conference
Trinity Students Head to the ACC Meeting of the Minds Conference

Five Trinity students made their way to South Bend, Indiana for the 18th annual ACC Meeting of the Minds conference in April. Thang Lian, Sasha Bacot, Julia Davis, Abby Cortez and Trisha Santanam were selected to represent Duke and Trinity College of Arts & Sciences in the annual research conference celebrating undergraduate research and creative inquiry. Hosted this year by the University of Notre Dame, the Meeting of the Minds invites students from the 15 Atlantic Coast Conference member schools to participate by… read more »

’24 Photo fo Dr. Daniel Saurborn at HuMed Celebration
Duke HuMed Celebrations - Q&A with Dr. Daniel Saurborn

What do you think is the most relevant part of your English degree to your medical training? My English degree focused on narrative writing. I loaded my credit hours with creative and expository writing classes from Reynolds Price, Melissa Lentricchia, Lee Smith, Michael Moon, and Elizabeth Cox. In the field of medicine, effective communication of thoughts and themes is a cherished and somewhat rarefied skill among a peer group of left-brained scientists. While my Biomedical Engineering and premedical… read more »

Collage of Spring into Poetry events
REVIEW: “Spring into Poetry” Series

This semester, Duke English hosted "Spring into Poetry," a series of poetry-themed events open to the Duke community and fellow poetry lovers. The series consisted of workshops, readings, and performances adapted from poetry. These events featured Duke English faculty, students, and invited poets, scholars of the genre, and performers. The Living Voice: Creating a Poem’s Unique Speaker” featuring Yerra Sugarman A workshop featuring Yerra Sugarman, co-… read more »