English Department
English majors Tyler King, Sacha Seinfeld, Ruby Wang, and minor Sibani Ram were 2022-23 participants in the StudioDuke program. Two years ago, Recess covered StudioDuke, an application-based, year-long arts program where students work on a creative project with the help of a Duke alumni serving as their mentor. This year, twelve students participated in the program, several of whom presented their projects at the annual showcase. Here, in honor of several successful 2023 graduates and an incredible year for the… read more about Studio Duke: A Year in Review 2022-23 »
Five members of the Class of 2024 have been named to the third class of Nakayama Scholars. The Nakayama Public Service Scholarship bolsters the university’s efforts to encourage students to use their Duke experience to engage with significant challenges facing communities around the world. The students represent multiple disciplines across Duke’s academic departments as well as a variety of future careers pursuits. Juniors Nhu Bui, Grace Endrud, Jacob Hervey, Chloe Nguyen and Ronit Sethi were chosen for their… read more about Duke Names Third Class of Nakayama Scholars »
On Tuesday, May 16, 2023, a panel of Joe Ashby Porter's former colleagues and students came together via a webinar to remember the life and work of Joe Ashby Porter. Professor Porter taught in the English and Theater Studies departments for nearly four decades. Porter passed on December 14, 2019; the COVID-19 pandemic delayed our event to honor his legacy. read more about RECORDING: Joe Ashby Porter Virtual Celebration »
Congratulations to Amber Manning, the winner of the 2023 Stephen Horne Award for Excellence in Teaching. The English Department at Duke University is excited to award Manning with this well-deserved honor. She was nominated by six students in her Fall 2022 English 208S.01 course, "Criticism and the Arts: No End in Sight." One student wrote in their nomination: Amber Manning is one of the best professors I've had at Duke. Her class was extremely engaging, and she cared so deeply for her students.… read more about Amber Manning, Ph.D. Candidate, 2023 Stephen Horne Excellence in Teaching Award Winner »
Recording of Duke Arts 2023 Student Awards Ceremony Watch here read more about Duke Arts 2023 Student Awards Ceremony »
To honor the many scholarly achievements of the Class of 2023, we present a partial list of departmental, university and national awards won by this year’s graduates. A full list will appear in the program on the commencement website on Sunday. read more about Class of 2023 Student Honors and Laurels »
Most semesters, Duke English offers single-author courses that provide students with the opportunity to study a featured author in depth. During the Spring ’23 semester, “Zora Neale Hurston: Race, Gender, Region, Diaspora,” taught by Professor Jarvis McInnis, was one of these offerings. This course examines the life and work of Zora Neale Hurston, one of the preeminent writers of twentieth-century African American literature. Though best known as a novelist of the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston was also a formally trained… read more about Professor McInnis’ “Zora Neale Hurston” Course »
Three undergraduate students who found an engaging intellectual topic and worked with Duke faculty to conduct original research that advances knowledge in that field were honored with Faculty Scholar Awards, the highest honor bestowed by university faculty on undergraduates. The award was established to highlight students with an exceptional record of independent research and scholarship and who show promise of a scholarly career. Marcos Hirai Catao is recognized for the study of the relationship between… read more about Three Students Honored as Faculty Scholars »
Duke English is delighted to announce that Toby Martinez de las Rivas, a highly accomplished poet with an international profile, will be our Blackburn Artist in Residence for the 2023-24 academic year. He will teach two creative writing courses each semester, beginning with English 110s and a special topics course on “Word and Image” English 290s-4 in the fall. Martinez de las Rivas’ publications include two full collections. Black Sun (2018) was shortlisted for the Forward… read more about 2023-24 Blackburn Artist In Residence - Toby Martinez de las Rivas »
This year’s student commencement speakers will be Trinity senior Kyle-Brandon “KB” Denis and M.D./Ph.D. candidate Dylan Eiger. They will deliver welcome remarks at the university-wide ceremony at 9.a.m. Sunday, May 14, in Wallace Wade Stadium. Denis and Eiger were chosen from among more than 350 nominees. The selection committee reviewed nominations for students who have facilitated a welcoming community for their peers through seen and unseen leadership roles, impacted the greater Durham area through engagement with… read more about Student Speakers Selected for Commencement Ceremony »
We are excited to announce the 2023 Critical Essay and English Department Award Winners. Congratulations to the following winners: Critical Essay Award: Shourya Agarwal, ‘24 - “A Common Tongue” Zachary Partnoy, 26 - “To Wit, To Woo” (Honorable Mention) The critical essay competition is open for essays written by any Duke undergraduate enrolled in an English department course. Stanley E. Fish Award for Outstanding Work in British Literature: … read more about 2023 Critical Essay & Department Award Winners »
Author, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit, known for helping to make the term "mansplaining" popular, visited Duke on April 19. Her visit began with a workshop with Duke English creative writing students. It concluded with an evening reading and Q&A in the Rubenstein Library. During her visit, Solnit dropped pearls of wisdom that encouraged those who love writing and shared her passion for the fight against climate change. Students in my advanced workshop encountered Solnit's work at a few different stages in… read more about Rebecca Solnit Visits Duke English »
In this episode, Brandon Williams, Duke English minor alum, describes how his African American studies major and English minor opened up new possibilities for his life and career. His story shows how deep reflection on the legacy of racism in the United States in humanities classrooms can prepare you to play a role in building a brighter and more equitable future. Learn how Brandon is making positive change in his community and beyond as a consultant for Frontline Solutions. read more about Alum Brandon Williams Featured in Episode of “What Are You Going to Do With That?” Podcast »
On Tuesday, April 25th, Duke English hosted “The Future of Fiction” in Duke Gardens, which featured intro, intermediate, and advance fiction students reading from their works amongst the Spring backdrop of the gardens. Photos of students reading during ’23 “The Future of Fiction… read more about Photos from 2023 “The Future of Fiction" »
Duke English is excited to announce our 2023 Creative Writing Contest and Scholarship awardees. Congratulations to the following students: Camden Chin ’26 for “Value of a Dollar” and “Harold” Anne Flexner Memorial Award for Fiction. Family members and friends of former English student Anne Flexner (1945) established the Anne Flexner Memorial Award for Creative Writing to recognize undergraduates for their work in fiction and… read more about 2023 Duke English Creative Writing Contest and Scholarship Winners »
Duke English recently hosted its Spring "Fiction Open House," focused on Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs. A panel consisting of members of the department's creative writing sector: Professors Amin Ahmad, JP Gritton, Mesha Maren, Akhil Sharma, and English Ph.D. candidate Anya Lewis-Meeks, provided insight into MFA programs, writing paths without an MFA and fielded questions from the students in attendance. This "Fiction Open House" event offered undergrad writers in the Duke community a chance to ask about postgraduation… read more about Spring 2023 Fiction Open House »
Maren is the author of two novels and many more short stories and essays. Her experience growing up outside Alderson, West Virginia, has played a pivotal role in her work. read more about Q&A: Mesha Maren’s Small Town Roots Find a Home in Her Writing »
Four faculty from Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and three alumni have been named to this year’s cohort of Guggenheim Fellows. The honorees for 2023 include German Studies Professor Stefani Engelstein, Professor Lillian B. Pierce of Mathematics, Religious Studies Professor Leela Prasad, and Professor of Physics Christopher Walter. Duke alumni Lucy Corin, Jon-Sesrie Goff and Jennifer Graber were also recognized. Now in its 98th year, the Guggenheim Fellowships recognize exceptional mid-career… read more about Four Trinity Faculty and Three Alums Named 2023 Guggenheim Fellows »
Duke English would like to present you with this opportunity to get to know English alum Dr. Jocelyn Streid, who will present at Duke Humanities in Medicine's "Celebrating Medicine, Literature, and Religion” on Saturday, April 15, 2023, and current Duke HuMed (Humanities in Medicine) president, Rebecca Arian, '26, who plans to double major in English and Neuroscience. Dr. Jocelyn Streid, '13, Harvard Resident Dr. Jocelyn Steroid, ’13, Harvard Resident Dr.… read more about Meet Duke HuMed's Spring '23 Guest Speaker and HuMed President »
Catherine Ji Won Lee defended her dissertation and obtained her Ph.D. in English in March 2023. She also holds an M.A. in English from the University of British Columbia and a B.A. (high honors) in English from the University of California, Berkeley. At Duke, Lee has designed and taught four undergraduate courses, including two that were held online during the pandemic. She has also served as a teaching assistant for three courses and a teaching apprentice for two others. read more about 2023 Dean's Award: Catherine Lee »
Professor of English, Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies and Literature Ranjana Khanna has been reappointed to a second term as director of Duke University’s John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute. read more about A Champion for the Humanities »
Who doesn’t dream of owning a house that automatically closes the windows when it starts to rain, or a car that copes with traffic so you don’t have to? The science fiction of yesterday is today’s reality, and even better days are on the horizon. Such is the promise of “smartness.” It’s touted as the answer to all of humanity’s problems, a path not just to prosperity but to the very survival of our species. Is a smart future inevitable, though? What would a world constructed by smartness look like, and is it the best… read more about Does “Smart” Always Make Sense? Robert Mitchell’s The Smartness Mandate Tackles Our Global Obsession »
If you read any of the many stories written just last week about ChatGPT and generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, you likely noticed a lot of both hype and concerns: ChatGPT will help students to better express their ideas. ChatGPT will lead young people down dark rabbit holes, end take-home exams and lead to layoffs. On Friday, a multidisciplinary panel of scholars and industry professionals broke down where the hype is overstated and the dangers overblown, but also where the benefits are possible and the… read more about ChatGPT Is Here to Stay. What Do We Do With It? »
In December 2022, Cambridge University Press published Wittgenstein and Literary Studies, which contains chapters by Professors Sarah Beckwith, English and Toril Moi, Literature, Romance Studies, and English, Philosophy, and Theater Studies. Then in January, MIT Press published The Smartness Mandate, co-authored by Professor Rob Mitchell. The book suggests that "smartness" is not just about technology but a theory of knowledge. read more about Spring Books from Duke Authors from Wittgenstein to Capoeira »
Celebrate the renewal of spring with a book from a Duke author. This season of new and upcoming books that cover a variety of times, places and subjects from the arts to computer science. The writings include studies of body shaming in the theater, civil defense in Japan, intellectual conformity in higher education and a cautionary look at the future of brain hacking. Many of the books, including new editions of previous titles, can be found on the “Duke Authors” display shelves near the circulation desk in Perkins… read more about Spring Books from Duke Authors from Wittgenstein to Capoeira »