English Department
“Keep a Dickens novel around you always. You’ll laugh; you’ll cry; you’ll be eager to know what happens next.” Michael Malone, former Duke professor of theater studies and English who died on August 19, as remembered by Deborah Jakubs, university librarian emerita. As part of a celebration of the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens in 2012, Malone delighted an audience in the Gothic… read more about In Memoriam: Michael Malone »
Michael Malone was born in Durham, North Carolina in 1942. He died on August 19, 2022, at his home in Clinton, Connecticut. read more about Duke Flags Lowered: Michael Malone, Faculty Member in Theater Studies and English, Dies »
J.P. Gritton wasn’t always interested in mystery writing. The assistant professor of the practice in creative writing has since changed his mind, not only teaching students to appreciate the role of the genre but incorporating the hallmarks of mystery writing into his own works. His debut novel, Wyoming — a Kirkus best debut book of 2019 — tells the story of a struggling Colorado man in the 1980s through the blending of mystery, crime and literary fiction elements. In a recent interview, Gritton reflects on a mystery… read more about J.P. Gritton Reflects on the Ubiquity of the Mystery Genre »
Nathaniel Mackey, Author of Double Trio: Tej Bet, So's Notice, Nerve Church (Box Set) talks about his books of poems. read more about Nathaniel Mackey - Double Trio »
The New York Times article "His First Novel Was a Critical Hit. Two Decades Later, He Rewrote It" features Professor Sharma discussing the rewrite of his debut novel "An Obedient Father," published over two decades ago. read more about His First Novel Was a Critical Hit. Two Decades Later, He Rewrote It. »
Professor Nathaniel Mackey, Double Trio, is on Duke Alumni Lifelong Learning summer reading list. Duke Alumni’s Lifeline Learning initiative has some suggestions of books from Duke authors for your summer reading nightstand. The 11 titles span the disciplines from the humanities and arts to science and philosophy, as well as novels and poetry. read more about Summer Reads 2022 »
Faculty member R. Darren Gobert will serve as a Princeton short-term visiting fellow, the Whitney J. Oates Fellow in the Humanities Council and Department of English. read more about Princeton University Humanities: Council Announces 2022-23 Long-Term and Short-Term Visitors »
Charlotte Susman, professor of English, will chair the search committee for the next dean of Trinity College of Arts and Science. Fellow English faculty member Mark Anthony Neal will also serve on the committee. read more about Sussman to Chair Search Committee »
Congratulations to the 2022 Critical Essay and Creative Writing Scholarships winners! Stanley E. Fish Award for Outstanding Work in British Literature: Kari Tora Larsen, ‘22 This award recognizes outstanding work by an undergraduate enrolled in an English course in British Literature. Award for Most Original Honors Thesis: Taylor Madison Plett, ‘22 This award recognizes a senior student for writing the most original honors thesis.… read more about 2022 Creative Writing Scholarship Winners »
“It is speech and visibility that give us any political power we have. It is speech and visibility that apparently make us threatening.” Detail from a manuscript essay by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick that was published in 2014 with the title “Censorship & Homophobia,” by Gullotine, New York, NY. The publisher, printer, and binder, Sarah McCarry, discovered the manuscript during her work helping to prepare the collection to come to Duke. The Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture is pleased to announce that the… read more about Work and Love are Impossible to Tell Apart: The Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick Papers »
Congratulations to Professor Priscilla Wald, a member of the Climate Histories of Global Agriculture faculty team, for receiving one of the University-Wide Collaboration Grants on Climate Change. read more about Eight Faculty Teams Awarded University-Wide Collaboration Grants on Climate Change »
Congratulations to Anya Lewis-Meeks on being awarded the 2022 Stephen J. Horne Award for Excellence in Teaching. Lewis-Meeks, who taught English 110S.03 “Intro to Creative Writing” in the fall semester was selected by Professor Kathy Psomiades, Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), and the advisory committee, Professor Taylor Black and Professor Tsitsi Jaji, based on course evaluations and student nomination. Duke English is excited to award her with this well-earned honor. Lewis-Meeks listed “building a diverse… read more about Anya Lewis-Meeks, English Ph.D. Candidate is Honored with Teaching Award »
Duke Today's recent article on new books by Duke faculty members includes English faculty members Mesha Maren "Perpetual West" and Mark Anthony Neal's "Black Ephemera: The Crisis and Challenge of the Musical Archive" new works. read more about From Ancient Rome to Small-Town Mississippi, New Books by Duke Authors Capture the Imagination This Spring »
During the Spring 2022 semester, Professor Sarah Beckwith was asked to teach one of Duke English's gateway courses. "When the department asked me to teach a 101 class, I knew I wanted to call it ‘Arts of Attention,” stated Professor Beckwith. We are living in an "attention economy" where our attention is grabbed, bought, and sold. It is a commodity. Our interests, desires, and preferences are data mined for advertising and are funding a new generation of unscrupulous media enterprises. And it is making us all… read more about Professor Beckwith’s English 101S – Arts of Attention »
One important academic lesson of the pandemic was that despite COVID restrictions, many Duke undergraduate students continued to conduct valuable research in collaboration with faculty members. This week, that research was showcased when three juniors were named Faculty Scholars, the university’s highest honor for students presented by faculty. The awards went to Patrick Duan, for research studying historical dynamics of racial and ethnic minorities; Jenny (Yijian) Huang, for developing new statistical methodology for… read more about Three Juniors Selected as Faculty Scholars for Excellence in Research »
Traditionally when one thinks of a college English course, they would not be surprised to study someone who has won a Nobel Prize in Literature (2016) and a Pulitzer Prize (Special Citation, 2008). What about someone who has won Grammy Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and even a Golden Globe for Best Original song? Surely, that would make sense for a Music class, but in English? In Professor Taylor Black's English 290S-01 course, "Bob Dylan," however, you get both and so much more.… read more about Professor Black’s Class Field Trip to Bob Dylan Concert »
Twenty-four Duke students received a Benenson Award in the Arts this year to support and sustain their work over the summer months and help launch the graduating seniors into the next phase of their life. read more about Announcing the 2022 Benenson Award Winners »