On March 25th, several Duke English faculty and more than 20 undergraduates met to discuss “Sex, Money, Death (and PIZZA): Why you should be a Creative Writing Minor.” Each semester, the Duke English Department hosts an Open House for students to learn about the craft of creative writing from faculty members whose areas of expertise include poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Faculty share their writing experiences, what attracted them to a particular genre, how they approach writing, what courses they teach, and a… read more about Spring ’24 Creative Writing Open House »
Musical collisions, living monuments, immersive choreography and celebrations of tradition are all part of the performance experience at Duke. The arts and humanities faculty in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences are gifted creatives, as well as respected educators and researchers. This month, several of them have joined with Duke Arts Presents to present four performances across multiple art forms.Aaron Shackelford, the director of programming for Duke Arts says, “Duke Arts Presents brings world-class… read more about Duke Arts Presents Collaborates with Trinity Faculty for Four Performances in April »
"Amber Manning was born to be in a classroom. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of a teaching award." read more about 2024 Dean's Award: Amber Manning »
Creative Writing minor Tess Redman, ’24, used her Beneson Award in the Arts to fund the production of her play “Sugar at Four in the Morning,” which she also directed. Congratulations, Tess; we are proud of you! Tess Redman '24, a Psychology major with minors in Creative Writing and Spanish, always knew she wanted to produce and direct her play, Sugar at Four in the Morning. Last summer, Redman used her Beneson Award in the Arts funds to develop her play exploring the journey of a… read more about Bringing a Play to Life with the Benenson Award »
An English major can pursue any profession they dream of. Jake Fox, ’18 Duke alum, is a prime example. After graduation, Fox interned with the National Basketball Association’s Portland Trail Blazers as a summer post-grad Basketball Operations intern. Then he joined the University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball team as their Assistant Director of Basketball Operations before returning to the Blazers as a Basketball Operations Assistant, where he served for two seasons before being elevated to basketball administration… read more about Jake Fox '18 Personnel Analyst for Portland Trail Blazers »
Congratulations to Professor Christopher Ouma for receiving one of the 2024-25 Research Seed Grants in Documentary Studies from the Duke Center for Documentary Studies for his collaboration with Professor Khwezi Mkhize of the African & African American Studies for their "Black Archival Imagination: The Hugh Exton Photographic Museum." read more about Documentary Studies Grants Awarded to Faculty for Research and Course Development »
The Caribbean Philosophical Association is pleased to announce that Nathaniel Mackey is one of the 2024 recipients of the Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista Lifetime Achievement Award. The selection of recommended recipients is made annually by the Caribbean Philosophical Association’s Awards Committee, which consists of all prior recipients of the Frantz Fanon, the Nicolás Guillén, and the Stuart Hall Awards, two appointed senior scholars, and two appointed junior scholars. For more information, please consult:… read more about The Caribbean Philosophical Association’s 2024 Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista Lifetime Achievement Award Goes to Nathaniel Mackey »
Congratulations to Amber Manning, Duke English Ph.D. candidate, on being named one of the three 2024 Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching recipients. read more about Graduate School Grants 11 Dean's Awards for 2024 »
Congratulations to Professors Chris Ouma, Associate Professor of English, and Julianne Werlin, Bacca Foundation Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Culture, and Society, on achieving the rank of tenure during the '22-23 tenure review period. read more about Tenure Awarded to Faculty in Various Disciplines Across Campus »
Congratulations to Professor Julianne Werlin on being one of the Office for Research & Innovation and Office of the Vice Provost Interdisciplinary Studies's 2023 inaugural Explore Seed Grant recipients. read more about Explore 2023 Recipients »
When we think of style, we usually think about the clothes a person wears, how they act, how they choose to present themselves to the world. In his new book "Style: A Queer Cosmology," Taylor Black, assistant professor of English, looks at icons of American culture who figured out how to express style in what he calls a “non-typical way.” The book is divided in three parts. Part One, “The Mystery of Personality: Queerness as Style” revolves around Quentin Crisp and Flannery O’Connor. Part Two, “The Arrow of Time… read more about Style: A Queer Cosmology — Redefining Expression and Identity »
The Palgrave Handbook of European Migration in Literature and Culture, edited by Professors Corina Stan and Charlotte Sussman, was released in November 2023."The Palgrave Handbook of European Migration in Literature and Culture engages with migration to, within, and from Europe, foregrounding migration through the lenses of historical migratory movement and flows associated with colonialism and postcolonialism. With essays on literature, film, drama, graphic novels, and more, the book… read more about "The Palgrave Handbook of European Migration in Literature and Culture” Edited by Stan and Sussman »
Students in Professor JP Gritton's Fall '23 "Intro to Creative Writing: Writing as Practice" class veered from the traditional classroom setting and enjoyed several inspirational creative writing excursions. These trips, along with a guest lecture on utilizing archives in writing, provided students with physical, mental, and sensory stimulation for their writing assignments. "My idea (for this course) grows out of a powerful sense that all art forms—music, dance, visual art, theater, writing, even cuisine—inform and… read more about In Search of Inspiration – Fall '23 English 110S "Intro to Creative Writing: Writing as Practice" »
Jessica Covil-Manset, Ph.D., recently joined the staff of The Graduate School as a Communications Specialist. She graduated from Duke with a Ph.D. in English in 2022 after earning a B.A. in English and Spanish at the University of Chicago. She continues to connect with the graduate student community through her work at TGS. Learn more about Jess and her journey at TGS in this Q&A. read more about Q&A with Jessica Covil-Manset: Meet The Graduate School’s New Communications Specialist! »
Congratulations to Chris Kuo, ’23 alum, for being selected as one of the George J. Mitchell Scholarship winners. He is among the 12 Americans chosen this weekend for the program, supporting a year of graduate study in Ireland. read more about Duke Senior, Alumnus Win Mitchell Scholarships »
Duke senior Chloe Nguyen, from Las Vegas, Nev., and recent alumnus Christopher (Chris) Kuo, from Wellesley, Mass., received the George J. Mitchell Scholarship. They are two of the 12 Americans selected this weekend for the program, which supports a year of graduate study in Ireland. This year, nearly 350 students applied for the scholarship, named in honor of U.S. Sen. George Mitchell’s contributions to the Northern Ireland peace process. Recipients are chosen based on academic distinction, leadership, and service. “I am… read more about Duke Senior, Alumnus Win Mitchell Scholarships »
Has your class discussed "Like a Prayer" by Madonna this semester? If not, you have missed out and are not enrolled in Professor Tom Ferraro's "Madonna Trouble.” Last year, during one of his graduate-level lectures, Ferraro mentioned that he taught a "Madonna unit" in his Italian-American arts and multimedia courses, and his students responded with, "You gotta teach a course on Madonna!" "Truth is, I can't imagine education in the 20th Century transnational U.S. expressive culture without Madonna (as I can't imagine… read more about “Madonna Trouble” Taught by Professor Tom Ferraro »
Congratulations to Duke English majors Macey Davis, "Crown Ascent," and Heidi Smith, "First World Problems," who, along with their projects, were selected to be a part of the 2023-24 Duke Arts Studio Student Cohort.The seventh year of Duke’s signature arts mentorship program pairs thirteen students with professional mentors to develop their creative projects, including literature, theater, film, visual arts and more. read more about Announcing the 2023-24 Duke Arts Studio Student Cohort »
In January 2023, Ranjana Khanna was reappointed as FHI Director for a second 5-year term. In this wide-ranging interview with FHI's Assistant Director of Communications Michaela Dwyer, Khanna discusses the return of in-person programming and modes of collaboration in the humanities. Highlighting the launch of the Entanglement Project, she considers how the humanities might help us make sense of the world in the shadow of the pandemic. read more about Making Sense of the World We Live In: A Conversation with FHI Director Ranjana Khanna »
Brown University Professor Tim Bewes presented "Lukács and Baldwin: A Conversation Between Novel Theory and Black Studies" for the inaugural Len Tennenhouse Lecture. A capacity crowd joined Bewes for his lecture focused on the first of a projected three essay study of "Race and the Novel."Students, faculty, Duke community members, and literary arts supporters were eager to hear Bewes discuss his work. Bewes began his lecture by thanking the department for the honor of being selected for the inaugural Len Tennenhouse Lecture… read more about Inaugural Tennenhouse Lecture »
A group of students recently joined the Duke English Creative Writing faculty for an Open House. The Open House allowed students to chat with faculty informally about creative writing from all facets, ranging from course offerings to advice on how creative writing can continue beyond the classroom. Among the students in attendance was a local high school senior who has applied to Duke and is interested in majoring in English and minoring in Creative Writing. “I thought it was a super great opportunity to meet creative… read more about Fall ’23 Creative Writing Open House »
New reads from Duke authors include a take on what it takes to be successful in the job market today (hint: it’s a lot of luck), a history of racial identity among Latinos in the South and the science behind being a good neighbor. read more about Good Reads for the Fall: New Books from Duke Authors »